We are proud to announce our strategic partnership with Equativ, establishing the independent ad tech company in Japan. Our mission is to complement Japan’s thriving digital advertising ecosystem with Equativ’s innovative Curation capabilities.

We are championing Curation in Japan to enable more direct and rewarding relationships. By streamlining and simplifying the buyer-seller dynamic we want to bring greater harmony to the digital advertising ecosystem and deliver better outcomes for brands, publishers and users.

This exclusive partnership follows our successful establishment of Unruly and MOBKOI in Japan in 2015 and 2019 respectively. I’m personally very impressed by what Equativ’s solution can deliver for advertisers and publishers, and excited about supporting the company’s growth in Japan. Its recent merger with Sharethrough makes it one of the world’s biggest independent advertising platforms.

Equativ has been serving Publishers since 2001 and is a pioneer of Curation. The moment feels right to bring its solution to a country that cares deeply about brand experiences, service and craftsmanship.

Japan has been underserved by Programmatic solutions, and Equativ’s Curation capabilities have the potential to change that. By carefully curating private marketplaces, with vendor and format neutrality, we can enable advertisers to scale their reach on the open web, but remain in control of brand safety and creative impact.

Equativ’s Curation capabilities combine programmatic scale with creative control. Japan, where service and craftsmanship is on a different level, provides the perfect market to showcase what Curation can achieve, taking special care of brands on the open web.

That’s our mission in Japan.

Big thanks to everyone who made it possible.

The post FastTrack brings Equativ to Japan: Changing the perception of Programmatic through Curation appeared first on Fast Track.

At FastTrack we’ve spent the last 11 years partnering with AdTech and MarTech scaleups, bringing innovative technology to AsiaPacific.

To be honest, it’s recently felt like genuine innovation in AdTech has stalled. There’s been a distinct lack of differentiation in terms of offer, and a lot of fragmentation across the supply chain.

Demand side and supply side have not seamlessly connected, with the only real beneficiaries being the walled gardens who have taken the lion share of media budgets, and the AdNetworks who have taken most of the working media. Status quo has stifled innovation, and not been equitable for agencies nor publishers.

But change is in the air, and some of the most exciting developments are in programmatic, suggesting new ways to empower curation and simplify the supply path. And one of the most exciting platforms in this space is Equativ, who’s recent merger with ShareThrough caused such a buzz recently at Cannes Lions.

This feels like a very exciting development, as it promises to resolve some of the issues that have plagued programmatic over the years.

The problem with programmatic

Historically programmatic always involved compromises.

For brands it meant sacrificing control to gain reach and scale.

For media agencies it meant navigating an over-complicated and fragmented ecosystem of solutions. This entailed a dependence on walled gardens and blind trust in AdNetworks, often at the expense of brand-safety, user-experience and working-media performance.

For publishers, margins have been steadily eroded. The gap between the brand and consumers has widened with so many intermediaries getting involved. But still with intense pressure on publishers to perform.

Programmatic without compromise

But programmatic is evolving rapidly, and one of the most exciting platforms to demonstrate the new possibilities of curation is Equativ. Its recent merger with ShareThrough turns it into a best-of-both-world’s curation powerhouse, joining things up, simplifying the supply path and delivering benefits and more control to more parties in the ecosystem.

Equativ’s programmatic curation platform, while offering scale and real-time optimisation for campaign performance, brings brands and publishers back closer together, like they were before the walled gardens triumphed, and the supply path became opaque and dispersed across multiple intermediaries.

AI-empowered curation also promises to restore the careful control historically sacrificed when brands went programmatic. With the recently acquired capabilities of ShareThrough, campaign assets carefully created by the brand can be just as carefully enhanced for performance and relevance with the help of machine learning.

In short, a human-like curational care, delivered at digital scale.

Harmonising the digital ad ecosystem

We at FastTrack can understand why there was so much buzz about what Equativ’s merger with ShareThrough could mean for programmatic within the digital ad ecosystem.

By reducing the number of intermediaries, and providing more transparency through the supply path, there can be greater alignment of interests for all parties.

Publishers can optimise inventories for maximum brand impact, while gaining a greater share.

And brands can preserve their values through creative control and safe premium placements.

From being about compromise, programmatic can be about control and consistency where more parties benefit.

Ultimately it means offering a more equitable share of working media than is currently tied up in complexity and obscurity.

With such possibilities emerging it is indeed an exciting time to be in AdTech.

The post Programmatic’s coming of age: Welcome to a new era of curation and control appeared first on Fast Track.

So much for why you might expand to Japan. We now want to focus on how. How you can understand and prepare yourself for Japan’s unique “selling ceremony”, and what’s needed for a successful sales roadshow in advance of establishing your Japanese entity.

Understanding the Japanese “Selling Ceremony”

It’s no secret that Japan has a unique business culture, which can mystify, frustrate and even deter those who fail to understand and embrace its distinctive rhythms and rituals.

This is symbolised in the “selling ceremony”, and like the world-famous tea ceremony its purpose is to establish a bond between the host and the guest. This involves a set number of rituals in a precise order, progressing through the hierarchy of the organisation towards an harmonious decision for the business.

In Japan decisions are made by consensus, so you can expect to be outnumbered by Japanese team members and not only the most senior person. Decision-making is a bottom-up process, replacing US and European executive rapidity with consensus-building and harmony.

