Japanese soccer star Keisuke Honda launches a new global startup community PROTOCOL, the “AngelList of Asia"

There is an unlikely person who noticed the value of startups and became a devoted believer in their potential. His name is Keisuke Honda. Honda is the top-scoring Asian soccer player in the history of the World Cup, and the only player to register a goal and an assist in each of the last three tournaments. Honda took Europe by storm by becoming the first Japanese player to be in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League and scoring in the knock-out stages for CSKA Moscow. Above all, he wore the coveted "No.10" at A.C. Milan, one of the most historic clubs in soccer.

In 2016, when he was attracting the attention of global soccer fans at A.C. Milan player, Honda launched KSK Angel Fund to invest in startups. Two years later, in 2018, in partnership with a Hollywood actor Will Smith, he launched a new project – Dreamers Fund. Between the two funds, Honda has amassed a portfolio of over 180 companies. And this year, he launched PROTOCOL, a new global startup community.

PROTOCOL helps you connect with startups, angels investors, VCs, and influencers from Japan, Asia, and around the world. It's like “AngelList of Asia”. It will also be available for people seeking jobs in startups, planning to start a business or invest. Using technology to reduce all sorts of burden for founders and investors while expanding the entire ecosystem, PROTOCOL aims to increase, in the first place, the number of startups and, second, the number of success stories. Global influence and connections Honda built up when he was a soccer player, will help create a bridge between Japanese, Asian and the global startup ecosystems.

PROTOCOL website: https://protocol.ooo/en

As of today, 4 months since the launch of PROTOCOL’s alpha version, it has attracted 2000+ users from more than 50 countries, including some prominent Japanese startups and VCs like SoftBank Vision Fund. Honda himself interviewed several founders he met on the platform and has already invested in 6 companies. Having used the alpha version and convinced of its value, Honda officially announced his role as PROTOCOL’s executive chairman. He said:

"Today, I'm announcing a new challenge I’m going to take as an entrepreneur and angel investor, not a soccer player. As you may know, I started angel investments with the KSK Angel Fund in 2016, and 2 years later, in 2018, I launched the Dreamers Fund, and I have invested in a total of more than 180 startups so far. I’m an entrepreneur myself, I run NowDo, a company that is trying to solve social problems through education. This time we are launching a new service called PROTOCOL. Simply put, it is a global platform that connects founders and investors. I hope it will allow anyone who wants to participate in the startup ecosystem to become a founder or investor, and create innovations what will change the world".

Together with the official announcement, the exclusive article about Keisuke Honda, "Why Japanese soccer star invests in startups" appeared in PROTOCOL’s media section. The article, based on the real story told by Honda in the interview, explores his experience as investor. He speaks about becoming an investor and working in the Dreamers Fund with Will Smith, recalling his path and sharing his vision of the future with PROTOCOL.

Honda announced the launch on his Twitter;

"I launched a new global platform PROTOCOL. It helps connect startups, angels, VCs, and influencers from Japan, Asia, and the world. It’s like the ’AngelList of Asia”. Check my interview article on this website to see my path and vision as an investor."