Podcast Episodes
Back to SearchThe Business Model Behind Startup Events – Antti Sonninen
Season 1 Episode 49
A key component to making a startup a success is knowing who your true customers are. Today, Antti Sonninen, the Japan CEO for Slush, one of the larg…
9 years, 8 months ago
The Dark Side of Japanese Crowdfunding – Ryota Matsuzaki
Season 1 Episode 48
Crowdfunding is at a crossroads. The inherent conflict of interest in the business model is forcing US firms to either limit their growth or become t…
9 years, 9 months ago
Crowdsourcing My Career
Season 1 Episode 47
Last week I published a article on Medium about why I was shutting down my current startup. If you haven't read it yet, you can find out Why I turned…
9 years, 9 months ago
Pivot Till It Hurts: Making Mobile Video Profitable – Pocket Supernova
Season 1 Episode 47
Pocket Supernova has pivoted through three countries and three completely different products before they hit their stride with their current video ed…
9 years, 9 months ago
Japan’s Unfair Advantage in Driverless Cars – Yuki Saji
Season 1 Episode 46
We are about to start seeing more cars but fewer drivers on the road. Self-driving vehicles are already moving out of the labs and onto the roads wor…
9 years, 10 months ago
What’s Wrong With BioTech in Japan – Molcure
Season 1 Episode 45
Japan could be, and perhaps should be, a BioTech startup powerhouse. The size of the market, the aging population and the depth and quality of the fu…
9 years, 10 months ago
How a Startup Went Global in Only 4 Seconds – Miku Hirano
Season 1 Episode 44
Everyone talks about the importance of international markets and how startups need to think globally from day one. Few companies, however, build that…
9 years, 11 months ago
What’s Holding FinTech Back in Japan – Paul Chapman
Season 1 Episode 43
Japanese banking is one of the most conservative industries in one of the most conservative countries in the world. That’s what makes it both so diff…
9 years, 11 months ago
Winning When Everyone Tells You to Quit – Yuki Ito
Season 1 Episode 42
Over the last 25 years, both Zest and Yuki Ito have been through several different incarnations. Interestingly, these incarnations perfectly mirror t…
10 years ago
Japanese Startups, This Must Change Now!
Season 1 Episode 41
Overall trends are going pretty well for startups in Japan, but things could be a lot better. One strange thing seems to be that almost everyone as…
10 years ago