Retired soccer star Honda sets up $100 million Japan startup fund

Former star soccer player Keisuke Honda, a rare Japanese athlete-turned-angel-investor, is in talks to raise as much as ¥15 billion ($100 million) for his first fund wholly dedicated to startups in his home country.

The X&KSK Fund plans to invest in about 30 Japanese startups. It seeks to identify at least one that will eventually reach a valuation of $10 billion, Honda said in an interview.

“I realized I’m getting access to pretty good deals because people know who I am from my career as a soccer player,” the 37-year-old said.