Mentor Office Hour with a Cross-Border Venture Scout: Global GTM, Traction & Fundraising
Building a great startup is only the beginning. To scale globally, founders need the right positioning, go-to-market strategy, customer and partner traction, and a clear path to investment.
Join this interactive Mentor Office Hour with Yu Li Shein, a cross-border venture scout, founder, and ecosystem builder supporting startups across APAC and global markets.
Yu Li will share practical insights on global GTM, traction, cross-border expansion, and fundraising, drawing from her experience working with hundreds of founders and connecting startups with investors, partners, and opportunities across Japan, APAC, and globally. Through Decile Group, she also helps promising venture-scale startups explore fundraising opportunities across a network of 1,000+ VC funds worldwide.
The session combines a practical webinar with selected startup pitches and live Mentor Office Hours. Selected founders will pitch their startups, share their current challenges, and receive direct feedback on positioning, GTM, traction, expansion, and fundraising readiness.
Everyone is welcome to attend, learn, and join the Q&A. Pitching and personalized feedback are reserved for selected startups and community members.
Whether you're looking for your next customer, strategic partner, new market, or investor, this session will help you understand what to strengthen next.
Agenda
Welcome & Introduction
Global GTM, Traction & Fundraising Insights
Selected Startup Pitches
Live Mentor Feedback
Audience Q&A
Closing Remarks
Featured Mentor
Yu Li Shein is a cross-border venture scout, founder, operator, and ecosystem builder supporting startups across APAC and global markets.
She is Co-Founder & COO of Openfor.co, Director of Founder Institute Japan, Korea & Taiwan, Venture Partner at Co-Capital, Venture Scout at Decile Group, and Visiting Professor of Global Business Negotiation at iU.
With a background spanning software engineering, international business development, entrepreneurship, global expansion, and venture capital, Yu Li focuses on helping founders increase visibility, develop cross-border GTM strategies, gain customer and partner traction, and become ready for global investment.
She has mentored 300+ founders and supported the development of a portfolio of 70+ startups. She also helps promising startups explore relevant opportunities across Decile Group's global network of 1,000+ VC funds.
What You Can Expect
Practical insights on global GTM and cross-border expansion
Strategies for building customer and partner traction
Guidance on positioning your startup for global opportunities
An investor-side perspective on fundraising readiness
Live startup pitches and direct mentor feedback
Real discussions around stage, traction, fundraising, and investor fit
Audience Q&A on your own expansion and fundraising challenges
Who Should Attend
Pre-Seed to Series A founders with global ambitions
APAC startups preparing for international expansion
Founders looking for global customers and strategic partners
Startups preparing to raise from international VCs
Founders struggling to translate local traction into a global story
Startup operators working on GTM, partnerships, or fundraising
Investors, scouts, and ecosystem builders interested in APAC startups
Want to Pitch & Get Direct Feedback?
The event itself is open to everyone.
However, the live pitch and personalized Mentor Office Hour are reserved for selected startups and eligible community members.
Selected founders will have the opportunity to present their startup and receive direct feedback on:
Positioning & business model
Global GTM & market entry
Customer & partner traction
Fundraising readiness
Stage, raise, and investor fit
Next steps for global expansion
Continue Your Founder Journey
Openfor.co Incubator
A monthly, non-equity incubator helping founders strengthen their positioning, build visibility, gain customer and partner traction, expand globally, and improve investment readiness.
Learn more: https://www.openfor.co/
Founder Institute 2.0
Build faster with AI-native founder support, personalized execution, and earlier access to investors through the world's largest AI-native startup accelerator.
Early Application Deadline: August 19, 2026
Japan: https://fi.co/japan
Korea: https://fi.co/korea
Taiwan: https://fi.co/taiwan
Access Our Global VC Network
Venture-scale startups from Pre-Seed through Series A can submit for consideration for relevant opportunities across Decile Group's network of 1,000+ VC funds worldwide.
Submit your startup:
https://cocapital.decilehub.com/submit_your_company
Collaborate With Us
Interested in speaking, mentoring, partnering, or collaborating with us?
https://www.openfor.co/contact-us
This Mentor Office Hour is organized by Openfor.co, in collaboration with Co-Capital, Decile Group, and Founder Institute Japan, Korea & Taiwan, to help ambitious founders build, expand, and raise globally from APAC.