Services — Japan Market Entry Support

Fractional Consultant

Your Japan expert, on demand.

Hire a fractional Japan market launch consultant. Get direct access to deep expertise, an established network, and on-the-ground knowledge — on a monthly retainer, scoped to the hours you need.

01

Choose your plan

Pick the retainer tier that matches your pace — from light-touch advisory to hands-on execution.

02

Use your hours

Tap into your consultant’s expertise whenever you need it — research, introductions, strategy calls, partner meetings, investor prep.

03

Scale as you grow

Move between tiers as your Japan presence evolves. No long-term lock-in — month to month.

Why Fractional

Japan is the world’s third-largest consumer economy — and one of the most unforgiving markets a foreign company can enter.

The graveyard of failed launches is long and well-documented: Walmart, Tesco, Nokia, Vodafone, eBay. What they had in common wasn’t a lack of money. It was a lack of someone on the inside, early enough to matter.

That’s exactly what a fractional Japan market entry consultant gives you.

You get senior expertise without the senior salary.

Hiring a full-time Japan Country Manager before you’ve validated the market is how good companies burn six-figure budgets on assumptions.

A fractional consultant — one or two days a week, for as long as you need them — sits at the same seniority level as the hire you’d eventually make, but at a fraction of the cost and without the commitment of a full-time contract, visa sponsorship, or severance risk.

You avoid the mistakes that kill Western entrants.

The ones that don’t show up in a McKinsey report. Why your pricing model will be quietly rejected. Why your distributor will say yes and mean no. Why your website, translated perfectly, still reads as foreign. Why your hiring process is repelling the candidates you actually want.

A good fractional consultant has watched companies make these mistakes for years — and more importantly, knows how to unmake them.

You move faster, not slower.

The instinct is to treat Japan as a market that requires patience. It does — but patience is not the same as slowness.

A fractional consultant compresses the learning curve: warm introductions instead of cold outreach, the right lawyer on the first call instead of the fourth, a pricing strategy built on local precedent instead of your HQ’s spreadsheet.

Led by Dana Wang

Meet your Japan market entry expert.

Dana Wang

Founder, Japan Launchpad

Dana Wang has nearly 15 years of experience in the startup ecosystem, with deep roots in Japan where she is based. Her career spans founder networks, mentorship, and venture investment through to Series B, with hands-on experience working with incubators, accelerators, and business promotion officers across Japan and internationally.

A consistently top-performing sales professional across both individual and institutional clients, Dana understands what it takes to build commercial traction in the Japanese market. Her cross-border network — spanning China, Singapore, Spain, Finland, Canada, and the US — gives her a unique perspective on helping founders navigate Japan’s business landscape from the outside in.

15+ years in the startup ecosystem

Based in Japan with an established local network

Cross-border experience across 6+ countries

Series A–B venture investment background

Pricing

Simple, transparent pricing.

Starter

12 hours / month

$1,000 USD / month

Light-touch advisory and targeted research. Ideal for companies exploring Japan or needing periodic expert input.

Direct access to your Japan expert
Strategic advisory calls
Market research & analysis
Email & async support

Get Started

Growth

20 hours / month

$1,500 USD / month

Active market entry support. Enough hours for research, introductions, and hands-on execution each month.

Everything in Starter
Partner & investor introductions
Business plan development
Meeting preparation & cultural briefing
Ongoing Slack access

Get Started

Accelerate

40 hours / month

$2,800 USD / month

Full fractional Japan lead. Dedicated time for companies actively launching or scaling in the Japanese market.

Everything in Growth
On-site visit coordination
Vendor & provider management
Investor roadshow support
Authorized representation in Japan

Get Started

Services • 12 Items

What you can use your hours for.

Your retainer hours are flexible. Here are the most common ways clients put them to work.

001

Competitor Benchmarking

Who’s already in your space in Japan, how they’re positioned, and where the gaps are.

002

Market Sizing & Segmentation

TAM/SAM analysis, buyer segmentation, and category trend mapping for your sector.

003

Buyer & Pricing Research

How Japanese buyers purchase in your category, purchasing patterns, and pricing landscape.

004

Go-to-Market Strategy

Channel selection, market entry sequencing, launch timeline, and KPI framework.

005

Japan Business Plan

Investor-ready business plan with positioning, milestones, budget, and resource planning.

006

Partner Research & Vetting

Identifying and evaluating distributors, resellers, system integrators, and strategic partners.

007

Partner Introductions & Meetings

Warm introductions, meeting preparation, cultural briefing, and follow-up coordination.

008

Investor Landscape Mapping

Screening Japan-based VCs, CVCs, and strategic investors matched to your stage and sector.

009

Investor Introductions & Pitch Prep

Warm introductions, pitch deck adaptation guidance, and meeting preparation.

010

Cultural & Business Etiquette

Team training sessions on Japanese business norms, meeting etiquette, and communication style.

011

In-Country Visit Coordination

Scheduling and logistics for Japan trips, arranging partner and investor meetings in person.

012

On-Site Accompaniment

In-person support at key meetings with interpretation, cultural guidance, and follow-up.

Not sure where to start? Book a complimentary consultation and we’ll help you figure out the right approach.

Book a Complimentary Consultation Or explore the 8-Week Program →