An overview of Sushi Tech — attended by local Perth startups courtesy of Invest and Trade WA.
Returning to Japan after being away for 18 months (and living there for almost nine years) felt like déjà vu, but this time, it was for a different kind of adventure. Moving from Perth to Nepal to Japan highlighted fascinating contrasts between home and different societies, one with humble beginnings and one that prides itself on modesty.
Thanks to Invest and Trade WA, startups like Edible Cutlery, Powerledger, and Tekkon had the opportunity to showcase the vibrant and diverse WA startup and innovation scene, especially with each having its very own booth.
We featured at Tokyo’s newly named Sushi Tech — an abbreviation for Sustainable High City Tech. The event spanned almost an entire month, packed with satellite events, with the main attraction the Global Startup Program on the 15th and 16th of May, a two-day event that showcased global innovation in the city of Tokyo.
Meet the Startups
Edible Cutlery: This business offers an eco-friendly alternative to traditional disposable cutlery. Made from all-natural ingredients and available in various flavours and colours, Edible Cutlery is perfect for picnics, barbecues, and other outdoor events. Lightweight, durable, and entirely edible, its cutlery aims to reduce food waste while providing a fun dining experience.
Edible Cutlery is also part of this year’s Plus Eight cohort.
Powerledger: A fast-growing tech startup, Powerledger has developed a world-first blockchain-enabled energy and environmental commodity trading platform. Its technology aims to make energy markets more efficient.
Recognised globally, including winning Sir Richard Branson’s Extreme Tech Challenge in 2018, its software is used in multiple countries, including Australia, Thailand, India, Japan, and the U.S. Powerledger’s team of leading energy and blockchain experts strives to create a world powered by renewable energy.
Tekkon: This Perth-founded company helps startups and scale-ups access cost-effective, agile, and talented remote developers — “Tekkies” — from Nepal. Whether you need to build your dream tech team, fill skill gaps, ramp up development capacity, or enhance your team’s capabilities with specialised talent, Tekkon can support your development journey with remote tech talent.
Tekkon first started in 2018, and now has customers across Australia, including FinTech Australia, SpaceToCo, Australian Tenders, and more. Starting from a team of three and scaling up to a team of 50 over six years, it has developers across most web, desktop, and mobile technologies.
Event Highlights
The WA Government also had a display, with representatives from the local Tokyo office promoting the WA startup and innovation community and encouraging visitors to join, study, and explore the ecosystem.
The event attracted over 22,000 visitors across two days, showcasing innovations not only from Tokyo, but also from heavyweight investors from countries like Taiwan and Switzerland.
A highlight was the afterparty at the Tokyo International Base — a new co-working space in central Tokyo — a networking event with Japanese beer and cuisine from food trucks. A perfect end to an exciting day.
WA wasn’t the only Australian representation; our neighbours from Queensland shared the Aussie spirit at Sushi Tech, too.
One challenge of having a booth was balancing time between manning our station and exploring the event. With so much to see, I managed to cover only about 20% of the exhibits. Across two days, I think it would have been truly impossible to cover everything properly, demonstrating just how mammoth the event and venue space was.
However, after experiencing this event for the first time, I plan to be back, next time as an attendee, enjoying the event from the spectator’s point of view.
A special mention of thanks and appreciation goes out to the WA Government Tokyo office, especially from Yujun Ichikawa who tirelessly supported the setup of the booths, and helped to arrange and organise the logistics of the event for all of us.
If you have any questions about the Japanese ecosystem or potential opportunities in that market, I’m always available to chat or introduce you to some of the active local folks. Feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn.
