Who We Look For
We are not selecting ideas.
We are selecting people.
What We Look For
Six things that matter more than anything else.
Technical Ability
At least one technical founder required. We favor engineering-heavy teams.
Execution History
What have you shipped before? We look for evidence of building, not just planning.
Founder Quality
Judgment, self-awareness, and the ability to attract and retain great people.
Ambition
Venture-scale thinking. You are building something that could become very large.
Trust
Founder compatibility matters as much as the idea. We optimize for cohort trust.
Long-Term Thinking
You are here for the long game. Not the demo day. Not the announcement.
Good Fit & Not A Fit
EPOK is for teams already obsessed with building.
Teams we are especially looking for
- AI-native infrastructure startups
- Technical B2B SaaS teams
- Developer tools founders
- Robotics and industrial software
- Cybersecurity and resilience tools
- Deep tech and engineering-heavy products
- Small technical teams with strong execution velocity
- Global founders building at venture scale
Good fit
- Technical founder required
- Minimum two founders
- Existing product or significant traction
- Strong execution history
- Global ambition
- Venture-scale opportunity
- AI, infrastructure, developer tools, B2B software, cybersecurity, robotics, deep tech
- Teams willing to spend 12 weeks fully committed in Tokyo
Not a fit
- Idea-only projects
- Lifestyle businesses
- Startup tourists
- Passive participants
- Founders primarily seeking visas
- Teams focused only on fundraising
- People looking for networking without building
- Projects without technical ambition
Exceptional solo founders may be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Selection Process
Batch 00 is intentionally small. Selection quality matters more than volume.
Acceptance Statistics: Coming Soon
