TechGALA: connecting Tokai Region startups with the world

JSTORIES ー The central Japan region’s first-ever full-scale startup conference, TechGALA, was held from February 4 to 6 at STATION Ai, a startup support hub in the city of Nagoya. It was organized by the Central Japan Startup Ecosystem Consortium, made up of the Central Japan Economic Federation, Nagoya University, Aichi Prefecture, Nagoya City, and Hamamatsu City in Shizuoka Prefecture.

In 2020, the Japanese government set up a new system of “Global Startup Ecosystem Hub Cities” in order to create a world-class startup ecosystem. Its goal was to speed up innovation and boost Japan’s competitiveness by tapping regional strengths and both fostering and supporting startups.

The system features designated “Promotion Hub Cities” and “Global Hub Cities,” with the latter taking advantage of government financial support and deregulation to help them become global startup hubs.

Tokyo, Kansai, Fukuoka, Hokkaido, Nagoya and Hamamatsu were designated Global Hub Cities. Then, in July 2020, Aichi Prefecture, Nagoya City, and Hamamatsu City teamed up to form the Central Japan Startup Ecosystem Consortium.

The cities of Nagoya and Hamamatsu are both located in the Tokai region of central Japan, which is known for its manufacturing industries and concentration of basic research. The goal is to promote economic growth by creating startups that take advantage of these strengths, and TechGALA was part of that effort.

The event aimed to draw around 5,000 participants from the Tokai region, Tokyo and overseas, but comfortably exceeded that goal. Social media posts eventually helped attract 6,000 people, an impressive number for a first-time conference.

The event opened with remarks from the governor of Aichi Prefecture, Hideaki Omura; Nagoya Mayor Ichiro Hirozawa; Chairman of the Central Japan Economic Federation, Akihisa Mizuno; and Chancellor of THES (Tokai National Higher Education and Research System), Matsuo Seiichi. TechGALA producer and CEO of Wiz Group, Hiromi Okuda, also spoke about the significance of the event. Okuda has been involved in organizing conferences and supporting businesses and startups for around 30 years.

Following the opening remarks, there was a keynote session with Ryan Graves, whose previous roles include Uber CEO, Uber Global Operations SVP and also as the company’s first employee. After leaving Uber, he moved to Hawaii, where he serves on the boards of several startups and runs his own family office, Saltwater.

Graves talked about his time working with Uber founder Travis Kalanick, whom he praised as a “once-in-a-lifetime and once-in-a-generation entrepreneur.” He recalled how he and Kalanick implemented a series of key reforms, such as dealing with regulators, removing the word “cab” from the company name “UberCab” and clarifying the pricing structure.

During that process, Graves looked for a new way to adapt to a rapidly changing business environment. The approach he arrived at was to think of business as a game, which he defined as “a competitive activity that takes place according to rules, and with an outcome determined by skill, strength and luck.” He also outlined three “principles.”

The first principle is “mental discipline.” Graves was greatly influenced by the Stoic philosophy he studied at university, in particular Marcus Aurelius’ “Meditations,” which stresses the importance of preparing for the worst-case scenario. By doing so, it is possible to remain calm and make clear decisions. 

The second principle is “see the big picture.” Graves stressed the importance of looking down on all aspects of a situation like someone playing a board game. By positioning oneself as a player rather than just a piece and overseeing strategy like the coach of a team, one can make more strategic and intentional decisions.

The third principle is “rapid adaptation.” He used the analogy of a sailor, someone who knows the importance of adapting to their environment rather than trying to change it. A good sailor doesn’t try to change the winds or sea but refines their skills to adapt to the conditions they face. Likewise, in business, it is critical to adapt to the environment.

“These principles are tied to practical management issues such as human resource development, devising strategy and dealing with change,” said Graves. “The essence of business is ‘people,’ and it’s essential to build teams that are resilient and have the right mindset. Whatever your company’s size, you need to have a clear strategy based on knowing your own skills and products.”

Through his experiences at Uber, Graves realized that “change is unavoidable and probably difficult to predict, but it can be prepared for and dealt with.” 

The fast-changing business world of startups brings a mountain of issues, from human resources development to strategic planning, but nevertheless, it seems that preparation and adaptation are the keys to survival.

The final session of the first day was a presentation by Adriana Marais, a theoretical physicist and engineer from South Africa. She spoke about her vision for the human race as a multiplanetary species and what she’s doing to make that happen. She is the director of the Cape Town-based nonprofit organization Foundation for Space Development and the leader of the Africa2Moon, a crowdfunded project to send Africa's first probe to the moon.

“When we think about the unknowns of space exploration, we may feel afraid,” she said. “However, we face the unknown every day, whether we stay on Earth or travel to other planets.” 

As a high school student in 1997, Marais made a Martian city out of paper clay. Since then, she has asked herself two big questions: “Does life exist on Mars?” and “Can humans set up a base to live on Mars?”In 2016, she was present in Guadalajara, Mexico, when SpaceX’s Elon Musk announced plans for a transportation system from Earth to Mars. This unprecedented and impressive plan was for a private company to go to Mars.

Marais later went to Florida to watch SpaceX’s civilian astronauts lift off on their way to the International Space Station. Through its reusable rocket technology, SpaceX has brought down the price of launching into space.

Marais has been conducting experiments in extreme environments on Earth in preparation for life on Mars. The Namib Desert is the oldest on Earth and 55 million years ago was seabed. Like Mars today, it has plenty of sunlight but limited water. This makes it a good place to experiment with solar power and efficient water management systems.

Marais has also conducted experiments in Antarctica, which is difficult to get to in winter and reaches temperatures of minus 60 degrees, close to those on Mars. At an underwater research facility in Florida, trainee astronauts wore special suits and experienced living in a sealed environment. Through these experiments, she is testing infrastructure such as electric power, water, food and communications, as well as team management.

Another experiment was in Tsitsikamma, a part of South Africa with no infrastructure. Researchers physically transported around 2 tons of materials 1.2 kilometers and 300 meters in altitude to build a hut, which took 300 hours. They then lived there for six months using gas and firewood for heating and hot water, and with limited means of communication with the outside world.

Right now, Marais is developing a new lunar telescope. It is inspired by the Square Kilometer Array, now being built in Australia and South Africa, and which will be the world’s largest radio telescope. From its position on the moon, her telescope would observe in the frequency band of 0 to 10 megahertz, a range that is normally blocked by the Earth’s atmosphere.

By 2055, it is estimated that 1 billion children will live in Africa. Through the Africa2Moon project, Marais hopes to give young people in Africa opportunities to take part in space development and become future technological innovators.

She stressed the importance of space as a way to create a “common future” for humanity.“We are not passengers on the spaceship ‘Earth,’” she said. “We are the crew.”

Despite this being the first staging of TechGALA, there were over 100 main sessions. What’s more, over 90 side events were held in the various parts of the city after the main sessions. Including unofficial side events, the total number of such events reached more than 100.

TechGALA wasn’t just about participants gaining knowledge or startups being able to promote their products and services. It was about creating an environment where players in the startup ecosystem, even those without any shared business interests, can provide each other with support and build friendships. There were even events for joggers and sauna enthusiasts.

TechGALA coincided with the coldest days of the Nagoya winter. But even as snow fell, entrepreneurs from around the world continued enthusiastic and passionate conversations late into the night across the city.

Translated by Tony McNicol

Edited by Mark Goldsmith

Top photo by J-Stories (Masaru Ikeda)

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