Techstars Partners with JETRO Again to Help Japan’s Startups Go Global
Oct 03, 2022
Techstars kicked off our third Founder Catalyst program with Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) 2022.
Under the support of the Japan Cabinet Office and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), JETRO has started the Startup City Acceleration Program (SCAP), in sequential order, from mid-September, which helps domestic startups to expand business overseas. Initially targeting startups active in eight startup ecosystem hub cities across the country, it has expanded the coverage nationwide and selected 126 startups which will participate in all five courses of the program.
In this program, world-class accelerators affiliated with JETRO will provide specialized courses by leveraging their strengths and provide individual support for Japanese startups to expand business overseas while closely working with them. It will end in March 2023 and participation is free of charge.
Techstars will support 20 startups in the “Global Scale” course this year, aiming to elevate founders and remove barriers with valuable startup education, mentorship, community building, and access to the Techstars worldwide network of entrepreneurs, mentors, investors, and corporate partners. We hope to help entrepreneurs nurture two important characteristics that are required for success. One is the ability to build a network of investors, mentors and employees, and the other is the ability to define a clear value proposition and explain the solution for a specific problem a company is designed to solve. The program had supported 50 startups with 507 connections, 333.74 mentoring hours, and 46 valuable masterclasses since 2021.
Techstars CEO Maëlle Gavet said “We believe in nurturing entrepreneurial ecosystems and the best way to do that is to identify and support great founders, no matter where they are, to help them create even better companies. We have been impressed by the caliber of the entrepreneurs and believe there is room to further grow the entrepreneurial ecosystem within Japan.”
“Many tech startups have strong local supporters where they operate, but they often do not have the global connections required to break through to generate growth abroad,” adds Gavet. “Techstars is one of the world’s largest networks for early-stage startups. With nearly 7000 active mentors and more than 20,000 active investors in our network, our objective is to grow awareness not only for the companies going through the program but for Japan’s startup ecosystem more broadly.”
We are honored to present JETRO Startup City Acceleration Program Global Scale powered by Techstars 2022 cohort.
Pit-Step
About Techstars
The Techstars worldwide network helps entrepreneurs succeed. Founded in 2006, Techstars began with three simple ideas—entrepreneurs create a better future for everyone, collaboration drives innovation, and great ideas can come from anywhere. Now we are on a mission to enable every person on the planet to contribute to, and benefit from, the success of entrepreneurs. In addition to operating accelerator programs and venture capital funds, we do this by connecting startups, investors, corporations, and cities to help build thriving startup communities. Techstars has invested in more than 3,100 companies with a combined market cap of approximately $156 billion. www.techstars.com.
About JETRO
JETRO, or the Japan External Trade Organization, is a government-related organization that works to promote mutual trade and investment between Japan and the rest of the world. Originally established in 1958 to promote Japanese exports abroad, JETRO's core focus in the 21st century has shifted toward promoting foreign direct investment into Japan and helping small to medium size Japanese firms maximize their global export potential. https://www.jetro.go.jp/
