The Coral Capital Podcast

Coral Capital

Welcome to the Coral Capital podcast, a show where we bring on guests from tech, business, politics, and culture to talk about all things Japan. For updates on our future content and in-person events, follow our newsletter here: http://eepurl.com/gjed2T

  1. Designing the Future of Neighborhoods | Devon Zuegel on Esmeralda

    7 OCT

    Designing the Future of Neighborhoods | Devon Zuegel on Esmeralda

    Devon Zuegel, founder and CEO of the Esmeralda Institute, joins us on the latest episode of The Coral Capital Podcast. After building online communities, scaling open-source programs at GitHub, and hosting Notion’s Pioneers series, Devon Zuegel is now bringing her expertise offline to create a family focused village north of San Francisco. In this episode, she shares the challenges of shaping a people centered village, from navigating complex land use regulations to balancing environmental realities. Topics explored: - How San Francisco’s housing shortages inspired Devon to create Esmeralda - Why California’s CEQA further fueled Devon’s passion for urban planning - Designing multi-generational, walkable communities with a balance of density and nature - The concept of “traveling neighborhoods” and fostering connection through shared experiences - The hardware and software of building a physical community - Integrating seniors, families, and diverse age groups into a cohesive community - Creating lasting culture and connection through deliberate programming and shared experiences If you're working on something ambitious, we’d love to hear from you at Coral Capital! Get in touch with us here: bit.ly/contactcoral Connect with Devon: X: https://x.com/devonzuegel LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/devonzuegel/ Connect with Tiffany: X: https://x.com/tiffanykayo LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tiffanykayo/ Connect with Alexandra Silverman: X: https://x.com/AlexandraFayeS LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/afsilverman/ 00:00 Intro 00:46 Meet Devin 08:19 Placemaking and Traveling Neighborhoods 16:51 Building Esmeralda 31:12 Supporting Families in Northern California 33:23 Incorporating the Elderly in Community Planning 38:17 Learning from Other Towns and Cities 47:09 Building a New Town

    1h 4m
  2. How Palantir Won Japan | Koichi Narasaki

    16 SEPT

    How Palantir Won Japan | Koichi Narasaki

    Koichi Narasaki, former Chief Digital Officer of SOMPO and the architect behind Palantir Japan, joins us on the latest episode of The Coral Capital Podcast. From his early days at Mitsubishi Corporation investing in Silicon Valley startups during the dotcom boom, to leading one of Japan’s most successful joint ventures with Palantir, Narasaki has been at the intersection of global tech and Japanese enterprise for decades. He shares stories from passing on PayPal in 1998, to convincing SOMPO’s leadership to invest $500M into Palantir, and lessons on how foreign companies can succeed in Japan. Topics explored: • Why Mitsubishi’s early CVC efforts in Silicon Valley clashed with Tokyo HQ • Meeting Peter Thiel, Elon Musk, and Marc Benioff in the 1990s • The cultural gap between fast-moving Silicon Valley and conservative Japan • Why he left Mitsubishi after nearly 20 years to join startups on the other side of the table • How he became SOMPO’s first Chief Digital Officer and redefined “DX” in insurance • The story of Palantir’s failed solo Japan entry, and how the SOMPO JV turned it around • What convinced SOMPO’s CEO to greenlight a 50/50 joint venture with Palantir • How “dogfooding” Foundry inside SOMPO unlocked trust with Japanese clients • The legendary $500M Palantir investment during the pandemic, and the debates behind it • What global B2B software founders need to know before entering Japan • His perspective on culture, trust, and speed inside a 135-year-old Japanese giant Connect with Narasaki: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/koichi-narasaki-5969b/ Connect with James: X: https://x.com/james_riney LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesriney Connect with Tiffany: X: https://x.com/tiffanykayo LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tiffanykayo/ If you're working on something ambitious, we’d love to hear from you at Coral Capital! Get in touch with us here: https://bit.ly/contactcoral (00:00) Trailer(01:00) Intro(05:16) Leaving Mitsubishi & the dot-com crash(14:34) Early startup journey (Allyno → Access)(17:02) Becoming Chief Digital Officer at SOMPO(20:20) Discovering Palantir & messy data realities(26:18) The meeting with Alex Karp that changed everything(35:00) Why the SOMPO–Palantir JV happened(43:56) Growing in Japan: revenue, culture, challenges(55:42) Advice for foreign SaaS entering Japan

