{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"How Bespoke faked AI until it actually worked (w\/ Akemi Tsunagawa) | E2320","description":"This Week In Startups is made possible by: Odoo https:\/\/Odoo.com\/twist Quo https:\/\/quo.com\/TWiST Northwest Registered Agent https:\/\/northwestregisteredagent.com\/twist   Today\u2019s show: *Before Bespoke\u2019s \u201ctravel concierge\u201d chatbot could actually hold a conversation, founder\/CEO Akemi Tsunagawa and her team quietly answered customers themselves. That \u201cfake it till you make it\u201d strategy paid off. Bespoke landed Narita Airport as a customer based on the strength of their \u201cchatbot\u201d answers, and now the team runs three companies, and is expanding into shipyard robots. In the fourth and final edition of TWiST Tokyo for Summer \u201826, Jason and Akemi discuss her thesis: \u201csolve the labor gap first, [then] build the tech to math.\u201d Plus insights into Japan\u2019s tourism boom, how founders should consider the country\u2019s accelerating population decline, the economics and politics of importing foreign labor, and why AI may already be taking over more jobs than you think. Guest Akemi Tsunagawa on X: https:\/\/x.com\/AkemiTsunagawa Bespoke: https:\/\/www.be-spoke.io\/ Bebot: https:\/\/www.bebot.io BeTrained: https:\/\/www.be-spoke.io\/en\/be-trained Relevant Links Disrupting Japan: \u201cSilicon Valley Has Chatbots All Wrong\u201d:  https:\/\/www.disruptingjapan.com\/silicon-valley-has-chatbots-all-wrong-heres-how-they-really-make-money\/ CNN on Japan\u2019s population decline:  https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2025\/08\/07\/asia\/japan-biggest-population-decline-record-intl-hnk Paul Graham: \u201cDo Things That Don\u2019t Scale\u201d: https:\/\/www.paulgraham.com\/ds.html Wispr Flow: https:\/\/wisprflow.ai\/ TripAdvisor: https:\/\/www.tripadvisor.com\/ KPMG on Japan\u2019s Business Manage Visa Reforms:  https:\/\/kpmg.com\/xx\/en\/our-insights\/gms-flash-alert\/flash-alert-2025-195.html Business Traveller on the \u201cAkiya\u201d renovation trend:  https:\/\/www.businesstraveller.com\/insights\/features\/japan-akiya-boom-buying-abandoned-homes\/ THR on the 2004 satirical film \u201cA Day Without a Mexican\u201d:  https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/news\/general-news\/a-day-without-a-mexican-20-years-later-1236293209\/ Founder University x Japan: https:\/\/tokyo.founder.university\/ JETRO: https:\/\/www.jetro.go.jp\/en\/ Antler in Japan: https:\/\/www.antler.co\/location\/japan Timestamps:  0:00 Founder U Japan Cohort 3: Coming in Jan 2027! 1:06 Introducing Akemi Tsunagawa, founder of Bespoke 3:08 Why investors passed in 2015 4:49 Selling Narita Airport on Bebot 6:29 The roots of Japan's tourism explosion 9:27 Odoo - The all-in-one business platform. Get started for free at https:\/\/Odoo.com\/twist 14:17 Japan's population decline, by the numbers 20:06 Quo (formerly OpenPhone) - Quo gives you a clean, modern way to handle every customer call, text, and thread all in one place. Try it free at https:\/\/quo.com\/TWiST 21:38 Training foreign workers via smart glasses 27:50 Northwest Registered Agent - Get more when you start your business with Northwest. In 10 clicks and 10 minutes, you can form your company and walk away with a real business identity \u2014 Learn more at https:\/\/northwestregisteredagent.com\/twist 33:06 Moving into shipyard robotics, too? 37:44 Some customer development lessons 48:21 Plans for even more expansion 52:52 Q&amp;amp;A: How AI changed hiring &amp;nbsp; Subscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: https:\/\/ticker.thisweekinstartups.com Check out the TWIST500: https:\/\/www.twist500.com Subscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: https:\/\/rb.gy\/v19fcp &amp;nbsp; Follow Lon: X: https:\/\/x.com\/lons &amp;nbsp; Follow Alex: X: https:\/\/x.com\/alex LinkedIn: \u2060https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/alexwilhelm &amp;nbsp; Follow Jason: X: https:\/\/twitter.com\/Jason LinkedIn: https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/jasoncalacanis &amp;nbsp; Check out all our partner offers: https:\/\/partners.launch.co\/ &amp;nbsp; Great TWIST interviews: Will Guidara, Eoghan McCabe,  Steve Huffman,  Brian Chesky, Bob Moesta,  Aaron Levie,  Sophia Amoruso,  Reid Hoffman,  Frank Slootman,  Billy McFarland &amp;nbsp; Check out Jason\u2019s suite of newsletters: https:\/\/substack.com\/@calacanis &amp;nbsp; Follow TWiST: Twitter: https:\/\/twitter.com\/TWiStartups YouTube: https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/thisweekin Instagram: https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/thisweekinstartups TikTok: https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@thisweekinstartups Substack: https:\/\/twistartups.substack.com ","author_name":"This Week in Startups","author_url":"https:\/\/thisweekinstartups.com","html":"<iframe title=\"Libsyn Player\" style=\"border: none\" src=\"\/\/html5-player.libsyn.com\/embed\/episode\/id\/42305560\/height\/90\/theme\/custom\/thumbnail\/yes\/direction\/forward\/render-playlist\/no\/custom-color\/88AA3C\/\" height=\"90\" width=\"600\" scrolling=\"no\"  allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen oallowfullscreen msallowfullscreen><\/iframe>","thumbnail_url":"https:\/\/assets.libsyn.com\/secure\/content\/204748220"}