This takes time, requires patience and also a willingness to adopt a different rhythm and mindset from what you’re used to in the west. You can’t change the cadence of this ceremony, but through understanding and preparing in advance you can increase your chances of success.

Here are some ways you can do this.

Show commitment from the top

Salesforce is a major Japanese success story for western tech. Currently Japan is the second biggest market for the company outside of the US, and a big part of that success comes down to commitment.

As Salesforce co-founder and CEO Marc Benioff claimed: “In Japan, it is very important to be a technology company that is committed first and foremost to the Japanese market. That it is not just a fly-by but that it is a commitment that will last for the life of the company, many multiple decades”.

There’s a neat parity between this emphasis on longevity and the lengthy ritual of the selling ceremony, designed not to progress business, but to establish a bond based on commitment.

Understanding this is key, and you can start to build this bond even in advance of formally establishing your Japanese entity.

Invest in a roadshow

A key moment in any western scaleup’s journey to Japan is the market entry roadshow. We encourage any company considering Japan to invest time and resources in a week-long mission to evaluate market fit and immerse yourself in the business culture by experiencing the selling ceremony first-hand.

This is also your first opportunity to demonstrate commitment. Here’s what we recommend:

• At least one founder should be highly visible in this roadshow (sometimes accompanied by a CRO). They should be present at all meetings, and be prepared to share their personal story, vision, values and value proposition.
• The Japanese love stories, so any personal anecdote or connection with Japan (either personal or professional) will resonate strongly.
• And they would outline their ambition for their business in Japan. This should show a genuine commitment to long-term relationships, offered with humility. As a rule, it’s better to under promise and over deliver in Japan.
• Although disruption is the dominant narrative for tech innovation in the West, that should not be your key message when you present your solution here. Instead, be clear on how it can help to solve your prospect’s current challenges, complementing their ecosystem by adding genuine value.

In our experience, the Japan roadshow can be a turning point for European scaleups. It opens their eyes to what’s possible and their minds to what’s demanded through this taste of the selling ceremony.

Prepare in advance

What makes for a successful roadshow, and what can you do to ensure this?

Typically, planning should begin two to three months in advance to ensure the right participants are secured for the meetings and the entire ecosystem is effectively reached.

Your presentation should be translated in Japanese and be prepared to share it one week before the meeting, with a detailed agenda for the meeting to come.

You should bring your own translator to all meetings, not just to ensure mutual understanding, but to signal considerate and respectful preparation.

Business cards are famously important within this ceremony, and be prepared to present them two-handed in meetings. Translating your business cards into Japanese shows respectful consideration in a minor detail that will not go unnoticed.

Details are the symbolic currency of ceremonies, and here is no exception.

Embrace difference

The selling ceremony embodies the difference that is Japan when it comes to doing business and presenting your offer. The European scaleup considering Japan would be wise to embrace these differences both operationally and psychologically.

Leave your western perspectives at the threshold with your shoes, and you will make the first steps to success in this unique and uniquely rewarding country.

To discover more about what Japan’s unique business culture demands, and how you can prepare yourself in advance, read our Spotlight on Japan as part of FastTrack’s Asia Next series.

The post Entering Japan: How to prepare for the “Selling Ceremony” appeared first on Fast Track.

Environmental impact has become increasingly important to me. I have a deep love for nature, and have been exploring how I can do something personally fulfilling in terms of environmental sustainability. I’ve studied permaculture, I am a beekeeper, and I’ve started a few small-scale personal projects, and some investments focused on restoring biodiversity and reducing negative impact on the environment and natural ecosystems.
– Alex Olmedo

About FastTrack
FastTrack is a purpose-driven accelerator, specialising in Asia Pacific growth. They empower European Tech-for-Better entrepreneurs to scale their companies in the region, enabling them to make a bigger impact faster. Founded in 2012 to find a better way to grow businesses, making them more inclusive, equitable and empowering for everyone involved. The company is driven by three fundamental beliefs:

• If interests are aligned from the start, people own success as well as its rewards;
• If people are free to take initiative, they move faster, learn faster, grow as individuals and as a team; and
• If we create value beyond financial growth, and beyond today, then our work is more fulfilling.

“We find purpose in what we do, and have impact beyond ourselves. From building better businesses to building business for better, we’re steadily widening our impact. Put simply, we scale with Purpose.”

A proud B Corp since 2022, FastTrack recertified in November 2024. Recently, the B Lab Singapore team had a conversation with Alex Olmedo and Max Ziesemer, to learn more about FastTrack and their B Corp journey.

