SINGAPORE – As Japan and its surrounding North Asian neighbours grow its entrepreneurial mindset, WiT Japan & North Asia Startup Pitch 2019 has issued its call for entries for this year’s competition.
Startups are urged to send in their pitches for the annual WiT Japan & North Asia Startup Pitch 2019, sponsored by Amadeus, which will be held on 4 July in Tokyo.
Tokyo-based WisdomTree’s senior adviser Jesper Koll in a recent opinion editorial in The Japan Times, said “across all the major economies tracked over the past 50 years, the best correlation and positive causality to explain per-capita GDP growth is the percentage of entrepreneurs in the population. If the number of entrepreneurs increases by one percent of the total population, per-capita GDP gets a boost of about half a percent.”
Koll says Japan is “on the right track”.“ Although Japan has previously lagged behind the top startup economies in the US and even China, the mindset of today’s working generation is shifting. There is definitely a growing interest among the young to work in startups, and this will fuel the entire startup economy in Japan. I think we definitely can expect more entries this year.
The WiT Startup Pitch has been a proven accelerator platform for startups. We’re proud of our alumni which has also included the highly successful Voyagin which made its debut at our event back in 2013. We have dedicated a lot of focus and efforts into this platform over the years, and now, it has become a key component of our shows,” said Yeoh Siew Hoon, founder of WiT.
This event has seen past winners like Shoot My Travel benefit immensely from having participated.
“Winning WiT for us was empowering and a boost of confidence. This win allowed us to spread our roots, opened doors, establish connections in Asia and as well as allowed us to start conversations with investors in the area. As a woman, it inspired me to continue working relentlessly towards that dream,” said Valerie Lopez, co-founder and CEO, ShootMyTravel which came out victorious last year.
“Our best advice to the startups applying and pitching is to work on your story and make sure you use the power of storytelling throughout your pitch. Show clearly your traction, business model and the opportunity. And most importantly, be open to feedback,” advised Lopez.
Lopez said since winning, its revenues have increased three-fold – the business now operates in 425 cities across 97 countries.
“Amadeus has been a proud sponsor of WiT for many years. WiT events are engaging and insightful, while continually attracting the most innovative startups across the region. With Amadeus technology powering the global travel ecosystem, we are always on the lookout for the next big travel inspiration. As the exclusive Startup Pitch sponsor for 2019, we cannot wait to see some great ideas on stage this year,” said Sebastien Gibergues, vice president of online travel Asia Pacific, Amadeus.
To qualify, startups have to be below five years old and be related to travel and tourism. Up to 10 entries will be shortlisted and coached to present at the WiT Japan & North Asia 2019 on 5 July in Tokyo.
For more information and details on submissions, please visit
All submissions are to be sent to vera.lye@webintravel.com by April 15.
About WiT Japan & North Asia
WiT Japan & North Asia (https://www.witevents.com/ehome/witjapan-northasia2019) is organised jointly by Singapore-based WIT and WIT Japan Alumni, led by Kei Shibata, CEO of Venture Republic (travel.jp) and Aya Aso, founder and CEO of Savvy Collective. The eighth edition of WIT will be held in Tokyo. The conference attracted over 500 delegates in 2018. Registrations are now open.