#10 Ryo Umezawa: Founding Startups with Global Ambitions

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Japan's Venture Leaders

Kento Akiyama

11 episodes

1 week ago

Conversations with promising/leading startup personalities driving Japan's Startup Ecosystem led by host Kento. Check it out if you want to learn about all things Founders, VC, Open Innovation and more!

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Business

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Entrepreneurship

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#10 Ryo Umezawa: Founding Startups with Global Ambitions

Japan's Venture Leaders

33 minutes 12 seconds

2 years ago

#10 Ryo Umezawa: Founding Startups with Global Ambitions

Ryo is a Partner at Antler, a globally operating venture investor which helps founders from day zero. Antler has recently opened their office in Japan is launching their first cohort in January 2023.

As a Japanese native with a very international mindset, Ryo has been having a wide ranging exposure to the startup ecosystem. His responsibilities ranged various positions from being a founder, investor, country manager and CEO of various companies such as Tinder, Hailo, East Ventures and most recently becoming a partner at Antler where he leads the Japan rollout.

I am very excited to discuss the value of globally ambitious startups with him in today’s episode. Also, I am curious to find out more about his motivations to continuously challenge himself in the startup ecosystem and what his experience at Antler is like.

Thanks for listening and please enjoy my conversation with Ryo!

Show notes

This podcast is presented by Japan's Venture Academy: https://linktr.ee/jvacademy

It was brought to you by Kento: https://twitter.com/kentaki_fried

For feedback, please reach out to jvl.podcast@gmail.com

GUEST INFO

Ryo’s twitter: https://twitter.com/umemac

Antler: antler.co

OUTLINE

1. About you and Antler

[02:26] What got you into startups?

[05:10] What motivates you to take on entrepreneurial challenges continuously?

[10:38] What was your biggest challenge in setting up the Antler office in Japan?

[12:02] How would you advise founders looking to build their team?

[15:30] Why is now a great time to open the Japan office for Antler?

2. Founding startups with global ambition

[18:08] Why is it important to think globally as a founder in Japan?

[21:26] Which aspects of the Antler curriculum encourage global thinking for founders?

[22:22] Why do founders in Japan struggle to think globally?

[24:30] Which advice would you personally give to a founder who wants to go global?

[27:51] Should all founders think globally?

3.Rapid fire questions

[29:00] What would you be doing if it’s not allowed to be startup related?

[30:30] What advice would you give aspiring founders in Japan?

[31:34] What does Japan need to blossom?