Breaking Through Global Barriers: Mr. Goto’s Guide to Navigating US Market Challenges
In the second half of our interview with Mr. Goto, we delve into the global aspects of expanding a startup, focusing particularly on challenges in the US market. Mr. Goto shares his experiences and practical advice for entrepreneurs looking to make their mark internationally. He emphasizes the importance of firsthand experience and adaptability in overcoming cultural and operational hurdles abroad.
Notable content:
Importance of Hands-On Experience: Mr. Goto stresses that directly experiencing the target market is crucial for success. Initial visits often reveal the stark realities of operating in a new country, and repeated efforts help in better understanding and adapting to the market.
Cultural Differences and Adaptation: He highlights significant cultural gaps between Japan and the US, such as communication styles and business practices. Understanding these differences is essential for effective interaction and negotiation in a foreign market.
Challenges Faced by Japanese Entrepreneurs: Many Japanese startups struggle with the higher hurdles in the US, such as securing funding and building a team. Mr. Goto notes that these challenges often lead entrepreneurs to reconsider their strategies and return to Japan.
Role of Tech House: Tech House, a share house for aspiring entrepreneurs, plays a pivotal role in supporting Japanese startups by providing a community and resources in the US. Mr. Goto underscores the value of such support networks for those navigating the complexities of international expansion.
—The second half has started Mr. Goto, once again thank you for your time In the first half of the video, we talked about your background and the reasons for starting your current startup If you haven't seen the first half of the video, please make sure to check it out. In the second half, I would like to ask questions with the keyword "global" in mind thank you for your time
Mr. Goto: “Thank you too.”
— By the way, we talked a bit about various things in the first half of the video such as challenges overseas and the issues you considered when taking on those challenges, and your approach to these issues. I think you mentioned lightly. I think in Japan as well, there are many people who want to take on challenges overseas but don't know how to go about it. I think there are many people like that. If they want to take on challenges overseas, of course, based on your experiences, what is the best way to go about it? I'd like to ask about it. How can people who want to take on challenges overseas take the first step?
Mr. Goto: “Well, to put it simply, unless you actually come here, it's difficult. Moreover, for me as well, at first, I spent three months from March to June last year Honestly, the first time I didn't make much progress, but the second time when I was there, I started to get the hang of it. I mean It was in December I was staying at a place called Tech House, a share house for people who want to come to the US, I was living there, and I'm still living, and there were about people who came from Japan last year, but there were hardly any people who came a second time. Including myself, there were only about two or three people. Most people, after coming for the first time, feel like, "Oh, so this is what the US is like," and at some point, they feel the struggle. Whether it's with funding, gathering team members, finding clients, or something else, they encounter issues with people, resources, and money. At that point, of course, since they're running a startup, they think they need to establish their business. But the hurdles in the US are higher than in Japan. So, when thinking about realistically succeeding, they will decide to start in Japan first. So, this becomes a hurdle, so first, I think it's good to come and try it out, but when you decide to do something in the US, you need to think about it a bit. In other words, If you only target Japanese users at first, and only hire from Japan, and in Japan, it will probably make expanding in the US much harder. So, you need to manage things well. I think it's the first hurdle everyone faces.”
— I see, so whether it's the US or somewhere else, it doesn't matter for now. Just going there first is quite important. Seeing and feeling it for yourself, making your own judgment, and experiencing it, to determine whether you see potential in the market or not is the best approach, right? First, you need to go there.
Mr. Goto: “That's right. Even in a startup, whether it's hiring or fundraising, you need to try it out, fail, and go through trial and error to optimize the process. That process is essential. If you don't target the US market specifically, you won't acquire the skills to expand there. Optimizing in Japan first will make it hard to transfer those skills there. For instance, the way of fundraising is very different between Japan and the US. The structure of the pitch and what kind of story is evaluated are very different. In the US, it might not be the same. So, coming here and failing, then figuring out how to overcome that failure, you need to keep challenging at least until that phase. So, you need to come here first. Otherwise, you can't even talk about it, and after failing once, you need to think about how to use your resources and skills to achieve your goals. Otherwise, you won't even reach the first step abroad. Come here assuming that you will face challenges, and think that it won't go well in just three months. Otherwise, you might get discouraged somewhere along the way.”
