By James Santagata
Principal Consultant, SiliconEdge


In recent years, much has been written about entrepreneurship and the "Silicon Valley" startup or new venture philosophy and framework.

In turn, many companies and countries have attempted to mimic or emulate this successful Valley model (although previously I've questioned the true success of the Valley model as it's a "Stacked Model" focusing on "Brute Force Human Wave Attacks" reminiscent of the Korean War). 

Regardless of the efficacy of the Valley model, it would still greatly behoove us to ask and investigate if there are perhaps any other viable or proven models, methodologies or frameworks available that we could borrow from and draw upon And if so,exactly what are they and how do they work?

One of the other highly vibrant and extremely dynamic startup centers, both in terms of raw numbers of startups and subsequent success stories, is not only in Israel, it is Israel -- which in turn has lead to Israel being dubbed the "Startup Nation".

What is most fascinating about the "Israeli model" is that it often takes a much different approach and has a very different flavor than the Valley model and yet it has produced dozens upon dozens of very successful startups in the high-tech space.

To tap into this wealth of knowledge and alternative startup methodology, Professor Kenneth Grossberg, Professor & Director of the Waseda Marketing Forum at Waseda University, has developed and lead the very innovative Startup Nation, Israel Study Tour which is now in its third year.

This study tour offers a unique and unparalleled opportunity to learn more about Israel’s extraordinary and arguably world-beating startup-nurturing environment.
 
Inspired by the NY Times bestseller Startup Nation, this trip open doors and pulls back the curtain to places not generally open to the general public as it teaches how a small country in a challenging environment has grown more companies listed on NASDAQ than any other nation in the world except the US. 

Through this unique opportunity to learn about Israel’s remarkable R&D and venture capital infrastructure you'll find ways that can then be applied back in one's own organization.

For more information, click on the button below:

By James Santagata
Principal Consultant, SiliconEdge


If it seems that we're under a constant barrage of the Western Media Myth (WMM) that (a) Japan is "failing" and that (b) this "failure" is primarily due to Japan's "talent problem" don't fret because we are.

Further, we are told that Japan's supposed "lack of talent" has manifested itself in such as way as to be responsible for Japan's supposed "lack of creativity" and "lack of innovation"".

But not to worry according to the WMM as we're then told that these "problems" that Japan faces can simply solved by (a) increasing the number of English-speaking Japanese and (b) internationalizing "backwards" Japanese-only speaking Japanese and (c)  increasing the number of immigrants in Japan, preferably by engaging in a sort of US-Open Bordersfashion.
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The Western Media's argument or framing of the issues, especially in terms of Japan's supposed lack of  "English-speaking" talent becomes even more silly when we consider that it ignores what I have deemed the "tip of the spear" or "tip of the sword" strategy.
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Japanese Start-Ups Channel Samurai Spirit: The Samurai Startup Island, in a low-rent office district built on a landfill on Tokyo Bay, is at the vanguard of what many hope is a new generation of innovators.

By Martin Fackler, New York Times
Published: December 25, 2013

TOKYO — The 20-somethings in jeans sipping espresso and tapping on laptops at this Tokyo business incubator would look more at home in Silicon Valley than in Japan, where for years the surest signs of success were the gray suits of its corporate salarymen. But for those hoping the nation’s latest economic plan will drag Japan from its long malaise, the young men and women here at Samurai Startup Island represent a crucial component: a revival of entrepreneurship.

The signs of that comeback are still new, and tentative enough that the statistics on start-ups and initial public offerings have not caught up. But analysts and investors report that hundreds of new Internet and technology-related companies have sprung up in the last two to three years, creating an ecosystem of incubators like Samurai Startup Island and so-called accelerator new venture investment funds, which invest in early-state start-ups in hopes of cashing in.

Some top universities — the same ones that have long defined success as a job in an established company or elite government ministry — have begun not only to create their own incubators and venture funds, but also to develop curriculums on birthing start-ups. And while some young entrepreneurs say real progress will come only if Prime Minister Shinzo Abe acts as promised to shake up Japan’s hidebound corporate culture, they say the stock market rally and broader optimism created by the economic plan known as Abenomics are already making it easier to find investors and customers.

“This is the beginning of something that could rejuvenate Japan,” said Mitsuru Izumo, the founder of Euglena Corporation, a biotechnology start-up valued at $1 billion, and one of the country’s most prominent new entrepreneurs. “If we don’t unleash our youth, then Japan will become too weak to survive another blow like Fukushima. Entrepreneurship is Japan’s last chance.”

For years, sagging entrepreneurial spirit has been cited as a major reason for Japan’s inability to save itself from a devastating deflationary spiral. The nation that produced Sony, Toyota and Honda has created few successors.

Today SoftBank Capital, the NY-based venture arm of Japan’s largest wireless provider Softbank Corp., has strengthened its ties to Japan even further, announcing that Yahoo! Japan will be injecting $20 million into SoftBank’s early-stage Technology Fund ’10.

early-stage companies who need funding to more mature companies looking to expand into new markets. Yahoo! Japan’s investment will be an addition to the $100 million early-stage fund, which is a complement to the freshly announced PrinceVille fund.

SoftBank announced the $250 million PrinceVille fund back in January, which was aimed to help U.S. markets expand into Asia using SoftBank’s extensive (and growing) network of mentors and partners.

Yahoo! Japan is the largest web portal in Japan and one of the country’s largest e-commerce platforms, and it’s interested in learning more about innovation happening in the United States, with particular focus on social. According to Joe Medved, partner at SoftBank Capital, Yahoo! Japan’s presence in Japan is overwhelming, especially in the quickly evolving mobile landscape.

“Social networking services in Asia tend to be very home grown, but Facebook and Twitter have taken over as global social platforms,” said Medved. “Yahoo! Japan wanted to understand the U.S. market.”

Alongside the new investment from Yahoo! Japan (which, remember, is a separate entity from Marissa Mayer’s ship here in the U.S.), Yahoo! Japan is sending Toshiaki Chiku, the new head of U.S. operations, over to NY where he will work directly with SoftBank Capital to oversee investments and partnership deals.

According to the official press release (via Nielsen), Yahoo! Japan reaches 80 percent of Japan’s internet users through its various web portals and services. Not only will Yahoo! Japan get a clearer window into the U.S. market, but companies looking to tap into the fast-paced Asian market will have a solid Goliath-style partner in Japan to back them up.

Specifically, SoftBank and Yahoo! Japan will be looking to invest in mobile, social, ecommerce, online advertising, gaming, and cloud computing spaces. Obviously, each one of these markets is chock-full of prime options, but SoftBank seems to have a mind for taking on big winners.

The firm’s previous exits include BlueFin Labs, which was recently acquired by Twitter, BuddyMedia’s acquisition to SalesForce.com, Huffington Post’s acquisition by Aol, and Zynga’s acquisition of OMGPOP.