What a pitch contest in a movie theater tells you about Japan’s startup ecosystem

The line-up of startups-turned-movies

2014 is winding down and the startup community in Tokyo is packing in as many events as possible before people’s minds drift to their Christmas presents. (By the way, if you made a Yo! clone, don’t expect much from Santa.)

Today, Tohmatsu Ventures Support (TVS), the startup-focused arm of the giant professional services firm, offered a new twist on the classic pitch contest format – it rented out a movie theater so entrepreneurs paced the stage while their pitch decks were projected onto the big screen. Outside, the walls were decorated with “movie posters” depicting the participating startups.

The original approach resonated. Despite the start time of 7AM – standard operating procedure for TVS’ weekly “Morning Pitch” – four hundred people filed in, took their seats, and waited for the show to begin.

The pitch contest that followed was notable for featuring a number of companies outside of the usually overrepresented social apps, sharing economy, and ecommerce startups. Many were tackling real-world problems – how do you make a better industrial robot? Or, how do you stay in contact with a person whose depression locks them away from the world? The winning pitch came from Japan Environment Planning, for its business model of strengthening the recycling system in order to squeeze bioethanol and hydrocarbon oil (among other products) from trash.

Regardless of the high-quality pitches, I was unable to escape the reality that this was maybe the oddest startup pitch I had seen in Japan. 7AM in a movie theater? Outside of invitations for all-day Lord of the Rings movie marathons, that is a time and a place I am not normally associated with.

But I am not here to criticize TVS for being bold. Considering the sometimes stifling lack of silliness in Tokyo, more of these kind of events are needed to bring fresh air and ideas into the city’s staid corridors of power.

The participants and judges of the Morning Pitch event. Japan Environment Planning Michihiko Iwamoto is center, holding the winning trophy.

Thankfully, the end of 2014 is showing that maybe ingenuity in execution is a growing trend. In the past two weeks alone, Sunbridge Global Ventures hosted an international pitch event as did Keio University. Tokyo University even hosted a contest to send some impressive startups to South-by-Southwest 2015.

While an “international” event normally corners the market on unconventionality in Japan, domestic pitch contests are also proving to be adept at getting creative. And it’s not just TVS. Last week, the team behind the Osaka Innovation Hub brought six of their best startups to Tokyo for an event in association with Yoshimoto Kogyo, Japan’s number one comedy company in Japan. Imagine that 95 percent of your favorite comedians all worked for the same company and you will understand Yoshimoto’s position in Japan.

The Osaka event used a comedian as the host. He and the judges panel would regularly banter with the speakers in the style of a friendly, yet skeptical late-night talk show host. It’s the only pitch event I’ve attended where the audience kept laughing throughout. Think about it – when was the last time you went to a pitch contest where you met good startups and laughed along the way?

This is a small sample size but I think it shows a very positive sign for the future growth of Japan’s startup ecosystem. There is a growing competition among community organizers to put on unique, fun events that go beyond the old, reliable format of six pitches, three judges, and one unused office room.

There is an excitement in the air. Japan’s ecosystem has been slowly growing and building momentum for the past several years and is now becoming a force in its own right. If 2014 ends with comedians, SXSW, and movie theaters, then I can’t wait to see what happens in 2015. (Confession: pitches delivered as Japanese rap battles with VCs controlling the DJ turntable is the dream.)

See: Pitch your ideas without fear of them being stolen with PitchMark

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What a pitch contest in a movie theater tells you about Japan’s startup ecosystem