—Thank you. That's very true. You need to set a period first, try it out, and if it doesn't work, think of a different approach, keep trying and testing, and learn from those failures. Learn and grow from them. That's quite important.
Mr. Goto: “That's right. If you don't secure the time to do that, it will be difficult. In Japan, investors generally listen to you. Not only investors, but Japanese people generally have meetings and listen to each other, there is a high possibility of that. Because there is mutual respect... But in the US, it's not like that. They don't listen to you, and if you want to talk, you need a referral. So, I think the timing when Japanese people get discouraged is often due to the others being rude, or their bad attitude because they are not treated with respect, and feeling a cultural gap and returning to Japan. I think this happens often. So, during conversations, they feel the others are rude, but I don't know... I'm not American, so I don't know, but I think Japanese people tend to say this. In America, I haven't heard much of such bad reputation... unless the attitude is really bad. If they are not treated with respect, they get discouraged. I think this happens often among Japanese people,”
— That might be a cultural gap. Maybe there is something like that. I don't know for sure, but
Mr. Goto: “I have heard stories about conflicts between Japanese and American people, that’s why I think it happens.”
— I see. Also, I think, since I often go back and forth to the US, within the context of communication, I think Japanese people might feel it quite tough at times. After all, English is very straightforward, with clear yes or no answers, while Japanese is often full of ambiguous expressions. For example, among Japanese people, they deal with each other with respect, by being ambiguous about various things. to avoid hurting each other's feelings. In English, on the other hand, and especially with Americans, they are very straightforward and clear in their expressions. They don't use ambiguous expressions, and even if they say something negative, they don't have any bad intentions They are just straightforwardly expressing what they are thinking. So there is definitely a cultural gap. Yeah... I see. That makes a lot of sense. By the way, I think the viewers might not know about Tech House, so could you briefly explain what kind of place it is?
Mr. Goto: "Well, Tech House is originally started by Satoshi Naito, who is now running a startup called Anyplace, who started a startup in the US. It's now closed, but he started Ramen Hero, a startup bringing Japanese ramen to the US. He and I started a share house called Tech House, and It's evolved over time. And now, it's a place where people who want to challenge in the US gather and work together. I've been there and I’m still now.”
— That's the story. I see. Thank you. So, everyone, if a startup wants to go to the US but has no connections, using Tech House can solve that problem, right?
Mr. Goto: “That's true. It's in a really good location, and if someone is serious about it, they should contact us. The place becomes more refined as community. I feel like that. So, the bar is getting higher, but if someone is serious, we will fully support them. So, they should contact us.”
— I understand. we’re transcribing this video, and in the article, and also in the description, we'll include information about Tech House, so if anyone is interested, they can access it. You mentioned that around people visited Tech House last year, but only a few came back. except for you, Gotosan. Why do you think that is? They took the action to go abroad, so why didn't they return? and what kind of people visit Tech House? What is their persona?
Mr. Goto: “There are a couple of patterns. There are two main patterns. One is people who are about to start a startup and want to consider the US as an option. That's one pattern. The other is people who are already running a business in Japan and see the US as like... as a potential next big market, right? That's the other pattern. the ratio between these two is about or , is those who are already running a business. This pattern is pretty consistent, and the first group, which includes myself, often feel some kind of hurdle, and they can only stay for up to 3 months, and then they return to Japan. It's hard for them to come back again. There are various reasons for this. For example, first of all, startups are risky. When you think about starting a startup in Japan, it's already challenging, but doing it in the US makes it even harder. makes it even harder. Startups are rare and risky in Japan, but compared to the US, it's much easier in Japan. In Japan, you can have proper conversations with investors. For example, Here, you need referrals and... I mean there is competition to get good conditions. you need to be selected to stand on a proper stage. People from places like Stanford get good treatment from the start, but as an immigrant with no background, especially if your English isn't perfect, you have to compete in noticeable places, and you naturally feel pressure. Then, you are wondering Why you are facing this competition? Even though it’s difficult, you are wondering like Is this the right path? That's usually how it goes. Then, they think of building their team in Japan first. Not just the team, but also targeting Japanese users first. They gather resources in Japan and then, when they consider coming back again, they doubt if it will be effective. They think, "We finally started up in Japan, and if we go back like before, it might not be effective. The cost of living is high, and the difficulty is greater. There is a lot of gravity to give up. When I returned to Japan the first time, and go to the US again, it was hard to come back. Going to the US for the first time was like a new adventure, and felt like a special occasion. But after returning to Japan and coming back again, The experiences that it wasn't that successful, make us think what will change the next time. It's very difficult to logically plan. So, considering the rationality, it's hard to come back. That's the biggest reason, I think.”
