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Scaling Japan PodcastAuthor: Tyson Batino
Helping business owners in Japan scale their businesses from 100,000 annually to 10,000,000 and beyond. Everything you need to know from recruitment, marketing, sales, and operations, we got you covered in taking your business to the next level. Go to scalingyourcompany.com/the-scaling-japan-podcast and listen to experts and people who have scaled companies in Japan share their journeys and tips. Language: en-us Genres: Business, Entrepreneurship Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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Episode : 92 How to Find a Co-Founder in Japan with Ryosuke Murai (Part-1)
Episode 85
Tuesday, 9 December, 2025
In this episode of the Scaling Japan Podcast, we’re joined by Ryosuke (Ryo) Murai, CEO and co-founder of AI Market and former CSO of Connected Robotics, where he led a ¥1.7B Series B raise. Ryo shares what it actually takes to find a strong co-founder in Japan and opens up about how he and Tyson teamed up to start AI Market.This is Part 1 of a two-part conversation where we dive deep into co-founder decision-making, mindset alignment, storytelling, and early fundraising strategy in Japan.If you're planning to launch a startup in Japan or are in the early stages of finding a co-founder, this episode is packed with practical insights from two operators who have done it.What you’ll learn in this episode:Why Ryo decided not to launch soloWhat makes someone an attractive co-founderHow to sell your startup vision to a potential co-founderWhere to actually meet co-founders in JapanThe importance of founder-market fit and track recordWhy AI Market chose to bootstrap with angels instead of raising VCShow Notes00:00 – Introduction02:27 – Why Ryo decided to look for a co-founder04:08 – How Ryo and Tyson met and decided to team up06:52 – What makes an attractive co-founder13:58 – Selling your vision and founder-market fit27:40 – Co-founder fit is like dating30:03 – Where to find co-founders in Japan35:04 – The Benefits of Having Three Co-Founders 38:00 – External Resources: Accelerators and LinkedIn 41:40 – Why AI Market didn’t raise VC and chose angel funding45:20 – Alternative Funding Strategy with Angel Investors Stay tuned for Part 2! Links from Guest Appearance:🔗 Connect with Ryosuke (Ryo) Murai on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryosukemurai/ Coaching with TysonLooking to take your business to the next level? Let our host Tyson Batino help you scale your business from $100,000 to $10,000,000 with his coaching and advisory services. 📈 Visit here to learn how he can help🎤 Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/scalingjapanpodcast/message
