Bankers Chase Startups in Japan as Funding Dries Up Elsewhere
- SMBC, Mizuho are planning to boost staff for startup loans
- Kishida’s government seeks to revive entrepreneurship
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Just a few years ago, getting a bank loan to finance early-stage ventures was a rare occurrence in Japan. That’s now changing, according to Tokyo-based software startup Techtouch Inc.
“We even get approached by different branches of the same bank,” said Masaya Nakade, the firm’s chief financial officer. The company is in talks with three megabanks about loans and seriously considering making a deal with one of them, he said.