In this episode of ⁠⁠⁠Scaling Japan Podcast⁠, we are once again joined by Joshua Flannery, the CEO of Innovation Dojo and a pivotal figure in Japan's startup landscape. With a keen focus on assisting foreign entrepreneurs, Joshua delves into Japan's startup events, dissecting the advantages of large versus smaller gatherings. Gain insights into the world of pitch contests, discovering the prizes at stake and understanding the strategic industries that benefit most. Uncover the power of startup communities and groups, exploring the resources they offer and the collaborative spirit they foster. Joshua also discusses the concept of business matching, revealing its significance and practical applications. Tune in for a deep dive into the Japan startup scene with a true expert.

Links from Guest Appearance

Linkedin⁠

⁠Kobe Global Startup Support program⁠

⁠Japan Business Development service for foreign universities looking for R&D partnerships in Japan

Show Notes:

(02:15) The startup events in Japan

(09:25) The events in Kansai

(12:30) About pitch contests

(17:26) Pitch contests prices

(21:14) Startup communities & groups

(27:40) What is open Innovation

(36:41) How can a startup determine which open innovation to participate in

(38:28) What is business matching

(41:51) Types of clients Joshua Flannery is accepting

Coaching with Tyson

Looking to take your business to the next level? Let our host Tyson Batino help you scale your business from $100,000 to $10,000,000 dollars with his coaching and advisory services.

⁠⁠⁠Visit here to learn how he can help⁠

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In this episode of ⁠⁠Scaling Japan Podcast, we welcome Joshua Flannery, the founder and CEO of Innovation Dojo Group, delves into the key aspects of the startup ecosystem. He explores the roles of incubators and accelerators in fostering early-stage ventures. Joshua highlights the significance of vibrant startup cities as hubs for innovation and collaboration. Additionally, he shares insights on leveraging overseas universities' innovation and R&D departments for global entrepreneurship.

Links from Guest Appearance

Linkedin

Kobe Global Startup Support program

Japan Business Development service for foreign universities looking for R&D partnerships in Japan

Show Notes:

(3:06) About incubators

(7:57) About accelerators

(20:19) Start up cities

(30:31) Overseas university’s innovation/R&D/startup department and entering the Japanese market

Coaching with Tyson

Looking to take your business to the next level? Let our host Tyson Batino help you scale your business from $100,000 to $10,000,000 dollars with his coaching and advisory services.

⁠⁠Visit here to learn how he can help

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Send in a voice message:

⁠https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/scalingjapanpodcast/message⁠

In this episode of ⁠Scaling your company⁠, we are delighted to have John Kirch, a Tokyo-based consultant with over 30 years of experience in helping international startups enter the Japanese market and providing B2B software solutions. Today, we'll delve into the world of Proof of Concepts (PoCs) and their significance in the Japanese business landscape. John will share insights on the value of PoCs, their popularity among Japanese corporations and the government, and the distinctions between PoCs and paid projects, offering a wealth of knowledge to our listeners.

Links from Guest Appearance

Linkedin

Gmail

Show Notes:

(1:27) Self introduction

(2:57) What is POCs

(7:28) Why are PoC's popular with Japanese corporations and the Japanese government?

(11:42) The difference between a PoC and a paid project

(12:22) The ranges of how long a PoC has gone in John Kirch experience in Japan

(17:57) The unique expectations for a foreign company entering the Japan market when doing their first PoC

(20:32) The differences in metrics and responsibilities

(21:55) How to launch a PoC successfully in Japan.

(24:04) How should a company approach a PoC and what are signs of success / danger signs at each of the following stages, i.e. negotiation, execution, and post-execution?

(26:46) What is PoC hell and how do we avoid this?

(30:16) Ways to penalize another company if they are not committing their end of the bargain or are creating delays

(33:38) Why do many companies fail to make it past the PoC stage?

(35:12) What frameworks would John Kirch recommend for managing a PoC?

(40:43) Requests for the listeners and where can they find John Kirch

Coaching with Tyson

Looking to take your business to the next level? Let our host Tyson Batino help you scale your business from $100,000 to $10,000,000 dollars with his coaching and advisory services.

