The 10th “Japan Bootcamp,” a place for Korean startups to interact with Japanese VCs and large corporations

Japan Bootcamp 2023, a program to introduce Korean startups to the Japanese market, has concluded. The program was held in Tokyo, Japan from the 14th to the 16th.

Launched in 2014, the program celebrated its 10th anniversary this year. Japan Bootcamp is a program that connects Korean startups with Japanese venture capitalists, support organizations, and large corporations, and promotes exchanges between the two ecosystems. Selected startups can pitch their business in Japan and learn about the Japanese ecosystem through Japan Bootcamp demo days and seminars.

The 10 startups selected for this year’s Japan Bootcamp are KAFLIX, Nautilus, PUBLY, JOINANDJOIN (Nuldam), WHYNOT MEDIA, wrtn Technologies, TEUIDA, dob studio, Village Baby, and WhaTapLabs.

At the Japan Bootcamp, they visited Japanese IT companies and venture capitalists such as Line-Yahoo, Z venture capital (ZVC), Plug&Play Japan, AWS Japan, Global Brain, and WeWork Japan to introduce the business models and visions of Korean startups.

Shinichiro Hori, CEO of ZVC, said at the ZVC Demo Day on the 16th, “The startups selected for this year’s Japan Bootcamp are highly mature in technology and services, and there are many industries that Japanese investors are interested in. Korean business models are rarely thought of in Japan. Japanese companies, including LINE, are also looking for opportunities to collaborate with Korea’s original technologies and services. I hope that we will be able to communicate frequently with the Japanese market and create many opportunities such as investment and partnerships.

Interest from local Japanese LPs and investors was also high. About 40 LPs, including major Japanese conglomerates such as KDDI, attended the Global Brain Demo Day and listened to the pitches. The K-Startup OpenDemoday, organized by Startup Alliance in Japan, was attended by more than 70 Japanese VCs, CVC Associates and others involved in the Japanese startup ecosystem.

In addition, seminars were held at the Japan Bootcamp to learn about the Japanese ecosystem and how to navigate it, and “Koreans in Japan” to meet Koreans working in the startup ecosystem in Japan.

“With the popularity of cultural industries such as Korean movies and idols in Japan, the interest in Korean startups has not waned,” said Choi Hang-jip, Managing Director of Startup Alliance, the organizer of the Japan Bootcamp. In particular, Korean technologies and services with distinctive features such as AI, content, and SaaS are targeting the Japanese market and achieving significant results.” “Through the Japan Bootcamp, Startup Alliance will continue to introduce promising Korean startups to Japan and create a space for the Korean and Japanese startup ecosystems to interact.”