Build with Japan

"I don't want AI being controlled by Beijing or the Bay Area, and I want Japan to have the opportunity to shine." ¥10 trillion. That's how serious Japan is about building its next generation of unicorns. Grace Isford and James Riney have been watching this shift happen in real time, and in this episode, they break down exactly what it means. Japan dominates 90% of the global photoresist market. It...

"There was no company to invest in. It would have to be started." Scott Nolan spent all of 2023 looking for a company solving America's nuclear fuel crisis. When he couldn't find one, he started General Matter instead. The US once supplied 86% of the world's enriched uranium. Today it has zero. Russia controls half the market, with China accelerating fast. General Matter just...

"There is no company that has this portfolio." Michael Spranger isn't exaggerating. As COO at Sony Research and president of Sony AI, he's watched Sony transform from a TV company into a $166B entertainment empire. In this episode with Tiffany Kayo, Michael breaks down Sony's AI strategy: what they choose to build (and what they ignore). Key insights: Sony's shift from electronics to entertainment...

“We thought it would be too hard to build.” That’s how Mikey Shulman, Co-Founder of Suno, describes the early days of building what is now a $200M revenue company with 100M users. Suno has since partnered with Warner Music Group and is redefining how music gets made. In this episode, Mikey envisions a future where passive listeners become active collaborators, and where your favorite artist might...

Devon Zuegel, founder and CEO of the Esmeralda Institute, joins us on the latest episode of The Coral Capital Podcast. After building online communities, scaling open-source programs at GitHub, and hosting Notion’s Pioneers series, Devon Zuegel is now bringing her expertise offline to create a family focused village north of San Francisco. In this episode, she shares the challenges of shaping a pe...

Koichi Narasaki , former Chief Digital Officer of SOMPO and the architect behind Palantir Japan, joins us on the latest episode of The Coral Capital Podcast. From his early days at Mitsubishi Corporation investing in Silicon Valley startups during the dotcom boom, to leading one of Japan’s most successful joint ventures with Palantir, Narasaki has been at the intersection of global tech and Japane...

Ayao Komatsu, the team principal of Haas F1, joins us on the latest episode of The Coral Capital Podcast . As the first Japanese team principal (leading a non-Japanese F1 team), Komatsu offers a unique perspective on leadership in Formula 1. Ayao shares insights on Haas F1's new technical partnership with Toyota and the challenges of competing with limited resources as the team looks ahead to...

At Coral Capital’s Tokyo HQ, artist–entrepreneur VERBAL (m-flo rapper and producer, AMBUSH® Co-Founder, and SŌMATŌ sake founder) sits down with James Riney and Tiffany Kayo to unpack how Japan’s next cultural wave is being built at the intersection of streetwear, music, and frontier tech. They explore why a Tokyo mindset still captivates tastemakers from Pharrell to Prada, and what has to change f...

In this episode of The Coral Capital Podcast former Financial Times editor and author of Gambling Man, joins Tiffany Kayo and James Riney for a conversation about one of Japan’s most enigmatic figures: Masayoshi Son. Barber shares what it was like sitting across from Masa, why his story is more than a business saga, and how SoftBank’s founder became a symbol of Japan’s global ambitions and contrad...

On this episode of The Coral Capital Podcast, we were joined by the Chief Evangelist of Canva for a candid conversation about grit, growth, and the unfiltered story behind his remarkable career. Also in the conversation: The Silicon Valley myth that keeps getting mistaken for strategy What Apple got right (and still gets wrong) about AI How Canva is spreading design literacy globally Why your ikig...

On this episode of The Coral Capital Podcast , Founding Partner James Riney and Investor Tiffany Kayo were joined by Phil Wickham , co-founder of Sozo Ventures—a globally-minded VC firm that’s backed breakout U.S. companies expanding into Japan, including the likes of Coinbase, Square & Palantir. Philip shares rare, behind-the-scenes insights from decades spent bridging Silicon Valley and Toky...

At Coral Capital’s Tokyo HQ, economist and writer Noah Smith joins James Riney, Founding Partner and CEO of Coral Capital, to explore how Japan is uniquely positioned for a global resurgence. They discuss how the country can convert its global fascination into a strategic advantage, and why Japan is increasingly on the radar of institutional capital and high-net-worth investors. The conversation d...

Welcome to another episode of The Coral Capital Podcast, a show where we bring on guests from tech, business, politics, and culture to talk about all things Japan. In this episode, economist and long-time Japan optimist Jesper Koll breaks down how Japan is faring amid rising global protectionism, demographic shifts, and geopolitical uncertainty. A resident of Japan since 1986, Jesper has spent dec...