— I see. Then, despite all that, what made you decide to challenge yourself? Why? After hearing your story, I understand the difficulties, but what made you decide to go for it? What motivated your decision? What was the background for that decision? I'm curious about that.
Mr. Goto: “Well, there are several reasons, One was to challenge Gaudiy globally, and after stepping down from Gaudiy, I helped several startups. I wanted to challenge myself globally, but... but there are many reasons. thinking realistically, I tend to compromise somewhere. It sounds negative, but... When thinking logically, I tend to avoid certain decisions. There are such points. For instance, whether to move the company to the US, or hire members there. There are various layers to consider, but you end up thinking it's better to do it in Japan. but I knew from experience that such decisions wouldn't lead to success. That's what I learned from experience. So, if I did the same thing now, I'd get the same result. Though I don't know the exact outcome, I felt I had to go. Also, the Tech House community welcomed me. With the support of the Tech House community, I managed to come here. The second time was really good for me. I reconnected with people I met the first time, and talked to them again. This made things easier. Meeting people the second time made things easier. In the Japanese community, or even abroad, many people come and go short-term in San Francisco. I feel like I can only be accepted if I continue to go to events and get recognized. Once you're accepted, things finally start progressing. With that foundation, I wanted to come back, so now I'm here for the third time. The hurdles of the first and second times are very high. The first time, you can come with dreams. but after the second time, rationality takes over. So, I think if you can overcome that time. I see.”
— Thank you. By the way, how about speaking English? I mean... Given your engineering background, you might not.... I mean you might not have had much resistance to studying a new language. I assumed that, but are you already good at English before?
Mr. Goto: “No, I couldn't at all. It's not something to brag about, but in high school, my English grade at first was around in my second year of high school. Is that so? After a year of studying, I could read and write. Especially reading skill becomes better but my listening and speaking skills were still very poor. After stepping down, I spent about six months studying English intensely. My skills didn't improve much even then. I took the TOEIC exam and scored points in three months, but I still couldn't listen or speak well. In November , there was a hackathon in San Francisco. I had to talk a lot with the judges, and make demo videos. Being in a situation where I had to use English there, that's when I suddenly improved.”
— When you're in an environment where you have to use it, you have no choice but to use it. Otherwise, you won't use it or speak it. And without speaking, you won't improve. Going back to the first half of the video, going abroad is important.
Mr. Goto: “That's right, especially for founders or those who have related businesses, talking about business in English is relatively easy For example, in online English conversation classes where you look at a picture and explain it in English, there are such activities, but those things I'm not really good at them either, but talking about business is relatively easy because I think about it a lot, so when I talk about it, surprisingly I find that I can talk about these things and it gets across, which boosts my confidence, since then, it's been much easier. Before I knew it, my listening skills improved, and I could speak better too. Your ears do get used to it when you hear it locally. Yes, even now there are people I still can't listen at all, like those with strong accents, and also some very fluent people, it's strange to say, but, when native speakers mumble a lot, but if I ask them to repeat, I can understand, and normal conversation I can understand Yeah, and if I ask them.”
— Well…to speak a bit more slowly, they usually do speak more slowly. I'm sure of it.
