Founder Institute Japan

🎤 Our graduate founder, XIAOXI GUO, COO & Co-Founder at 株式会社I.W.G , shared his inspiring journey of the Founder Institute program.   He highlights the top 3 challenges he faced before joining the FI program and also reflects on his overall experience. He explains how the real feedback he received not only gave him stress but also motivated him to improve and learn from the constructive criticism provided by the mentors. Please check out the full video here 👉 https://lnkd.in/giJhSZUA 📢 APPLICATIONS ARE OPEN for the Founder Institute Global 2025 Cohort Program and the early deadline is Mar 23, 2025.   🎌 https://fi.co/japan   🇹🇼  https://fi.co/taiwan   🇰🇷  https://fi.co/korea   #Startups #InvestorRelations #TechStartups #ScalingUp #BusinessGrowth #FounderJourney #VentureFunding #FounderSupport #StartupCommunity #BusinessInnovation #GlobalStartups #FounderinstituteJapan #FounderinstituteTaiwan  #FounderInstituteKorea

🛠 Achieving operational efficiency is a big part of growth for any startup. To do that, you have to pick the right tech stack for your business. Here are 5 factors that you should prioritize when picking a tech stack that will help you manage and scale your startup: 1️⃣ User Experience Carefully evaluate the software's user experience including its navigational structure, responsiveness, speed, and overall intuitiveness of design. It should offer a seamless, user-friendly interaction model suitable for all team members regardless of technical skill level, with features like tooltips and guides. 2️⃣ Customer Service Look at the software provider's reputation and track record for delivering responsive, effective customer support. A vendor known for excellent service will not just rapidly resolve issues, but also help optimize utilization of their product through comprehensive training resources and tutorials. 3️⃣ Cost Take a long-term view of costs, not just upfront pricing. Consider the total cost of ownership including maintenance, upgrades, additional services/modules. Also assess if the pricing model scales reasonably as your startup grows. Avoid cost becoming restrictive. 4️⃣ Scalability The tech stack must be capable of scaling up with your startup's evolving data loads, user base, and feature needs. Examine if the software architecture like microservices or serverless design provides flexible foundations for future growth. 5️⃣ Automation Maximize built-in automation to reduce manual processes, accelerate workflows, and minimize human error. An API-first approach facilitates valuable integration across tools to exchange data seamlessly. To learn more about picking the right tech stack and tools that you can use, check the blog we wrote in collaboration with levy. 🔗 Click the link in the comment section to read the full blog.

🎉 We were honored to host partner event last night, “Venture Capital in the Middle East: Trends and Insights”, with such an incredible audience! 💡 Founders and investors gained valuable knowledge about navigating the startup ecosystem, understanding industry trends, and leveraging global opportunities. 🙏 A heartfelt thank you to Walied Albasheer for sharing his expertise and to our Managing Director, Erdinç Ekinci 🙋♂️, for leading this insightful discussion. 🙌 We deeply appreciate everyone who joined us. Stay tuned for more exciting events ahead! 🚀

👥 A well-run community based on your product can become an unofficial marketing team, a source of speedy feedback, and a customer support channel. Here are 5 tips on building a community-led startup from Helen Huang 🥕: 1️⃣ Define Your Purpose: Start with a clear common interest or goal that will bring people together around your startup. Be specific with your purpose. A broad "coding community" is less powerful than one focused on game developers using Unreal Engine. 2️⃣ Choose Your Community Model: Is the community the product, is it driven by the product, or enabled by it? This guides your strategy. Your product may be complex; a community can ease the learning curve, offer peer troubleshooting, and make users feel supported. 3️⃣ Measure Impact, Strategically: Track customer acquisition sources, engagement levels, and qualitative interactions to understand growth contributions. Your most active community members can become powerful promoters of your tech, spreading the word organically. 4️⃣ Incentivize with Emotion: Tap into personal desires and problems the community solves, going beyond monetary rewards. Offer exclusive tutorials, mentorship opportunities, or access to experts – these are great ways to tap into the wants of the community. 5️⃣ Communication is Key: Respond to feedback, be transparent, and show you're open to improvement to build trust. Transparent communication builds trust, and your best community members might become your best advocates or even future employees. 🔗 To watch Helen's full webinar on building communities, check out this link: youtu.be/4MMUpWPkNcc

