Will Smith partners with Japanese soccer star to create Dreamers Fund

International movie star Will Smith has joined forces with Keisuke Honda, the Japanese soccer star, to launch a capital fund called the Dreamers Fund, reports Variety. The move was announced by Honda’s management firm, KSK Group, in a statement to the Japanese media on July 19. The Dreamers Fund will be based in Los Angeles. The goal of the fund is to raise $100 million for investments in start-up ventures. The fund will focus on social issues of concern to its two founders, though the statement did not go into specifics. Financial services giant, Nomura Holdings, will serve as an anchor investor. A spokesperson for the company said that the fund would better position it to help “cutting edge” companies. In a statement Honda said that he hopes “to change the lives of people in the U.S., Japan and the world for the better through the Dreamers Fund.” Speaking to the press after the World Cup closing ceremony in Moscow, Smith expressed his admiration for Honda, who has retired from international soccer but came off the bench to score a goal in Japan’s World Cup Match with Senegal. “We have a little bit of a relationship,” Smith said. “Keisuke is the truth.” Smith was last month involved with Marc Forster to acquire the German-Swiss licensing and distribution company, Telepool. As part of the deal, Telepool will become a development, financing and distribution partner for Smith and Forster’s films. Smith is one of the most recognizable stars in the world, with a list of credits that includes “Men in Black,” “Independence Day,” “Suicide Squad,” “Bright,” and “Bad Boys.”