Kaori Rei from the AI Founder’s Mindset Podcast recently interviewed me about what we’re working on at Kimaru.ai and how it connects to the Japanese economy. Here are the show notes:
😃 Welcome to the ‘AI Founders’ Mindset! This podcast dives into the stories of visionary founders and the incredible people who power the startup ecosystem. Whether you’re building your own venture or simply curious about the world of startups, you’re in the right place. Evan Burkosky / evanburkosky kimaru.ai https://kimaru.ai/
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The 3 key takeaways from the conversation with Evan Part 1
🧠 1. AI for Practical, Blue-Collar Use Cases Kimaru.ai focuses on solving real-world productivity challenges in retail and supply chain industries using agentic AI and decision intelligence. Unlike many AI startups focusing on digital or recommendation systems, Kimaru targets on-the-ground decision-making like markdown pricing, inventory management, and demand forecasting.
🚀 2. Accelerators Like Alchemist Can 10x Growth Joining the Alchemist Accelerator helped Kimaru AI refine their storytelling, fast-track their product development, and access essential networks and tools. Evan emphasized that accelerators do more than funding—they give strategic guidance and credibility that open doors to global investors and partnerships.
🇯🇵 3. Japan as a Global AI Launchpad Despite being founded by immigrant entrepreneurs, Kimaru AI chose Japan because of its urgent productivity challenges and pro-AI policy support. The team believes Japan has a “late-mover advantage” to leapfrog digital transformation using AI agents—especially to address declining population and efficiency.
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