IPO of Realcom was just a milestone in a longer journey to change the way people work together and share information. Now, I realise, that sounds like a typical committee-written and board-approved mission statement from any number of enterprise software companies. But as you get to know Tadashi, you begin to understand that he not only means it, but lives it.

Tadashi started Realcom at the worst possible time - just as the Internet bubble was breaking, and he set about selling a knowledge information product and service package that his customers did not even know they needed -- at first. Many were not optimistic about his prospects early on, but hundreds of customers and a successful IPO has proven the critics wrong.

These days, Tadashi is spending a lot of time on his new Tenex project in which he is investing in and mentoring the current generation of Japanese startup founders.

Show Notes
- How the encourage effective information sharing
- The true startup talent shortage in Japan is not engineers
- The key difference between networking in San Francisco and Tokyo
- What's driving the recent growth in M&A in Japan
- Why international experience is essential to understanding your own country
- The secret to successful communicating & networking in a foreign language
- What Japanese startups need to change to go global
- Why American companies make better customers for startups
- The question every new founder needs to ask themselves