Please tell us about your company's business.
Our main business is supporting the launch of deep-tech startups. Starting a business requires a wide range of support. Therefore, in addition to full-time employees, we involve people with various expertise working part-time, providing extensive support from back-office services such as accounting, labor management, payroll, and bookkeeping, to sales, marketing, and acting COO services.
In particular, there is a lack of support for foreign entrepreneurs in Japan. Even in Tokyo, the support is insufficient, and in regional areas, it is even harder to find people who can discuss accounting, sales, and marketing in English. We aim to build a team that can support foreign entrepreneurs starting businesses in Japan, bringing together specialists in various fields who can communicate in English. Currently, we are supporting over 10 startups, primarily those founded by foreign entrepreneurs associated with OIST, in various ways.
Additionally, we are involved in supporting new business launches for large corporations and assisting foreign companies entering the Japanese market.
What were the reasons behind your choice to join the OIST Innovation Incubator as a tenant?
After graduating from university, I worked for a large trading company in Tokyo and later transitioned to a startup, then moved to my hometown in Hokkaido. There, I was supporting the management of small and medium-sized businesses at a company my friend had founded. However, my body couldn't withstand the cold of Hokkaido after being away for so long... and considering the environment for raising children, moving to Okinawa, my wife's hometown, crossed my mind. At that time, I consulted with Mr. Shimamura of Lequison about my career change, who was already a tenant of OIST Innovation Incubator.
In the end, I didn’t change jobs, but after moving to Okinawa, I continued working as a sole proprietor for a while, while Mr. Shimamura continued to give me advice on entrepreneurship. At one point, through Mr. Shimamura’s introduction, I started helping a foreign entrepreneur who was working at OIST incubator. While spending time at the incubator, I realized there were many other foreign entrepreneurs who needed support. That’s when I decided to start a company focused on supporting foreign entrepreneurs and chose the OIST Innovation Incubator as my base of operations.
How are you currently using the OIST Innovation Incubator?
Three full-time members, including myself, come to the office daily and use it as our workspace.
What benefits have you found in being part of the OIST Innovation Incubator?
For us, who are engaged in supporting foreign entrepreneurs, it’s the perfect environment because we can connect and closely collaborate with OIST-related startups, which often have foreign founders.
Moreover, we see great value in casually interacting daily with members of advanced startups like EF Polymer. It’s common to see startups sharing concerns and introducing investors to each other.
Additionally, OIST hosts various events, and we frequently have the opportunity to meet distinguished guests who come to OIST as lecturers. Having access to such information and opportunities is another major benefit of being part of the OIST Innovation Incubator. ·
Which companies would you recommend to join the OIST Innovation Incubator?
It would be great if venture capitalists could move in and have regular contact with startups. There are many attractive startups around OIST, and I believe they could be a good source of deals for VCs. They could sign up for a hot desk and visit quarterly as a kind of workation setup, which I think would be very effective.
Also, it would be very helpful for startups in need of support if administrative professionals such as judicial scriveners, tax accountants, labor consultants, and lawyers, especially those who can provide services in English, were to move in.
Furthermore, I strongly recommend that major companies in Okinawa set up offices here. There are many communication and collaboration opportunities that arise precisely because we meet regularly in the same space. Additionally, interacting with startups allows them to learn about the startup process, deep-tech startups, and the unique perspectives of foreign entrepreneurs, broadening their horizons. I encourage companies in Okinawa that are considering new business ventures to consider moving in.
What do you expect from the OIST Innovation Incubator in the future?
As the volume of back-office support for startups has increased, more documents have piled up, so it would be great if we could use private rooms in the newly established incubator.
Also, I’m looking forward to the opportunity for companies, whose workspaces are currently dispersed due to space limitations, to come together in one place in the new incubator, fostering more interaction. Since it’s a bit far from the main campus cafe, it would be nice to have a place nearby to buy lunch or coffee, which could further promote interactions.
(Interview Date: August 13, 2024)
