Japan is typically viewed as “behind” on entrepreneurship, startup innovation, and venture investments. In spite of two decades of uncountable initiatives to launch an innovation ecosystem, the naysayers claim, Japan has still not built a vibrant entrepreneurial community. But is this really true? Robert Eberhart will present a set of data that challenge the perceived wisdom, and discusses what evidence we should look it to get a true sense of the Japanese innovation scene.

Speakers:
• Robert Eberhart, Associate Director of Research on Entrepreneurship and Society, Stanford University
• Ulrike Schaede, Professor and Director of the Japan Forum for Innovation and Technology, GPS UC San Diego