1. As a purpose-driven accelerator, what ESG challenges do you aim to address?FastTrack helps ambitious European scaleups expand into Asia faster, driving growth that aligns with their purpose. We focus on Tech-for-Better—supporting tech companies that use innovation as a force for good. By amplifying their impact in Asia, we help them fulfill a larger mission that reflects our commitment as a B Corp to create positive, lasting change.At FastTrack, we align with the United Nations’ SDG goals, particularly Decent Work and Economic Growth (SDG8) and Good Health and Well-being (SDG3). By helping businesses grow in Asia, we create new employment opportunities, directly contributing to economic growth. Our focus on health and well-being is reflected in the cultures we nurture within the companies we support. We emphasize happiness as a core business model—happy employees lead to happy customers, which drives long-term sustainability. Unlike traditional models, we prioritize our workforce’s well-being first, believing that when our team is healthy and fulfilled, they can make a greater impact and achieve their mission more effectively.
2. Could you share some outcomes/projects or developments that the team has been involved in?Over the past five years, FastTrack has created employment for over 100 people across the ventures we’ve brought to Asia, primarily in Southeast Asia, Australia, and Japan. This is a specific contribution we’re proud of, as it directly supports economic growth and local communities in these regions. In addition to our work in business development, we are committed to sustainability. Each year, we allocate 1% of the company’s proceeds to support environmental projects, ensuring that we have a tangible, positive impact on the planet.One of our standout environmental initiatives took place earlier this year when we planted a forest in Brittany, France. Rather than outsourcing the work, we partnered with people from surrounding villages, making it a collaborative effort with FastTrack employees and local communities planting trees alongside each other.This initiative not only contributed to preserving biodiversity and regeneration of forests, but also fostered a sense of connection across borders, highlighting our commitment to global impact.
3. What is the next step for your organization?FastTrack’s five-year plan is to shift towards more impact-oriented tech scaleups. Currently, our focus is on software in marketing and advertising, but we aim to prioritize companies that drive measurable social and environmental impact. We see significant momentum in Europe, with many young, fast-growing projects attracting increased investment. As these companies scale, we believe they’ll be ready for expansion into the Asia Pacific region, where we can apply our 15 years of experience helping tech scaleups succeed. While our core will always be software and tech-driven services, we’re also keen to partner with other B Corps, using B Corp certification as a key filter in selecting potential partners that are not yet in Asia.
4. Could you share more about your B Corp certification journey? Why did the organization embark on B Corp certification?Our initial B Corp certification journey was really driven by Alex. He read the book “Let My People Go Surfing” by Patagonia’s founder, and that sparked an idea: to align the company with creating impact. Alex has always been personally passionate about the environment and had been pursuing various impact projects on a personal level, but I think that book inspired him to bring that passion into his professional life as well.
5. Could you please share some learnings or insights on your B Corp journey?The B Corp certification helped us professionalize and institutionalize impact at FastTrack. While Alex’s personal vision and passion for environmental and social responsibility motivated us, the certification provided a structured framework to formalize our goals. The B Impact Assessment gave us a clear overview of where we stood, highlighting gaps in areas like sourcing, employee treatment, and issue resolution. This process allowed us to approach impact with greater focus and clarity, even as a small company.One of the greatest benefits of being a B Corp is access to the network’s collective intelligence. We were able to learn from other certified companies, adopting best practices rather than reinventing the wheel. For example, we turned to the B Corp community to guide us in implementing salary transparency—an ongoing challenge for many companies—drawing on proven strategies from others within the network.
6. Let’s talk about happy staff. What is the mechanism or secret ingredient behind making staff happy as a certified B Corp?At FastTrack, our core values of humility, long-term thinking, and trust align naturally with the B Corp mission. We believe in making decisions that prioritize the planet and long-term impact, rather than short-term solutions. Trust plays a key role in our culture—early on, team members are given significant responsibility and opportunities to take on diverse challenges. As a young professional, I’ve already had the kind of responsibility that would be rare in a larger company, and it’s something I truly value. This mix of close, supportive relationships and the trust to tackle tough challenges creates a culture where people grow quickly, rewarding that trust with strong results.
7. What kind of clients do you serve? Do you have any criteria that ensures that they have the same way of thinking as you?At FastTrack, we believe in working with the right people, and this principle guides us every day. When evaluating potential partners, we prioritize alignment with our core values. While they don’t need to be an exact match—especially since we bring companies with diverse cultures to Asia—it’s important that there’s a strong overlap. This alignment makes collaboration smoother and more effective. Even if a partner isn’t B Corp certified yet, as long as their values align with ours, we believe they share the broader mission of B Corp, because our values already align with the certification’s principles.
8. How does the B Corp certification help you gain market share in Europe?The B Corp certification is widely recognised and respected in Europe. It formally validates our commitment to creating real impact, adding credibility and authority to our work. The B Corp framework is highly professional, with a concrete structure that provides clear insights into both our strengths and areas for improvement. It also offers a strong system that we can share with partners, demonstrating our commitment to impact and our willingness to implement robust processes that align with B Corp standards.
9. What kind of synergy do you sense or experience do you gain from the Singapore B Corp Community through B Corp events?The B Corp community in Singapore is incredibly vibrant and inspiring. I’ve met amazing people who are deeply passionate about their work, and that energy is contagious—it motivates me to do even more. The community is also very open; when I first attended, I didn’t know anyone except Prisca, but it was easy to start conversations and connect with others. It’s especially inspiring to meet fellow founders, even if they’re not potential clients, because it’s refreshing to be surrounded by like-minded individuals. We’ve also had some remarkable events, with impressive venues and hosts, which has been both humbling and motivating.

The post Scaling for Impact appeared first on Fast Track.

Open Fast Track impact report 2024.

The post Fast Track Impact Report 2024 appeared first on Fast Track.

