From Research to Entrepreneurship, Helping PhD Talent Explore New Pathways

Innovation Dojo Japan recently collaborated with Osaka University to deliver a special career webinar for PhD students and early career researchers titled From Research to Entrepreneurship. The session explored how research can translate into real world impact, without forcing premature career decisions.

The discussion was led by our CEO Joshua Flannery, alongside our senior manager Kanako Murase and Associate Professor at Osaka University, Clement Angkawidjaja. The focus was on entrepreneurship as a capability that can sit alongside an academic career, not replace it.

Rethinking What Holds Researchers Back

Across the session, one theme surfaced again and again. Most researchers are not short of ideas. What often slows them down is identity, timing and perceived risk.

Key reflections shared during the webinar included:

• Many PhD students hesitate because they do not see themselves as founders or worry that exploring commercialisation might disrupt a carefully built academic path
• PhD researchers often hold advantages that many founders would envy, including:
  • Frontier technologies
  • Strong academic credibility
  • Access to non dilutive funding
  • Time to experiment rigorously
• The real risk is not trying early, but waiting so long that options quietly narrow
• Entrepreneurship does not have to mean launching a company immediately, it can be developed as a skill set rather than treated as a binary career choice

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Navigating the Japanese University Context

The conversation also addressed the realities of commercialising research in Japan, where conditions can vary widely between institutions and projects.

Participants discussed how factors such as the following shape possible pathways:

• IP policies
• Research maturity
• Commercialisation readiness
• Language capability
• Internal decision making structures
• Alignment between academic and industry incentives

Understanding these dynamics early allows researchers to make more informed choices and plan next steps that fit both their ambitions and their institutional environment.

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Why Black Belt Global Venture Studio Was Built This Way

These themes sit at the heart of how Innovation Dojo Japan designs its programs, including the Black Belt Global Venture Studio (BBV).

BBV was highlighted as being structured around:

• A problem first approach
• Evidence based team formation
• Small proof of concept projects
• Permission not to found if that is not the right path
• Learning velocity over forced outcomes

At Innovation Dojo Japan, we repeatedly see this pattern across hundreds of university linked founders. When researchers are given psychological safety, structure and realistic expectations, the quality of decisions improves dramatically, whether or not a startup is ultimately formed.

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Looking Ahead

As universities across Japan continue to expand what entrepreneurial career development can look like, we look forward to continuing this dialogue in 2026.

At Innovation Dojo Japan, we remain committed to building practical bridges between research and real world impact, supporting the next generation of researchers as they explore new possibilities with confidence and purpose.

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