London, United Kingdom Mar 26, 2021 (Issuewire.com) - Toyoshima, the Japanese trading company, has invested in leAD Sports & Health Tech Partners, the leading sports and health tech investment platform. Through this partnership, leAD now establishes its regional footprint in Asia, with Tokyo as its home base.
leAD has primarily received investments from family offices and private investors such as sports entrepreneur Andrew White, who is also leAD’s Chairman, seasoned investor Harold Primat, serial entrepreneur Claudia Hillmeier. leAD founders include the family of Adi Dassler. In addition to that, leAD has also assembled a strong team of corporate partners, which include industry leaders such as Adidas, Citi Private Bank, Inseego, and Tavistock Group. Toyoshima is the first corporate shareholder to join leAD.
“This is a major milestone in the leAD journey. We are growing our global presence – we have a regional footprint in Germany, Israel, the UK, the US, and now Japan. With the right partners by our side, we are enlarging our investment power,” said Christoph Sonnen, leAD Co-Founder & CEO. “With the focus of the sports world on Japan, the sports tech market is gaining momentum. Building on our strong track record, we are working with Toyoshima to foster sports and health tech innovation in Asia. Whether that means driving the growth of disruptive startups in Asia or opening the doors to the market for our portfolio companies.”
leAD, inspired by the legend of the sports industry Adi Dassler, sources and drives innovation and excellence from the early stage of sports tech and health tech founders' journeys towards global expansion and market leadership.
“We are very pleased to be the first Japanese and corporate shareholder of leAD,” said Toyoshima Corporate Venture Capital representative. “Taking advantage of our wide range of sales and manufacturing networks, we are working with leAD to support the sports and health tech innovation from and to Japan and Asia.”
In 2020, leAD announced an expansion to the U.S. with the launch of its Academy program in Lake Nona, an epicenter of innovation heralded as the Silicon Valley for sports and health tech innovation. In addition to Lake Nona, leAD has offered a program in Berlin, Germany, since 2017 and has offices in London, UK, and Nassau, Bahamas. Besides the Academy programs, which work as launching pads for the best-in-class early-stage startups, leAD has two other investment vehicles – leAD Portfolio, focused on the seed stage and value creation, and ADvantage Sports Tech Fund, targeting Series A and growth.
About leAD
leAD Sports & Health Tech Partners sources, funds, and drives the growth of early-stage sports & health tech startups globally. leAD was founded in 2016 and was inspired by the legend of the sports industry Adi Dassler. Since its inception, leAD has taken on new companies into its business every year. leAD works with groundbreaking solutions across the verticals of fan engagement, connected athletes, and health & well-being and focuses on driving growth through smart investment, premier network access, and expert training.
For more information, visit:
About Toyoshima
Toyoshima was founded in 1841. Toyoshima globally sources raw materials, yarn, and thread from around the world, as well as sales, product development, and product management, holistically supporting the Japanese fashion industry throughout its supply chain. Toyoshima is also an industry leader, heavily vested in sustainable material development. Its innovation arm, MY WILL, invests in tech startups including smart wears, and is constantly looking towards a sustainable- and technology-led future.
For more information, visit:
Media Contact
Fourth Day lee.simpson@fourthday.co.uk +447984323336 http://www.fourthday.co.uk
