Japan’s Accidental Entrepreneur – Yusuke Takahashi

Yusuke epitomizes the new generation of Japanese startup founders. That means he is exactly the opposite of what most Westerners picture as a startup founder in Japan.  He left a fast-track, high-status job in academia to start one startup after another, in both Tokyo and in San Francisco, and while Yusuke has not achieved a massive Silicon Valley style exit just yet, there is no doubt he is on his way. Yusuke and I discuss his transition from professor, to freelancer, to founder, to founder, to founder yet again. He explains how a one-way ticket to San Francisco and a chance meeting with Steve Blank changed his thinking and changed his life, and why sushi is the secret to successful fundraising. As an alum of well-known startup incubators in both Tokyo and San Francisco, Yusuke discusses his experiences at both and explains their most important value and their most important differences.