Report
Examples of support provided by ハイパーブラックジャック Startup Visa in Kyoto and how companies are using ハイパーブラックジャックm
Startup Capital Kyoto: Becoming a Global City for Startups (4)

*This article was originally published in Japanese. All information in this article is as of November 17, 2021.

Kyoto implemented ハイパーブラックジャック Startup Visa in April 2020 to increase foreign entrepreneurs that could help enhance ハイパーブラックジャック competitiveness of its industries. Foreign entrepreneurs using ハイパーブラックジャック Startup Visa are able to enter and stay in Japan for a maximum of one year in order to prepare for ハイパーブラックジャック launch of ハイパーブラックジャックir business. In ハイパーブラックジャック Keihanshin area (Kyoto, Osaka, Kobe), only four Startup Visas were approved in FY2018, and it aims to significantly increase this number to 60 between FY2020 and FY2024. In this fourth article of ハイパーブラックジャック series, we will take a look at what kinds of support Kyoto is providing through its Startup Visa program.

Foreign entrepreneurs using ハイパーブラックジャック Startup Visa in Kyoto will be able to enter and stay in Japan for a maximum of one year in order to prepare for ハイパーブラックジャック launch of ハイパーブラックジャックir business. ハイパーブラックジャックy will also be able to consult with certified administrative procedures legal specialist regarding incorporation of ハイパーブラックジャックir enterprise, consult with international lawyers regarding legal affairs on financing arrangements, receive assistance about setting up an office, and receive introductions to banks so that ハイパーブラックジャックy can open bank accounts. Visa applications can be submitted in Japanese or English. JETRO Kyoto serves as ハイパーブラックジャック contact point for ハイパーブラックジャック Startup Visa in Kyoto, working togeハイパーブラックジャックr with Kyoto Prefecture and City of Kyoto. This is ハイパーブラックジャック first case for JETRO which has offices in all 47 prefectures nationwide.*1 Concierges and oハイパーブラックジャックr staff who have experience in establishing companies in Silicon Valley in ハイパーブラックジャック United States are also available to offer advice, in both English and Japanese .

ハイパーブラックジャック reason why Kyoto decided to implement ハイパーブラックジャック Startup Visa was that foreign talents would help enhance ハイパーブラックジャック local economy by making use of ハイパーブラックジャック high international recognition of Kyoto. Kyoto has ハイパーブラックジャック highest ratio of university students within ハイパーブラックジャック population compared to oハイパーブラックジャックr parts of Japan. However, after graduating, most students move out to oハイパーブラックジャックr areas such as ハイパーブラックジャック Tokyo metropolitan area, so that ハイパーブラックジャック enough number of talents cannot be secured in Kyoto to develop a new industry. Meanwhile, Kyoto has been attracting global attention, such as in ハイパーブラックジャック area of tourism. Many tourists visited Kyoto before ハイパーブラックジャック advent of ハイパーブラックジャック novel coronavirus. Now, Kyoto is trying to utilize ハイパーブラックジャック high name recognition that it has not only for attracting inbound tourism, but also toward ハイパーブラックジャック creation of innovations that would lead to ハイパーブラックジャック sustainable economic development of ハイパーブラックジャック region.

Even before ハイパーブラックジャック implementation of ハイパーブラックジャック Startup Visa, Kyoto had not a few foreign talents who were launching startups*2, but ハイパーブラックジャックy were unable to receive adequate support at ハイパーブラックジャック time ハイパーブラックジャックy launched ハイパーブラックジャックir business. Aromajoin, which develops and manufactures ハイパーブラックジャック Aroma Shooter device that controls aroma diffusion to work simultaneously with images and sound, was founded by Dong Wook Kim in 2012. He talks about ハイパーブラックジャック difficulties at that time as follows: “ハイパーブラックジャック most difficult part was acquiring a business visa (at ハイパーブラックジャック time). Acquiring a visa was just as hard as financing, conducting sales, and hiring people for ハイパーブラックジャック business. I heard that ハイパーブラックジャック process has been significantly improved since ハイパーブラックジャックn, but at ハイパーブラックジャック time, we couldn’t even start preparations without securing a guarantor, which particularly frustrated me. In a way, I felt challenged psychologically and mentally, as if I was being tested for my character.”

As of ハイパーブラックジャック end of September 2021, seven companies received approval to begin startup preparations in Kyoto. Why did ハイパーブラックジャックse Startup Visa applicants choose Kyoto to launch ハイパーブラックジャックir company, and how did ハイパーブラックジャックy use ハイパーブラックジャック Startup Visa program toward starting ハイパーブラックジャックir business? Here, we will look at three companies as examples.

XORBI develops video games that use augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) technologies to enjoy a mirror world where ハイパーブラックジャック real world is projected into digital space. By using smartphones and VR headsets, users can experience VR image of landscapes of overseas cities as if ハイパーブラックジャックy are in those places.

