-Life as a Japan Startup Expert-
Tim Romero is a Partner at JERA Ventures, a new $300M fund focused on investing in decarbonization and sustainability startups and working with Japan’s energy companies to take carbon off the grid and out of the atmosphere.
It’s a chance to help solve the most important problem humanity faces and one that Tim refers to as something worth waking up early for.
Japan Startup Scene
Tim is deeply involved in Japan’s startup community as an investor, founder, author and educator, and he has founded several startups in Japan over the past 25 years.
He has also taught entrepreneurship and corporate innovation at New York University’s Tokyo campus.
Professional Expertise & Background
Further, he was the Head of Google for Startups Japan where he supported startups and worked with government and academic leaders to help shape startup policy.
He and his team designed unique programs and brought experts from around the world to Japan to help fill the knowledge gaps in the startup ecosystem.
Blending his diverse entrepreneurial skill and knowledge, Tim has worked with a wide array of Japanese enterprises including TEPCO Japan’s largest power utility on startup engagement and innovation strategy.
A Respected Japan Startup Voice
Finally, Tim shares his knowledge about the Japanese startup ecosystem on his podcast Disrupting Japan, the first and largest startup podcast in Japan.
Reasons to Listen
This will be a talk worth listening to for:
- those interested in knowing more about the world of Japan startup ventures and what it truly takes to succeed in that space
- those wanting contrasting looks at life within a startup versus that of an established enterprise
- those who are undecided about whether to sink themselves into a startup versus a large company
Listeners will come away with insights on:
- the biggest differences relating to work within startups versus established enterprises
- a day in the life of a partner at a 300M fund focussed on investing in decarbonization and sustainability startups
- what aspects of his work personally appeal to Tim the most
- a look at how he came be hosting the number one startup podcast in Japan
- how Japan ultimately ended up becoming a huge part of Tim’s career and business pathway
- what mental framework has ultimately guided him as far as many of his career and business pathway decisions
- what it’s like to be part of innovation and creation within a large organization as opposed to within a startup
- how purpose and passion can very much evolve along the way across a professional’s lifetime influencing personal career and business decisions
- three fundamentally critical boxes a startup needs to check in order to have a shot at being successful
- some hidden rewards of startup life
- his thoughts on it being a great time to get into entrepreneurship
- why the advice of following your passion is the worst advice any founder can receive
- what personally excites him with regard to current startup trends
- what Japan offers moving forward as far as innovation and breakthrough within the startup space
- much more!
A Memorable Quote from the Episode:
“The biggest difference between a startup and an enterprise isn’t scale or structure. It’s that a startup’s job is to search for that business model, to find it, to create it, to pivot three or four times, to identify it and to go bankrupt if it can’t.”
-Tim Romero
Check out the Video Conversation:
For those who desire to view video highlights of the conversation, you can do so via Youtube.
Discover More
For those interested in learning more about Tim, be sure to check out his work at Jera Ventures.
You can also tune into Tim’s podcast Disrupting Japan to hear about Japan specific startup trends, issues and more. Finally be sure to follow him below on the following platform:
Keep Listening!
I hope you enjoyed the episode. For more, check out additional episodes here!