Welcome to another episode of The Coral Capital Podcast, a show where we bring on guests from tech, business, politics, and culture to talk about all things Japan. In this episode, we’re joined by Claire Hughes Johnson, Corporate Officer and Advisor at Stripe, and the company’s former Chief Operating Officer. From 2014 to 2021, Claire played a pivotal role in scaling Stripe’s operations, growing t...

Welcome to another episode of The Coral Capital Podcast, a show where we bring on guests from tech, business, politics, and culture to talk about all things Japan. In this episode, we’re joined by Gen Isayama, General Partner & CEO of WiL—a venture capital firm that’s redefining how innovation happens in Japan. Unlike traditional VCs, WiL doesn’t just invest—they educate, incubate, and leverag...

Welcome to another episode of The Coral Capital Podcast, a show where we bring on guests from tech, business, politics, and culture to talk about all things Japan. VTubing, or virtual YouTubing , is a form of digital content creation where anime-style avatars —powered by motion capture and voice acting —engage audiences through livestreams, gaming, and interactive entertainment . This industry has...

Welcome to another episode of The Coral Capital Podcast, a show where we bring on guests from tech, business, politics, and culture to talk about all things Japan. Today’s guest is Andrew Schoen, Partner at NEA (New Enterprise Associates) . Established in 1977, NEA has served as a partner to the founders and teams behind some of the most transformational innovations in healthcare and technology ov...

Welcome to another episode of The Coral Capital Podcast, a show where we bring on guests from tech, business, politics, and culture to talk about all things Japan. In this episode we are joined by Brian Yun, Co-founder and CEO of Woodstock, a Coral portfolio company building a social trading app with the mission to empower the next generation to create a better financial future. Brian has a phenom...

Welcome to another episode of The Coral Capital Podcast, a show about startups, technology, and venture capital with a focus on Japan and Asia broadly. Our guest today is Shinichi Takamiya, Managing Partner at Globis Capital Partners. Takamiya-san was ranked first in Forbes Japan’s Midas List in 2018, seventh in 2015, and tenth in 2020. He joined Globis Capital Partners after managing consulting p...

Welcome to another episode of The Coral Capital Podcast, a show about startups, technology, and venture capital with a focus on Japan and Asia broadly. Today, we're joined by Richard Katz, NYC correspondent for the Weekly Toyo Keizai and the author of several books, including his latest, “The Contest for Japan’s Economic Future: Entrepreneurs vs. Corporate Giants”. In this episode, we'll take a st...

Welcome to another episode of The Coral Capital Podcast, where we delve into the world of startups, technology, and venture capital with a focus on Japan and the broader Asia region. Our guest today is Jonathan Shih, Managing Partner at Keyrock Capital Management, a Hong Kong-based investment management firm specializing in emerging growth companies in the Asia-Pacific region. Keyrock is an active...

Welcome to another episode of The Coral Capital Podcast, a show about startups, technology, and venture capital with a focus on Japan and Asia broadly. In this episode, we chat with Jumpei Yoshida, CFO at Kaminashi - one of Japan’s most closely watched startups. Kaminashi provides a one-stop, cloud-based solution to manage workflows for “deskless workers” in industries like manufacturing, food ser...

Welcome to another episode of The Coral Capital Podcast, a show about startups, technology, and venture capital with a focus on Japan and Asia. In this episode, we chat with Mark Suster, a Partner at Upfront Ventures. Upfront is one of LA’s most prominent venture capital firms, renowned for backing companies like Ring, GOAT, Overture, and even Starbucks back in the day. Mark was previously the fou...

Welcome to another episode of The Coral Capital Podcast, a show about startups, technology, and venture capital with a focus on Japan and Asia. This episode is a fireside chat with Ming Maa , the Group President of Grab . Initially established as a taxi-hailing app in Malaysia back in 2012, Grab has evolved into the leading super app in Southeast Asia and the region's first decacorn. It empowe...

Welcome to another episode of The Coral Capital Podcast, a show about startups, technology, and venture capital with a focus on Japan and Asia. In this episode we chat with Andrew Chen , General Partner at Andreessen Horowitz, where he invests in games, AR/VR, metaverse, and consumer tech startups. He is on the boards of Clubhouse, Substack, Z League, Sleeper, Snackpass, All Day Kitchens, Sandbox...