Post 3. THE BIGGEST APARTMENT IN TOKYO

The Japanese party quite differently than Europeans. When David and I arrived at the location of the JBC event at 21:00, after a day of presenting and working the crowd on the conference, the place was already about to close. We did a few networking laps, exchanging business cards and meeting new people, before we were pulled to the VIP section by the organizers of the event. imusify seems to have been making waves.

I turned again, annoyed at the fact that I can’t force myself to fall asleep. It’s 3:30 PM, Tokyo time. I kick the sheets of the bed and turn on the AC before I take a quick shower. Seems like I am starting early today. Good. There is a lot to do. Despite the early hours, the streets below our hotel seem lively and quite bright. I head down for a walk. It helps me think.

As I step outside, I hear somebody calling my name. It’s Marc (Marco Aniballi, imusify product designer). He closes the call with his wife, and walks towards me. “Can’t sleep, huh?” “Nope”, I reply. “Well, we might as well get some work done then” he says, and we walk to the hotel lobby to work on the technical part of our presentation for a meeting at Yahoo! Japan.

It’s hot. 35 Celsius, sun is shining, and Google Maps failed us this time. We cross the park and ask for directions again. One would think the biggest apartment in Tokyo can’t be this hard to find.

Our destination, hiding just behind the building on the left.

As we turn the corner, we recognize some familiar faces. It’s the guys from O3 and Switcheo. We enter the building together and ascend to the 5th floor. The place is awesome. Minimalist furniture, a mix of black, grey, and white interior, and tall windows. We take off the shoes as customary and pass through the corridor. About 20 other people, invited by NEO Japan are already there. Established professors, entrepreneurs, business leaders, and media are attending the unofficial NEO Japan Meetup.

We are approached by a reporter, and set apart from the others for an interview. We start by telling about our backgrounds. David has started as a musician, then producer, and finally manager of musicians, before taking a position in a fin-tech startup. Marco has worked with BlackBerry and Microsoft as a product designer and project manager, and I worked as a lawyer at CMS Law & Tax before starting my own practice.

We have different backgrounds and expertise, but we have all been musicians at some stage in our life. While my involvement with garage rock bands in my teens and early twenties hardly comes as a surprise, even I was amazed to learn that Marco was actually hired as a singer, testing and presenting karaoke machines in Canada. Fun times.

Then we move on to the topic of imusify, explaining the vision, prototype, and finally announcing our token sale, starting on August 1st.

Marco, David and I, just before the interview.

The room is dimmed and the only source of light is the projector in the middle. I have to blink a few of times for my eyes to adjust to the darkness. Presentation time. Miki Hayama goes first, presenting NEO Japan. The NEO blockchain empire started in China in 2014, which was more widely known as Antshares at the time. The organization has been expanding rapidly ever since and will likely takeover the role as market leader in 2018.

David followed, introducing imusify, and showcasing our prototype (check it out at: www.imusify.io). The it was the Switcheo guys, presenting their slick exchange platform. Then O3 labs. I had no idea how quickly both projects were able to acquire such a high number of users, and are continuing to grow their user base in the double digits on monthly basis. Taking note, it’s time for us to go next.

David Walters responding to questions after the presentations.

…TO BE CONTINUED…

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