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COHORT #3 - JANUARY 2027
COHORT #3 - JANUARY 2027
COHORT #3 - JANUARY 2027
Build global companies from day one
Build global companies from day one
DelightX partners with founders from Japan before day one, providing capital, mentorship, and Silicon Valley’s network to build globally from the start.
DelightX partners with founders from Japan before day one, providing capital, mentorship, and Silicon Valley’s network to build globally from the start.
The Program
The Program
The Program
A staged path
to build globally
A staged path
to build globally
A staged program designed to help founders validate, incorporate, build, and fundraise in the U.S.
A staged program designed to help founders validate, incorporate, build, and fundraise in the U.S.
1.5 Months
1.5 Months
6 Months
6 Months
OCT – Mid NOV 2026
Tokyo, online
Selection
Refine the problem hypothesis, talk to real customers, create landing pages, mockups, and demos with AI, and gain the early traction needed to validate in the U.S.
OCT – Mid NOV 2026
Tokyo, online
Selection
Refine the problem hypothesis, talk to real customers, create landing pages, mockups, and demos with AI, and gain the early traction needed to validate in the U.S.
OCT – Mid NOV 2026
Tokyo, online
Selection
Refine the problem hypothesis, talk to real customers, create landing pages, mockups, and demos with AI, and gain the early traction needed to validate in the U.S.
End of NOV 2026
Tokyo, in person
Pitch & judging
Present your progress from the Selection Stage and earn your place in the full program in San Francisco.
End of NOV 2026
Tokyo, in person
Pitch & judging
Present your progress from the Selection Stage and earn your place in the full program in San Francisco.
End of NOV 2026
Tokyo, in person
Pitch & judging
Present your progress from the Selection Stage and earn your place in the full program in San Francisco.
JAN 2027 – (Starting mid-JAN)
San Francisco Bay Area
Acceleration
Work with Bay Area mentors, run full-scale business validation, recruit co-founders and build your team, and begin fundraising. Receive $60,000 in financial support. Upon incorporation, Delight Ventures will hold a 5% equity stake.
JAN 2027 – (Starting mid-JAN)
San Francisco Bay Area
Acceleration
Work with Bay Area mentors, run full-scale business validation, recruit co-founders and build your team, and begin fundraising. Receive $60,000 in financial support. Upon incorporation, Delight Ventures will hold a 5% equity stake.
JAN 2027 – (Starting mid-JAN)
San Francisco Bay Area
Acceleration
Work with Bay Area mentors, run full-scale business validation, recruit co-founders and build your team, and begin fundraising. Receive $60,000 in financial support. Upon incorporation, Delight Ventures will hold a 5% equity stake.
Through JUN 2027
San Francisco Bay Area
Raise
Raise capital in the U.S. Upon a successful fundraise, Delight Ventures will consider making a follow-on investment.
Through JUN 2027
San Francisco Bay Area
Raise
Raise capital in the U.S. Upon a successful fundraise, Delight Ventures will consider making a follow-on investment.
Through JUN 2027
San Francisco Bay Area
Raise
Raise capital in the U.S. Upon a successful fundraise, Delight Ventures will consider making a follow-on investment.
SUPPORT
SUPPORT
SUPPORT
The support is built in.
So is the network.
The support is built in.
So is the network.
A cohort, a network, and people who've already made the crossing, standing on both sides of the Pacific.
A cohort, a network, and people who've already made the crossing, standing on both sides of the Pacific.
$60,000 in funding
Per founder, with more available if your US raise closes.
Relocation package
Visa guidance, travel support, and the unglamorous logistics of moving your life across an ocean.
Office hours
Open brainstorming with Delight Ventures and DeNA's AI business experts.
1-on-1 mentoring
Structured sessions with operators who've raised, founded, and exited, in the market you're crossing into.
Bay Area mentors
VCs and serial entrepreneurs embedded in the San Francisco ecosystem, on your side from day one.
Japanese founders on the ground
Mentoring from Japanese entrepreneurs who've already made this crossing and are building in the Bay Area right now.
$60,000 in funding
Per founder, with more available if your US raise closes.