⁠Visit here to learn how he can help

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Send in a voice message:

https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/scalingjapanpodcast/message

In this episode of ⁠Scaling your company⁠⁠ podcast, we have Takashi Nishida, the CEO of Sophia Projects and a Business Development and Customer Success consultant. He will discuss the importance of hiring the right salesperson for the Japanese market and the role of a business developer in Japan. Takashi Nishida highlights the need for market assessment, connections to target buyers, and understanding Japanese business dynamics.

Links from Guest Appearance

LinkedIn

Techmahindra

Show Notes

(0:42) Takashi Nishida introduction

(2:00) What does a business developer do in Japan?

(4:15) Why is a BD necessary in Japan?

(6:22) What do foreign companies tend to misunderstand about Japan? 

(15:45) Why does cold calling often not work in Japan for foreign corporations?

(21:20) What types of contracts do BDs have with companies?

(21:30) Salaried contracts

(24:25) Salaried & Success contracts

(27:54) Commission only

(29:47) What would a company do to attract experienced BD in Japan

(31:42) Where do you find BDs in Japan

(35:37) Ending comments & thoughts

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The Japan Scalers Podcast is produced by our companies Scaling Your Company & Launch LabScaling Your Company offers several services

Discover how Launch Lab can simplify your journey and fuel your growth in Japan : ⁠⁠⁠https://launch-lab.jp/⁠⁠⁠

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Welcome to this special episode of the Scaling Japan Podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Links from Guest Appearance

Satoru's LinkedIn┃⁠Akihiro's LinkedIn⁠┃StationAI┃Accelerate Aichi - 500 Global⁠

Show Notes

(0:00) About Satoru & Akihiro
(4:53) Three things you should know about Aichi & Nagoya
(7:29) Industries Aichi is known for
(9:02) Why start your company in Aichi?
(11:52) What are some startup programs offered at Aichi?
(13:49) What does StationAI do?
(16:31) Accelerate Aichi - 500 Global
(22:03) Collaborations with the foreign organizations
(24:13) Financial Support Aichi offer to startups
(26:52) Requirements to applying to Aichi's subsidies
(29:55) Does StationAi invest in companies?
(32:07) Requirments to StationAI fund
(32:52) Who are the rising stars of Aichi & Nagoya startup?
(36:20) What is so Unique about Nagoya?
(38:40) What are business culture differences in Nagoya?
(42:56) What are Nagoya /StationAI'ss plans for the next 3 years

Coaching with Tyson

Looking to take your business to the next level? Let our host Tyson Batino help you scale your business from $100,000 to $10,000,000 dollars with his coaching and advisory services. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Visit here to learn how he can help⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

In this episode of the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Scaling Japan Podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, we have Yoshi Nishikawa, he is an innovation specialist for the city of Kobe and he will tell us more today about Kobe city and its approach to startups. He will also share success stories from both local and foreign startups in Kobe This episode is a part of our series on startup cities, and we have interviewed Kobe, Aichi, Sapporo, Fukuoka, and Shibuya.

LinkedIn

InvestKobe┃NextKitchen-Kobe┃Climate Tech Challenge

(02:54) About Kobe

(05:36) Industries that Kobe is strong at

(11:52) What is Life-Tech KOBE?

(13:21) What type of support Does Kobe offer foreign entrepreneurs?

(17:26) Financial Support From Kobe

(19:41) Success cases of a foreign company / startup in Kobe

(27:47) What is unique about Kobe?

(30:45) How can a startup develop more trust with cities / Japanese companies?

(35:49) Plans for Kobe for the next two years

(37:56) Kobe's current startup programs

Coaching with Tyson

Looking to take your business to the next level? Let our host Tyson Batino help you scale your business from $100,000 to $10,000,000 dollars with his coaching and advisory services. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Visit here to learn how he can help⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

In this episode of the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Scaling Japan Podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, we have Younes Hairej, founder and CEO at Aokumo, which helps medium to large corporations simplify their cloud operations through their platform. We will dive into the important topic of system integrators or SIers in Japan, which is a key component to any long-term expansion in Japan for software companies.

