Category: Tim on Japanese Startups

The Real Reason Uber is Failing in Japan

The Real Reason Uber is Failing in Japan

by | Aug 2, 2016 | 37

Uber and Airbnb represent a new very kind of startup, one that could not have existed twenty years ago, and the very thing that make these companies so transformative in the United States ensures they will never succeed in Japan. You see…

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Japanese Startups, This Must Change Now!

Japanese Startups, This Must Change Now!

by | Mar 15, 2016 | 10

Overall trends are going pretty well for startups in Japan, but things could be a lot better.

One strange thing seems to be that almost everyone asking how to improve things for startup in Japan are either government officials, academics or venture capitalists. It’s fantastic that they are interested, and their interest in sincere, but there is only so much they can do. What needs to happen …

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Why Japan Will Thrive on Disruption

Why Japan Will Thrive on Disruption

by | Oct 27, 2015 | 3

Too many things that are labeled as “cultural differences” have much simpler explanations. There are perfectly rational (and even mathematical) reasons why we have not seen a lot of entrepreneurship in Japan over the last 50 years, why we are starting to see a lot more of if now, and why we are likely to see an explosion of Japanese startups in the coming decade.

In this episode, we look what happens in Japan when the gatekeepers who stand between the creative people and the broader public are removed.

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