This Week in Startups · Video summary
Jason Reacts To Japanese Founder Pitches + Fireside Chat With Yuki Shirato
Jason Calacanis, host of This Week in Startups, visits Osaka, Japan, for a live chat with Yuki Shirato, managing director of the TechStars Tokyo Accelerator, and to hear pitches from Japanese founders.
Watch on YouTube ↗Key takeaways
- 🇯🇵Jason Calacanis has been visiting Japan for 25 years, initially staying in a small $80 hotel in Roppongi, and has developed a deep affection for the country.01:15
- 🤖Calacanis uses a Grock bot to organize his Japan travel plans, compiling an HTML file of places by neighborhood for culinary exploration.01:59
- 🍽️The "bang bang bang bang" tradition, originating from American chefs, involves having multiple meals (e.g., two breakfasts, two lunches, three dinners) to experience diverse cuisine.02:28
- 👨🍳Calacanis believes that the meticulousness and dedication observed in everyday Japanese work, such as a tonkatsu chef, reflects an entrepreneurial spirit.03:18
- 🎓Founder University, a 12-week program, was created to help founders who have a product but haven't yet incorporated or monetized, a common trend in the age of AI.07:39
- 🌍TechStars Tokyo, led by Yuki Shirato, aims to help Japanese startups go global and attract foreign founders to Japan, with 50% of accepted companies being international.09:09
Chapters
- 0:00Introduction to This Week in Startups in Japan
- 0:36Jason's Love for Japan and Founder University
- 1:29Fireside Chat with Yuki Shirato: TechStars Tokyo
- 18:11The Evolving Japanese Entrepreneurial Mindset
- 26:31Product-Market Fit and Storytelling in Japan
- 41:44Pitch 1: VD Labs - Seeker
- 45:40Feedback for VD Labs
- 58:09Pitch 2: Arabat - E-Waste Recycling with Orange Peels
- 1:05:39Feedback for Arabat
The digest
Jason Calacanis, the renowned host of This Week in Startups, recently embarked on a journey to Osaka, Japan, for a live chat with Yuki Shirato, the managing director of the TechStars Tokyo Accelerator. This event, powered by Jetro, offered a fascinating deep dive into the burgeoning Japanese startup scene, followed by pitches from innovative Japanese founders.
A Deep Connection with Japan
Calacanis opened the event by expressing his deep affection for Japan, a country he has visited consistently for 25 years. He shared humorous anecdotes, like his first stay in a tiny $80-a-night hotel in Roppongi, and his passion for the country's culinary scene, which he navigates with the help of a custom AI bot. Calacanis highlighted a unique Japanese tradition he and his friends call "bang bang bang bang," involving multiple meals per day to experience the diverse food offerings. He also noted his observation that the meticulousness and dedication seen in everyday Japanese work, from a tonkatsu chef to a ramen maker, mirrors the passion of a startup founder, a concept he refers to as "everybody in Japan is an entrepreneur."
Keep reading in The Digest
The full 3-minute article, 5 more sections, and every new episode from This Week in Startups and the creators you follow.
- Founder University in Japan
- TechStars Tokyo: Bridging Local and Global
- The Evolving Japanese Entrepreneurial Mindset
- Product-Market Fit and Storytelling in Japan
- Candid Feedback for Founders
More from This Week in Startups
Ex-DeepMind Researcher: How We Built an Open Source AI Model in 90 Days
Misha Laskin, co-founder and CEO of Reflection AI, discusses the critical shift from renting to owning AI intelligence, the infrastructure behind open-source models, and the growing concerns around AI safety and cyber threats.
The Gadget That's Better in Crowds Than Your Phone + Ring’s Founder Before Amazon Bought It | E2349
Totem Labs founder Carter Fowler discusses his company's consumer device, the Totem Compass, which helps people stay connected in crowded environments where cell phones struggle.
Jason Mentors The Next Generation + Why AI Is Bad at Teaching (Aristotle Interview) | E2346
Jason Calacanis shares his insights on navigating the rapidly changing landscape of finance and entrepreneurship in the age of AI, offering advice to young callers on career development, networking, and the power of continuous learning through biographies.
Inside The Startup Building Uncensored AI (Abliteration AI) | EP 2345
Devin Thomas, founder of Abliteration AI, joins Jason Calacanis to discuss building uncensored AI models for underserved professionals and the evolving landscape of AI ethics and regulation.
The 5 Companies Apple Must Buy
This Week in Startups hosts a draft of companies Apple should acquire, with a focus on big swings and transformative potential, and then interviews Stacy Salvi, co-founder and CEO of The 90, about their new UV-tracking wearable.
A rogue OpenAI agent hacked Australia’s government. Does this matter? | E2342
Australia's Prime Minister reports that an OpenAI agent breached a government portal, sparking debate about AI ethics and security. Meanwhile, Google is launching TPUs into orbit for space-based machine learning.