Mr. Goto: “I see... so probably... talking itself isn't much of a problem, for example, but today I felt that something was difficult, today, for instance, it's a bit of an odd story, but, I'm now heading to an accelerator in Hong Kong, and I was talking to someone there. We were discussing the details of a contract, so I had to get an angel investor and a US lawyer involved, and talk with their representative and lawyer about the contract terms, and that was a lot, but in these tough situations catching up and speaking appropriately, those things are obviously challenging, but in those special situations, or tough scenarios, or after an event, someone says let's go to a club and you have to chat and get along there, those things are hard, but still doing pitches or recruiting people, those structured things, and with team members, it's an internal matter, because, if you don't understand, you can just ask again and it's fine, or communicate through messages in highstakes situations, where the situation is particularly tough, it can be hard, but other than that, there aren't many problems. So I don't think English being a hurdle will prevent you from starting up.”
— I see. I think so too. This is just a personal theory, but some people want to try abroad but can't, one of the reasons is because they think their English isn't perfect. Many people think that and it holds them back. They think they need perfect English before going, and plan to go after that. I think most people think that way, but it's faster to go first. Personally, I think it's more important to go first, but many people think they can't do it if they can't speak well. So, if listeners hear this, and if it gives them some courage, that would be great. It's best to be good at English, but it's not a must. It's not mandatory.
Mr. Goto: “That's right. Yeah. In the end, for example, immigrants who come to America, many aren't good at English, but even so, they think about how to get people interested. I think that approach is good. In my case, in terms of hiring, or acquiring clients, we mostly get them through the product concept. It's not about selling commoditized products well, but rather doing things no one else is doing. When we talk about it, they get interested. The product itself is in an interesting field, like games, so people want to get involved. I'm doing things people want to do but haven't been able to, so they get interested. That's one strategy. For Japanese founders, bringing Japanese culture to the US is one strategy. There are many startups doing that, like those offering sweets or food in the US. Snacks, food, etc. It's all about getting people interested in the product and being the only one providing it. So, with your environment and skills, if you think about how to make it work, English and other things aren't a big deal. More importantly, think about how to get people interested instead of focusing on English. That's more important.”
— I see. Sure, in America, there are many immigrants, and very few people speak perfect English. I mean, there are so many different races, with different accents, even among native Americans. If you go to different states, you'll find different accents, so what is perfect English anyway? If you think about it, you don't really have to worry about it. Also, don't worry about making grammar mistakes, or mispronouncing words. Really, you don't need to worry about that either. There are so many accents, so embrace it as your own style. Just speak as you are. It's fine. That's what I think. So, by speaking in your own words, you will get people interested. Just speak in your own words, and that's the important thing. Just speak. That's what really matters. That's what I realized again. I see. Thank you. By the way, when it comes to overseas markets, there are various markets. I think. So, why did you choose the US and what were your criteria? What was your selection criteria? What did you consider?
Mr. Goto: “Well, putting aside logic and intuition, first on an intuitive level, when thinking about challenging overseas, it's really just my personal impression, but rather than going to a country that's less developed than Japan, many people think about going somewhere with higher recognition. It's just an impression I get. I don't have confidence in my English. But within that, I think it would be easier to get evaluated. Well, I'm not sure, I'm not sure, but that's why thinking about going to America is a rare case, but when thinking about overseas expansion, it's probably not that common. But eventually, when speaking statistically, about market size and, the size of the startup ecosystem, it's overwhelmingly the largest, right? So naturally, having an influence there, means having a strong opinion globally, which is powerful. So, how to put it... Given my background, and being naturally evaluated in the US, it's actually like that, but succeeding here is the closest thing to having global influence, so in that sense, there wasn't another choice besides America. I see.”
— Got it. Market selection is probably important, I think. Also, when you look at it from a macro perspective, America, in terms of the number of startup unicorns, and looking at the startup ecosystem, it's the most developed, I think that's part of it. Besides that, personally, this is just my opinion, but whether you like the country or not, is important, I think. When thinking beyond the macro level, do you like the country, the people in the country, the culture, the food, taking all of that into account, if you can stay there for a long time, that's also important. I think that's important.
Mr. Goto: “That's right. From that perspective, different states in America are very different, but I really like San Francisco. I really like it, San Francisco is different from the stereotypical America. It's a bit different.”
