Thomas Pouplin is Co-Founder of Ikkai with partner Yasmine Djoudi. Ikkai aims to make people less busy and students richer by connecting students with the short term staffing needs of Japanese companies. This is an area overlooked by traditional Japanese recruitment agencies due to a combination of tradition and fear of trying something new. Thomas and Yasmine are based out of Fukuoka, Japan’s designated “Startup City”. In this interview Thomas shares insights into how they arrived in Fukuoka, how they set up business there including applying for government grants and startup visas, and also reflections on their business growth.