Japan Grace Chairwoman Yuri Konno gave a guest lecture at ＆Startups, Health Care, and Sportsmanship＊ hosted by Bichaena World Movement Headquarters and World Startup Forum. Despite being early in the morning on a weekday, the lecture hall was crowded with CEOs who came to hear Yuri Konno＊s economic views and stories. Organized by World Startup Forum and Bichaena World Movement Headquarters Chairman Sam Yoon, the guest lecture was an opportunity to share the life story of 88-year-old Yuri Konno, known as the godmother of Japanese venture capital, and her growth as a CEO.

Godmother of Japanese venture

She has so much influence that there is a saying, ‘If there is one thing I envy about the Japanese economy, it is the country that has Yuri Konno, the godmother of startups and venture companies.’ Softbank Chairman Son Masayoshi calls her his mother without hesitation, and she has worked tirelessly to promote venture business in Japan. She has been running an economic forum that discovers and develops startups for over 40 years. As a pro-Korean businesswoman, she has had many ties with Korea, speaking out on issues such as the project to repatriate the remains of Koreans and the Statue of Peace. 

You have to be able to read the times and not give up till the end

She was the world’s first CEO to create a telephone counseling service. At the time of her founding, in the 1960s, there were virtually no female CEOs, and she struggled with regulations and bullying from governments and large corporations. With this innovative service, her company has become a leading provider of comprehensive consulting services to individuals and businesses based on social networking services and cutting-edge information and communication technologies. Her connection to Korea is so strong that she often sings Arirang in her lectures. She has been interested in Korea for quite some time and has made great connections since then, and emphasized that no matter what happens, the link between Korea and Japan will not be lost.

The secret to entrepreneurial health is that you don’t have time to die or get sick until you solve the company’s mission

She attributes her health to focusing on her daily routine, as she has always done, even during the last stages of malignant lung cancer. She said the secret to her health is that she can’t get sick to solve her mission. 

“There are many things I don’t know yet. I am so curious about them, so eager to know, that I sometimes find myself restless. There is no age limit to being curious. When you’re curious, you want to tackle problems, solve them, and experience them, and that’s what leads to good health. If you utilize that curiosity and challenge it, you can have a healthy centenarian” says her.

She still spares no effort in investing and supporting potential venture entrepreneurs. After her lecture, the World Startup Forum presented her with a letter of appointment as an advisor of the forum. 

“Venture life is a life of struggle, but I think you can succeed if you read the times and challenge yourself without giving up until the end. It was a lecture that really impressed me a lot. On the one hand, it reminded me of the current sports situation in Korea, which is in a dizzying state. Sports is all about mutual commitment, but unfortunately, the Korean sports world is not doing that. I believe that startups can be born when sports are active. I hope that the right spirit of sports will spread to the entire industry” says Sam Yoon.