Links from Guest Appearance

⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠

Aokumo

Show Notes

(3:00) What does a Japanese system integrator do?

(5:40) How Significant are system integrators in Japan?

(9:38) What type of companies do system integrators help?

(10:26) How did system integrators come about in Japan?

(12:17) Benefits to using system integrators

(13:48) Downsides to using system integrators

(19:33) How does system integrators impact startups?

(22:22) How to select to right system integrator for your company?

(25:17) Famous system integrators in Japan

(27:42) How to actually find system integrators

(28:45) Getting system integrators as partners as a foreign company

(30:50) Do you need Japanese to work with system integrators?

(34:10) How to get that meeting with a system integrator in Japan?

(39:06) Why are system integrators important for your long-term expansion strategy?

(43:58) Who is Aokumo and what do they do?

Coaching with Tyson Looking to take your business to the next level? Let our host Tyson Batino help you scale your business from $100,000 to $10,000,000 dollars with his coaching and advisory services. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Visit here to learn how he can help⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

In this episode of the ⁠⁠⁠⁠Scaling Japan Podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠, we welcome Gerrard Lai, a Senior Associate at MUFG Innovation Partners, the CVC arm of the well-known Japanese bank. This is part two of our series on Corporate Venture Capital, in part 1 Makoto Shibata of Finolabs gave a great introduction and we would look to go deeper into the topic. You can listen to part 1 here.

Links from Guest Appearance

⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠

MUFG Innovation Partners

Show Notes

(1:40) What makes CVC different from venture capital?

(3:35) How much do Japanese CVCs actually invest?

(5:20) Who are the big CVCs players in Japan?

(8:10) Are there any unique changes to CVC investment in 2023 or 2024?

(10:10) Do CVCs typically lead rounds?

(12:40) What companies are the sweet spot for most CVCs?

(17:00) Do CVCs invest in companies from overseas?

(19:22) What is the best way to approach CVCs?

(21:37) How do CVCs evaluate a company?

(27:00) Pitch deck and pitch types for founders when approaching CVCs

(29:00) What are MUFG goals for creating a CVC arm?

(32:10) What areas do you like to invest in and why?

Coaching with Tyson Looking to take your business to the next level? Let our host Tyson Batino help you scale your business from $100,000 to $10,000,000 dollars with his coaching and advisory services. ⁠⁠⁠⁠Visit here to learn how he can help⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

In this episode of the ⁠⁠⁠Scaling Japan Podcast⁠⁠⁠, we welcome William Ryan, the CEO of Japan Hospitality Consultants, who supports fellow expats to open up their own bars, cafes, or restaurants in Japan. He has managed pubs for more than 20 years and more than 7 years with his own pub, An Solas Irish Pub in Yoyogi. Today he will provide unique insights into how an entrepreneur could open their own restaurant in Japan, and some points entrepreneurs need to know before starting their own restaurant.

Links from Guest Appearance

⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠

Japan Hospitality Consultants

Show Notes

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The Japan Scalers Podcast is produced by our companies Scaling Your Company & Launch LabScaling Your Company offers several services

Discover how Launch Lab can simplify your journey and fuel your growth in Japan : ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://launch-lab.jp/⁠⁠⁠⁠

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In this episode of the ⁠⁠⁠Scaling Japan Podcast⁠⁠⁠, we are happy to welcome back Ruth Jarman, the founder and CEO of Jarman International KK. She also sits on the board of Directors as outside Director for KADOKAWA and Fujibo Holdings. In our previous episodes together, ⁠episode 38⁠ and episode 43, she has shared how foreign business owners can build a strong network and understanding Japanese budget timelines.

Links from Guest Appearance

⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠

⁠Jarman International KK⁠

Show Notes

(3:42) How to establish good communication with your sub contractor

(6:54) Potential negotiables

(10:28) Additional communication tips

(14:09) Mid project challenges and how to overcome them

(17:35) Having payment/bank information

(22:57) When are project payments

(26:25) Connecting with contractors

(33:49) How to pick up signals as a foreigner

(39:47) Knowing your worth