    1h 9m
  3. Ayao Komatsu on Haas x Toyota, Japanese Motorsport & Formula One Leadership | Haas F1

    26 AUG

    Ayao Komatsu on Haas x Toyota, Japanese Motorsport & Formula One Leadership | Haas F1

    Ayao Komatsu, the team principal of Haas F1, joins us on the latest episode of The Coral Capital Podcast. As the first Japanese team principal (leading a non-Japanese F1 team), Komatsu offers a unique perspective on leadership in Formula 1. Ayao shares insights on Haas F1's new technical partnership with Toyota and the challenges of competing with limited resources as the team looks ahead to the 2026 rule changes. Topics explored: • How Ayao navigated an unconventional route into Formula One • Lessons from growing up in a politically and culturally unique household • What it’s like managing a lean, global team across continents • The mindset shifts required to lead in high-performance environments • How Haas F1 is approaching its partnership with Toyota • Insights into the upcoming 2026 regulation overhaul—and why it matters • Why communication and culture are now top priorities at Haas • What Japanese teams can learn from international motorsport organizations • Ayao’s take on long-term strategy vs. short-term pressure in F1 • How he defines success beyond the podium Connect with Ayao: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ayao-komatsu-828a8587/ X: https://x.com/AyaoKomatsu Connect with Tiffany: X: https://x.com/tiffanykayo LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tiffanykayo/ If you're working on something ambitious, we’d love to hear from you at Coral Capital! Get in touch with us here: https://bit.ly/contactcoral 00:00 Trailer 00:54 Introduction 01:17 Fascinating upbringing 05:58 Unique parenting style 11:09 “…Until I met F1” 13:59 Being Japanese in the industry 20:25 Different environments 25:51 The technical partnership 32:07 Life as an engineer 39:33 Improving team capability 43:26 Starting from scratch 47:53 Engineering at the heart of management 51:39 Alignment gaps 58:23 What’s new in Formula One 1:01:09 The ideal goal 1:03:53 Reasonably determined 1:08:12 Outro

    1h 9m
  4. Inside VERBAL’s Creative Empire: AMBUSH®, SŌMATŌ, and the Music That Started It All

    24 JUL

    Inside VERBAL’s Creative Empire: AMBUSH®, SŌMATŌ, and the Music That Started It All

    At Coral Capital’s Tokyo HQ, artist–entrepreneur VERBAL (m-flo rapper and producer, AMBUSH® Co-Founder, and SŌMATŌ sake founder) sits down with James Riney and Tiffany Kayo to unpack how Japan’s next cultural wave is being built at the intersection of streetwear, music, and frontier tech. They explore why a Tokyo mindset still captivates tastemakers from Pharrell to Prada, and what has to change for Japan’s creators to capture Silicon-Valley-level scale. The conversation dives into: • Streetwear’s original “soft-power” playbook — how Nigo, Pharrell, and a Harajuku network turned Japanese design into hip-hop currency and seeded brands like AMBUSH®. • Two SKUs and a Paris runway — why VERBAL and Yoon Ahn sold a majority stake in AMBUSH®, what they learned inside New Guards Group / Farfetch, and why they just bought it all back. • Craft sake, misunderstood luxury — the cold-chain, labeling, and pricing gaps keeping nihon-shu under-valued abroad, and how SŌMATŌ plans to rebrand the category for Michelin tables. • AI, Web3, and VTubers — a realist’s take on Suno-generated melodies, token-gated superfans, and the virtual-idol economy Japan is quietly leading. • Lessons from K-Pop’s public-private machine — what Japan can borrow (and what it shouldn’t) to export its own IP at scale. If you're working on something ambitious, we’d love to hear from you at Coral Capital! Get in touch with us here: bit.ly/contactcoral Connect with VERBAL: X: https://x.com/VERBAL_AMBUSH Connect with James: X: https://x.com/james_riney LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesriney Connect with Tiffany: X: https://x.com/tiffanykayo LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tiffanykayo/

