Disrupting Japan: How to Make Japan Safe for Startups - Tadashi Tanimoto

Tadashi Tanimoto has some big successes being him and even bigger dreams ahead. The IPO of Realcom was both the final step in one journey and the first step in another.

Tadashi desperately wants to change the way people work together and share information. Now I admit, that sounds a lot like one of those mission statements written by an executive committee at just about every company trying to sell software to large enterprises. But as you listen to this interview, you’ll realize that Tadashi is not only sincere, but he has a concrete vision of how this information will be shared in the future.

Tadashi started Realcom at the worst possible time – just as the Internet bubble was breaking, and he set about selling a knowledge information product and service package that his customers did not even know they needed — at first. Many were not optimistic about his prospects early on, but hundreds of customers and a successful IPO has proven the critics wrong.

This episode contains some great advice on how to sell innovative technology to large enterprises, examines the real talent shortage in Japan (it’s not engineers) and talks about what’s really driving the recent growth in M&A in Japan.

Give it a listen and let us know what you think.

For more on Japanese startups visit

© Japan Today