Final Aim Raises Angel Investment from Craig Tegel, a Former President, Representative & Managing Director of Adobe in Japan, APAC & Northern Europe – Delaware, US

2023.06.22

Delaware, US, June 22nd, 2023 – Final Aim, Inc. (Delaware, US, CEO Masafumi Asakura, and CDO Yasuhide Yokoi) is proud to announce the company has raised an angel investment from Craig Tegel, a former President, Representative, and Managing Director of Adobe in Japan, APAC, and Northern Europe. The company has also announced the appointment of Craig Tegel as Final Aim’s Business Advisor.

With over 30+ years of international professional experience, Craig Tegel has a strong track record in business, marketing and corporate development. His reputation as a strong leader saw him playing key roles in leading and scaling Adobe in Japan, APAC, and Northern Europe as a President, Representative, and Managing Director.

Now the Director of People Make the Difference, Craig uses his wealth of experience to offer executive coaching, team performance management, and leadership coaching to help others establish and build upon their own leadership skills to create high-performing teams.

Final Aim is excited to welcome Craig to the team and to benefit from his experience and leadership.

“I am excited to have the opportunity to be an angel investor in Final Aim. I was impressed with the leadership of the company and the vision that Masa and Yasu have for the solution and the way in which it can streamline complex contract workflows and leverages the latest blockchain technology.” said Craig.

Masafumi Asakura, Co-Founder and CEO of Final Aim, expressed his excitement about the angel investment and the advisor appointment, stating that, “Craig’s global perspective on the design industry and his business advice based on his experience as an executive at Adobe are very encouraging for Final Aim’s future growth in the world. I am confident that his joining Final Aim is a big step forward for the success of Final Aim.”

Also, Yasuhide Yokoi, Co-Founder and CDO of Final Aim, said, “Craig is a dynamic and accomplished leader with a track record of expanding creative tools and software like Adobe to industrial enterprises for many years and regions. With his experience, I believe he will be instrumental in helping Final Aim deliver the world’s leading smart contracts platform to our customers.”

With this angel investment and advisor appointment, Final Aim will further accelerate its business development and blockchain technology adoption in the design and manufacturing industries worldwide.

About Final Aim
Final Aim has been driving the global adoption of blockchain and smart contracts technologies in industrial design and manufacturing. In November 2021, the company announced the beta version of its blockchain platform, “Final Chain.”
In April 2022, they established a headquarters in the United States. In September of the same year, Final Aim was accepted into “Berkeley SkyDeck,” a world-renowned Silicon Valley startup accelerator. In February 2023, they were chosen as “The Most Likely to Become the Next Unicorn” within the program. In June, the company won the “Japan-US Innovation Awards – Innovation Showcase,” a co-program by the Japan Society of Northern California and the Stanford University US-Asia Technology Management Center.

Company Name: Final Aim, Inc.
Location: Headquarters – Delaware, US / Subsidiary – Tokyo, Japan
Founders: Masafumi Asakura, Chief Executive Officer / Yasuhide Yokoi, Chief Design Officer
Business Description: Drive the adoption of blockchain and smart contracts technologies for design and manufacturing
Website: https://final-aim.com
Contact: contact@final-aim.com

Final Aim Wins the Japan – US Innovation Awards “Innovation Showcase” by the Jp Society of Northern California & Stanford University – San Francisco, US

2023.06.19

A co-program by the Japan Society of Northern California and the Stanford University US-Asia Technology Management Center has selected the company.

San Francisco, US, June 19th, 2023 – Final Aim, Inc. (Delaware, US, CEO Masafumi Asakura, and CDO Yasuhide Yokoi) is proud to announce the company has been selected as the “Innovation Showcase” company in the “Japan – US Innovation Awards,” co-hosted by the Japan Society of Northern California and the Stanford University US-Asia Technology Management Center.
Final Aim will exhibit in correspondence with the award, and the Co-Founder & CEO, Masafumi Asakura, will speak at the symposium on July 20th, 2023, at Stanford University.

Program URL: https://www.usjinnovate.org

The jointly organized program “Japan – US Innovation Awards” by the Northern California Japan Society and the US-Asia Technology Management Center at Stanford University selects and honors companies that have made an impact and excelled in both the United States and Japanese markets. Each year, one “Emerging Leader” from the United States, one from Japan, and five “Innovation Showcase” companies are recognized and awarded. Past awardees include startups such as Dropbox, Tesla, Mercari, ABEJA, and Preferred Networks. Last year, GITAI and Kyoto Fusion Engineering were among the recipients, and the awards are widely recognized as a platform for achieving global success.

Specifically, the “Innovation Showcase” recognizes up to five Japanese startup companies built around exciting new technologies and innovative business ideas with the potential for major worldwide impact. The startups are selected from a pool of over 100 nominees through stringent review, discussion, and voting by the Innovation Advisory Council of the Awards Program, a distinguished 45-person committee of venture investors, successful entrepreneurs, company executives, and academic experts in the US and Japan.

As the reasons for our selection, the following factors were taken into account:

– Despite being an early-stage startup, Final Aim achieved collaborations with major design and manufacturing enterprises such as Sony and Panasonic, leveraging blockchain technology.

– Significant business development in the United States, such as the establishment of a US headquarters in April 2022; accepted into Berkeley SkyDeck, a world-renowned Silicon Valley startup accelerator, and being awarded “The most likely to become the next unicorn”; collaboration with Autodesk, the leading 3D CAD software company based in San Francisco; partnership with Design Panasonic in New York.

– Uniqueness and potential scalability of the company’s cutting-edge technologies, such as blockchain and smart contracts to address challenges in the design and manufacturing industry, such as design contracts and intellectual property rights.

In correspondence with the award, the co-program will organize the annual “Japan – U.S. Innovation Awards Symposium” on July 20th, 2023, at Stanford University. Final Aim has been invited to exhibit, and the Co-Founder & CEO, Masafumi Asakura, will speak at the symposium.

About 2023 Japan – US Innovation Awards Symposium
The Innovation Showcase will take place at the Innovation Awards Symposium on July 20th, 2023. Registration for the Symposium is open and includes admission to the program, a buffet lunch, and access to networking.

Date: Thursday, July 20th, 2023, 11:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Location: Frances C. Arrillaga Alumni Center, Stanford University (326 Galvez Street, Stanford, CA 94305-6105)
Event URL: https://www.usjinnovate.org/agenda-2023/
Event registration: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2023-japan-us-innovation-awards-symposium-tickets-600756848907

About Japan Society of Northern California
Since its founding in 1905, the Japan Society of Northern California (JSNC) has advanced U.S. – Japan mutual understanding in a global context. The Society offers an array of programs and networking opportunities for people and organizations in the Bay Area with a strong interest in Japan. It is the go-to place for U.S. – Japan insights, opportunities, collaboration, and networking. The Society is a dynamic link connecting the world-renowned innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystem of San Francisco/Silicon Valley to a resurgent Japan.
URL: https://www.usajapan.org/

About Stanford University US-Asia Technology Management Center
The US-Asia Technology Management Center (US-ATMC) is industry-funded at Stanford University under the Stanford Global Studies initiative. Established in 1992, the US-ATMC conducts education and research into innovation and emerging business trends in technology-intensive industries. Its courses and public programs provide Stanford students and the Silicon Valley community with knowledge and analytical capabilities important to global success in high-tech fields in the 21st century.
URL: https://asia.stanford.edu/