Steve Sakanashi has the heart of a coach
Student startup incubator Sekai Creator founder Steve Sakanashi on the most creative pitch he's ever heard, what sets Japanese youth apart from their American counterparts and how he kicks off his mornings.
U.S. startups focusing on care products and services for the elderly are tapping into the graying Japanese market, where more than 35 million people are over the age of 65. Seismic, a California-based apparel company, hopes to expand in Japan with its Powered Clothing, a ...
Japan Post Capital fund puts money behind Tokyo-based news startup SmartNews
It's a challenging time in the digital media industry. BuzzFeed Inc. and Vice Media Inc., which defined a generation of news startups, dismissed hundreds of employees this year in cost-cutting maneuvers. But a glimmer of hope is coming from a software company in Tokyo. SmartNews ...
Japanese startup IntegriCulture dreams of feeding world with cheap meat fresh from the lab
Yuki Hanyu won't put a time frame on it, but believes the day will come when the world's burgeoning population will be able to eat its fill of meat — and all without a single animal being slaughtered. It was with this bold vision that ...
Better known as a manufacturing center, Chubu region is turning its talents to nurturing startups
The Chubu region, with Nagoya at its center, has never been known as a land of startups. Although the area is recognized as one of the nation's largest manufacturing hubs, few IT startups have been established and many students in the region tend to ...
If Masayoshi Son won't invest in Japan, why should you?
The SoftBank CEO's $100 billion Vision Fund is noticeably absent on its home turf. That speaks volumes about the health of Japan's startup scene.
SoftBank's Masayoshi Son urges Moon to focus South Korea on developing AI
SoftBank Group Corp. Chairman and CEO Masayoshi Son proposed to South Korean President Moon Jae In on Thursday that South Korea focus on the national development of artificial intelligence, the presidential office said. At their meeting in Seoul, Son said the country should direct all ...
Sony and Daiwa Securities eye ¥20 billion fund to invest in high-tech start-ups
Sony Corp. said Wednesday it will set up a venture fund of around ¥20 billion ($185 million) with a Daiwa Securities Group Inc. unit to invest in prospective startups. Innovation Growth Ventures Co. has been established by Sony and Daiwa Capital Holdings Co. to support ...
To keep boredom at bay, more Japanese retirees are starting up their own business
An increasing number of newly retired people are starting up businesses, using their wealth of experience and knowledge while taking advantage of government loan programs. A cafe run by Yoshiaki Sato, 65, in a housing complex in the Wakaba area in Tachikawa in west Tokyo ...
Japan to allow foreign students to apply to switch visa and start their own companies
The government on Tuesday made a decision on a regulatory reform measure to allow foreign students to start their own companies. With the revision, foreign students will be able to switch their residence status while at university to one that allows them to undertake entrepreneurial ...
Japan startup making paper from stone seeks more pre-IPO funding
Making paper out of rock isn't just a novel idea — it saves water, is both recyclable and biodegradable and uses a mineral resource available anywhere on Earth. TBM Co., a startup known for its technology that turns limestone into business cards, plastic folders and ...
