How do you survive failed startups? Find out with DeNA’s founder at Tech in Asia Tokyo 2015

Failure is when you stop trying. Come back stronger than ever and it’s not a defeat – it’s a step towards success. That’s the lesson Tomoko Namba, founder of the massive Tokyo-based social gaming company DeNA (pronounced D-N-A), wants to impart to the audience at Tech in Asia Tokyo 2015.

This will mark Tomoko’s second appearance at our flagship Tokyo conference in as many years. Last year she delivered the inaugural keynote and also spoke at a fireside chat on DeNA’s future and the state of Japan’s startup ecosystem (video below).

This time round, Tomoko will sit down with two young entrepreneurs whose businesses failed to achieve their full potential. They will examine the reasons why businesses fail, and how to beat all odds to come back and win.

It is a topic that Tomoko knows quite a bit about. A Harvard business-school graduate, she took the road less traveled. Despite having a stable career as partner at prestigious consulting firm McKinsey & Co, she went out on a limb and left her job to build tech darling DeNA in 1999. It first started out as an online auction site, which couldn’t breakthrough against competitors like Yahoo. Though the odds were stacked against her, she changed course and eventually ended up in the gaming industry.

Fast forward to today, Tomoko has built DeNA into a multi-billion dollar global brand. Just this year alone, the company’s milestones include a partnership with video gaming giant Nintendo, as well as its launch of DeNA Palette to mark its entry into the lifestyle sector.

Her tenacity is rare, especially in Japan where business failures can haunt founders for years. In this unique session, two founders who were down on their luck will get a chance for live, on-stage mentoring from one of Japan’s greatest entrepreneurs. And everyone in the audience can learn as well!

Check out what else is in store on September 8 & 9. We’re extending our 20% discount till July 19, so you’re still in time to purchase your tickets. The code to use is tiatokyo20.