— Now that you mention it, that might be true.
Goto-san: “The typical America is probably on the East Coast. In New York, it's more East Coast, and if you go further inland, you'll probably find the traditional America. But in San Francisco, what I really feel is that people come from all over the world, and there's competition there. The competition is intense, meaning talented people from all over the world are gathering here, and it's like a global battle, that's the image I have. Not "sen" as in line. but "sen" as in battle. Competing with top talent from around the world and rising through the ranks is possible here, and I think that's unique. In that sense, it's very comfortable, and it motivates me to work hard here.”
— Thank you. Mr. Goto, you've had experience with Japanese startups, and you're currently challenging with your own startup in America, in America, so I think you can compare the differences between Japan and the US, including everything. Of course, there are cultural gaps, but that's a given, there are various differences. In your opinion, what are the major differences between Japanese and American startup cultures? If you were to name a few, when do you feel the biggest differences? Where do you feel the differences?
Mr. Goto: “Well... I feel the culture is definitely different, but what I really think is, why is the culture different? I think it's because of the different environments. For example, businesses that use the latest technology, like Web . a while ago or AI now, can become businesses even in their early stages. In San Francisco, that's a characteristic, I think. Why is this possible? It's not just about temperament, but when you think rationally, it makes sense. For example, AI for D right now has very low quality, but there are already several competitors, and some have raised around billion yen. Why is this possible? They're creating things in San Francisco and spreading them globally. Productbased expansion means they can make it a business. They can gather a large enough audience from around the world. So, earlystage products, for example, might be BC oriented, or even BB oriented, they can generate traction even with small amounts, and they keep developing things. So, investors look at the early traction and decide to invest. They decide to invest, and small to medium businesses, or BC businesses, spread these products, and develop new technology. There's an environment where this is possible, and a lot of people want to do it. I don't know which comes first, but this is possible is a characteristic of the U.S. In Japan, if you try to work on the same new technology fields, except for enterprisefocused projects, I think it's almost impossible. Of course, SMBoriented startups are emerging globally, but if you want to do new technology, and target only Japan, you won't have enough numbers to monetize BC or SMB projects, so you'll naturally turn to enterprises. naturally turn to enterprises. Why enterprises give projects to Japanese startups is, in the U.S., they turn to M&As. But in Japan, they don't buy teams but prefer inhouse development. They prefer inhouse development for DX, and look for support for DX projects. So, startups get DX project orders, and get funding from there. So, they try to gather funds from there. So, There's a difference in the ecosystem and the characteristics of the accessible market. What kind of services and when can be created is different, So, what's considered cool business changes, and as a result, the culture is different, and investor preferences change. So, it's not that American are big risktakers. At first, I thought American investors just throw money around, That's not the case. Obviously, they think rationally and optimize accordingly. So, it's just a difference in the premise. As I said earlier, where big companies put their money is different, The market size they can access is different, How to monetize is different, many things are different, So, what's considered good just depends on those differences.”
— Thank you very much. So, What I'm curious about is, Gaudiy has also raised significant funds in Japan, I've seen news about it, and you have experience in raising funds for your startup. So, In terms of fundraising, what are the differences between Japan and the US, and from an investor's perspective, how do Japan and the US differ? What are the key differences? between Japan and the US, in your opinion? What points stand out?
Mr. Goto: “Well, ultimately, the decision-making process for investments isn't much different. I feel the same way, but the first difference is, the initial step is accessing investors and preparing for that. In the US, it's much more necessary. I feel it's much more necessary. That's what I feel. In Japan, from pre-seed to seed rounds, at least being able to talk with the investment manager isn't a problem. You can at least have a conversation and get through the initial due diligence. as a matter of course in Japan. There aren't many startups, but in the US, there are so many people who want to start a startup, so you have to pass through the screening process first. So how do you pass through the screening this step comes first. This involves angel investors, or accelerator programs, or referrals to VCs. You have to overcome these hurdles. You need a lot of materials to attract interest in a short time. it might be relationships, pitches, to quickly grab attention. US VCs, for example, review about pitches a month for due diligence. Even larger firms handle more, you only get a few seconds to stand out. but in that scenario, before starting a new startup, you have that competition. So in terms of final investment decisions, they consider these factors, but in Japan, they consider the Why Now factor, the story, the vision. They aren't asked about it much, probably because many people talk about it, but few can actually make things happen. That's why there are fewer people doing startups. So fewer people are doing startups. and wondering if it’s continuing, or confirming if the person can really do it, is more common in Japan. It's rare, as a career step to start a startup. In the US, there are so many people who want to do it, so confirming if they can do it is less about communication skills, or continuing skills, but about actual experience. The screening process is different. That's the difference.”
