The best way to expand your product to Japan - Yu Ushio

Yu Ushio, Founder of Pretia Technologies. Yu has navigated the Japanese startup ecosystem for over 10 years, pivoting from VR streaming to Location-Based Entertainment, and finally to B2B AR solutions for Japan’s largest enterprises. He recently successfully exited his company to Macbee Planet (TSE: 7095).
In this episode, Yu breaks down the unique “culture shocks” of Japanese business: why AI note-takers get you kicked out of meetings, why you must fly to factories to close deals, and why US companies should acquire startups instead of hiring country managers to enter Japan.

Timestamps:
00:00 Intro: Selling the company to Macbee Planet
01:39 Pivoting from VR to B2B Enterprise
02:35 How COVID-19 destroyed Location-Based Entertainment
04:41 The nightmare of Japanese Enterprise Security checks
05:41 The “Consulting + Software” Sales Model
07:56 Managing a global team with Japanese clients
10:17 Why Japanese companies hate AI note-takers (TL;DV)
11:15 To close a deal, you must fly to the factory
12:28 Advice for US Founders: Don’t hire a Country Manager
14:10 Why entering Japan is “Zero to One,” not “1 to 10"
16:30 The changing landscape of M&A and IPOs in Japan
20:50 What kind of talent US companies should acquire in Japan
25:04 What’s next after the exit?

Follow me on X: https://x.com/yasu_919
Follow me on LinkedIn:   / yosuke-yasuda-57b12489  
Follow Yu on LinkedIn:   / yuushio