5 ms·

The Japanese start-up founder who beat the odds

35 points by a_w 13y ago

cs02rm0 13y ago
Disgracefully, that site isn't accessible to UK users.
- jasoncartwright 13y ago
  Right, what a joke. Of course, fortunately it's trivially easy to bypass. https://web.archive.org/web/20131121213728/http://www.bbc.com/capital/story/20131121-portrait-of-a-start-up-success https://web.archive.org/web/20131121213728/http://www.bbc.co...
asdfologist 13y ago
It's doubly impressive that she attained such success as a woman in a very male-dominated society.
aswanson 13y ago
I've always wondered why there aren't more Japanese startups. They seem to have an outsized number of artistic, technically saavy people there, like a perfect mix of NY and SV. what's the problem?
- bitwize 13y ago
  Japanese society frowns on individual initiative and risk-taking, favoring instead preserving a harmonious fabric of society and doing what your seniors expect of you. Notice how Ms. Namba had a U.S. business education. And yes, that she is a woman is both enormously significant and not all that surprising; she is going to be bucking Japanese norms anyway, so why not go whole hog?
coolandsmartrr 13y ago
I've met Namba-san previously. She grew up in a rather traditional environment, attending an all-female college. What gave her the entrepreneurial ambitions was So-net's CEO suggesting her to get into business online, as the article states. Although HNer bitwize is correct in saying that Japan frowns upon risks, Nanba-san claims the getting an MBA in the states hasn't directly aided her entrepreneurship, and was only a pretext to get a break from her busy career at McKinsey. She is indeed very ambitious; she aims DeNA to become Japan's best technology company. My friend who works there also got to meet her before, and we both agreed that she is a rare female leader not unlike Margaret Thatcher.
- throwaway1979 13y ago
  Interesting point about using the MBA as a career break. I suspect this is not rare.
sarreph 13y ago
When viewing from the UK [BBC, you srs?] BBC Worldwide (International Site) We're sorry but this site is not accessible from the UK as it is part of our international service and is not funded by the licence fee. It is run commercially by BBC Worldwide, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the BBC, the profits made from it go back to BBC programme-makers to help fund great new BBC programmes. You can find out more about BBC Worldwide and its digital activities at www.bbcworldwide.com.

35 points by a_w 13y ago

cs02rm0 13y ago

Disgracefully, that site isn't accessible to UK users.

jasoncartwright 13y ago
Right, what a joke. Of course, fortunately it's trivially easy to bypass. https://web.archive.org/web/20131121213728/http://www.bbc.com/capital/story/20131121-portrait-of-a-start-up-success https://web.archive.org/web/20131121213728/http://www.bbc.co...

asdfologist 13y ago

It's doubly impressive that she attained such success as a woman in a very male-dominated society.

aswanson 13y ago

I've always wondered why there aren't more Japanese startups. They seem to have an outsized number of artistic, technically saavy people there, like a perfect mix of NY and SV. what's the problem?

bitwize 13y ago
Japanese society frowns on individual initiative and risk-taking, favoring instead preserving a harmonious fabric of society and doing what your seniors expect of you. Notice how Ms. Namba had a U.S. business education. And yes, that she is a woman is both enormously significant and not all that surprising; she is going to be bucking Japanese norms anyway, so why not go whole hog?

coolandsmartrr 13y ago

I've met Namba-san previously. She grew up in a rather traditional environment, attending an all-female college. What gave her the entrepreneurial ambitions was So-net's CEO suggesting her to get into business online, as the article states. Although HNer bitwize is correct in saying that Japan frowns upon risks, Nanba-san claims the getting an MBA in the states hasn't directly aided her entrepreneurship, and was only a pretext to get a break from her busy career at McKinsey. She is indeed very ambitious; she aims DeNA to become Japan's best technology company. My friend who works there also got to meet her before, and we both agreed that she is a rare female leader not unlike Margaret Thatcher.

throwaway1979 13y ago
Interesting point about using the MBA as a career break. I suspect this is not rare.

sarreph 13y ago

When viewing from the UK [BBC, you srs?] BBC Worldwide (International Site) We're sorry but this site is not accessible from the UK as it is part of our international service and is not funded by the licence fee. It is run commercially by BBC Worldwide, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the BBC, the profits made from it go back to BBC programme-makers to help fund great new BBC programmes. You can find out more about BBC Worldwide and its digital activities at www.bbcworldwide.com.