AI Startup Funding in Japan: Investor Office Hour, Stella Capital

How to Get Your Startup Noticed by Global VCs

Date

Sep 14, 2026

Time

06:00 pm - 07:30 pm

Address

Online Event

Timezone

Agenda

Welcome and Introduction
Panel Discussion: How Global VCs Discover and Evaluate Startups
Selected Startup Pitches
Live Investor Feedback
Startup Q&A
Closing Remarks

Featured Investor

Aizuddin Zakaria Adli is a Venture Partner at Stella Capital with experience across venture investing, startup discovery, and founder ecosystems.

His work gives him a valuable perspective on how investors discover promising companies, assess early-stage opportunities, and decide which founders and startups deserve a closer look.

During this session, Aizuddin will share insights into what captures investor attention, which credibility signals matter, how founders can communicate their potential more effectively, and what can cause an otherwise promising startup to be overlooked.

Moderator

Erdinc Ekinci is the Co-Founder and CEO of Openfor.co, Founder and CEO of Co-Capital, and Managing Director of Founder Institute Japan, Korea and Taiwan.

He is an entrepreneur, ecosystem builder, and startup mentor supporting founders with GTM, sales, partnerships, international expansion, visibility, and investment readiness.

What You Can Expect

Insights into how global VCs discover startup opportunities
What makes investors stop and take a closer look
The traction and credibility signals that strengthen investor interest
Common reasons promising startups are overlooked
Guidance on positioning and communicating your investment opportunity
Strategies for building visibility before beginning investor outreach
Selected startup pitches and direct investor feedback
Q&A on fundraising readiness, traction, visibility, and investor fit

Who Should Apply

Early-stage startups preparing to raise capital
Founders seeking international or cross-border investors
Startups struggling to receive responses from investors
Founders refining their positioning and fundraising story
Teams building customer, partner, or market traction
Startups seeking greater visibility within the global venture ecosystem
Founders who want to understand how investors evaluate opportunities

Want to Pitch and Receive Direct Feedback?

⚠️ Pitching is available only to selected startups

Selected founders will pitch their startups and receive personalized feedback covering areas such as:

Startup positioning and differentiation
Problem, solution, and market opportunity
Customer and partner traction
Investor visibility and credibility
Fundraising readiness
Stage, raise, and investor fit
Pitch clarity and investment narrative
Recommended next steps

Additional Resources: Find more Startup Events, sharpen your the One-Sentence Pitch, or read How to Pitch Your Startup before you present.

About Founder Institute: The Founder Institute is the World's Largest AI-Native Company Builder, giving idea-stage, first-time founders, and employees making the leap to entrepreneurship the tools, global network, and proven methodology to build an AI-powered startup from zero to funding. Since 2009, our structured programs have helped over 9,000 founders across 100 countries raise more than $2BN in funding. Based in Silicon Valley and with chapters across 6 continents, our mission is to empower talented and motivated people everywhere to build impactful, AI-powered companies.