Ep. 10: Startupboot Camp Osaka, Foreign Startups & Japanese Investors with Joshua Flannery

The Business Karaoke Podcast, sponsored by Design Thinking Japan, modernizes the dialogue around doing business in and with Japan for the modern global leader. Through sharing stories of both failure and success, we give global leaders with a passion for Japan, and Japanese leaders with a passion for the global market, the tools they need to operate more effectively and with impact.

In this episode we are joined by Joshua Flannery, CEO of Rainmaking Innovation Japan. Josh describes their work as unleashing the power of entrepreneurship to solve big problems with the world’s leading companies. We dive into Rainmaking’s flagship program, Startupbootcamp Scale Osaka, an equity-free innovation program for high growth Smart City companies to expand globally, increase their revenues, and access significant funding opportunities in Japan, the world’s 3rd largest economy.

This conversation is full of Josh’s insights on leveraging and building global networks in Japan, managing uncertainty in Japanese investors, the unique incumbent innovation approach in Japan and how accelerator programs such as SBC are working to solve the innovation "chicken and egg" problem in Japan.

If you’re interested or know someone who may be interested in applying to this world class program, then download the deck here.

I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did and don’t forget to share your feedback with me on your favourite social platform. 

Below is the list of our conversation so you can quickly navigate to find what is most relevant for you.

💡02:22 | Leveraging & building global networks in Japan
💡07:30 | Managing uncertainty in Japanese investors and incumbent innovation
💡13:36  Startupbootcamp Osaka and solving the innovation "chicken and egg" problem in Japan.
💡21:08 | The flow on positives outcomes of the SBC Osaka success stories in the wider business community in Japan.
💡26:04 | What's next for Japan and Startupbootcamp in the wake of COIVD.

A big thank you to Joshua for so generously donating his time and a big thank you to you, the listener!

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More about Joshua here:

Joshua has just under 20 years of global business experience including being selected as Director of the largest startup hub in the Southern Hemisphere, Sydney Startup Hub launching programs for it’s 480 startup residents in Sydney, as the initiator of one of Australia’s first university based startup programs, supporting over 700 startups since driving it’s launch at the University of New South Wales in 2012 and earlier as an entrepreneur and Managing Director of StudyLink株式会社, conceiving and launching a publication in Japan with a circulation of 480,000. Later he founded the Innovation Dojo, a company specifically connecting Japan and Australia by innovation, serving clients including Hitachi, Tokyo Institute of Technology and Kyushu University. Born and raised in Sydney and currently based in Osaka, Joshua has strong experience with designing and executing programs that connect startups and scaleups to international markets, including the US, China and Japan.  

In his current role as Managing Director of Rainmaking Innovation Japan, Joshua has designed and led a team in executing a customised Proof of Concept program for seven large Japanese corporations including Japan's largest bank, the world's 3rd largest advertising firm, Japan's largest newspaper publisher and two of Japan's largest real estate and transport conglomerates.  

Joshua has been invited as a public speaker on topics related to innovation ecosystems, cross-border entrepre