    53 min
  5. The Untold Story of Japan’s Boldest Billionaire with Lionel Barber

    8 JUL

    The Untold Story of Japan’s Boldest Billionaire with Lionel Barber

    In this episode of The Coral Capital Podcast former Financial Times editor and author of Gambling Man, joins Tiffany Kayo and James Riney for a conversation about one of Japan’s most enigmatic figures: Masayoshi Son. Barber shares what it was like sitting across from Masa, why his story is more than a business saga, and how SoftBank’s founder became a symbol of Japan’s global ambitions and contradictions. We get into: • The early years: Pachinko, pseudonyms, and SoftBank before Silicon Valley • Behind-the-scenes stories of his deal with Donald Trump • The $500B Stargate Project with Sam Altman and Larry Ellison of OpenAI • Personal stories from Lionel’s interviews with Masa, his family, and the unlikely figures who shaped his journey—including Steve Jobs   Lionel’s book: https://www.amazon.co.jp/-/en/Gambling-Man-Wild-Japan’s-Masayoshi/dp/0241582725  The Japanese edition of the book will be launched soon. If you're working on something ambitious, we’d love to hear from you at Coral Capital! Get in touch with us here: bit.ly/contactcoral Connect with Lionel: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lionel-barber-473826135/ X: https://x.com/lionelbarber Connect with James: X: https://x.com/james_riney LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesriney Connect with Tiffany: X: https://x.com/tiffanykayo LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tiffanykayo/

    36 min
  6. Growth, Grit, and Grace: Guy Kawasaki on Building a Remarkable Life

    24 JUN

    Growth, Grit, and Grace: Guy Kawasaki on Building a Remarkable Life

    On this episode of The Coral Capital Podcast, we were joined by the Chief Evangelist of Canva for a candid conversation about grit, growth, and the unfiltered story behind his remarkable career. Also in the conversation: The Silicon Valley myth that keeps getting mistaken for strategyWhat Apple got right (and still gets wrong) about AIHow Canva is spreading design literacy globallyWhy your ikigai doesn’t need to be world-changing to be real Plus: Guy opens up about fainting on hospital rounds, quitting law school after two weeks, and how a ride in a Porsche 911 lit a fire under him to work hard and aim higher. If you're working on something ambitious, we’d love to hear from you at Coral Capital! Connect with Guy: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/guykawasaki/ X: https://x.com/GuyKawasaki Connect with Tiffany: X: https://x.com/tiffanykayo LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tiffanykayo/ Get in touch with us here: bit.ly/contactcoral 00:00 Trailer 00:58 Introduction 01:41 Hawaii 02:40 Childhood and upbringing 06:49 Ohana, aloha and motivation 10:41 Working at Apple 15:01 Bringing the good news 19:28 The ecosystem VC 21:26 Evangelism in marketing 27:13 Growth, grit, grace 36:38 Artificial intelligence 42:19 Cutting through the noise 44:09 Book updates 46:23 What is your ikigai? 47:42 Outro Mentioned in this episode: Kalihi Elementary School, Apple, Standford Medical Center, University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), World War 2, Porsche 1911, OpenAI ChatGPT, Canva, Adobe Photoshop, Guy Kawasaki’s Remarkable People, Jane Goodall, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Stephen Wolfram, Mark Manson, Signal, Anthropic Claude, Perplexity, Apple Intelligence, TikTok

    48 min
  7. How This VC Brought Coinbase, Square & Palantir Into Japan | Phil Wickham

