Exploring and Thriving in the Changing World of Startups in Japan with Fuminori Gunji

In today's episode, I'm chatting with Fuminori Gunji, CEO of TokyoMate. Fuminori Gunji was a founding team member of Softbank Robotics from 2013 to 2016, leading Softbank's domestic B2B businesses and overseas expansion efforts. In 2017, Fuminori Gunji headed business development for MakeLeaps. By the end of 2018, Gunji had successfully closed MakeLeaps’ M&A deal with Ricoh and went on to lead MakeLeaps in 2019 as COO. In June of 2021, Fuminori Gunji accepted the role of chief executive officer of TokyoMate, a Tokyo-based Office-as-a-Service startup providing virtual bilingual assistants, virtual mailboxes, virtual office addresses, and virtual bilingual receptionists--with the mission of “making it easier to live, work, and do business in Japan.”

Topics we cover today include the shifting views of startups in Japan, structural issues that have held back innovation in Japan (and what may be changing), as well as how a few simple perspective changes can make you a more effective communicator in Japan.

Today's Japanese: 

かおがひろい

ka-o ga hi-ro-i

顔が広い

Meaning: well-known, having diverse set of connections, well-connected

Fuminori's Links: 

TokyoMate Blog: https://tokyomate.jp/blog

TokyoMate Website: https://tokyomate.jp/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fuminori-gunji-38a22589/

Related Episodes: 

Finding Success in Japanese Universities, Startups, and Beyond with Austin Zeng: https://anchor.fm/businesssuccessjapan/episodes/Finding-Success-in-Japanese-Universities--Startups--and-Beyond-with-Austin-Zeng-e1687sh

Why You Should Found Your Startup in Kobe with Masanori Nagamine: https://anchor.fm/businesssuccessjapan/episodes/Why-You-Should-Found-Your-Startup-in-Kobe-with-Masanori-Nagamine-eotr5u

How to Make it Big in Japan: Navigating Culture, Burnout, and Entrepreneurship with Misha Yurchenko: https://anchor.fm/businesssuccessjapan/episodes/How-to-Make-it-Big-in-Japan-Navigating-Culture--Burnout--and-Entrepreneurship-with-Misha-Yurchenko-et1045

Additional Reading:

https://tokyomate.jp/blog/guide-to-japans-startup-ecosystem

Japan as 196th (article by Richard Katz): https://toyokeizai.net/articles/-/445356

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