SeedS Online

Learn to enter the Japanese market at your own pace

Self-paced online video course for international founders looking to expand their businesses into the Japanese market.

This course features

hours+ of lectures

and 7 major categories of course contents included.

online & self-paced classes

that you can take anywhere at anytime.

ready-to-use templates

for business planning or application preparation.

Who is this course for?

Anyone who wants to understand the Japanese startup ecosystem, such as

  • New startup founders

  • Experienced founders

  • Founders, entrepreneurs, & business owners

  • Management and business students

Pre-Requisites

None!!

The course is designed to explain core concepts from the very beginning, providing definitions with easy-to-understand examples and analogies wherever necessary.

Goal & Output

  • Preparing for & establishing business residency

  • Set up foundation fit to Japanese business ideology, standards & law

Gain Japanese market entry by

  • Startup Visa application package — ready to submit

  • Pitch deck — for use in pitch events, meeting with investors, or developing partnerships

  • Business operation fundamentals — financial planning, tracking, and practice

Ready-to-use document package, including

Course Curriculum

  • 1-1 Startup definitions
    1-2 Business model canvas

    We will learn

    • typical startup growth path, including exit strategy and investment timing

    • major investors of startups

    • key expectations of startups in the eyes of Japan and investors

    • business model canvas and the role it plays in startup product planning

    Related templates

    • business model canvas

    • business outline

  • 2-1 Basics
    2-2 Decisions
    2-3 Timeline & costs
    2-4 Proxies & business licenses

    We will learn

    • characteristics of the KK and GK

    • Articles of Incorporation & the related decisions to make

    • how long incorporation will take and the steps involved

    • incorporating inside Japan vs. incorporating from overseas

    • role of proxies during incorporation

    • business licenses and requirements

    Related templates

    • business outline

  • 3-1 Visa timeline
    3-2 Visa options
    3-3 Hiring options

    We will learn

    • visa end-goal for all startup founders and business owners

    • typical visa pathways

    • time given under certain visas

    • visa transition preparation, requirements, and timeline

    • all visa options available for founders depending on background and company status

    • visa options for sponsoring employees as a company

  • 4-1 Japanese business culture
    4-2 Negotiating in Japan

    We will learn

    • key business habits of Japanese organizations, businessmen, and employees

    • core values that are shared with the West, but approached and handled in different ways

    • target business partners based on organization type, along with characteristics that affect business dealings

    • methods unique to international, foreign founders that can contribute to success in negotiations

  • 5-1 Fundraising landscape
    5-2 Investors
    5-3 Convertible equity (J-KISS)
    5-4 Convertible note
    5-5 Crowdfunding
    5-6 Fundraising method comparisons
    5-7 Share distribution (J-KISS conversion)

    We will learn

    • how much funding is available in the Japanese startup scene

    • different types of investors active in the Japanese scene and understanding their motivations for investing

    • which type of investor is more appropriate based on individual founder business goals

    • major investment agreement methods used in Japan, in the forms of the J-KISS, convertible note, and crowdfunding

    • comparisons between the investment methods, in terms of goal alignment, legal complexity, and tax involvement

    • understand how certain investment agreements convert into actual shares and affect ownership of the startup

    • basics of valuation related to share distribution

    Related templates

    • share distribution simulator

  • 6-1 Income statement
    6-2 Capital planning
    6-3 Schedule of activities
    6-4 Exit strategy

    We will learn

    • what the numbers mean on an income statement, and how they are viewed by investors

    • strategic cost categorization to construct an income statement that looks good

    • how to communicate the capital required in launching a startup and connect it closely to a capital fundraising plan for good capital management

    • construct a monthly schedule of activities that allow can help both founders and investors to actively monitor company progression and capital status

    • how early consideration of exit strategies can increase investor buy-in and shape startup goals

    Related templates

    • income statement

    • capital planning

    • schedule of activities

  • 7-1 Business model vs. business plan
    7-2 Pitch deck

    We will learn

    • how to talk to investors by keeping their perspectives in mind

    • how to streamline your business model and business plan, down to the points that matter

    • understand the important of, and how to be, concise yet thorough

    • how to construct a narrative and tell a story with your pitch deck that is both emotionally driven and factually based

    Related templates

    • pitch deck

You’ll get exclusive access to resources & templates including:

  1. Business Model Canvas

  2. Business Outline

  3. Income Statement

  4. Capital Planning

  5. Schedule of Activities

  6. Pitch Deck

  7. Share Distribution Simulator

Ready to take the first step towards Japan Market Entry?

Those who took the course

✔️ Knew how to talk with investors to get funded

✔️ Can process incorporation documents easily

✔️ Were accepted to incubator & accelerator programs