Are there particular criteria on the type of business for the Startup Visa? When I hear the word ‘startup’ – the Silicon Valley, V.C. funded, growth at all cost type of companies immediately come to mind. But based on what I read online, the Startup Visa is only a means to prepare for setting up some ‘traditional’ company (with the 5M capital requirements, etc.) for which you can get a business manager visa. The business doesn’t have to be the Silicon Valley type – it can be your run-of-the-mill manufacturing/service/retail type of business – just has to have a good business plan (and of course \*some\* capital). Is this correct?
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>with the 5M capital requirement
First off: The 5mil investment for the business manager visa (And I’m assuming for any of the startup visas that also require it) is a *minimum*, not a firm requirement.
At least for the business manager visa they will review your business plan and use that to determine the actual numbers involved, as long as it is *at least* 5 million.
Basically you’re expected to capitalize your business so that it’s successful, not just throw 5 million at it.
>The business doesn’t have to be the Silicon Valley type – it can be your run-of-the-mill manufacturing/service/retail type of business – just has to have a good business plan (and of course *some* capital). Is this correct?
Yep. Though there’s one additional caveat: You generally have to prove to some extent that your business *needs* to exist in Japan.
Obviously that’s easy for something like a retail/food service business: The customers are there. For a knowledge-based business it gets a bit murkier. If you’re running a software consultancy that exclusively serves non-Japanese clients they will probably reject the application. But if you have a plan to serve local clients it’ll be fine.