Shibuya Startup Support (SSS) participated in the tech, film, and music festival SXSW in Texas. During the event we visited the startup community and support organizations from Texas and other parts of the USA, while promoting Shibuya's international startup ecosystem. In addition to Austin, the host city of SXSW, we also visited Los Angeles and San Diego to deepen ties with other startup ecosystems.
Collaboration stage with Japanese artists at “UK House” by the UK government (Photo: Shibuya City)
SXSW
Many events were held all over the city of Austin during SXSW. In addition to networking events for startups and investors, each participating country created “houses” throughout the city to showcase their art, innovation, music, and technology.
SSS Team Member Experiences the Latest VR Technology at the Creative Industries Expo (Photo: Shibuya City)
The SXSW events featured an area where attendees could immerse themselves in the world of the new drama series “Fallout”. There was also the XR Experience Exhibition, showcasing XR startups from around the world and allowing visitors to test their products. Meanwhile, the Creative Industries Expo presented cutting-edge creative products from across the globe.
SXSW Pitch: Meet the Finalists (Photo: Shibuya City)
We had the opportunity to meet and talk with some of the 50 startups selected as finalists in the annual pitch contest at SXSW, try out their products, and introduce them to SSS and the startup ecosystem players in Japan. The event was also a great opportunity to meet many entrepreneurs participating in SusHi Tech Tokyo, or startups interested in expanding their business to Japan.
Visiting the Office of Q-Branch, an Accelerator in Austin (Photo: Shibuya City)
Visits to Los Angeles, San Diego, and Austin
During our trip, we had the chance to visit various organizations across different cities. In Los Angeles, we went to UCLA, Launch Star Z, and ShibuLA Ventures. In San Diego, we visited Startup San Diego and the Institute for the Global Entrepreneur at the University of California San Diego. Finally, in Austin, we met with people from Q-Branch, the JETRO Los Angeles Office, and the KDDI Open Innovation Fund. These visits facilitated exchanges with local ecosystem builders and startup support organizations from Japan and abroad who were also involved in SXSW. Throughout our tours, we explored collaboration opportunities to support overseas startups entering the Japanese market and potential partnerships for enhancing support systems within the local startup ecosystem.
Saeko Seno from Shibuya Startup Support said, “I attended SXSW for the first time this year. It provided an excellent opportunity not only for startup enthusiasts from Austin but also for startup supporters from around the world to connect. I hope we can organize similar events in Shibuya!”
SSS will continue to strengthen collaborations with startups or the ecosystem in the U.S. and further afield to promote overseas collaboration and support overseas startups entering the Japanese market. If you are interested in the Shibuya Startup Support program or the Shibuya Startup Visa, please don’t hesitate to contact us, and follow us on social media to keep up-to-date on upcoming events!
More information on Shibuya Startup Visa program: https://shibuya-startup-support.jp/sws/
Shibuya Startup Support’s Social Media Account:
Twitter：http://twitter.com/ShibuyaStartup
Facebook：https://www.facebook.com/shibuya.startup.support
LinkedIn：https://www.linkedin.com/company/shibuya-startup-support/
Shibuya Bridge B-5,
1-29-3 Higashi, Shibuya City, Tokyo
JAPAN 150-0011
Shibuya Startup Support
