As you may have noticed, we announced the First Ever Mobile Monday Twin City project! Basically, both chapters in Tokyo and Toronto have agreed to join under the MoMo-ToTo theme with the key bullet points outlined here and our full press release pasted below:
o A special partnership that will help open new doors to discovery and exchange.
o Working in concert with various partners in academia, government and industry.
o Targeted at respective local players to help them derive new market opportunities.
o Both sides to nominate key volunteer reps for founding a SIG to build charter.
Both cities have plenty to offer, and great views from matching iconic buildings with their CN Tower and our Sky Tree, we look forward to bring our respective talented members together to plan global domination strategies 😎
Yoroshiku.. Eh!
Official Press Release:
TORONTO, ONTARIO–(Marketwire – Feb. 14, 2011) – The MobileMonday (MoMo) chapters in Toronto and Tokyo are pleased to announce their mutual agreement to form a strategic working alliance under the MoMo-ToTo theme. MobileMonday, a global platform, with locations in over 100 cities worldwide, is dedicated to “Bringing the Mobile Community Together” and on behalf of our local membership, the chapters in Tokyo and Toronto expect this special partnership will help open new doors to discovery and opportunity.
Working in concert with various partners in academia, government and industry, the two chapters have agreed to establish valuable twin-city exchanges going forward to represent respective local businesses and derive new market opportunities. The east-west exchange has a truly Canadian connection since the Tokyo chapter co-founders are Canadian with one, Daniel Scuka, native to Toronto. Alexander Bosika, Toronto chapter co-founder, is a noted fan of Japan culture and society and in academic life studied Japan’s economy, history and business management techniques while taking beginner kendo classes in his spare time. The Toronto team keenly awaits the opportunity to visit Japan and promote this east-west concept while enjoying real sushi and next-generation mobile business trends and practices.
Lawrence Cosh-Ishii, the Alberta-born MoMo Tokyo co-founder, said, “The early seeds were planted by Alex and I a few years ago over dinner in a Nepalese restaurant in Helsinki. We quickly agreed there would be a clear potential benefit, for all members, to develop a dedicated business exchange platform for mobile professionals between our local chapter cities.” Alex Bosika, Toronto co-founder said: “Japan is rich in history and culture but more importantly, is technologically advanced, forward-thinking and extremely innovative. It has been said that mobile innovation travels from the East to the West. We feel this new platform will serve to bring new opportunities to the Toronto membership by introducing Canadian innovators to key stakeholders in the Tokyo’s mobile eco-system.”
The initial phase of the process will see both parties appoint key members to form a Special Interest Group (SIG) in order to explore best ways and means for future collaboration. Jim Brown and Alex Bosika, co-founders for the Toronto chapter, will attend GSMA’s 2011 Mobile World Congress on February 14-17 with a planning session scheduled with Tokyo chapter co-founders, Lawrence Cosh-Ishii and Daniel Scuka. Serving as gateways between the Americas and Asia, Tokyo and Toronto are excited to set the pace as the first-ever Sister Cities in the MobileMonday community. Stay tuned!
About MobileMonday Toronto
MobileMonday Toronto is Canada’s largest mobile industry networking group. MobileMonday Toronto operates with a broad mandate to actively encourage and support Canadian innovation, business development, industry collaboration, and growth of the mobile sector in Toronto and in regions across Canada. Through its meetings, the chapter actively promotes business networking in a casual friendly, co-operative environment with like-minded mobile professionals. All events are FREE unless otherwise noted, with attendance open to anyone interested in the mobile industry such as telecom professionals, application developers, content creators, mobile startups, interactive agencies, industry analysts, venture capitalists and consumers. MobileMonday Toronto is a non-profit organization that is financially supported by its sponsors. Presenting sponsors include Nokia, Rogers Catalyst, Telus and Miller Thomson with generous support from Marketwire, the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association, Redknee, BDC, WIND and Public Mobile. For more details about MobileMonday Toronto, please visit: http://www.mobilemondaytoronto.com
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About MobileMonday Tokyo
MobileMonday Tokyo, launched in September 2004, has become a leading networking organization supporting the local mobile industry and is a key gathering point for corporate managers, entrepreneurs, developers, analysts and the media in Japan. MoMo Tokyo’s working languages are English and Japanese, enabling as wide a range of professionals as possible to attend and participate. As of December 2010 well over 4,000 unique individuals have attended MobileMonday in Tokyo; with many thousands more from around the world visiting our website to download presentations from the 50+ events held to-date. This audience represents a wide and deep slice of the Japan-focused wireless community and includes professionals from telecom carriers, handset makers, technology vendors, researchers and developers. Founded by Mobikyo, and sponsored by a range of forward-looking companies, our activities are made possible by the generous and energetic contributions from many ‘Friends of MoMo’ Ambassadors. For more details visit: http://www.mobilemonday.jp
About MobileMonday Global
MobileMonday (MoMo) is an open community platform of mobile industry visionaries, developers and influential individuals fostering brand neutral cooperation and cross-border P2P business opportunities through live networking events to demo products, share ideas and discuss trends from both local and global markets.
MobileMonday has the following global objectives:
o Foster an open and independent innovation platform within the mobile sector
o Facilitate industry networking between small and large companies and individuals
o Bridge partnership exchanges between domestic and international organizations
o To present innovative visions, studies and forecasts from the mobile marketplace
o Provide opportunities for local members to effectively participate in global initiatives
Originating in Helsinki Finland, in 2000, events are organized by some 300 dedicated volunteers from around the world and it has become an industry leading mobile platform. Chapters have held events in over 100 cities worldwide and we continue to launch new locations monthly. For more details visit: http://www.mobilemonday.net
As there will be many MoMo’ers in Barcelona next week, we are pleased to pass along this info to our network that the Mobile Monday founders and organizers, from over 15 global chapters in operation today, will meet at the Finnish stand — Entre marketing at Hall 1 section/stand C59 — on Monday 13 February between 13:00 and 15:00. They will also be handing out “Smile it’s Monday” buttons and infocards for this years MoMo Global Summit as well. Look forward see many from Tokyo there!