Connecting Japanese Industry to AI and Semiconductor Hard Tech (Webinar) (Japanese)
Pangaea Venturesは白博堂およびCorundum Systems Biologyとともに、2026年6月24日(火)午後4時(PT)(日本標準時:6月25日午前8時)にオンラインウェビナーを開催します。PangaeaパートナーのAndrew Haughianが登壇し、AI、半導体、および周辺インフラにおけるグローバルなハードテック機会をどのようにマッピングしているか、またその変革から成る「新規事業の機会を見守る」立場から「新規事業を形成する」立場へと移行したい日本のコーポレートベンチャー・戦略リーダーにとって何を意味するかを共有します。
Connecting Japanese Industry to AI and Semiconductor Hard Tech (Webinar)
Pangaea Ventures is joining Hakuhodo and Corundum Systems Biology for an online webinar on June 24 at 4pm PT (8am June 25 Japan Standard Time), featuring Pangaea Partner Andrew Haughian. Andrew will share how our team has mapped global hard tech opportunities in AI, semiconductors, and adjacent infrastructure.
The Agtech Reset - Part 2: (re)Growing Value
In Part 1 of the Agtech Reset series, we explored how a decade of misaligned capital and expectations left many ag and foodtech innovations stranded, even as fundamentals strengthened. In Part 2, we turn to the practical question: where, exactly, are the opportunities, and what does it mean to both fund and fix them.
The Agtech Reset - Part 1: Hype Hangover
The Agtech Reset Part 1 examines how agtech and foodtech went from hyper-growth to capital drought, why strong technologies were left stranded, and how compressing valuations plus persistent food-system pressures are creating a specialist investor opportunity.
Building Hard Tech in the Desert: Why Our U.S. Office Calls Arizona Home
We’re often asked why our US office is in Phoenix. To us, the answer is clear. Arizona offers an unusually strong fit for hard tech: a rising startup hub, a deep pipeline of engineering and scientific talent, concentration in advanced manufacturing and semiconductors, and a supportive policy and business environment.
Light at the Edge of Compute: Photonics and the Future of Data Infrastructure
Photonic networking offers a way around today’s bottlenecks by moving more of the data path into the optical domain, where light can carry far more information with lower loss than copper. This shift is not just another speed bump on a roadmap, it is part of a broader hard tech revolution in compute and networking infrastructure, where materials innovation and systems-level design are reshaping what is possible in AI-era data centers.
What’s hard tech (and why are we so passionate about it?)
If you search for a definition of hard tech, you’ll find it can be fluid. As a pioneer in hard tech investing we've been researching and investing in this sector for many years and have formed our own thesis on what is hard tech and why hard tech innovation matters.
Tactile Robotics: Giving Hard Tech a Sense of Touch
Robotics is entering a phase where simply “seeing” the world is not enough. Tactile robotics adds the sense of touch, allowing robots to understand force, texture, slip, temperature, and deformation so they can handle fragile objects, work safely alongside people, and operate reliably in unstructured environments. For corporate investors, this is a critical enabling layer of the ongoing hard tech revolution.
Sayuri Nonaka to Speak at Japan Deep Tech Summit in Tokyo
Pangaea Ventures Director of Asia, Sayuri Nonaka, will dig into practical strategies to move from breakthrough science to market-ready solutions at the Hello Tomorrow Japan Deep Tech Summit in Tokyo on February 5-6, 2026.
Andrew Haughian to Speak at the Global Deep Tech VC Seminar
Pangaea Partner Andrew Haughian will be presenting at the Second Global Deep Tech VC Seminar on February 12, 2026, a webinar series jointly organized by Hakuhodo’s MIRAI Design Unit and Corundum Systems Biology Inc.
Pangaea Ventures and Hakuhodo sign comprehensive partnership agreement to fuel hard tech innovation
Pangaea Ventures is expanding its efforts to fuel hard tech innovation in Japan through a new comprehensive partnership with Hakuhodo Inc., one of Japan’s leading integrated marketing and innovation companies.
Has AI Solved Materials Discovery? - AI & Materials Discovery Part 2
Has AI truly “solved” materials discovery, or has it mainly supercharged our ability to explore chemical space faster? We examine what, if anything, has genuinely changed with foundational models and autonomous labs, what stubborn physics and simulation limits still stand in the way, and how investors might think about the opportunity in AI-driven materials discovery platforms.
AI & Materials Discovery - Part 1: Four Paths to the Frontier
Artificial intelligence is reshaping materials science through four emerging models spanning software platforms, hardware‑enabled systems, and product‑focused startups unlocking new possibilities for hard tech advancement.
Scaling Impact Through Partnership: Yuki Furuta on Tosoh’s Strategy in Advanced Materials
In this edition of our 25th Anniversary interview series, Yuki discusses Tosoh’s approach to evaluating hard tech startups: it’s not only about technical excellence and IP, but also about building trust-based relationships and aligning with a shared roadmap for societal impact. By working closely with partners like Pangaea Ventures, Tosoh brings financial support, technical expertise, and manufacturing muscle to those innovations with real-world promise.
Bridging Innovation and Industry: Soichi Ueki on JX Advanced Metals’ Path to Next-Gen Materials
For Soichi Ueki, strategic investments, bold R&D, and partnership with startups are not just responses to technological uncertainty, they’re part of a broader vision to rapidly transition from a process-driven enterprise to a market leader in high-value, sustainable materials.
From Startup Pivots to Industry Lessons: Doug Wiggin on Building Hard Tech That Lasts
This week’s 25th anniversary interview spotlights Doug Wiggin’s honest reflections on startup realities past and present. Funding environments may be tougher today, but Doug’s core advice remains evergreen: prove your technology meets a real business need, get early feedback, and don’t be afraid to change course.
Erica Nemser on Scaling, Simplicity, and Building Lasting Teams in Hard Tech
In the latest edition of Pangaea’s 25th Anniversary interview series, Ardent CEO Erica Nemser shares how leadership, business execution, and intentional culture transform breakthrough science into real-world impact, underscoring why people and partnership are key to scaling hard tech innovation.
Glenn Bindley on Scaling Hard Tech Innovations
In the second instalment of our 25th anniversary series, Glenn Bindley, President & CEO at past Pangaea portfolio company Redlen Technologies, shares insights from his extensive journey scaling hard tech solutions.
How Hard Tech VCs Impact Dealflow for Strategic LPs: A Conversation with GC Ventures’ Tony Sun
In the first edition of Pangaea’s 25th Anniversary interview series, Tony Sun from GC Ventures shines light on the unique value VC brings to strategic LPs, not just in terms of capital, but critical market connections and adoption pathways that help startups grow.
Marking 25 Years of Breakthroughs: Voices from Pangaea’s Journey at the Frontier of Hard Tech
As we continue to commemorate our 25 years in Hard Tech, join us for weekly interviews with past and current LPs and portfolio company CEOs starting Tuesday October 28, on the Pangaea blog. With contributions from Tony Sun from GC Ventures, Glenn Bindley of Redlen Technologies, Soichi Ueki of JX Advanced Metals, along with other past and present CEOs and LPs, who will share their unique perspectives and stories.