EPSON announces the introduction of EPSON X Investment Corporation (EXI), a new corporate venture capital (CVC) subsidiary aimed at accelerating collaboration and innovation, growing existing businesses and creating new ones. According to the company, a multi-million dollar fund will be set up for venture investment. One of the basic policies of EPSON’s Phase 2 Mid-Range Business Plan is to accelerate growth by taking maximum advantage of assets and through collaboration and open innovation, the company announced. In the past ten years, EPSON has invested millions of dollars in mergers and acquisitions and in collaborative projects and capital tie-ups with venture businesses.
EPSON primarily pursued opportunities in which the company could take advantage of synergies with its core devices, especially their core inkjet systems. This has helped the company break ground in new businesses and develop new markets that expand the scope of applications. In recent years, however, CVC has gained attention as an effective way to form collaborative relationships and capital tie-ups with venture companies in a wide and diverse range of fields and sectors. It is also seen as a way to prepare for major environmental changes and disruption. EPSON’s general partner in EXI will be Global Brain Corporation (GB), an independent venture capital company with considerable expertise in CVC management.
