Simon Woodroffe: “Having No Experience Was My Advantage” | Founder of YO! Sushi
YO! Sushi and YOTEL founder Simon Woodroffe joins Bridging Talks to discuss entrepreneurship, Japan, reinvention, Dragons’ Den, innovation and the outsider advantage.
Entrepreneurship
Bridging Talks Ep. 7 – Building a Knowledge Legacy: From Silicon Valley to AI with Kei Watanabe
This episode featured an interview with Kei, co-founder of Glasp, a web highlighting and knowledge sharing application. Kei shared his journey from working as a product manager in Japan to co-founding Glasp in San Francisco, explaining how the company started as a web highlighter and later integrated AI features, particularly after ChatGPT’s launch in 2022, which helped them grow rapidly. He discussed their user acquisition strategies, including community building through Slack, LinkedIn, and Twitter, as well as their decision to stay true to their mission of preventing knowledge isolation rather than focusing on trending features like YouTube summaries. Kei also shared insights about fundraising challenges, particularly in the US market, and advice for founders about following curiosity and maintaining belief in their mission.
Amazon Web Services (AWS) x Techstars Impact Bootcamp Tokyo – Key Takeaways
Over the past few days, I had the opportunity to attend the Amazon Web Services (AWS) x Techstars Impact Bootcamp in Tokyo — a two-day intensive program focused on product-market fit, go-to-market strategy, and startup execution.
For me, this wasn’t just another event. It was a moment to step back, reflect, and refine the direction of what I’m building with Bridging Connect AI.
My Pitch at Venture Café Tokyo – Pitch2Tokyo 2026 Regional Round
On 20th November 2025, I had the honour of pitching Bridging Connect at the Pitch2Tokyo 2026 – Regional Round, hosted by Venture Café Tokyo as part of their Global Gathering initiative.
Bridging Talks Ep. 5 – The Future of HR and Performance Management in Japan | Dan Ring
In this episode, we sit down with Dan Ring, UK-based HR consultant and founder of Elevate, to discuss his journey from global HR Business Partner roles at major financial institutions (including NatWest in the UK, Singapore, and Japan) to launching his own HR tech consultancy in Tokyo.
Pitch2Tokyo, Global Gathering Tokyo 2026 (Venture Café Tokyo)
Selected to pitch at Pitch2Tokyo, Global Gathering Tokyo 2026 (Venture Café Tokyo)