Forget Tepco, Japanese Start-ups Power On

There's a good article over at TechCrunch on their Japan start-up day.  Link.  There's a number of good ideas there.

Japan's start-ups face big challenges in getting going and the number of start-ups featured in the TechCrunch event was tiny compared to the same number that would show up in Silicon Valley.  Too many graduates in Japan still aspire to join the ranks of big companies.

Even more important, few Japanese companies see start-ups as a source of innovation they can acquire.  Today, while IPOs remain an important "exit" point for companies, the most common one is acquisition by a larger technology company.  The buyer gets a proven product and team at the stroke of a pen and the start-up gets a faster exit and great payday.

Tokyo Tower, in brighter days.  Photo from Around The Rings