Finatext Holdings went from a consumer app to being the infrastructure behind Japan's financial institutions. It listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange in 2021 and is now building for the AI era. In this episode, we're joined by Finatext’s Co-founder & CEO Ryota Hayashi to talk about his journey from entrepreneur to public-company CEO — perseverance, risk management, how founders should choose investors, and what it takes to thrive in the AI era.

AGENDA:

• 00:00 Introduction
• 01:12 What Finatext does and the legacy problem in Japanese finance industry
• 03:00 An entrepreneur father, the IT boom, and deciding to become a founder
• 05:50 Moving to the UK: Bristol, and Deutsche Bank London after Lehman shock
• 11:53 The initial days when nobody cared, building what people want, and the first hit
• 16:50 Luck, risk management, and why founders who don’t quit get their hit
• 19:00 Pivot to B2B infrastructure and the Nowcast acquisition
• 21:04 How founders should choose a VC, and the resilience trait he looks for in entrepreneurs
• 27:20 Life after the IPO and thriving in the AI era
• 34:38 Pessimism is the state, optimism is the will

Links:

• Finatext Holdings
• Ryota Hayashi’s letter to Finatext Shareholders
• Finatext Holdings on UTEC's portfolio page
• Passion for success behind rise of fintech startup — The University of Tokyo
• Susumu Fujita (Founder of CyberAgent) - Ryota Hayashi’s role model

Connect with the guest Ryota Hayashi and host Kiran Mysore:

• Ryota Hayashi
• Kiran Mysore

Stay tuned for more stories from the land of the rising sun.

Japan's startup funding has grown roughly 10x in a decade, international VCs are entering the market, and the old "risk-averse Japan" perception no longer matches reality.

In this episode, we are joined by Nori Sakamoto, Managing Partner and COO at UTEC and a three-time Forbes Japan Midas List honoree, to unpack what actually changed and where Japan's startup ecosystem is headed next.

AGENDA:

00:00 Introduction: Rising Edge and guest Nori Sakamoto

01:08 Japan's ecosystem twelve years ago and the tenfold growth in startup funding

03:52 Corporate Venture Capital (CVC) and the "missing unicorns" question

07:01 Tokyo Stock Exchange's ¥10 billion rule and evolving exit strategies

09:10 International VCs arrive, and how Japanese VC funds stack up on returns

11:50 Talent mobility and government support for startups

15:41 Japan's science and technology edge: patents, Nobel prizes, and key sectors

19:56 The next decade: going global and Japan's unique opportunities

Links:

• Japan Startup Ecosystem Overview - Report
• UTEC (The University of Tokyo Edge Capital Partners)

Connect with the guest Nori Sakamoto and host Kiran Mysore:

• Nori Sakamoto
• Kiran Mysore

Stay tuned for more stories from the land of the rising sun!

Tomotaka (Tommy) Goji began his career at Japan's METI (the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry) where he helped draft the Limited Partnership Act that gave Japanese venture funds their legal footing. He later left government to co-found UTEC, building a firm under the very framework he had helped create. Two decades on, he leads UTEC as CEO, chairs the Japan Venture Capital Association (JVCA), and teaches science and technology entrepreneurship at The University of Tokyo.

In the first ever episode of Rising Edge, UTEC Partner Kiran Mysore talks with Goji about the origins, building, and future of Japanese venture capital.

Agenda:

00:00 Introduction: Rising Edge, UTEC, and guest Tomotaka Goji

02:59 Drafting Japan's Limited Partnership Act at METI

05:30 The LP Act and the TSE Mothers Market that launched the Japanese ecosystem

07:24 Studying at Stanford and betting on early-stage deep tech

11:30 Founding UTEC in 2004 and keeping it independent

16:24 PeptiDream’s IPO and diversifying exits

22:13 Taking the portfolio global and teaching the next generation

26:26 From law to a data science PhD, and AI in investing

29:48 Leading the JVCA and the outlook for the next decade

Links:

• UTEC (University of Tokyo Edge Capital Partners)
• Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing
• Japan Venture Capital Association (JVCA)
• Tokyo Stock Exchange Growth Market
• PeptiDream

Connect with the guest Tomotaka Goji and host Kiran Mysore:

• Tomotaka Goji
• Kiran Mysore

Stay tuned for more stories from the land of the rising sun!

Coming soon! Subscribe now to catch new episodes every month.

“Rising Edge” presented by UTEC, is a show about the stories and people behind science and technology startups — built from Japan or built with Japan, the land of the rising sun. It features industry leaders, entrepreneurs, technology experts and investors contributing to the future of Japan.