Shun Sagara relocated from Tokyo to Bengaluru in 2023 to advance his venture capital firm, Genesia Ventures. With a history in enterprise software and venture capital, he recognized India as the next logical expansion market after Southeast Asia. His interest was piqued by a lack of competition among VCs in India focused on enterprise businesses. Despite facing challenges convincing his wife about the move due to concerns about air quality and safety, he believes the Indian startup ecosystem is critical for building infrastructure in a rising economic power.
My move to India wasn't driven by a fascination with curry or Bollywood or anything like that. I always felt like India and Japan shine on the sidelines but don't claim the center stage the way China or the US do.
The trigger moment for me was when a Japanese founder told me I was the only VC among 20 to 30 meetings he had taken who truly understood enterprise businesses. It was flattering but rang alarm bells.
Moving to India, where startups are not just building products, but are building the infrastructure of a rising economic power, felt like the next best step for me.
My wife was a flight attendant for Japanese Airlines and had been exposed to New Delhi before - she didn't like the air quality, the spicy food, and how it wasn't safe for young single women.
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