Build with Japan

Coral Capital

Welcome to Build with Japan, 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. 4月20日

    Nuclear Fuel and the US-Japan Energy Alliance | General Matter CEO Scott Nolan

    "There was no company to invest in. It would have to be started." Scott Nolan spent all of 2023 looking for a company solving America's nuclear fuel crisis. When he couldn't find one, he started General Matter instead. The US once supplied 86% of the world's enriched uranium. Today it has zero. Russia controls half the market, with China accelerating fast. General Matter just closed a $900M DOE contract and a $2.4B EXIM financing deal to supply Japan, announced the same week the Strait of Hormuz closed. In this episode, Scott makes the case that nuclear fuel is the linchpin of the entire energy transition, and that getting it wrong is a national security issue not just for America but for every allied nation. He shares: How America handed the uranium market to Russia without anyone noticing The SpaceX playbook applied to nuclear enrichment What the $2.4B US-Japan deal means for energy security Why Japan keeps falling into the same energy trap What the next five years at General Matter actually look like Will the west be able to regain its control? Connect with Scott Nolan: https://x.com/ScottNolan https://x.com/generalmatter Connect James Riney: https://x.com/james_riney https://x.com/coral_capital If you're working on something ambitious or Building with Japan, we'd love to hear from you! Get in touch with us here: https://coralcap.co/?lang=en

    1時間18分

  2. 2月26日

    How Sony Became the Entertainment Giant Nobody Saw Coming | Sony AI President Michael Spranger

    "There is no company that has this portfolio." Michael Spranger isn't exaggerating. As COO at Sony Research and president of Sony AI, he's watched Sony transform from a TV company into a $166B entertainment empire. In this episode with Tiffany Kayo, Michael breaks down Sony's AI strategy: what they choose to build (and what they ignore). Key insights: Sony's shift from electronics to entertainment Why PlayStation is now their biggest business GT Sophy: the racing AI agent Sony sensors are inside half the world's smartphones Japan's 10-year manufacturing window Why kando drives everything Sony builds Connect with us here: Michael Spranger Tiffany Kayo

    48分
  3. How Suno Built a $200M Music AI Company (And Got Warner Music to Partner)

    2025/12/11

    How Suno Built a $200M Music AI Company (And Got Warner Music to Partner)

    “We thought it would be too hard to build.” That’s how Mikey Shulman, Co-Founder of Suno, describes the early days of building what is now a $200M revenue company with 100M users. Suno has since partnered with Warner Music Group and is redefining how music gets made. In this episode, Mikey envisions a future where passive listeners become active collaborators, and where your favorite artist might perform a fan-made version of their own song live on stage. He shares: - Why they almost built a completely different company - The future of "interactive music" (music you play with, not just play) - How Warner Music Group became Suno's partner - Japan's unique embrace of Suno Connect with Mikey: X: https://x.com/MikeyShulman LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikeyshulman/ 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://coralcap.co/contact/?lang=en

    51分
  4. Designing the Future of Neighborhoods | Devon Zuegel on Esmeralda

    2025/10/07

    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

    1時間4分
  5. How Palantir Won Japan | Koichi Narasaki

    2025/09/16

    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

    1時間9分
  6. Ayao Komatsu on Haas x Toyota, Japanese Motorsport & Formula One Leadership | Haas F1

    2025/08/26

    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

    1時間9分
  7. Inside VERBAL’s Creative Empire: AMBUSH®, SŌMATŌ, and the Music That Started It All

    2025/07/24

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

    2025/07/08

    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分
すべて見る（33）

評価とレビュー

5
5段階評価中
17件の評価

番組について

Welcome to Build with Japan, 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

情報

  • クリエイター
    Coral Capital
  • 配信期間
    21年 - 26年
  • エピソード
    33
  • 制限指定
    不適切な内容を含まない
  • Copyright
    © Coral Capital
  • 番組のWebサイト
    Build with Japan

その他のおすすめ