🔥Want to make a step to grow your pre-seed startups and gear up by connecting with investors? Join our “Founder Showcase: Startup Pitch & Networking Event” on December 19th, 2024 at 3:00 - 4:30 am JST, where our keynote speaker Jonathan Greechan - CEO & Co-Founder at Founder Institute, will share his insights on what idea-stage and pre-seed startups can expect to see in the startup funding landscape for 2025, ✅ RSVP Now -  https://fi.co/e/361296 Featured Investors: 📌Kalsoom Lakhani - Co-Founder & General Partner at i2i Ventures 📌Omar Zaki,- Managing Director at Qima Ventures 📌Isabel Faria - Angel Fund Leader & Angel Investor at COREangels Featured Founders: 📌Gabriel Isserlis Isserlis - Founder & CEO at SuperScout 📌Diego A. Roman Roman - Co-Founder & CEO at InsureHero 📌Maria Sucgang - Co-Founder & CEO at Remotify 📢 This is an incredible opportunity to grab your pre-seed or seed stages to grow and connect with international investors and leaders. #Startups #Investors #StartupCommunity #BuildInPublic #FounderInsititue #FIJapan #FIKorea #FITaiwan #Entreprenuers #FounderInstitute

💸 Confused about cap tables? 😵💫 🌟 Introducing the Startup Equity and Dilution Coach, custom-built to help you navigate shares, funding rounds, and ownership percentages. 🔗 Ready to master startup equity? Check out the link in the comments to get personalized guidance.

Starting a company comes with its own vocabulary - one that can feel overwhelming at first. Understanding these key terms will help you navigate the ecosystem more effectively. Here are 50 startup terms you should know. 👇 Want to explore more startup terminology? Check out our complete startup glossary - link in the comments.

⏳ Only 1 Day Left! Don’t miss out on “Rethinking Startup Exits: M&A Trends and Their Impact on Venture Capital in Asia” tomorrow! 👉 RSVP Now: https://lnkd.in/gw_TJJqz. This insightful session will explore how Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A) are shaping the startup ecosystem and creating new opportunities for growth, strategic partnerships, and profitable exits. 🚀 Don’t miss this opportunity to gain invaluable insights directly from M&A Expert. 📢 APPLICATIONS ARE OPEN for the Founder Institute Global 2025 Cohort Program. Don’t miss out!🤩 🎌 https://fi.co/japan   🇹🇼 https://fi.co/taiwan   🇰🇷 https://fi.co/korea    #VentureCapital #StartupFunding #MA #FounderInstitute #OpenforCo #Entrepreneurship #RaisingCapital #VCInsights #BusinessGrowth #FounderInstituteJapan #FounderInstituteTaiwan #FounderInstituteKorea

🎯 Are you ready to Shape your MVP with product experts' feedback & early Adopters? Join us at our Online Event “Get Feedback on Your MVP from Product Experts and Find Early Users!” on Dec 17th, 2024 Time- 03:00 am - 04:30 am JST. Attendees will have the chance to present their MVPs, receive actionable feedback, and even connect with potential first users. ✅ RSVP Now -  https://fi.co/e/354190 🤝 Meet our confirmed speakers, experienced product managers who will help early-stage founders refine their MVPs with insights. 📍  Aram Melkoumov - Co-Founder & CEO at Crowdlinker 📍  Rodrig N. - Product Lead at Revido 📍 Mehdi Doghri - Co-Founder & CTO at Save Your Wardrobe 📍 Parthasarathi Raghavan - CTO at Rootquotient 📍 Harish Malhi - Founder at Goodspeed 📍 Kasia Sadowska - Product Coach at Kimolian Academy ✨ What Will You Learn? - Expert feedback on your MVP from seasoned product managers. - Strategies for improving your product and aligning it with user needs. - Opportunities to connect with first users ready to test your solution. 💻 To access all of the networking features of this event, please join via Chrome or Firefox on a desktop/tablet or use the Airmeet Mobile App. 🔗 This is a perfect opportunity to make your product more compelling for the market. #Startup #MVP #ProductDevelopment #LeanStartup #StartupCommunity #BuildInPublic #FounderInsititue #FIJapan #FIKorea #FITaiwan #Entreprenuers

💡 As a non-technical founder, you might have a groundbreaking idea. But without the technical expertise to bring it to life, your vision remains just an idea. The best technical experts often work on their own projects or are committed to high-paying jobs. Convincing a skilled developer to take a risk on your unproven concept is challenging. They want more than an idea; they want to see commitment and a clear path to success. Here are 5 steps to attract the best technical co-founder for your startup: - Shift Mindset Don't just look for a technical co-founder; earn one! Demonstrate your value and progress, show you can get stuff done, and prove you're not just an idea person. Communicate that you can deliver as a founder. - Validate Idea Demonstrate a real need and demand for your product. Use customer interviews to refine your ideas and identify pain points. - Build Prototype Create an interactive, realistic prototype without coding. Use tools like Bubble and Softr to test solutions and rapidly iterate ideas. If you have to, invest in building a Minimum Viable Product (MVP). This shows you believe in your idea's potential and have skin in the game. - Build Community Build a user base or community around your idea to demonstrate the need for your product and your marketing skills to sell it. - Network Actively The final step is to network and connect with potential technical co-founders. By now, you've de-risked the opportunity for them and shifted the conversation from "I need you" to "Here's a great opportunity." 🔗 Check Nelly Yusupova's full workshop linked in the comments for an in-depth look at finding a top-notch technical co-founder.