— I see. In a way, Mr. Goto, you are starting from zero in America, so I think you just jumped in without any connections. How did you manage that? What kind of strategies did you use? As you mentioned earlier, the Hong Kong accelerator, came up in the conversation, up to the present time, what have you been doing to connect with various people I believe you've made a lot of efforts and strategies. I believe so. For listeners, Please share some insights.
Mr. Goto: “Well, in my case, I really got a lot of help from people around me, which is the honest truth, so the Japanese community in the US, introductions from them, and Also, JETRO's support for accelerators has been invaluable. Those two things have been key for me. Of course, I attended events myself, for example AI events, I gave presentations there, and networked with organizers, but connected with people in the gaming industry, or with potential users. Initially, it was through these community introductions. That's where I started. After that, I focused on making things, showing them, and gaining interest. That’s what I did. I shifted my efforts to creating products. I'm not particularly good at sales or networking, so I wouldn't say I did anything special. But I got a lot of help from others, and tried to create interesting things to get people talking.”
— Speaking of American accelerators, it seems like it's pretty tough to get selected, doesn't it? I get that impression. For example, if you only have an idea, without even a prototype or beta version, is it effective to join an accelerator? How about it?
Mr. Goto: “If you can get in, it is very effective, but I think the difficulty level is very high. Yeah, it’s high I feel someone with nothing randomly applying is unlikely to succeed. there are so many people, which I think is why Japanese people might get discouraged, in Japan, even if you say you want to start a business, they take you seriously. But here, there are so many people, that you get treated poorly. especially if you are an immigrant with no background, but you want to be founder sometimes you can only join local events. For instance, in San Francisco, there was a event by Luma, and the same thing happened in Japan. Really, you need profile to even get listed. Without proper connections, you'll get cut off quickly. You need a standout strategy.”
— By the way, regarding American accelerators, each has its own selection criteria, but generally, what do they look for in common?
Mr. Goto: “Whether the product can be made is being watched closely.”
— Whether the team can actually make it.
Mr. Goto: “Yeah, evaluating based on potential is really rare, and if you want to be evaluated on potential, you might want to graduate from Stanford or something. It's that kind of story. GAFA When Japanese people come here, they are evaluated based on potential. from a US perspective, there are hardly any items that can be evaluated on potential. So, you have to bring achievements, or But if it's a team that can make it, then bring what you can make and get traction. That's the general idea. Then, competing based on ideas alone is difficult, I think.”
— I see. If you want to apply to an accelerator, make sure you have the ability to create on your own, and whether you can generate traction. It's quite essential to form such a team, as a minimum requirement. That's what it means.
Mr. Goto: “That's right. If you gather members in Japan and come here, then, I think it’s unlikely that it will guarantee traction in the US In most cases, it's about properly making the product, and I feel it’s more important than in Japan to increase the numbers by it.”
— Yes. Indeed, traction is quite important. They seem to care a lot about it. It seems to be the top priority. Without some tractions, a startup can't survive. So, it's quite important to American investors. They seem to pay a lot of attention to it.
Mr. Goto: “That's right. For example, the number of waitlists or sending out cold emails to get leads, is easier here than in Japan. than in Japan. In the end, the number of such tractions is easier to collect, so it's easier to challenge with such products. So, there's an aspect where you lean in that direction. To the extent of gathering such things, it can be done easily, so if you don't bring it, it feels like it will be difficult.”
