Navigating Japan Market: From Market Entry to Local Traction

Breaking into the Japanese market is exciting, but building real traction inside Japan is a completely different challenge.
From understanding business culture and building trust to finding the right local partners, customers, investors, and go-to-market strategy, many global startups underestimate how different Japan can be.
This session brings together founders and ecosystem builders who have navigated the Japanese market firsthand. We’ll explore what actually works when entering Japan, the common mistakes foreign startups make, how local relationships shape growth opportunities, and what it takes to move beyond market entry into real business traction.
Whether you are preparing to enter Japan, already testing the market, or looking to expand locally, this session will give you practical insights, strategic perspectives, and real-world lessons from the frontlines of Japan’s startup ecosystem.
Note: This is a hybrid event. Please check the online participation joining link in the registered email. We will provide you before 10 min of session starts.
Agenda
Welcome & Introduction
Speaker Introductions
Panel Discussion
Q&A Session
Featured Speakers
Taisuke “Alex” Odajima, CEO at EDGEof INNOVATION, LLC-He is a startup ecosystem builder connecting Japan with global markets. Through his work at EDGEof INNOVATION, he supports cross-border collaboration, helping startups, founders, and ecosystem players navigate opportunities between Japan and other countries.

Jason Chen, CEO & Co-Founder at Wada FoodTech- As a foreign founder navigating and building in Japan, he brings firsthand experience on the realities of entering the Japanese market, building local partnerships, and scaling within Japan’s business ecosystem. His journey offers practical insights for global founders looking to turn market entry into long-term traction.

Karen Onuma-Mielke, Co-Founder & COO at GlobalDeal- With experience operating across international ecosystems, she works at the intersection of technology, market expansion, and cross-border business development. Her perspective brings valuable insights into how startups can navigate international growth, partnerships, and global market opportunities from Japan and beyond.

Moderator
Yu Li Shein, Co-Founder & COO of Openfor.co, Co-Director of Founder Institute Korea, Japan, and Taiwan, Venture Scout of Decile Hub - Yu li is a Early-stage venture builder and ecosystem leader based in Japan, operating across APAC and global markets. Her background spans software engineering, international expansion, founding, and venture infrastructure, giving her a full-stack view of how startups move from idea to capital. She founded Openfor.co in 2019, leads Founder Institute across Japan, Korea, and Taiwan, has supported 60+ startup portfolios, engaged 250+ mentors, connected with 100+ VC firms, and hosted 150+ ecosystem events reaching 5,000+ founders and operators.

Who should attend
Global founders planning to enter Japan
Foreign startups already testing the Japanese market
Founders looking for local partners, customers, or investors in Japan
Startup teams struggling to turn Japan interest into real traction
Ecosystem builders, investors, and operators supporting cross-border expansion
Anyone curious about how Japan’s startup and business ecosystem really works
What you will learn
How to approach Japan market entry with the right mindset
What foreign startups often misunderstand about Japan
How trust, relationships, and local credibility shape traction
How to find the right partners, customers, and ecosystem support
What it takes to move from initial interest to real business opportunities
Practical lessons from founders and operators navigating Japan firsthand
About Ecosystem Organization:

• Openfor.co: It is a non-equity incubator and ecosystem builder, starting at the individual level. We run a month-to-month virtual incubator that makes Silicon Valley grade startup-accelerator support accessible to the 99% which other accelerator don't provide. It is the entry point in a three-layer ecosystem: Openfor.co for the 99%, the Founder Institute as the selective venture accelerator, and Co-Capital as the curated investor community. In parallel, we operate complex multinational seven-to-eight-figure programs with later-stage startups, enterprises, and governments. The mission: make the venture ecosystem accessible, and the world a more entrepreneurial place.
  -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.
• Decile Hub: Decile Hub gives emerging managers the tools to operate at institutional scale. Our unified platform combines AI assistance, automation, and expert guidance to help you close faster, operate smarter, and scale efficiently.
• Founder Institute: The Founder Institute is the world’s most proven network to turn ideas into fundable startups, and startups into global businesses. Since 2009, our structured accelerator programs have helped over 9,000 entrepreneurs raise over 2BN in funding. Based in Silicon Valley and with chapters across 100 countries, our mission is to empower communities of talented and motivated people to build impactful technology companies worldwide.
• 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.
• 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.