Japan has always been a paradox for outsiders. On the one hand it has a reputation for innovation with pioneering preeminence in hardware, consumer electronics and semiconductors, as well leading SaaS adoption in the APAC region.

On the other, there’s a traditionalism, isolationism and a resistance to technological disruption that has baffled or even deterred western champions of free-market innovation.

For some time the latter version of Japan has appeared to be in the ascendant.  And yet scattered indicators suggest a different story is already unfolding.

Weak signals, strong indicators of change

Such “weak signals”from some of the world’s most influential and innovative players reflect a renewed interest in the country, and a new spirit of openness and determination from Japan itself. The first part of 2024 looks set to mark a turning point for Japan and for global sentiment about its future.

Warren Buffet, who has been investing steadily in Japan for the last few years, recently increased his holdings in Japanese trading houses, and expressed his belief that Japanese stocks are still undervalued. As the Japanese market is currently trading at a 34-year high, this is a massive vote of confidence in its future.

In April, Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida visited his US counterpartto discuss collaboration and investment in “critical and emerging technology”, including AI.  Japan is already the direct investor in the USA, and this would clearly signal a two-way exchange of innovation and investment.

Open to AI

Microsoft’s plans to invest “ $2.9 billion to increase its cloud computing and AI infrastructure in Japan, and open its first Microsoft Research Asia lab in the country”.

But it’s not just the institutional giants of US finance and technology that are blazing a trail Eastwards.  OpenAI’s choice of Tokyo for its first office outside the English-speaking world, puts Japan firmly on the map for US-fueled expansion for this transformative technology.

Putting aside OpenAI’s own motives for this move (Japan is the G7 chair on generative-AI, so it makes sense to be up close to the policy formers), this development appears to conclusively challenge Japan’s reputation as isolated and protectionist.

Yet it’s not quite that simplistic. Historically, the outside innovations that have been embraced by Japan have been those that can complement rather than disrupt the existing ecosystem. While the innovations that Japan has pioneered are those that reflect or serve Japanese values and cultural norms.

We see both at work in OpenAI’s move, and Japan’s high-level encouragement.

Japan is the world’s leader in humanoid robotics, promoting the positive image of the machine as humanity’s friendly helper in familiar domestic contexts, in contrast to the more dystopian fantasies of the west. Humanoid hardware now meets its counterpart and complement in the software solution making the biggest advances in normalizing adoption of everyday artificial companions for the world’s digital citizens.

Responding to the call?

The US has taken the lead, AI has once more dominated the headlines, but that’s not the entire story. Nor should it be.

Just a month ago VivaTech named Japan the Most Innovative Country of 2024, recognising the government’s investment of $72.4 billion in nurturing innovative companies, as well as Tokyo’s bid to become: “the world’s most startup-friendly city”. While almost simultaneously Eurazeo announced its opening of a Tokyo office, to consolidate its Asian operations. .

Taken together, these “weak signals” appear to point to a renascent country open to innovation.

What could this mean for European startups getting ready to scale?

Should Japan now feature on your priority list for global growth?

To discover more about what Japan offers and demands for European tech read FastTrack’s Spotlight on Japanfrom our Asia Next series.

The post Japan is trending again. What do top US investors and innovators know that you should? appeared first on Fast Track.

Very pleased to announce the partnership between Hakuhodo and Botify to support domestic and international Clients in Japan on Organic search, which is becoming the preferred channel by marketers in terms of profitability and sustainability.

The post Strategic partnership between Hakudo and Botify! appeared first on Fast Track.

Making Friends with the Bots: Being Found in the Era of Tech Disruption
Okutani-san, a seasoned Omni-Channel and Marketing Specialist from Botify, will be sharing valuable insights on how businesses can be discovered through digital channels in 2023.

Through his talk, Okutani-san aims to equip his audience with the necessary knowledge and tools to improve their search engine optimization and effectively reach their target audience.

It’s a must-attend session for businesses who want to stay ahead in the game and secure their digital presence in the years to come.

The post Join Botify at AdWeek Asia Tokyo 2023 to understand and make friends with search engine bots! appeared first on Fast Track.

FastTrack co-founders, Alexandre Olmedo and Ivan Bernard-Brunel share what this means to them personally. 

FastTrack turned ten this year. Our anniversary is marked by another important milestone for the business – gaining #BCorp Certification.  

B Corp is a global movement started in 2006 to change business from within. By balancing profit with purpose it seeks to make business a force for good in the world. Patagonia, The Body Shop, Ben & Jerry’s, innocent drinks, The Guardian and WeTransfer are all #BCorp companies, B Lab.  And now so is FastTrack. 

Accreditation involves the voluntary auditing of our impact in terms of our people, our customers, our communities, our governance and the environment. It’s extremely rigorous and a lot of work for a small company, but it’s important to us and many like us. Why? 

The journey to where we are today started a long time before we had even heard of B Corp. When we founded FastTrack we wanted to create a new type of company, founded on greater equity and inclusion for those involved. We’d been operating in the VC, Private Equity and Start Up worlds, and saw how value wasn’t as fairly distributed as it might be. From our first Joint Ventures, we put alignment through shared equity as a driver for business performance. 

