Shibuya Startup Support is an initiative by the Shibuya City Office to support international founders on their startup journey here in Japan.
We are SHIBUYA STARTUP SUPPORT, an initiative led by the Shibuya City Office to invite your startup business (whether in Japan or from abroad) to Shibuya to grow with us. Think of us as a concierge to help you establish and expand your business in Shibuya as smoothly as possible.
Through this page we provide you with up-to-the-minute resources, access to face-to-face advice, and the opportunity to connect you to local business opportunities.
Yoshiro joined Shibuya City Office in January 2020 to take charge of internationalizing Shibuya City by building a startup ecosystem until January 2025. He worked for the Consulate-General of Japan in San Francisco for eight and a half years, involving himself in numerous activities in the Bay Area, such as setting up non-profit organizations. Upon returning to Japan in 2016, he worked as a board member of a startup in Tohoku and then joined Komatsu Ltd. He also served as Vice President of Landlog, a venture company established by Komatsu. Yoshiro is committed to developing Shibuya into a startup ecosystem to rival Silicon Valley, using the skills he acquired overseas and his work experience at both major corporations and startups.
After 20 years handling brand strategy and communications for foreign clients at an advertising agency, Akiko joined Shibuya City in 2020. As Director of Industry, Tourism and Culture, she is responsible for industrial promotion, cultural policy, and startup support; significantly the promotion of public-private partnership-based community development initiatives such as the introduction of the digital local currency Hachi Pay and the art and technology festival DIG SHIBUYA. She was appointed as Head of International Urban Strategy in August 2025 to lead projects including strategic city promotion, startup support, and urban data utilization. Utilizing a global perspective and strong coordination skills, she drives Shibuya's urban strategy forward, shaping Shibuya's future by integrating experience from both the private and public sectors.
While working in education as a book editor, Asuka developed a deep interest in the public sector. After engaging in community development projects, she joined Shibuya City to work in senior welfare and cultural fields, before being seconded to the Tokyo 2020 Organizing Committee. She joined Shibuya City's startup ecosystem in 2025, where she is responsible for building the startup ecosystem and implementing related initiatives. She excels at translating concepts into tangible business ventures and collaborating/negotiating with stakeholders, supporting the realization of Shibuya's startup initiatives through public-private partnerships.
Saeko joined the Shibuya City Office's Global City Promotion Office in April 2021 as the department’s 2iC. Before that, she worked in various fields in the municipal government including public relations, foreigner registration, senior welfare, human resources, and system operation. Fluency in both IT systems and English (unfortunately hard to come by in the halls of regional government!) marks her as a great communicator and an integral part of the Shibuya Startup Support team. She loves both Southern California and her dog.
Yoshino joined Shibuya City in 2018, where she worked in the General Affairs Department on projects across the entire city. From 2021, seconded to the Cabinet Office's Science and Technology Innovation Promotion Office, she handled national startup policy tasks including follow-up on the first-phase Startup City project and promoting the Global Startup Campus initiative. Possessing exceptional responsiveness and foresight, and backed by strong trust from government agencies, she supports Shibuya's startup initiatives from a policy perspective, connecting local administration and national policies to shaping Shibuya's future.
While working on urban infrastructure through duties in the Civil Engineering Department, Nao also participated in public-private partnership projects as a member of the Shibuya City Select Team. During university, gained experience supporting students participating in overseas internships and planning/operating international exchange events through international volunteer activities. Having joined Shibuya City in 2022 and assigned to the Global City Promotion Division in April 2025, she is a rising talent poised to shape Shibuya's future, continuously embracing challenges with a forward-thinking mindset.
In April 2025 Miyu was dispatched to Shibuya City from Tokyu Corporation through a personnel exchange program, and is responsible for formulating Shibuya's redevelopment strategy, area promotion, and event planning; playing a central role in Shibuya's urban development and communications. Leveraging the strong communication skills and balanced perspective cultivated through approximately 10 years of overseas residency, she promotes collaboration with domestic and international stakeholders. With an international perspective, she transcends public-private boundaries to promote the appeal of Shibuya City's startup ecosystem globally. Driven by a strong desire to contribute to Shibuya's development, she works to create distinctive Shibuya-style value while respecting the area's diversity.
Special Advisor for Public Relations: Naotake has helped many startups through his experience of PR/Marketing. He leads many NPOs including Public Meets Innovations, Japan Public Relations Associations, Shibuya Connectors 30 and others.
Venture investor at Eight Roads supporting founders in technology and fintech. Previously worked at Innospark investing in AI startups. During her MBA at MIT, she worked with N26, a European neobank and published research on cryptocurrencies with the MIT Digital Currency Initiative.
CEO of Code Chrysalis. Kani helped industry leaders transform the way they build software, drive customer success, innovate, and disrupt businesses across industries in multiple geographies. Worked in the US for 18 years before deciding to pursue his passion for education at Hack Reactor.
indigo inc. CEO & Business Producer. Aiko joined an advertising company in 2007 and started to handle new business development in 2017. Since then she has engaged in consultation from a technology and branding point of view to form an ecosystem connecting enterprise and startups in Japan. Founded indigo inc. in January 2020.
Takayuki Suzuki is CEO of ParadeALL, strategic EnterTech consultant based in Tokyo, Japan, bridging music and AI, Web3 and other cutting edge tech across Japan, US, EU and China. Aș entrepreneur, he leads MetaTokyo, multiverse entertainment studio for Web3 metaverse. In addition to this, he takes on various roles such as advisory board member of SXSW Pitch, Belgium MusicTech Accelerator, Director of JASRAC, Japanese major music copyright organization and etc.
Schyler Cole is a venture capitalist, ecosystem builder, and policy specialist based in Tokyo. Her undergraduate research led her to founding and receiving funding for a health and food-focused company. She has experience in startups, VC, and think tanks in the US and Japan and is the co-founder of Startup Co-Creation, a community dedicated to providing genuinely exciting opportunities and resources for globally-minded founders and startup-related stakeholders in and interested in Japan. She earned her BA in Economics from Stanford and her MPP from the University of Tokyo.
Christopher Chang is the Founder of BEE CAPITAL PARTNERS, a co-op family office. Previously, he was the Chief Operating Officer of venture capital firm BEENEXT, after being an Investor at GCM Grosvenor and an Analyst at JPMorgan Securities Japan. Outside of work, Christopher was selected to be part of the Milken Institute’s Young Leader’s Circle, an Associate Leader for The U.S.-Japan Council, and a recipient of the Forbes 30 Under 30 List. He is also a Visiting Lecturer for Stanford University and a Program Member of the Georgetown University Alumni Association. Christopher received his Bachelor of Arts from Georgetown University and his Master of Business Administration from the University of Oxford.
Terrence Giang has over 20 years of public and private equity investing, M&A advisory, and corporate management experience. Based in San Francisco, Terrence is a Managing Partner at Digital Garage Ventures focused on Fintech, Retail / E-commerce, Enterprise SaaS investments. In Tokyo he was a founding member of Nippon Renewable Energy, one of Japan's first venture-scale cleantech startups in the post-Great East Japan Earthquake era. As an advocate for a global Japanese startup ecosystem, Terrence is active in the international venture community as an early stage institutional investor, startup board advisor, founder mentor, angel investor and has appeared on conference stages, in print and on television. He is a graduate of Yale University.