— Thank you. By the way, in Japan, the government is actively promoting like there is something like a year startup planning. but for the Japanese startup ecosystem, from your perspective, Mr. Goto, what can be done to further revitalize it? and how can we increase the number of unicorns?
Mr. Goto: “Well, regarding Japan, when it comes to that, I think it's progressing, but overall increasing liquidity is important. It means I think this has been a topic recently, M&A exits provide liquidity, and so does stock options for team members, and secondary liquidity. In Japan's case, I don't know the exact numbers, but in the end, you have to go public, and then, it takes about 5 to 7 years, or even up to years in some cases. So, joining a startup or engaging in such activities from the start and committing your life until the end is very challenging. For founders, it's fine, but for the team members, it's important to make it easier to recruit more team members, especially good people. Then, if such people join, the expected return should be considered, including the exit strategy, or what they have, should be properly handled in the secondary market. It's important for individuals to have an exit. Without that, it's difficult. In the end, people who are currently in the team are like former Facebook employees, who can join easily, in a way. It's a startup, but in Japan, hiring such people is extremely difficult without knowing them personally, you have to go that far, to get someone with experience at GAFA and startups, to join the team. But it feels like in my experience, they join with surprisingly little connection. That's due to the fluid movement between teams. So, I think liquidity is needed overall, both for startups and individuals.”
— I see. Thank you. Indeed, recently various improvements have started, and it seems like there's a lot of activity, so I feel that things are moving in a good direction. I also think about the angel tax system, which makes it easier for Japanese angel investors to invest in startups. I feel like such things. I mean Little by little, but really a good flow is coming, I think. Before we knew it, it's become quite long, but as an asset hub, what are the future developments? At this point, if you have any thoughts, please let us know.
Mr. Goto: “Well, what we are doing is really a kind of how should I put it? Using AI to create content, which in the past was, for instance there were home console games like Dragon Quest, Final Fantasy, and mobile games emerged, like Puzzle & Dragons, new game genres and popular IPs... Now, there's no difference between devices, so content creation according to devices, and IP is developed when changing game genre was nothing thesedays. Next is to create content in accordance with AI constraints so that the next big IP will emerge in this way, So we want to create media and fields where new IPs are created, and we also want to create environments where, in that context, the next Disneylike big IPs are created and that creators say they love the most So we want to achieve the next IP creation, and we want to realize In my opinion, Japan is a major IP powerhouse, and I think it's because of manga. In other words, Japan had a market where small groups or individuals could produce a lot of media and be evaluated. Japan was the only place where that was the case manga was unique in that respect. In other countries, movies and games That’s true. So, there are few IPs. But if AI can allow small groups to create games, it could become like Japan's manga industry, with indie games and other new forms of content emerging. In Japan, there was a low barrier to entry to create IP, and everyone could challenge themselves, creating new things. We want to achieve such an environment and way of thinking in America as well, using AI. We want to make that happen, and we want to create such trends in the US as well.”
— Thank you very much. That's wonderful. I will support you with all my might. By the way, if listeners want to hear more about you more about you, and get in touch with you, What would be the best way to approach?
Mr. Goto: “Well... If you send me a DM on Twitter, I might see it. I will check it out.”
— Yeah. you must be quite busy, so I'll also put the Twitter X account name, I mean I am going to write in the description. So, if you want to hear more from Mr. Goto or have questions about the AI field or want to know more about the US, Feel free to suggest anything. We're almost at the end. But before we finish, for any young people or entrepreneurs who want to challenge themselves abroad, please share a message.
Mr. Goto: “Well, in some ways, challenging yourself in the US is extremely strong in terms of startups. Even though there may be barriers like language and various things, but it's easier to create a strong and large business in the US. So, if you want to challenge yourself, come here and try it out with us. It might be interesting. So, Come to America. Looking forward to it!”
— Thank you. Thank you for watching the RiZiN Podcast. If you know anyone who is interested in going abroad or who wants to challenge themselves abroad, please share this podcast. It’s available on Spotify, Apple, and Google Podcasts. Your sharing would be appreciated. It would be great if you could also follow us. It motivates us. See you in the next episode. Thank you for watching.