This is still core to our model, and over the years we’ve explored ways to build on it. We’ve elaborated ways to make employee empowerment and professional development central to team-building in the companies and cultures we establish in Asia Pacific. This emphasis explains why our strongest performance on our first B Corp assessment was for our “workers”, but this is just the start. 

B Corp is a journey of continuous improvement, with accreditation encouraging us to ensure our impact expands to all stakeholder groups within the framework. Our new status is really  an outward validation of what we’ve been doing since the start, and the encouragement to do it on a bigger scale for more people and greater impact. 

As a small company, it’s with our Joint Ventures that we can have the biggest impact, and that’s the next chapter of the FastTrack story. Our focus in our core business as an investor is towards what we call “tech-for-better” companies. In some ways this is an interpretation of the B Corp ethos of continuous improvement across diverse stakeholder groups. Our next Joint Venture may very likely be from the B Corp global community, or on the road to accreditation. The B Corp stamp identifies companies that are prepared to walk the talk in terms of purpose. It’s a great match maker for companies who operate through partnership and want to scale with purpose. 

The phrase “Balancing Profit and Purpose” is used a lot when talking about B Corp and Impact Investing more broadly. But the most inspirational companies, like Patagonia – whose visionary leader inspired us with his book Let my People Go Surfing – don’t just balance Purpose and Profit, in a spirit of compromise. They drive Profit FROM Purpose. That’s how business will change from within, and that’s why we want to be part of this paradigm shift. 

In just a few years B Corp has grown from a group of inspired activists to savvy, future focused companies.  Asia is the new global growth centre. B Corp is also growing as a global movement. We’re really excited to be there at the moment where these two paths align. That’s the road ahead for FastTrack.

Thanks to everyone who helped us get here, from the inspiration of #YvonChouinard #PierreRabhi Thierry PICK to Prisca L. for help gaining our status in Singapore.

The post FastTrack is now Proudly B Corp appeared first on Fast Track.

Through a strategic partnership with Fast Track, Botify is well-positioned to transform how Asian brands leverage organic search to drive online revenue in a post-Covid era.

SINGAPORE, September 28, 2021 /EINPresswire.com/ — Botify Partners with Fast Track to Expand Its Global Footprint in Asia Pacific, Bringing Enterprise Organic Search Technology to a Fast-Growing Market

Through a strategic partnership with Fast Track, Botify is well-positioned to transform how Asian brands leverage organic search to drive online revenue in a post-Covid era.

Botify, the leading enterprise software company for performance-driven organic search, today announced its expansion into Asia Pacific through a joint venture with Fast Track, the accelerator for innovative European scaleup in APAC.

Botify initiated its partnership with Fast Track in late 2019 when they sought to better serve and accelerate growth with a handful of existing clients in Asia. Following a positive response and early success, the two companies decided to solidify the partnership through a joint venture and fully establish Botify’s operations in the region, starting with Singapore, followed by Australia and Japan.

In 2020, Asia Pacific was the largest region in the global search engine optimization services market, accounting for 33%, while the market for cloud technology in Asia is expected to grow to $60 billion in 2023, according to Boston Consulting Group. This strategic partnership will enable Botify to scale its operations and meet this demand, specifically in e-commerce. It is the next chapter in the region’s digital transformation as a growing number of Asian companies seek to optimize their websites to drive sustainable revenue.

 “With Fast Track’s help, we were able to quickly establish ourselves in APAC, attract high-caliber talent, and begin forging relationships with major brands in the region,” said Adrien Menard, co-founder and CEO of Botify. “The fact that this happened at the pace it did and amidst a global pandemic is not only impressive, but also indicative of the market demand and appetite for reliable technology to drive online traffic and revenue.”

“Asia has shown an ability and appetite to leapfrog the West in creating and adopting new technologies. And with Botify, it feels like the right place at the right time with a solution that is set to accelerate e-commerce by revolutionizing organic search,” said Alexandre Olmedo, Co-founder at Fast Track. “Fast Track is thrilled to partner with Botify at this exciting time. We genuinely feel they are ‘Asia-ready,’ understand the opportunity ahead of them, and have put the necessary foundation and strategy in place to make the most of what Asia uniquely offers,” added Ivan Bernard-Brunel, Fast Track co-founder.

About Fast Track
Fast Track was founded in 2013 to help ambitious and purpose-driven scaleups thrive in Asia. Acting as a bridge between Europe and Asia Pacific, we build deeply connected partnerships with like-minded founders seeking accelerated growth in the new continent. Those who also believe performance should be driven by purpose, and value gained through values shared. We are honoured to have partnered with outstanding teams at Unruly (now part of NewsCorp), StickyAds (now Comcast/FreeWheel), Clicktale (ContentSquare), SUBLIME, and MOBKOI (part of You&MrJones).

About Botify
Botify is an enterprise software company that helps brands turn organic search into an efficient, measurable, and sustainable channel for both traffic and revenue growth. Powered by a unique unified data model, prescriptive insights, and automated processes, Botify delivers an end-to-end SEO management solution that enables customers to unlock the true growth potential of their website.

Botify is used by 500+ leading global companies across industries including e-commerce, travel, media & publishing, classifieds, and more, including Expedia, Macy’s Farfetch, Marriott, L’Oréal, Crate & Barrel, Conde Nast, Groupon, Github, Carvana, FNAC Darty, and The New York Times. Botify also partners with leading technology and services companies such as Salesforce Commerce Cloud, WordPress VIP, Google Cloud, Microsoft Bing, Jellyfish, Chameleon Collective, Foresight Digital, Contentsquare, and iPullRank.

