Today, I chat with Masanori Nagamine, a Japanese municipal official working to attract global startups, accelerators, incubators, and Venture Capitalists in IT and Life Science to the city of Kobe. Tokyo had better watch out, because Kobe is just one of the cities across Japan are fighting to attract international talent and startups. The city of Kobe is one of these Strategic Economic Zones, and in this week’s episode Masanori tells us a bit more about what support and obstacles foreigners can expect when founding a startup outside of Tokyo. Between generous subsidies, the Startup Visa, a lower cost of living, and the Kobe 500 Accelerator, listen in to hear why Kobe may just be the right home for you and your startup.


Today's Language:
ぼうねんかい 
bo-u-ne-n-ka-i 
Meaning: year-end party (usually for work), or "forget the year meeting" 
Kanji: 忘年会 


Masanori's Links:
Masanori’s LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/masanori-nagamine-438a9417b/
Seattle Branch of the City of Kobe: https://www.linkedin.com/company/kobe-trade-information-office/
Kobe's startup ecosystem https://kobestartup.com/ 
Startup Visa https://kobestartup.com/ecosystem/startup-visa/ https://kobestartup.com/news/  
Kobe's general business information https://global.kobe-investment.jp/dl/document_pdf_e.pdf 
Kobe Biomedical Innovation Cluster https://www.fbri-kobe.org/kbic/english/


Related Episodes: 
Making the Most of a Nomikai: https://anchor.fm/businesssuccessjapan/episodes/Making-the-Most-of-a-Nomikai-ed786u  
Anil Raj on Entrepreneurship and Mentorship in Japan: https://anchor.fm/businesssuccessjapan/episodes/Anil-Raj-on-Entrepreneurship-and-Mentorship-in-Japan-egfc87  
Understanding the Japanese Marketplace with Natalie Meyer: https://anchor.fm/businesssuccessjapan/episodes/Understanding-the-Japanese-Marketplace-with-Natalie-Meyer-ejo3l3  

Want to support the podcast? Check the podcast's ko-fi page to help keep me well-caffeinated: https://ko-fi.com/businesssuccessjapan
Be sure to subscribe for more Japanese language and cultural insights. And if you enjoy the podcast, please leave a review so that other people can find it as well. And of course, if you have any questions, comments, or suggestions for future episodes, please email me at businesssuccessjapan@gmail.com.

---

Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/businesssuccessjapan/message