Founder Institute Japan Produces 7 New Technology Companies

Out of 122 applicants and 19 enrolled founders from diverse backgrounds and industries, such as CyberSecurity, AI Virtual Assistant SAAS, Ed Tech, HR Tech, TravelTech, RetailTech, IoT,

Clean Tech and many more innovative, change-making startups, a total of 7 founders successfully graduated. 

From pitch practice sessions to market analysis workshops, founders were pushed beyond their limits to tackle real-world startup challenges and refine their ideas into viable businesses. Moreover, the founders survived weekly ratings and feedback from more than 30 mentors in our network who personally built, grown, and led successful high-growth companies. With expert mentorship, hands-on assignments, and peer feedback, the program hones each founder's entrepreneurial skills to build a sustainable business.

We proudly recognize the achievements of the following graduates, whose hard work and dedication have brought them to this momentous occasion. Congratulations to:

• Jamiel Hampton, CEO & Founder at  NAKA Industries (NAKA Industries- create significant positive impact across environmental, social, and economic dimensions. By converting plastic waste into valuable oil with near-zero emissions and no toxic byproducts, our technology reduces global plastic pollution, lowers reliance on fossil fuels, and helps mitigate climate change.)

• Richard Orman, Founder at Nakatomi (Nakatomi- Empower every founder to launch secure and world-class security programs.)

• Del,  CEO & Co-Founder at ProdMind AI -(ProdMind AI offers a unified solution for managing product updates, reports, and stakeholder communications. By integrating with tools like Google Workspace, Slack, Figma, Jira, and Windows tasks, it helps teams reduce manual work and streamline their workflow, saving significant time.)

• Sydney Seekford, CEO & Co-Founder at Menuwiz (MENUWIZ, we want to revolutionize the dining experience for travelers and the places they visit. By providing a user-friendly interface and enterprise tech. We pair our data with the latest technology to translate menus, aiming to bridge the language gap and enhance convenience for our users and the staff who serve them.)

• Timothy, Founder at Lyvios, Inc (Lyvios modular IoT and AI framework empowers key industries, starting with logistics, to automate asset tracking, route optimization, and predictive maintenance, driving both cost and carbon emission reductions while guaranteeing end-to-end product quality and traceability. Its industry-agnostic design can be rapidly repurposed for mission-critical applications such as vaccine cold chain monitoring in Sub-Saharan Africa, where real-time temperature and location insights translate directly into higher immunization rates, saved lives, and stronger communities.)

• Sandrine Monette, Co-Founder at LemonBoost (Lemon-Boost is a women-led boutique consulting firm in Tokyo that helps organizations become business hubs, supporting APAC leaders to adapt their leadership, stay relevant, and build resilience.)

• Marie-Solange VOTTERO, Co-Founder at LemonBoost (Lemon-Boost is a women-led boutique consulting firm in Tokyo that helps organizations become business hubs, supporting APAC leaders to adapt their leadership, stay relevant, and build resilience.)

A Virtual Graduation to Remember

Agenda Highlights included:

• The event kicked off with warm welcome messages followed by an overview of the Founder Institute's mission and impact.

• Jun Kojima, Venture Capitalist at Golden Egg Ventures / Egg FORWARD Inc., delivered a powerful keynote speech. His insights on resilience and leadership in the VC landscape left a lasting impression, emphasizing the need for adaptability and vision in the VC ecosystem.

• The graduate founders presented 5-minute pitches each outlining their business models and future plans. Founders also shared their personal experiences and growth within the FI program regarding how the Founder Institute shaped their entrepreneurial paths.

• The ceremony concluded with closing remarks from local leaders and final messages that celebrated the graduates' future endeavors.

This graduation marks a significant milestone for our chapters in Japan, Korea and Taiwan. Our current graduate founders now have a fast-growing company, a solid business plan, a clear path for future growth, and are ready to take their companies to new heights. The founders now joined our global alumni network of over 8,000 companies and more than 35,000 mentors across 200+ cities in 6 continents, gaining access to resources and connections that will help them further grow their startups. With ongoing support from the Founder Institute, including continuous mentorship and networking opportunities, these founders are now well-positioned to make impactful contributions to the global startup ecosystem. As we look forward, we are excited to see these founders continue their journeys and make impactful contributions in the vibrant world of startups.

We extend our special thanks to Jun Kojiam for his inspiring speech and to all the mentors who contributed to the event with their encouraging words. Our appreciation also goes to Erdinç Ekinci and Yu Li Shein, Co-Founders of Openfor.Co., Inc. and Co-Capital, whose relentless support and guidance have been pivotal throughout the cohort's journey.

For a full replay of the speeches and to see more from the event, please view the graduation video here- https://youtu.be/FZEGJoNbXk4

𝐈𝐍𝐒𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐒 𝐅𝐑𝐎𝐌 𝐅𝐈 𝐀𝐋𝐔𝐌𝐍𝐈

Christian Cruz Godoy, Founder & CEO, CTO at Uni-ke- “Before joining Founder Institute, our biggest challenge was breaking into the Japanese market and structuring our global vision into a scalable business model. As a technical founder, I had the product and proof of concept, but I lacked the business structure to grow. The FI program was like an accelerated MBA, intense, practical, and transformative. The weekly deliverables forced me to execute, refine, and think strategically about every aspect of the company, from sales funnels to fundraising. It gave Uni-ke the roadmap we needed to evolve from a creative concept into a truly global business.”\

Timothy, Founder at Founder, Lyvios, Inc.- "So I think the program was really good, because I am very technical there are some aspects of business that a techinical person might overlook, so, the structure of the program made me look into the important things that I need to do on the business side, to make the business grow which was very helpful."

 Richard Orman, Founder at NAKATOMI- I learned a lot on topics I didn't know was important this being my first Venture. I'm please to report that I was able to finish over 200+ times deliverables this it being time boxed being so critical to prioritizing it to getting it done. Also over the course of the 3 months I've been able to pitch so many times, not only during the FI sessions but also other opportunities that have present themselves. What am I walking away with from FI you may ask, well I have more of a sense of direction and some inside knowledge on what people expect to see when dealing with customers and VCs. I also have gained access to the larger Founder Institute network and its ongoing support when I'm ready to do a serious fund raise when we release our MVP later on this month.

✨ Founders Testimonial Playlist - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLPkRPOjzO2Swodw0a8TUIfOcDSK6h7MhM

A Special Thank You to Our Proud Local Leaders, Partners, and Mentors

The success of the 2025 Founder Institute Japan, Korea and Taiwan cohort would not have been possible without the incredible support of our mentors, partners, and supporters. We would like to thank each and every of our mentors, partners and to everyone who believed in this cohort’s potential.

Our Proud Local Directors 

We would first like to appreciate the hard work and support of the Local Directors of the Founder Institute Japan , Korea and Taiwan : Erdinc Ekinci (Founder, Investment Lead of Co-capital, Co-Founder, CEO of Openfor.co, Managing Director of Founder Institute Japan/Korea/Taiwan), YuLi Shein (Venture Partner of Co-capital,Co-Founder, COO of Openfor.co, Director of Founder Institute Japan / Korea / Taiwan). Our Local Leaders play an incredibly important role in building the local Founder Institute program and creating an environment and network in Japan that is conducive to building great companies.