Botify is a fast-growing, VC-backed, SaaS company with $82M in funding and offices in New York, Seattle, Paris, London, Singapore, Tokyo and Sydney.

The post Botify Partners with Fast Track to Expand Its Global Footprint in Asia Pacific appeared first on Fast Track.

She will work closely with the Fast-Track team of partners and advisors to accelerate the growth of its existing ventures in Australia, while also advising on its go-to-market strategy of its new tech venture, set to launch in Q2 2021.

Fast-Track helps companies accelerate their digital transformation by “curating” innovative and market leading scaleups and investing in local resources to deploy their respective solutions. With a track record in ad-tech and mar-tech, Fast-Track has partnered with European companies to launch and scale their activities across Asia.

Fast-Track co-founder Ivan Bernard-Brunel said Tos’ appointment is timely as it expands further into the Australian market.

“We are very fortunate to have Rebecca join us as Advisor in the region. As Fast-Track is committed to expand in ANZ, her market insights will help us provide clients with innovative solutions from global scaleups.”

Fellow Fast-Track co-founder Alex Olmedo added: “We are excited to onboard Rebecca to accelerate Fast-Track’s impact in Australia and recruit the best talent for our joint-ventures’’.

Tos brings more than 20 years of experience launching and leading innovative offerings in the Australian marketplace. In her previous roles as managing director of Merkle, CEO of Columbus and general manager of Reprise, she was responsible for shaping the vision, strategy and delivery of relevant expertise and products to solve client problems.

More recently, Tos launched her boutique consulting practice, Rebecca Tos Consulting, in June 2020 amidst the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Her practice scaled quickly offering advisory, consulting and coaching services to investors, founders and executives across a range of growth sectors, predominantly SaaS technology, service based industries and e-commerce.

“I’m truly excited to be working with the Fast-Track team who are ethically focused on purpose-based ventures in the tech space,” Tos said.

“I was seeking partners whose core fabric was about impact both socially & environmentally – and Fast-Track shares those values in spades. This is an exciting opportunity to help shape the Australian footprint with a number of scale ups set to bring great value for Australian brands”.

Fast-Track was founded in 2013 with the aim to “accelerate innovative and purpose-based” enterprises in Asia.

The company has been helping scaleups in Asia for over eight years with previous successful ventures with Unruly acquired by NewsCorp, StickyAds acquired by Comcast and MOBKOI acquired by You&MrJones.

Fast-Track Appoints 2016 Woman of the Year, Rebecca Tos, To Advise ANZ Ventures

The post Fast Track has bolstered its advisory team in Australia & New Zealand securing Rebecca Tos as senior advisor appeared first on Fast Track.

Yves Bougon is appointed Senior Advisor to MOBKOI Asia. He has previously served as CEO of Condé Nast France and CEO of Hearst Women’s Pictorial Company from 2006 to 2018, supporting the company’s team and Philip Tabet with his expertise in the Japanese market and deep knowledge of the publishing industry. Become.

In doing so, MOBKOI APAC Managing Director Philip Tabet will move from Hong Kong to Tokyo to oversee the operations of the Japan branch and the operations of Asia as a whole.

Since 2018, Philip Tabet has established multiple markets in Asia for Mobkoi, opening branch offices in Singapore, Hong Kong, Sydney, Tokyo and Seoul. Philip Tabet wants to accelerate its presence in Japan by leveraging MOBKOI’s global mobile advertising expertise and implementing personalized, customer-centric solutions.

Former Managing Director of MOBKOI Japan, Ikkei Arai will support Philip Tabet and Yves Bougon while taking a more active role in developing stronger partnerships with domestic publisher networks. With his abundant marketing expertise in Japan and ability to build long-term customer relationships, Ikkei Arai can be said to be the right person to support MOBKOI as a new solution director in the next growth period of our company.

An important element of MOBKOI’s business expansion in Japan and Asia is the Tokyo-based Brand Tech Creative Studio, which is run by Miki Kimura as the creative studio director. This will be the first studio outside of the London headquarters to extend the creative, bold and original experience on mobile with cutting-edge technologies like augmented reality and e-commerce solutions for brands such as Dior, Burberry and ASICS. Work on.

Quentin Le Pape, CEO and co-founder of MOBKOI, said, “Japan has been a part of us ever since we came up with the name MOBKOI. We invented the art of polite advertising and are very pleased to expand our business with the support of Yves Bougon and Philip Tabet’s activities in Tokyo! ”

Philip Tabet said, “We want to create customer-centric solutions tailored to  Japan’s sophisticated market, MOBKOI’s international expertise and custom approach to media buying, and my over 15 years experience. ”

Yves Bougon commented: “I am delighted to be part of MOBKOI in Asia and looking forward to work with Philip Tabet and Ikkei Arai to provide innovative solutions to advertisers who are rapidly adopting digital-centric solutions.  I want to support the expanding online audience so that publishers can generate revenue. ”

The post Former CEO of Hearst Fujingaho Co., Ltd., Yves Bougon, has been appointed as Senior Advisor of MOBKOI JAPAN Co., Ltd. In addition, Philip Tabet, the representative of the Asian region, is resident in Tokyo appeared first on Fast Track.