Relocation package
Visa guidance, travel support, and the unglamorous logistics of moving your life across an ocean.
Office hours
Open brainstorming with Delight Ventures and DeNA's AI business experts.
1-on-1 mentoring
Structured sessions with operators who've raised, founded, and exited, in the market you're crossing into.
Bay Area mentors
VCs and serial entrepreneurs embedded in the San Francisco ecosystem, on your side from day one.
Japanese founders on the ground
Mentoring from Japanese entrepreneurs who've already made this crossing and are building in the Bay Area right now.
5-10
Founders per cohort
5-10
Founders per cohort
$60K Funding
For 5% Common Stock
$60K Funding
For 5% Common Stock
6 Months
On the ground in SF
6 Months
On the ground in SF
Day One
US incorporation
Day One
US incorporation
Serial entrepreneurs & VCs
Serial entrepreneurs & VCs
Eric Bahn
Co-Founder, Hustle Fund
More info
Eric Bahn
Co-Founder, Hustle Fund
More info
Eric Bahn
Co-Founder, Hustle Fund
More info
Siqi Chen
Co-Founder of Runway, Angel Investor
More info
Siqi Chen
Co-Founder of Runway, Angel Investor
More info
Siqi Chen
Co-Founder of Runway, Angel Investor
More info
Mar Hershenson
Founding Managing Partner, Pear VC
More info
Mar Hershenson
Founding Managing Partner, Pear VC
More info
Mar Hershenson
Founding Managing Partner, Pear VC
More info
Katrina Lake
Founder, Executive Chairperson, Stitch Fix
More info
Katrina Lake
Founder, Executive Chairperson, Stitch Fix
More info
Katrina Lake
Founder, Executive Chairperson, Stitch Fix
More info
Holly Liu
Capitalist, ex Co-Founder of Kabam
More info
Holly Liu
Capitalist, ex Co-Founder of Kabam
More info
Holly Liu
Capitalist, ex Co-Founder of Kabam
More info
Ann Miura-Ko
Co-Founding Partner, Floodgate
More info
Ann Miura-Ko
Co-Founding Partner, Floodgate
More info
Ann Miura-Ko
Co-Founding Partner, Floodgate
More info
Steve Chen
Co-Founder, YouTube
More info
Steve Chen
Co-Founder, YouTube
More info
Steve Chen
Co-Founder, YouTube
More info
Tom Moss
Multi-exited Entrepreneur, Investor
More info
Tom Moss
Multi-exited Entrepreneur, Investor
More info
Tom Moss
Multi-exited Entrepreneur, Investor
More info
Tae Hea Nahm
Co-Founder, Managing Director, Storm VC
More info
Tae Hea Nahm
Co-Founder, Managing Director, Storm VC
More info
Tae Hea Nahm
Co-Founder, Managing Director, Storm VC
More info
Ho Nam
Managing Director, Altos Ventures
More info
Ho Nam
Managing Director, Altos Ventures
More info
Ho Nam
Managing Director, Altos Ventures
More info
Craig Sherman
General Partner, Meritech Capital
More info
Craig Sherman
General Partner, Meritech Capital
More info
Craig Sherman
General Partner, Meritech Capital
More info
Tiffine Wang
Founder & Managing Partner, Onsen Global
More info
Tiffine Wang
Founder & Managing Partner, Onsen Global
More info
Tiffine Wang
Founder & Managing Partner, Onsen Global
More info
John Whaley
Founder, Inception Studio, Adjunct Lecturer, Stanford University, Serial Entrepreneur
More info
John Whaley
Founder, Inception Studio, Adjunct Lecturer, Stanford University, Serial Entrepreneur
More info
John Whaley
Founder, Inception Studio, Adjunct Lecturer, Stanford University, Serial Entrepreneur
More info
Elizabeth Yin
Co-Founder, General Partner, Hustle Fund
More info
Elizabeth Yin
Co-Founder, General Partner, Hustle Fund
More info
Elizabeth Yin
Co-Founder, General Partner, Hustle Fund
More info
Japanese entrepreneurs in the Bay area
Japanese entrepreneurs in the Bay area
Kiyo Kobayashi
Founder of Noxx, Serial Entrepreneur
More info
Kiyo Kobayashi
Founder of Noxx, Serial Entrepreneur
