Today, the Founder Institute, the world's premier idea-stage accelerator and startup launch program, is excited to announce that we are now accepting applications for the Japan 2024 Semester!
If you want to build a startup in Tokyo and could use expert training and feedback, then apply to the Tokyo Founder Institute today, or attend a free event.
Those who apply by the Early Admissions Deadline (Apr 07, 2024) will have their application fees waived (typically $50), and if you enroll by the Early Deadline you are also eligible for Founder Institute Fellowships.
Since launching in Tokyo in 2014, the Founder Institute has helped launch several promising companies in the region, and our efforts in Tokyo have also been profiled by several high profile media channels.
To celebrate the launch, the Tokyo Founder Institute will several free startup events for the general public, where you can meet top entrepreneurs and learn more about the program:
Japan Events:
- Pitch Your Ideas to Japan/ Korea Investors & Experts, Online: 6:00pm, Apr 30, 2024 (Asia/Tokyo): https://FI.co/e/326990
Global or Regional Events:
- Founder Institute Online Information Session: https://FI.co/infosession
- Co-Founders Connect: Find a Business Partner Online: 9:00am, May 02, 2024 (Asia/Tokyo): https://FI.co/e/338045
- Ask an Investor Anything: Q&A with a Venture Capitalist: 9:00am, Jun 06, 2024 (Asia/Tokyo): https://FI.co/e/340966
- How to Come Up with Great Startup Ideas: 9:00am, Aug 29, 2024 (Asia/Tokyo): https://FI.co/e/341846
- Employee to Entrepreneur: How to Make the Transition to Startup Founder: 9:00am, Sep 03, 2024 (Asia/Tokyo): https://FI.co/e/343240
- What is Entrepreneur DNA? Insights from 15 Years of Social Science Research: 9:00am, Sep 10, 2024 (Asia/Tokyo): https://FI.co/e/344206
- Startup Fundraising Q&A: Meet Investors from the FI Venture Network: 9:00am, Oct 15, 2024 (Asia/Tokyo): https://FI.co/e/342446
- How to Come Up with Great Startup Ideas: 9:00am, Oct 24, 2024 (Asia/Tokyo): https://FI.co/e/344504
- Co-Founder Networking: Find a Business Partner: 10:00am, Nov 19, 2024 (Asia/Tokyo): https://FI.co/e/344686
- What is Entrepreneur DNA? Insights from 15 Years of Social Science Research: 10:00am, Nov 26, 2024 (Asia/Tokyo): https://FI.co/e/345427
- Startup Fundraising Q&A: Meet Investors from the FI Venture Network: 10:00am, Dec 24, 2024 (Asia/Tokyo): https://FI.co/e/342625
Leaders of the world’s fastest-growing startups have used the Founder Institute to transition from employee to entrepreneur, test their startup ideas, build a team, get their first customers, raise funding, and more - like Udemy, Realty Mogul, iCarsClub, Itembase, goplaceit, and Appota. Based in Silicon Valley and with chapters across 200 cities and 100 countries, the Founder Institute's mission is to "Globalize Silicon Valley" and create sustainable startup ecosystems that will create one million new jobs worldwide.
Running the Founder Institute's efforts in Tokyo are local startup leaders Kenji Sadamoto (Founder/CEO, Heart Forever Co. Ltd.), Satoshi Okuda (CEO, Prime Style Co.,Ltd.), Toshio Furuta (CEO, Clair law firm), and Yoshihiro Kidachi (President, BOIDSCraft Corporation).
In addition, some of Tokyo's top entrepreneurs will mentor founders in the program, providing them with expert training, feedback, and evaluation. The list of mentors for the Japan 2024 includes:
- Abe Rezai: Vice President & Chief Technology Officer, H.B. Fuller
- Aki Ohashi: Vice President, Evolution Ventures
- Alexander De Vore: CEO, 3D Printing
- Andrew Shuttleworth: Mentor, Founder Institute
- Benjamin Joffe: Founder & CEO, Plus Eight Star
- Cedric Wagrez: VP, ML Tech & Japan AI, TaskUs
- Chiamin Lai: Managing Partner, UB Ventures
- Chintan Oza: Founder, Anantam Ecosystems
- Chris Foltz: Entrepreneur In Residence, Founder Institute + Responsible Solutions Ltd + IRG 100 CMO's & Change Agents
- Christoph Sollich: Christoph Sollich - The Pitch Doctor, The Pitch Doctor
- Conrad Kimball: CEO, ADU.Works
- Daisuke Ito, ad-dice Co., Ltd.