One year after launching in the APAC region, MOBKOI Asia represents 10% of the company’s sales and employs more than 15 people.

In 2019, the scale-up opened 4 offices: Hong Kong, Singapore, Tokyo and Sydney. · Fast-Track has accelerated MOBKOI’s establishment and development in Asia thanks to its network and its perfect knowledge of the market.

Paris, March 3, 2020 – MOBKOI Asia, subsidiary of mobile advertising specialist MOBKOI Ltd, had plenty to celebrate as it reached its one-year anniversary. After rapid development in Europe followed by international expansion into the United States in 2017, supported by the brandtech group You & Mr Jones, MOBKOI decided to turn to tackling the challenges of the Asian market in 2018. In order to break into the market and build up a lasting presence, MOBKOI called on Fast Track, specialised in helping European start-ups scale up in the APAC region. In just one year, the company has enabled the AdTech gem to launch and expand in Asia by becoming a reference for luxury brands in the field of mobile advertising.

A gem of a scale-up with the qualities of an AdTech giant Asia has become a key territory for AdTech companies wishing to grow internationally. Thus, at the end of 2018, MOBKOI seized the opportunity to conquer a new market with high potential.

Launched in London in 2014 by two brothers, Quentin and Guillaume Le Pape, MOBKOI is establishing itself as the specialist in mobile advertising for luxury brands. Now established in Asia, the company wants to restore the reputation of mobile advertising. To achieve this, MOBKOI relies on four fundamental pillars – agility, operational excellence, customer focus and transparency – to offer their customers the best mobile ad placements through innovative, full-screen advertising.

By engaging mobile users through a full-screen advertising format, MOBKOI has generated a new momentum in the world of mobile advertising. Combining creativity and editorial context, the company has been able to provide a format based on quality for brands, publishers and consumers alike. Consumers can browse their applications and mobile sites without any intrusive advertising and decide for themselves, straight away with one tap or swipe, whether or not they want to view it.

The company also offers its clients complete and transparent reporting on the performance of each publisher per campaign. Today, MOBKOI’s client list includes prestigious French, Italian and Swiss luxury brands.

Over the last few years, the AdTech and MarTech ecosystem has grown exponentially for the French companies in Asia as has been seen with Critéo and Neolane. Thanks to the support of Fast Track, MOBKOI Asia was able to open 4 new offices – Hong Kong, Singapore, Tokyo and Sydney – in just one year. MOBKOI Asia already has more than 15 employees and represents 10% of the company’s turnover.

In Asia, MOBKOI enjoys three major advantages: an 80% mobile market, the sound expertise of the French in the luxury sector and the company’s ability to produce tailor-made advertising campaigns.

In 2019, MOBKOI Asia even received an award in the “Next Big Thing” category at the GroupM Media Awards in Singapore, less than a year after their launch in the region. The scale-up has become the No. 1 reference in full-screen mobile advertising, earning the trust of more than 400 premium and luxury brands worldwide.

“We chose Fast Track to scale-up our business in Asia because we have the same DNA. We are perfectly aligned on the idea of growing our business for the long term in this booming market. And our current success here cements our intention to continue hand in hand with Fast-Track,” explained Quentin Le Pape, CEO of MOBKOI.

“MOBKOI is a company that has experienced strong growth, first in Europe and then in the United States. It is one of the gems of the AdTech world which have been profitable since their beginning and is in line with our values – humility, confidence, pushing yourself – which made us sure that we would be able to successfully support them in a market which is challenging and heterogeneous but which offers great opportunities,” said Alexandre Olmedo, co-founder and Managing Partner of Fast Track.

The post MOBKOI achieves 10% of global revenues in Asia in the first year thanks to Fast Track appeared first on Fast Track.

Dans une récente étude, le McKinsey Global Institute a mis en évidence la vitesse et l’importance du déplacement du centre de gravité planétaire vers l’Asie. De l’Inde à l’Australie, la région représente désormais près du tiers des échanges commerciaux mondiaux contre environ un quart il y a dix ans. En 2040, elle devrait générer plus de 50 % du PIB et 40 % de la consommation mondiale. Pour les auteurs, si le XIXe siècle était européen et le XXe américain, il ne fait aucun doute que le XXIe sera asiatique. Et qu’aucune réussite économique n’est donc possible sans passer par l’Orient.

Des opportunités pour les entreprises technologiques françaises

Pour les entreprises technologiques françaises, la destination offre d’autant plus d’opportunités que le territoire est vaste et qu’il est encore largement à conquérir. En Chine, en Inde, en Indonésie, émerge une classe moyenne friande d’innovation et avide de consommation. Des secteurs comme le luxe, l’éducation et les technologies marketing apparaissent particulièrement propices car les entreprises françaises peuvent s’appuyer sur un certain savoir-faire. C’est aussi un environnement extrêmement dynamique et innovant où s’inventent les usages et les pratiques appelées à se mondialiser. Les capter à la source peut donner un temps d’avance, y compris sur d’autres marchés. 

