How to Get Investment as a Foreign Founder in Japan

Raising capital in Japan as a foreign founder can feel complex, from cultural nuances to relationship-driven deal flow. But with the right strategy, network, and positioning, Japan offers real funding opportunities for global startups ready to commit.

This session breaks down how international founders can successfully attract Japanese investors and navigate the local fundraising landscape. As part of the Road to Global Gathering 2026 series, we bring together experienced VCs, Founders, and ecosystem leaders to share what actually works, straight from the source.

From understanding investor expectations to building trust, accessing networks, and pitching the right way, this conversation is designed for founders who want to raise smart capital and build long-term in Japan.

Agenda:

• Welcome & Opening Remarks

• Setting the Scene: Why Tokyo, Why Now?

• Panel Discussion – Key Topics:

• What Japanese VCs really look for in foreign founders

• How to build trust and long-term investor relationships

• How to plug into Japan’s startup ecosystem fast

• Real founder stories: “Why Japan?”

• Live Q&A with Speakers

• Closing & Networking

🎤 Speakers

• Jeremy Kai Proctor – VC, Headline

• Yamato Sasagawa – Principal (Senior Level), WiL | US & Japan-based VC

• Ibrahim Orhan - CEO & Co-founder at Kanaria Tech

Moderator:

Erdinc Ekinci - Founder, Investment Lead of Co-capital.vc, Co-Founder, CEO of Openfor.co, Managing Director of Founder Institute Japan/Korea/Taiwan

📌 Who Should Attend

• Foreign founders planning to raise in Japan

• Startups exploring Japanese VCs & CVCs

• Entrepreneurs entering the Japanese market

• Investors, operators, and ecosystem builders

• Anyone asking: “How do I get funded in Japan?”
  
  

📌 What You’ll Learn

• How Japanese VCs evaluate foreign founders

• What makes a pitch stand out in Japan

• Common mistakes to avoid when fundraising

• How to build warm investor connections

• Key platforms and communities to plug into

About Ecosystem Organization:

- Openfor.co: It is an entrepreneurial talent development company and non-equity venture/ecosystem builder supporting individuals and organizations starting from individual-level; detects high-potential people with our proprietary system, developing and featuring personal stories to launching a digitally productized personal brands, content creation and visibility with our 700K audience reach, to turning it into a business, and monetization to all the way up to launching a company. All-in-one platform with a marketplace, education, back-office support, content creation, and global reach, combining early visibility with hands-on operational support. Meanwhile, as an ecosystem builder, we work with more later-stage startups, larger enterprises, and governments, building and operating complex multinational 7-8 figure programs. It all boils down to this: we are on a mission to make the venture ecosystem accessible, making the world a more entrepreneurial place. 

- Founder Institute: Founder Institute is an equity warrant-based non-funding accelerator that supports determined founders who already have some scalable ideas and are committed to entrepreneurship. At this stage, founders validate their ideas, build a strong founder mindset, and learn through structured programs, mentorship, and accountability. Founder Institute helps turn raw ideas into real startup foundations.

- Venture Cafe Tokyo: A global community where various innovators, including entrepreneurs, investors, researchers, and students, gather, connect, and create innovation in society through a variety of programs.

-Co-Capital: Co-capital is a strategic VC-as-a-Service firm pre-seed to Series A stage, focused on seeking strong partner alignment. Specializing in GTM expansion, venture building, and marketing-led growth, working with elite entrepreneurial talent and scalable startups preparing for global GTM and investment readiness. Powered by a 300+ individual expert network and delivered in close collaboration with Founder Institute and Openfor.co, enabling fast momentum and execution.

- Founder Capital: Founder Capital is a venture capital firm focused on investing in FI’s best-performing pre-seed full-time founders who have already demonstrated traction. This layer supports founders who are building full-time, executing consistently, and showing early signs of market validation. It provides capital, strategic guidance, and long-term partnership to help founders scale with confidence.