Consistent Progress is the Key to Success!

• Over the course of the program, you will connect with mentors to improve your business in three areas. There will be three (3) types of mentoring throughout the program: Industry Mentoring, English Communication Mentoring, & Pitch Coaching. You will also be asked to meet with CIC for an Individual Check In meeting. For all online mentoring and coaching sessions, please choose your desired sign-up time & date from the options shown on Time Tap (https://gsap.timetap.com/).

• During the program, CIC Japan Desk will set up Matching meetings between you and key stakeholders in the Bio/Healthcare industry and you will prepare for your Small Group Industry Discussions by meeting with the MassGlobal Partners team.

• During this phase, there will also be additional services, including Office Hours and Social Gatherings

Industry mentoring sessions will provide valuable guidance, insights, and knowledge from experienced, local professionals within the specific field in which your startup operates. The industry experts can offer you invaluable advice based on their years of experience and deep understanding of the market in the US. By having access to industry experts as mentors, you can tap into their wealth of specialized knowledge and practical wisdom. 

For this program, you will be able to meet with your assigned industry mentor a total of seven (7) times. Each of your sessions will be one (1) hour long opportunity to work closely with your mentor.

• English communication mentoring sessions will provide guidance to support you in improving your English communication skills. The goal of English mentoring is to empower you to confidently express your ideas, pitch your technology, and build strong professional relationships. By developing strong English communication skill, you can overcome language barriers, expand your global reach, and gain a competitive edge in the international market.

• For this program, you will be able to meet with your English Communication Mentor a total of two (2) times. Each of your sessions will be one (1) hour long opportunity to further develop your English communication skills.

• Pitch coaching sessions will provide you with expert design advice that will help make your pitch deck stand out from the crowd. The goal of pitching coaching is to both improve your ability to give a pitch and to make your pitch deck visually appealing to your audience. By developing a strong pitch, you will be able to capture the interest of those around you and more effectively sell your product. Your pitch deck is the visual to aid your audience in understanding your technology by providing something that words alone cannot.

• For this program, you will be able to meet with a pitch coach for a total of two (2) times. Each of your sessions will be one (1) hour long session, where you will receive feedback on how best to present yourself and your business to potential investors. You will be expected to incorporate feedback and updates between sessions. Please come prepared with your most up-to-date 2-minute slide deck, and your completed Superhero Origin Story.

• CIC will set up individual business matching meetings for each startup.

  • All startups will have an opportunity to meet individually with Jesse Hwang from the Johnson & Johnson team. Please schedule your session using TimeTap.

  • Other meetings will be scheduled as interested potential business partners and investors in the Boston area are identified by CIC

  • Due to the timezone difference with the US East Coast, meetings will likely be in the morning in Japan

• During the final week of the program when you visit Boston, MassGlobal Partners will arrange Small Group Industry Discussions. For those discussions, startups will be divided into groups (about 3 startups). MassGlobal Partners will curate a panel of experts for each group. Each startup will give a short pitch (about 5 minutes) and take questions from the panel (about 20-25 minutes). This is a chance to receive honest, potentially tough feedback from local industry experts. 

• To prepare for the Small Group Industry Discussions in December, a pair of coaches from MassGlobal Partners will meet with each startup for a total of two (2) times online via Zoom. The purpose of these prep meetings is for MassGlobal Partners to learn about your startup to help them customize the panel of experts to invite. In addition, the MassGlobal Partners coaches will provide tailored feedback on the pitches to help startups be best prepared for the Small Group Industry Discussions in December.

• Please send the most up-to-date version of your pitch deck, up to five (5) minutes, via Slack to CIC Japan Desk by 12/1/23 and be ready. Please incorporate any updates and changes between your meetings with MassGlobal Partners. 

• Please note that MassGlobal Partners availability is first come, first served, so be sure to sign up early! 

Please review the "Week 13: Boston" tab for more information on the Small Group Industry Discussions in December. 

• Over the course of the Acceleration Phase, we will host Zoom seminars as further learning opportunities. Below are the scheduled seminars. Please save the dates! All Zoom recording links will be shared in the resources tab in Slack.

(9/13) Startups will meet with the CIC Japan Desk staff for 15 minutes to check-in about the progress, discuss any questions or concerns they may have, as well as allow CIC to learn more individually about each startup and their goals.

(10/4 and 10/5) JETRO staff are also joining the session to enhance your GSAP experience! Be prepared to:

• present your pre-program goals and the progress made so far (e.g. whether you are on track and if you perceive any gaps, as well as if there have been changes to the goals).

• provide feedback to JETRO and/or CIC and discuss how we could help you reach your goals.