Hello, Osaka: Japan’s second city is our first stop on the Road to Tokyo Tour

On June 30, the Tech in Asia crew will be taking over the Osaka Innovation Hub for the first leg of Tech in Asia Tour: Road to Tokyo 2015.

Honma.

Whether you’re working for a startup, investing in startups, or simply interested in learning more about the Japanese startup ecosystem, the event will not disappoint. We’re inviting five startups to duke it out in a pitching contest for a chance to win transportation, hotels, and a startup booth at Tech in Asia Tokyo 2015, which is in September.

A trio of high-profile judges – James Riney, principal at DeNA; Matthew Romaine, co-founder and CEO of Gengo; and Yoshiomi Kurisu, CEO of Hatena – will provide expert feedback and treat the audience to a panel discussion about how to build a world-class startup from Osaka.

Osaka, Japan’s second city, is attempting to position itself as a legitimate alternative to the capital when it comes to establishing and supporting venture companies. The Osaka government is proactive in the local startup community, as evidenced by the event venue. Osaka Innovation Hub has an open-door policy for anyone interested in starting up in the city, and regularly hosts meetups and other events – including Hack Osaka – that serve the local entrepreneurial community.

In addition to support from the local government, the central government is providing unique opportunities for startups in the medical sector. Under the third arrow of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s “Abenomics” initiative, Osaka has been made a special economic zone for innovative medical applications and biotechnology. Startups have a huge opportunity to disrupt the medtech sector in light of Japan’s rapidly aging and shrinking population.

Free tickets for the Road to Tokyo Tour event are still available and can be found here.

We’re looking forward to seeing you in Osaka!

Ookini!

Location

Osaka Innovation Hub
7th Floor, Grand Front Osaka Tower-C
3-1 Ofuka-cho, Kita-ku, Osaka 530-0001

Directions here.

Agenda

18:00-18:30: Registration, networking
18:30-18:40: Opening
18:40-19:10: Panel discussion
19:10-19:15: Break
19:15-20:15: Startup demo (5min pitch / 5min Q&A)
20:15-20:20: Break
20:20-20:30: Winner announcement
20:30-21:30: Networking

Please note: English pitches are welcome but the event will be held mainly in Japanese.

Judges

James Riney, principal at DeNA

James Riney is a venture capitalist at the Japanese mobile internet giant DeNA, where he focuses on consumer internet, virtual reality, healthcare, and IoT investments. He’s also led DeNA’s first investments in India, Thailand, and Indonesia.

Matthew Romaine, co-founder and CEO of Gengo

Matthew Romaine is co-founder and CEO of Gengo, a global people-powered translation platform enabling everyone to read and publish across languages. A serial entrepreneur, Romaine enjoys developing disruptive services, which help people connect and communicate easily around the world.

Yoshiomi Kurisu, CEO of Hatena

Yoshiomi Kurisu studied nuclear energy at Osaka University before entering Hatena as a developer. He quickly became a project leader and head of engineering. On the way to becoming CEO, Kurisu was even recruited by Nintendo to help shepherd the Wii U’s ambitious Miiverse through development and shipping.