- Darren Menabney: Lead, Global Employee Engagement, Ricoh Company
- Dr. Mayank Singh: Co-founder, CEO , Impute Inc.
- Ed Thompson: Marketing Consultant / Founder, Concept Design I/O
- Erdinc Ekinci: Managing Director, Founder Institute Korea & Japan
- Evan Burkosky: Co-founder & CRO , kimaru.ai
- Fuminori Gunji: Business Coach | Startup mentor & investor | Ex-SoftBank | Ex-Startup COO | M&A exit | Trilingual BizDev expert, Gunji Works
- Hideki Suzuki: CEO , TSUCREA Co., Ltd.
- Hiroshi Nishikawa: Representative Director, Solve AI
- Hiroyuki Anno: Co-Founder and CEO, DELIGHT Global Inc.
- IBRAHIM ORHAN, Kanaria Tech Inc.
- Jack Huang: Managing Partner, Dreamhub Ventures
- Jad Tarifi: CEO & Co-founder, Integral AI
- Jared Campion: Founder & CEO, Dream Drive
- Jatin Kataria: Founder & CEO, InMeSta
- Jay Onda: Director (Investments) | CVC Advisory Board Member, Marubeni Ventures | National Venture Capital Association
- Jay Ashcroft: Founder, Growth Engine Consulting
- Jeni Chang: Founder | Investor | Mentor, .
- Jet Son Tan: Director of Product & Technology, AVANT Corporation
- Jinho Jang: Founder , Agoras Inc. - CodeFriends.net
- Joe Hug: Professor, Professional University of Information and Management for Innovation
- John Kirch: Director, Ichigo Asia K.K.
- Jordan Fisher: Co-founder & Executive Chairman, Zehitomo
- Joshua Flannery: Founder & CEO , Innovation Dojo Japan
- Jun Miyazaki: CEO / Mentor, OrangeTechLab
- Karin Wellbrock: Mrs. / Partner , Kay Group K.K.
- Kei Shimada: Executive | Entrepreneur | Award-winning Innovator | Global Keynote Speaker| Startup Mentor | Angel Investor | EMBA, Liquid One Studio
- Ken Sobajima: Founder & CEO , Tomorrow Access LLC
- Ken Covey: Investment Manager, QXLV
- Kevin Brockland: Founder & Managing Partner, Indelible Ventures:
- Khalil Maaouni: Head of Data and Digital, Coca-Cola Bottlers Japan Inc.
- Kim Yongho: Co-Founder and CEO, STRA Co., Ltd.
- Kiyotake Sugita: Founder, KLAR K.K.
- Kojiro Seto: Startup Advisor, bTANK LLC
- Kota Fujinuma: Lawyer, Kobayashi Yugeta Law Office
- Krishan Caldwell: Senior Software Engineer, Kraken
- Kyo Ueda: CEO / Founder, Lingo Mii
- Lu Dong: Founder and CEO, TakeMe Co.,Ltd.
- Maaike Doyer: Founder, Epic Angels
- Mahesh Kasar: SVP, Head of Sales - APAC / Global Partner Alliance and Indirect Channel Sales, Rakuten Symphony
- Makihara Arisa: Junior Associate , Anobaka
- Mari Nishiyama: Startup Partner Lead, Stripe
- Marko Simic: Chief Technology Officer, Ascent Robotics, Inc.
- Masafumi Kamishiro: Senior Vice President, Bain Capital
- Masaru Nagura: General Manager, CIC (Cambridge Innovation Center)
- Masumi Shimafuji: Co-Founder and CEO, xRsion Inc.
- Maximillian Naza: Chief Executive Officer , PasciVite
- Michael Sheetal: Founder / CEO, PlayBrain Inc.
