Why Japanese VCs are Losing Out – James Riney of 500 Startups

500 Startups has been one of the driving forces behind the utter disruption of how seed funding is done.  That shift is one of the reasons we have seen such large and diverse startup ecosystems emerging around the world.  Japan, however, often changes more slowly than other nations. Today we sit down and talk with James Riney, the new head of 500 Startups Japan, about why Japanese venture capitalists have been so slow to change, and exactly what James and 500 Startups plans on doing about it. Things are already changing for the better in Japan -- at least as far as startups are concerned -- but if Japan's traditional venture capitalists don't change their ways, they are going to find themselves locked out of the most important deals. Seed stage investment is increasingly a sellers market, where quality startups pick between competing investment firms. It's a new dynamic that many VCs here are struggling with. We talk about the most important things a VC can offer its portfolio companies, and I'll leave it to you to decide if Japanese investors are ready for it. It's a great show, and I think you'll enjoy it.