Okazaki Jinja in Kyoto is the Rabbit Shrine of Good Luck — A few years ago, I was introducing my sister, who’d never been overseas before, to the wonders of Kyoto. After a visit to the world-famous Heian Jingu on the eastern side of Kyoto, we decided to walk up to Ginkaku-ji along the Philosopher’s Path — Tetsugaku no Michi. Cutting across…

Be prepared for valuations and terms that are returning to pre-bubble norms — The new year has arrived and many early-stage startups are gearing up to begin fundraising. The timing is not great. With the Nasdaq down 33% in 2022, high-risk stocks like Telsa down 75%, the SPAC boom dead, the IPO market closed, and later-stage startups taking down rounds, it’s a tough…

The biggest difference between Oshogatsu in Tokyo and Japangeles is the weather — After returning from living in Kobe and Tokyo, my wife and I moved to Los Angeles. Little did we know that we could live a Japanese life here in Japangeles. That may seem strange. After all, we’re in America. But America is a country of immigrants, nowhere more so than…

Professionals practice until they can’t get it wrong — Years ago, there was a beer commercial that showed football players practicing by smashing into each other over and over. The voiceover declared: “Amateurs practice until they get it right. Pros practice until they can’t get it wrong.” This quote made famous by Julie Andrews goes back to a school…

Enjoy the joke while eating Nagano’s juicy fried chicken — If you’ve ever been to Nagano Prefecture in the Japanese Alps, you’ve probably had a chance to eat one of the local specialties, a type of fried chicken called sanzoku-yaki (山賊焼き) which is usually rendered into English as “Mountain pirate (or bandit) chicken.” With a name like mountain pirate, I…

5 criteria VCs look for before considering investing — I spent last week reviewing 200 early-stage startup business plans. My brain hurts. The businesses were for all sorts of products and services. But the plans were painfully similar: give us money, we’ll develop the product, then get more money to expand the business. …

Valuations and investment conditions are looking seriously frothy — Climate tech and energy sustainability has been my passion my entire life. As a startup investor and mentor, I’ve focused on hardtech innovations that address the climate crisis. After decades of watching as new ideas struggled for funding, I’m thrilled to see investors suddenly supporting ClimateTech startups. However, I’m worried…