Japan-Korea Startup Founder’s Day Event

On Wednesday, November 13, the Consulates General of Japan and the Republic of Korea in San Francisco co-hosted a Japan-Korea Startup Founder’s Day with the Japan Innovation Campus and the Korean Innovation Center at the Japan Innovation Campus in Palo Alto. This event was held roughly one year after a meeting between former Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol in Silicon Valley, which focused on startup collaboration. This event, attended by about 120 people, aimed to promote borderless innovation and mutual cooperation to help startups go global and attract investment.

Following remarks from Korean Consul General Lim Jung-taek, Consul General Yo Osumi gave a speech in which he expressed his hopes for developing strong ties between Japan, Korea, and Silicon Valley in the field of startups: “This is an important milestone for us as our two countries extend cooperation to a new frontier, matching such a dense web of people-to-people interactions between the two countries,” said Consul General Osumi.“We [Japan] are making inroads in Silicon Valley, trying to make big impacts here. As the Korean Government shores up the support for its startup sector, so does our government... In that context, it’s very important that the bonds of young entrepreneurs and startups from both countries are strengthening in the Bay Area.”

After speeches by the Consuls General, Consuls from both consulates gave presentations on the current state of their countries’ startup ecosystems and policies, followed by two panel discussions, startup pitches, and networking, where attendees made connections with VCs/CVCs, business leaders, and fellow startup founders from diverse backgrounds who are active in Silicon Valley.

During the VC panel discussion, speakers shared their perspectives on investment trends in Silicon Valley and provided tips to Japanese and Korean startups on how they could make themselves more attractive to global investors. Panelists representing the Korean side included Hyung Jun Kim (Z Venture Capital) and Eric Bahn (Hustle Fund), while panelists representing the Japanese side included Toshi Otani (Translink Capital) and Naoko Okumoto (Niremia Collective).

The second panel discussion featured representatives from Japanese startups, including Kazuki Nakayashiki (Glasp) and Kenji Niwa (Firstcard), and Korean startups, including DJay Lee (Wrtn Technologies) and Steve Lee (AmazeVR). These experienced startups shared their journeys in Silicon Valley, reminiscing about the challenges they faced and giving advice to new startups entering the US market.

After the panels, two Japanese founders, Osamu Iizuka (Medmain) and Tomofumi Nakata (Qlay), and two Korean founders, Jeehae Lee (Sportsbox AI) and Luke Ahn (Claythis), detailed their innovative AI use cases and solutions. The final presentation was by Datz Daito, co-admin of “OneHour,” a Japan-Korea Founder Community that aims to help startup founders from Japan and Korea make stronger connections.

Officials from the California Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz), the Consulate General of Canada, and the Consulate General of Brazil also attended the event, providing an opportunity for Japanese and Korean startups to network with representatives of other governments.