- Michael Sudano: Senior Robotics Operations Engineer, Woven Planet Holdings
- Mikio Kawahara: Chief Investment Officer / Head of Investment and Business Development, UTokyo Innovation Platform Co., Ltd.
- Naoko Kurosawa: Senior Manager, TSUCREA Co., Ltd.
- Naoko Fujihira: Founder/CEO, Kachibin
- Naotake Murayama: Head of Global Operations, SplitX
- Niklas Karvonen: Community Director, Nordic Innovation House - Tokyo
- Noriya Tarutani: Director of Innovation Division, JETRO / J-Startup Affairs
- Paloma Lecheta: Regional Director - LatAm, Founder Institute
- Paul Ashton: Country Manager, Japan, Nord Security
- Pina (Yoichiro) Hirano: CEO, Asteria Corporation
- Raphael Hodé: CEO, Design Director, nowthen
- Rebecca Chai: Ventures Associate, Plug and Play Japan
- Reisa Matsuda: Community Manager, Google Japan
- Roger Do: Co-Founder, QSearch
- Ryan Micheletti: Head of Global Operations, Founder Institute
- Ryoichi Kaneko: Partner, Anderson Mori & Tomotsune
- Sameer Sortur: Founding Partner, SquareCircle Ventures
- Satoshi Nunokawa: Associate , Incubate Fund
- Schyler Alexandra Cole: Managing Director, Qrea8iv Venture Studio
- Sergio Elias Wilson: Foreign Associate, So & Sato Law Firm
- Shigeru Sumitomo: Founder and Representative Director, Conselux Corporation
- Shinya Yamamoto: Founder & CEO, Link & Innovation, Inc.
- Sho Sato: CEO, LUDiMUS Inc.
- So Saito: Founder, So & Sato Law Offices
- Steve Monaghan: General Partner, Finmirai
- Takaaki Ono: Co-Founder, BlueCircle, LLC
- Takeshi Maruyama: President / Chief Marketing Officer, Sekisui Fuller
- Taku Furukawa: Founder & Organizer, Tokyo Fabhub
- Takujiro Oto: Co-Founder and CEO, Drive Japan Inc.
- Tao Romera Martinez: Chief Operating Officer, Soundraw
- Theodore Kee: Founder, The Elect Advisory
- Todor Panev: Co-Founder, Managing Partner, Web Factory, Sigoor, Talnets
- Tom Moss: CEO, Skydio APAC
- Tomohiro Uchida: Partner, Translink Capital
- Tyson Batino: Founder 創業者, Scaling Your Company
- Xinmei Cai: Engineering Director, Google Japan
- Yamato Sasagawa: Investor, World Innovation Lab (WiL)
- Yoichi Ito: Dean of entrepreneurship dept., Musashino Univ.
- Yoshiki Kimura: lawyer , MURATA & WAKATSUKI LAW OFFICES
- Yoshimi Shinohara: Founder / CEO, Yokohama Ventures LLC
- Yoshiro Tasaka: Director of Global Strategy Division, Shibuya City Government / Shibuya Startup Support
- Yuichi Terada: Founder & President , Hiyoura Lab
- Yuji Tanabe: Co-Founder and CTO, Aeterlink
- Yuki Shirato: Managing Director, Yakumi
- Yuki Sato: Co-founder, CEO , Obniz Inc
- Yu Li Shein: Co-Director, Founder Institute Korea/Japan, Co-founder, COO, Openfor.co, inc
- Yves Lehmann: Mr., if21
- Zak Murase: Managing Director, Pacific Sky Partners
- And many more to be announced.
The Founder Institute is the most challenging and effective step-by-step startup launch program for talented and motivated aspiring entrepreneurs. If you are serious about launching a startup, the Founder Institute can give you the structured process, constant feedback and evaluation from expert mentors, and global network of entrepreneurs you need to start an enduring company. In addition, the Founder Institute is the only program of its kind that focuses on people versus ideas, accepts founders with day jobs, and shares equity with all participants.
We hope you will join us in Tokyo and launch a company in 2016.