    28 MAY

    How This VC Brought Coinbase, Square & Palantir Into Japan | Phil Wickham

    On this episode of The Coral Capital Podcast, Founding Partner James Riney and Investor Tiffany Kayo were joined by Phil Wickham, co-founder of Sozo Ventures—a globally-minded VC firm that’s backed breakout U.S. companies expanding into Japan, including the likes of Coinbase, Square & Palantir. Philip shares rare, behind-the-scenes insights from decades spent bridging Silicon Valley and Tokyo, explaining why Japan is suddenly hot again for global startups—and how to navigate its famously complex corporate and cultural terrain. Topics explored: The four pillars that make Japan a high-margin & high-loyalty market worth crackingLessons from backing companies like Palantir, Square, Coinbase, and Need in JapanWhy corporate money on your cap table can be more risk than reward—especially in JapanWhat founders consistently get wrong when entering Japan, and how to avoid wasting years If you're working on something ambitious, we’d love to hear from you at Coral Capital! Get in touch with us here Phil's Book: https://www.amazon.co.jp/2032年、日本がスタートアップのハブになる：世界を動かす才能を解放せよ-フィル・ウィックハム/dp/4910487042?tag=googhydr-22&source=dsa&hvcampaign=books&gad_source=1 00:00 Trailer 00:48 Introduction 03:06 Selling Japan to Startups 06:21 The Challenges of Entering Japan 09:01 First Steps for Expanding into Japan 13:02 Case Studies: Coinbase & NEED 16:06 Palantir’s Unique Approach to Japan 20:03 The Role of Corporates in Startup Growth 23:42 Targeting the Right Partners in Japan 28:06 Joint Ventures vs Independent Expansion 39:12 Keeping Options Open in Japan 51:05 Japan’s Global Competitive Edge Connect with Phil: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pwickham/ Connect with James: X: https://x.com/james_riney LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesriney Connect with Tiffany: X: https://x.com/tiffanykayo LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tiffanykayo/ Learn more about Coral Capital This episode was produced & distributed with the help of our friends at Atomik Growth.

    59 min
  8. Japan's Weeb Economy Explained: Where Anime, AI, and FDI Collide | Noah Smith

    20 MAY

    Japan's Weeb Economy Explained: Where Anime, AI, and FDI Collide | Noah Smith

    At Coral Capital’s Tokyo HQ, economist and writer Noah Smith joins James Riney, Founding Partner and CEO of Coral Capital, to explore how Japan is uniquely positioned for a global resurgence. They discuss how the country can convert its global fascination into a strategic advantage, and why Japan is increasingly on the radar of institutional capital and high-net-worth investors. The conversation dives into: • The rise of the “weeb” economy” (think anime, fashion, subculture, and Japan’s growing soft power on the global stage) • Why Japan is primed for greenfield FDI in AI, semiconductors, and deep tech • How Tokyo is rivaling Austin and Paris as a global tech & startup hub • Japan’s untapped operational MOAT for builders and investors If you're working on something ambitious, we’d love to hear from you at Coral Capital! Get in touch with us here Chapters: 00:00 Trailer 00:52 "Weebs" and Japanese tourism 05:48 Rule by law and economic factors 14:22 GDP and exports 17:19 Cultural mindshare and diasporas 24:51 Enterprise value creation 30:29 Small businesses 34:46 Financial policy 39:35 Immigration, fluency, zero-tolerance 47:54 Exports need improvement 49:35 Untapped demand 50:00 Plaza Accord 54:50 Book plug and outro Mentioned in this episode: Battle Royale, Ruth Benedict, Sakana AI, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited (TSMC), Apple iPhone, Taro Kono, Mijoté San Francisco, The Boeing Company, Christopher Poole a.k.a. moot, Jack Ma, Silicon Valley, Dell Inc., Donald Trump, WeChat (Weixin) Connect with Noah: https://x.com/Noahpinion Noah’s Substack: https://www.noahpinion.blog/ Connect with James: X: https://x.com/james_rineyLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesriney Learn more about Coral Capital This episode was produced & distributed with the help of our friends at Atomik Growth.

    56 min
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About

Welcome to the Coral Capital podcast, a show where we bring on guests from tech, business, politics, and culture to talk about all things Japan. For updates on our future content and in-person events, follow our newsletter here: http://eepurl.com/gjed2T

Information

  • Creator
    Coral Capital
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2025
  • Episodes
    30
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Coral Capital
  • Show Website
    The Coral Capital Podcast

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