Des conditions encore imparfaites…

Pour se lancer à l’international, les startups cherchent en général à réunir cinq éléments : un marché porteur d’une taille adaptée à leur activité, des compétences locales, des sources de financement, des perspectives de sortie et des exemples de réussite aussi rassurants pour elles que pour leurs investisseurs. Or, aux États-Unis, ces cinq éléments abondent : vaste marché homogène, talents à foison, investisseurs solides et expérimentés, acquéreurs potentiels d’envergure et nombreux expatriés auréolés de succès fulgurants.

En Asie, en revanche, ces conditions peinent encore à se mettre en place. Certes, le marché est immense mais il est aussi fragmenté culturellement que l’Europe. Les investisseurs locaux commencent tout juste à s’intéresser aux pépites occidentales. De grands groupes, comme les BATX, peuvent offrir des possibilités de sortie mais, là encore, le mouvement est récent. Et les réussites françaises sont encore rares. Citons le cas de Lazada, un site de e-commerce de Singapour, racheté par Alibaba pour plusieurs milliards de dollars et dirigé à l’origine par Maximilien Bittner et, aujourd’hui, par un Français, Pierre Poignant. Autre acquisition d’Alibaba, Glamour Sales (mei.com) est elle aussi dirigée par un Français, Thibault Villet. 

… mais une prise de conscience…

Dans ce contexte, on peut comprendre que les entrepreneurs privilégient encore l’Amérique, qui semble plus propice à la réussite. Néanmoins, on voit aujourd’hui apparaître à la tête des startups françaises une nouvelle génération plus internationale, voire justement stimulée par ce défi asiatique que peu osent encore relever. Ces jeunes dirigeants ont souvent pris conscience que l’accessibilité de surface du marché américain cachait en réalité une concurrence féroce alors que la complexité apparente de l’Asie constituait une barrière à l’entrée très favorable à ceux qui savent les premiers la franchir. Ils trouvent aussi leur inspiration non plus nécessairement dans des succès 100% tricolores, mais dans de parcours individuels de personnes qui leur ressemblent et qui s’épanouissent dans des organisations de plus en plus internationales.

… et des premiers pas encourageants

Sous leur impulsion, quelques membres du Next40 et leurs investisseurs ont déjà franchi le pas, souvent avec des stratégies de pionniers, proches de ce que l’on pouvait observer aux États-Unis il y a une vingtaine d’années. C’est le cas de Vestiaire Collective, dont l’une des fondatrices, Fanny Moizant, s’est expatriée à Hong Kong pour y créer l’activité. Les fondateurs et investisseurs ont recruté Maximilien Bittner, lequel, venu à Paris de Singapour, est désormais CEO de l’entreprise et y apportera sans nul doute toute son expérience des innovations asiatiques dans le secteur des plateformes e-commerce.

Lorsque l’on étudie l’origine des investisseurs des entreprises du Next40, on constate que la majorité d’entre elles ont des Américains à leur capital. En revanche, elles ne sont que cinq – mais c’est un début – à avoir attiré des investisseurs Asiatiques : Alan, Devialet, Ledger, Sigfox et Ÿnsect. Sans nul doute à l’incitation bienveillante de ces actionnaires, ces cinq là ont aussi entrepris de déployer leurs activités en Asie.

Le frémissement d’un momentum asiatique

À n’en pas douter, ces premiers de cordée entraîneront à leur suite d’autres startups hexagonales dans cette longue et nécessaire marche vers l’Asie. La France est aujourd’hui la première destination européenne des investissements internationaux. Porté par la French Tech, l’écosystème français bénéficie désormais d’une visibilité et d’une reconnaissance mondiale, que la création du Next40 renforce encore en focalisant les regards sur ses plus belles pépites. De salons en roadshows, les échanges se multiplient. Les investisseurs et les entreprises asiatiques apprennent à connaître les jeunes pousses françaises, qui, elles-mêmes, testent l’appétence des marchés asiatiques pour leur activité. Ces initiatives magnifient aussi des vertus reconnues aux Français – la créativité, la culture, la qualité des formations – en les plaçant dans le contexte porteur de l’économie numérique. Enfin, elles rassurent les investisseurs sur la volonté des pouvoirs publics d’accompagner l’expansion de ces entreprises.

Bref, les choses se mettent en place et l’on sent poindre un momentum asiatique pour les startups et les scaleups françaises. La porte de l’Orient s’entrouvre. Espérons que nos entrepreneur·e·s soient nombreux et nombreuses à avoir l’audace de s’y engouffrer. 

Alexandre Olmedo est cofondateur et co-Managing Partner chez Fast-Track

The post Asia, the next opportunity for the French Next40 scaleups appeared first on Fast Track.

The post L’Asie, Eldorado À Apprivoiser Pour La Tech Française appeared first on Fast Track.

The post Entreprises françaises en Asie-Pacifique : les recettes du succès appeared first on Fast Track.

The post Botify et OpenClassrooms iront en Asie avec Denstu et Fast-Track appeared first on Fast Track.

The post « Au Japon, il faut vraiment adapter son produit aux différences culturelles » appeared first on Fast Track.

The post Fast-Track aide les scale-up à se développer en Asie-Pacifique appeared first on Fast Track.

The post L’Asie-Pacifique, un marché ignoré par la French Tech? appeared first on Fast Track.