Interview with Shibuya Startup Visa Holder, Alexandre Fournier

(Photo: Xenos Labs)

Could you briefly introduce yourself and your business?

Hello! My name is Alexandre Fournier and I’m one of the founders of Xenos Labs. We are a team of 3 technical founders from France, who met while working in South Korea for an audio AI startup.

We are developing SportsEye, a next-generation sports app that leverages LLMs similar to ChatGPT and Google Gemini to provide an AI chat assistant capable of answering any sport-related question, including those based on recent events and real-time games. Horus offers detailed tactical analysis, player overviews, and betting advice.

Currently, SportsEye only supports soccer, but will soon support every league in every sport. Additionally, we are working on integrating with popular fantasy sports platforms such as Sorare and DraftKings.

(Photo: Xenos Labs)

What led you to apply for the SSS visa? Why did you choose Japan?

Previously, we were working in South Korea and noticed that we had no competition in Japan for our project. The market size in Japan was bigger, and there were a lot of government programs available, so we decided to choose Japan. As a foreigner, setting up in Japan was also easier compared to South Korea. Additionally, technology adoption in Japan moves differently than in Europe and the U.S. For instance, a Japanese VC mentioned that ChatGPT is banned and not allowed to be used in their companies due to privacy concerns, while in the U.S., companies pay for their employees to use it. This made me interested in helping people in Japan become more accepting of this kind of technology.

I previously visited Japan as a tourist, and Shibuya was one of my favorite places. It’s the most recognizable business district in Japan and possibly even in Asia, so it was quite natural for me to try to join the SSS program.

Were there any preparations you found beneficial before starting your business in Japan?

Having previously visited Tokyo as a tourist was quite helpful, as I didn’t get lost. Even though I only have basic knowledge of Japanese, it was beneficial when getting phone numbers and visiting the immigration office.

Were there any challenges or cultural differences you encountered?

Not as much as I expected, actually! I can only think of small things, like exchanging business cards or using fax machines, which was quite surprising. Additionally, using aizuchi (sounds to indicate that you are paying attention)  frequently is not common for foreigners, so sometimes people think I’m not paying attention during a conversation.

The challenges I faced were typical for newly arrived foreigners, such as renting an apartment. I couldn’t rent an apartment without a Japanese phone number, but I couldn’t get a phone without an apartment!

What positive aspects have you experienced so far?

Generally, life is quite pleasant in Tokyo because there are so many events and things to do, the food is amazing, and it’s very safe. Every weekend there’s a festival, and it’s been so interesting to go to these events and find something to do with my friends. Also, it’s been really cool to see the difference between life in France and Japan. I considered moving to the US as well, but I value both my work and personal life, and in terms of quality of life, I wasn’t sure if I could enjoy living in the US, especially regarding safety. Also, I was more familiar with Japan since I used to live in Korea.

For business, it can take some time to get to know people, but they are usually very reliable. And people abroad are usually positively curious about Japanese companies.

What is your future plan for your business?

Currently, we officially support soccer, but plan to support every major sport by 2025. Within a year, we aim to release a B2B version of the app, targeting data scouts, analysts, and sports clubs to support B2B use cases.

Our exit strategy involves acquisition by large sports consortiums such as DraftKings, ESPN, DAZN Group, Yahoo, and other betting providers. We have just started our Seed round and are working hard every day to raise enough funds to make the venture viable. Our team is strong on the technical side, so having a VC that also provides support on the business side is a significant advantage. We value not only financial backing but also guidance to help us grow our business effectively.

What message would you like to share with future startup visa holders or those who are interested in the Japanese market or the startup visa?

There are some scary stories online about foreigners struggling to build companies in Japan, but with the right help, it’s not as difficult as it seems! SSS was incredibly useful for paperwork procedures and general support, so it’s definitely worth trying. The SSS staff accompanied me to the bank, which was very helpful when opening both corporate and personal bank accounts. They explained all the necessary steps, making the process much smoother.

Thank you Alex for sharing your business and experience in Japan!

If you are interested in the startup ecosystem and startup visas, 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’s Startup Visa program: https://shibuya-startup-support.jp/sws/

Shibuya Startup Support’s social media accounts:

LinkedIn：https://www.linkedin.com/company/shibuya-startup-support/

Facebook：https://www.facebook.com/shibuya.startup.support

Twitter：https://twitter.com/ShibuyaStartup

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