Startup Japan: Why 1Mby1M is a Game Changer for the Japanese Accelerator Ecosystem

The Accelerator Conundrumis a multipart series that challenges the prevailing wisdom of the tech startup ecosystem that entrepreneurs should Blitzscale out of the gate. Written by Sramana Mitra, the Founder and CEO of One Million by One Million (1Mby1M), the world’s first global virtual accelerator, it emphatically argues that a better strategy is to Bootstrap First, Raise Money Later, focus on customers, revenues and profits. 1Mby1M’s mission is to help a Million entrepreneurs reach a million dollars in annual revenue and beyond. Sramana’s Digital Mind AI Mentor virtually mentors entrepreneurs around the world in 57 languages. Try it out!

Entrepreneurship is an adventure. It is not a sprint—it is often a long, winding climb through unknown terrain. When I launched One Million by One Million (1Mby1M) in 2010, I was responding to a question: How can we enable a million developer-entrepreneurs globally to reach a million dollars in annual revenue each, without depending purely on venture capital? How can we scale mentoring, reduce friction, protect founder equity, and promote sustainable, revenue-first growth? These questions have driven my writing in The Accelerator Conundrum series. I want founders everywhere to see that the choice of accelerator isn’t neutral—it shapes whether you build for survival, or for velocity, or worse yet, for external expectations rather than what the market actually values.

In reading, speaking, and teaching, I have observed that many accelerators promise big things: funding, office space, demo days, press. Too often, equity exchange, short cohorts, and rigid physical presence dominate. That model works well in certain geographies, but not everywhere, and not for every founder. What if instead of pushing you into a 3-month cohort, I gave you tools, mentorship, frameworks that you could use whenever you needed, as long as you needed, without giving away equity unless you want to? What if you could access this in your language, wherever you live?

That is how I see 1Mby1M: as a new paradigm. The accelerator is virtual, the membership model is affordable, the emphasis is on education, strategy, positioning, market traction—and equity only comes when you’re ready and when it makes sense.

Today I want to examine what this looks like in Japan, where culture, language, institutions and regulation make the startup path different. I want to see how existing Japanese accelerators compare, and how something like 1Mby1M, especially with the new Digital Mind AI Mentor able to mentor in Japanese, can change the rules of the game for Japanese entrepreneurs.

Japan has been fed the same Silicon Valley nonsense of Blitzscaling from the get go that I have critiqued in The Accelerator Conundrum. It is against the attitude, tendency and culture of Japanese entrepreneurs. The Japanese are a risk averse, modest, deliberate people. 1Mby1M’s innovation in building a methodology that aligns vastly better with the Japanese culture should offer a different path forward: Bootstrap First, Raise Money Later.

Overview of the Startup Accelerator Ecosystem in Japan

Japan’s startup ecosystem has been evolving rapidly over the last decade. Some of its features:

• Strong government involvement: National and local governments contribute grants, subsidies, “innovation” programs. Bodies like JETRO (Japan External Trade Organization) are central in connecting Japanese startups with global markets, facilitating international accelerators, and collaborating with other accelerators/VCs. 
• Corporate / institutional accelerators and corporate venture capital: Many programs are organized by or in partnership with established firms, large real estate companies, or government ministries (for example, the Techstars Tokyo Accelerator works with Mitsui Fudosan, JETRO, METI among others). 
• Sector focus and hybrid models: Some accelerators are vertical or domain-specific (e.g. healthcare/MedTech) with international ambitions. Others are more generalist. Programs often combine in-person components (bootcamps, demo days) with virtual mentoring or workshops. Local language is often Japanese, though many programs integrate English or bilingual formats, especially when aiming globally. An example is the J-StarX Healthcare Acceleration Programme, co-organised by JETRO and international partners, helping early-stage founders to commercialize and move into international markets. 
• Challenges:
  1. Language barrier & cultural norms: Many resources, mentors, curricula are in Japanese; sometimes Japanese founders are less accustomed to risk, to pivoting, to failing, and there are layers of regulation.
  2. Fragmented early stage funding vs scale funding: Seed exists, but often smaller ticket sizes; fewer institutional players willing to invest big until a startup shows strong metrics.
  3. Physical location constraints: Many programs require presence in Tokyo or certain hubs; those outside major cities are comparatively under-served.
  4. Equity dilution, fixed-term pressure, and mismatch of expectations: Some accelerators require equity or enforce short timelines, sometimes before the startup is ready for them.

Here are a few of the notable accelerators / programs in Japan:

Photo Credit: bewkaman from Pixabay

One Million by One Million (1Mby1M) is the first global virtual accelerator in the world, founded in 2010 by Silicon Valley serial Entrepreneur Sramana Mitra. It offers a fully online entrepreneurship incubation, acceleration and education resource for solo entrepreneurs and bootstrapped founders working on tech and tech-enabled services ventures. 1Mby1M does not charge equity, offers an AI Mentor in 57 languages, and offers a distinct advantage over other accelerators including Y Combinator.

This segment is a part in the series : Startup Japan