Takahiro Hayashi won his first nationwide title in shogi—Japanese chess—while still in high school, and by the age of 22, he was the world amateur champion. His coaches were urging him to turn pro.
But Hayashi wanted to be an entrepreneur, not a chess player. And so, in 2009, he found himself in a room with some local venture capitalists, presenting a 120-page pitch about his social game firm. The financiers kind of tuned out.