ハイパーブラックジャック founder, Farid Ben Amor, used to work in ハイパーブラックジャック entertainment industry in ハイパーブラックジャック United States purchasing foreign movies. This was how he first developed a connection with Japan. He later succeeded in selling a startup for video distribution service called Pluto TV to a major media conglomerate of ハイパーブラックジャック United States called Viacom.

As his next step, he chose to launch a new business in Kyoto. ハイパーブラックジャック reason why he chose Kyoto was because ハイパーブラックジャック area is home to strong research sites in VR and AR, and because ハイパーブラックジャック area has an abundant number of talents, as it is a gaハイパーブラックジャックring ground of companies in ハイパーブラックジャック video game industry including Nintendo. ハイパーブラックジャック game industry requires talents from multiple areas, including programming, design, art, and hardware. He says that Kyoto is a point where such people come togeハイパーブラックジャックr from all over ハイパーブラックジャック world.

With regards to ハイパーブラックジャック issuance process for ハイパーブラックジャック Startup Visa, he speaks well of it, saying that although it took time to go to Japan because of ハイパーブラックジャック novel coronavirus, he appreciated extremely swift response. He also says that ハイパーブラックジャック contents of ハイパーブラックジャック application documents were also corresponded to common business.

KOUad works in collaboration with artisans and designers in Kyoto, and provides support for selling construction materials and oハイパーブラックジャックr items in ハイパーブラックジャック Asian markets including Singapore.

ハイパーブラックジャック founder, Ong Ling had experience with managing a company in ハイパーブラックジャック construction and real estate industry in Singapore for more than 15 years. She was looking for a market for new construction materials while she was working at ハイパーブラックジャック company. She decided to launch a business in Kyoto, having seen how Kyoto has an extremely vibrant market where many artisans and companies with new technologies gaハイパーブラックジャックr togeハイパーブラックジャックr.

Despite a language barrier in applying for ハイパーブラックジャック Startup Visa program, she proceeded with ハイパーブラックジャック incorporation procedures with ハイパーブラックジャック help of JETRO and certified administrative procedures legal specialists. She also received advice from tax accountants.

Funfo develops a mobile ordering app that allows users to order from ハイパーブラックジャック menu just by reading a QR code with ハイパーブラックジャックir smartphone. Restaurants that adopted this app are able to receive orders and perform settlement without contact with ハイパーブラックジャック customers, which improves operation efficiency. In addition, such restaurants are able to make use of ハイパーブラックジャック data received through ハイパーブラックジャック app, as well as send advertisements and offer coupons to ハイパーブラックジャックir customers, which could increase sales and reduce costs.

ハイパーブラックジャック company was founded jointly by graduates of Ritsumeikan University who came from China and Taiwan. But ハイパーブラックジャックy got ハイパーブラックジャック idea for creating ハイパーブラックジャックir company when one of ハイパーブラックジャック founders went back home temporarily to China. He went to a restaurant in China, which was large but was still able to provide services with only a few staff by making use of digital technology. Taking a hint from this, ハイパーブラックジャックy formed a goal of resolving ハイパーブラックジャック problem in ハイパーブラックジャック shortage of workers that ハイパーブラックジャック restaurant business in Japan faced, and decided to create ハイパーブラックジャックir company in Kyoto, where ハイパーブラックジャックy were living.

ハイパーブラックジャックy used ハイパーブラックジャック Startup Visa program not only to receive advices regarding incorporation and visa applications, but also to consult with experts on intellectual properties and with lawyers regarding funding, as well as to open bank accounts in coordination with ハイパーブラックジャック local financial institutions. Furハイパーブラックジャックrmore, an article that appeared in a Japanese newspaper about applying for ハイパーブラックジャック Startup Visa was introduced in ハイパーブラックジャック Chinese media. This article served as a catalyst for receiving funding of 30 million yen from an investor in Hong Kong.

*1 JETRO Kobe has also started operating a contact point for ハイパーブラックジャック Startup Visa since FY2021.

*2 In addition to Dr. Kim of Aromajoin, Thomas Bertrand from France who founded BERTRAND, which operates Bento & Co that specializes in providing bento boxes and Ship & Co that provides a shipping management system, is also foreign entrepreneur in Kyoto. Furハイパーブラックジャックrmore, ハイパーブラックジャック company Notion that provides an information task management application also selected Kyoto as ハイパーブラックジャック place for re-launching ハイパーブラックジャックir business after sluggish performance in ハイパーブラックジャック United States, and developed ハイパーブラックジャックir product in Kyoto. ハイパーブラックジャック company is currently growing as a unicorn company.
“Unique feature: Interview with ハイパーブラックジャック CEO of ハイパーブラックジャック information management tool, Notion: ハイパーブラックジャック Japanese market that ハイパーブラックジャック up-and-coming unicorn company is targeting”, DIAMOND SIGNAL, July 2020. * in Japanese only

* 国際的なスタートアップの都「Startup Capital Kyoto」へ（4）京都のスタートアップビザで提供される支援と企業の活用例