{"id":174432,"date":"2025-11-18T17:33:29","date_gmt":"2025-11-18T08:33:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/?p=174432&lang=en"},"modified":"2025-11-18T17:33:29","modified_gmt":"2025-11-18T08:33:29","slug":"startup-visa-experiences-fukuoka","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/en\/startup-visa-experiences-fukuoka\/","title":{"rendered":"Real Startup Visa Experiences: What It\u2019s Like Building a Company in Fukuoka"},"content":{"rendered":"

Thanks to the twelve international founders featured in our recent Startup Visa article for joining us last Friday evening at CIC Fukuoka for \u201cInternational Startups in Fukuoka \u2014 Who\u2019s Building What in 2025.<\/strong>\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Real

International founders and attendees packed CIC Fukuoka for an evening of stories, insights, and networking.<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

Founders from Mexico, Indonesia, Canada, South Korea, Hong Kong, Israel, Russia, and beyond<\/strong> introduced companies spanning blockchain security, game development, PropTech, international recruitment, AI automation, ed-tech, retail tech<\/strong>, and more. The event featured rapid-fire two-minute presentations followed by a candid, wide-ranging discussion.<\/p>\n

This gathering followed our full written profiles here:
\nhttps:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/en\/startup-visa-2025\/<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Real

Nick Szasz with Takaaki Umezawa \u2013 Chairperson, CIC Japan before the event began.<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

What We Heard \u2014 Candid Insights From the Founders<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The open discussion revealed a surprisingly consistent set of themes across very different industries, nationalities, and business stages.<\/p>\n

Community and networks matter more than anything<\/strong>
\nMany founders emphasized how important it is to build both a business network and a social one early on.<\/p>\n

Take exceptional care of early customers<\/strong>
\nEarning trust quickly and developing a visible track record is essential in Japan\u2019s relationship-driven market.<\/p>\n

\"Real

Founders shared what they\u2019re building and the real challenges behind launching in a new city.<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

Fukuoka\u2019s size is an advantage, not a limitation<\/strong>
\nSeveral described the ecosystem as open, approachable, and full of space for new ideas \u2014 \u201cthere\u2019s still a lot left to build.\u201d<\/p>\n

Japan\u2019s systems require patience, preparation, and stamina<\/strong>
\nFrom incorporation and taxes to city paperwork, founders repeatedly mentioned that six months is a realistic timeframe for many early processes.<\/p>\n

\"Real

Discussion touched on early customer trust, cultural adaptation, and the pace of doing business in Japan.<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

Corporate bank accounts are still a major hurdle<\/strong>
\nMultiple founders compared experiences and shared tips for navigating increasingly strict requirements.<\/p>\n

Visa pressures are rising, and solutions vary<\/strong>
\nSome suggested that partnering with a Japanese co-founder can make Business Manager visa transitions smoother under current rules.<\/p>\n

\"Real

Banking, incorporation, and visa challenges drew the most discussion \u2014 and the most shared solutions.<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

Hiring Japanese staff is challenging but possible<\/strong>
\nFounders shared advice on recruiting new graduates and building mixed teams that can collaborate across cultures.<\/p>\n

\"Real

Creative founders described how Fukuoka\u2019s lifestyle and scale influence their work and mindset.<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

A lively Q&A followed, with attendees asking about fundraising, hiring, and how to break into local networks.<\/p>\n

\"Real

The evening wrapped with Q&A before moving into an hour of informal networking.<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

Founders Featured at the Event<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\u2022 Siyun Park \u2013 MenuMenu<\/a><\/strong>
\n\u2022 Georgii Plotnikov \u2013 Inferara<\/a><\/strong>
\n\u2022 Ruslan Kostenko \u2013 Lobster Lab<\/a><\/strong>
\n\u2022 Avian Vest \u2013 Kompjuut<\/a><\/strong>
\n\u2022 Hoonseok Lee \u2013 EVERYDAY<\/a><\/strong>
\n\u2022 Jose Maria Leon Azpiroz \u2013 Rewind Games<\/a><\/strong>
\n\u2022 Ara Ko \u2013 ARAHOME<\/strong>
\n\u2022 Sunny Lau \u2013 Bai Hai LLC<\/a><\/strong>
\n\u2022 Sharon Cheung \u2013 BIXLUX<\/a><\/strong>
\n\u2022 Gary Yeung \u2013 Commvia<\/a><\/strong>
\n\u2022 Veda Sadhak \u2013 Block Dance<\/a><\/strong>
\n\u2022 Viko Gara \u2013 Nosuta<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Full bios, company links, and founder stories:
\nhttps:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/en\/startup-visa-2025\/<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

More Photos from the Event<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\"Real<\/p>\n

\"Real<\/p>\n

\"Real<\/p>\n

\"Real<\/p>\n

\"Real<\/p>\n

We\u2019ll definitely be hosting another edition of this event.<\/p>\n

To hear about upcoming sessions, Startup Visa coverage, and what\u2019s happening across Fukuoka\u2019s international community, subscribe<\/a> to The Now, our weekly newsletter<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Thanks to the twelve international founders featured in our recent Startup Visa article for joining us last Friday evening at CIC Fukuoka for…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":29305,"featured_media":174438,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_locale":"en_US","_original_post":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/?p=174432&lang=en","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2024,74],"tags":[5230],"class_list":["post-174432","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business","category-events","tag-startup","location-tenjin","en-US"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/fn_suv-event_-2025-WEB-011.jpg?fit=1400%2C1050&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/174432","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/29305"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=174432"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/174432\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":174452,"href":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/174432\/revisions\/174452"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/174438"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=174432"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=174432"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=174432"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}