More info
Kiyo Kobayashi
Founder of Noxx, Serial Entrepreneur
More info
Steve Satoru Naito
Founder of Anyplace
More info
Steve Satoru Naito
Founder of Anyplace
More info
Steve Satoru Naito
Founder of Anyplace
More info
Kazuki Nakayashiki
Founder of Glasp
More info
Kazuki Nakayashiki
Founder of Glasp
More info
Kazuki Nakayashiki
Founder of Glasp
More info
Kaz Tamai
Founder of Zypsy
More info
Kaz Tamai
Founder of Zypsy
More info
Kaz Tamai
Founder of Zypsy
More info
Shunsuke Yamada
Founder of Retreat
More info
Shunsuke Yamada
Founder of Retreat
More info
Shunsuke Yamada
Founder of Retreat
More info
Hiro Hasegawa
Founder, VC
More info
Hiro Hasegawa
Founder, VC
More info
Hiro Hasegawa
Founder, VC
More info
Yusuke Tanaka
Founder and Product Leader
More info
Yusuke Tanaka
Founder and Product Leader
More info
Yusuke Tanaka
Founder and Product Leader
More info
Shu Oikawa
Founder of Glidely
More info
Shu Oikawa
Founder of Glidely
More info
Shu Oikawa
Founder of Glidely
More info
Taka Morinaga
Co-Founder and CEO of Steve AI
More info
Taka Morinaga
Co-Founder and CEO of Steve AI
More info
Taka Morinaga
Co-Founder and CEO of Steve AI
More info
Who you'll meet
Who you'll meet
Who you'll meet
People standing in both worlds
People standing in both worlds
Founders and investors who understand both sides, because they've lived and worked on both sides.
Founders and investors who understand both sides, because they've lived and worked on both sides.
Application guidelines
Application guidelines
Application guidelines
Who should apply
Who should apply
Required
Able to secure your own visa and housing in the Bay Area
Native-level Japanese, functional business English
Able to cover program costs beyond DelightX's support
Available in San Francisco from April 2026, full-time, for at least six months
Determined to found and lead a global-scale Delaware C-Corp as owner
Required
Able to secure your own visa and housing in the Bay Area
Native-level Japanese, functional business English
Able to cover program costs beyond DelightX's support
Available in San Francisco from April 2026, full-time, for at least six months
Determined to found and lead a global-scale Delaware C-Corp as owner
Desirable
Determined to found and lead a global-scale Delaware C-Corp as owner
Strong interest in AI advancement in the Bay Area
A concrete business idea you believe in
Passion and grit for founding a business
Desirable
Determined to found and lead a global-scale Delaware C-Corp as owner
Strong interest in AI advancement in the Bay Area
A concrete business idea you believe in
Passion and grit for founding a business
The organizers
The organizers
The organizers
Built by
Delight Ventures
Built by
Delight Ventures
The team that designed the program, built the network, and holds the door open on both sides.
The team that designed the program, built the network, and holds the door open on both sides.
Tomoko Namba
Managing Partner
Ryo Bando
Managing Partner
Shuhei Kawasaki
Managing Partner, Engineer
Masato Ushio
Partner
Yukiko Kono
Program & Ecosystem Lead, Product Manager (DeNA)
Yuka Tamai
Community Manager
Tomoko Namba
Managing Partner
Ryo Bando
Managing Partner
Shuhei Kawasaki
Managing Partner, Engineer
Masato Ushio
Partner
Yukiko Kono
Program & Ecosystem Lead, Product Manager (DeNA)
Yuka Tamai
Community Manager
Tomoko Namba
Managing Partner
Ryo Bando
Managing Partner
Shuhei Kawasaki
Managing Partner, Engineer
Masato Ushio
Partner
Yukiko Kono
Program & Ecosystem Lead, Product Manager (DeNA)
Yuka Tamai
Community Manager
insights
insights
insights
News
News
