​This is a bilingual event | 日英同時開催

​The Future of Japan-Based Global Teams
— Insights from Data Points across Talent Markets and Investments

​Many startups begin in Japan with international or distributed team members, aiming for global markets from day one. But does this setup become a competitive advantage—or an operational risk?

​In this panel, Antler Japan Senior Director Florian moderates a conversation with Fuminori Gunji, Head of GTM at ZooKeep, and Paul McMahon, Representative Director of TokyoDev, to unpack this question through data, patterns, and real-world observations.

​The discussion will explore:
​- Antler’s observations from its investment and founder data
​- ZooKeep’s insights from the #talent market
​- TokyoDev's unique data from its international software developer community

​This session is designed for founders building from Japan with global ambition—especially those navigating international teams, talent strategy, and early organizational design.

​🗓️Date

​Feb 18 Wednesday 2026, 6-7pm

​🏢Venue

​YOKOHAMA CONNECT at TECH HUB YOKOHAMA

​🎙️Speakers

​Fuminori Gunji
ZooKeep, Head of GTM

​Fuminori Gunji is the head of GTM at ZooKeep, where he works with enterprises and startups to help them accelerate their talent functions.

​Fuminori carries a deep understanding of cross-cultural teams, shaped by growing up in Germany, studying in the Netherlands, and having roots in Tokyo.

​Having worked at the cross section of B2B x Tech x New Business Development for the last 15+ yearsー in management consultancy, SoftBank Robotics, and early~middle stage startups with one of them ending in a major M&A exitーFuminori now applies his problem-solving discipline to transform talent acquisition into an orchestrated practice.

​

​Paul McMahon
TokyoDev, Representative Director

​Paul McMahon is the founder of TokyoDev, a job board and community that helps Japanese companies hire international software developers. The site began as his personal blog in 2010 and, over the past 15 years, has grown into a thriving business.

​Originally from Canada, Paul has now lived in Japan for twenty years. When he first came to Japan, he joined a Japanese startup as a software engineer. After a couple of years there, he set off on his own and, prior to TokyoDev, founded two other Japanese companies: a development consultancy and an online event registration platform.

​

​Florian Geier
Antler Japan, Senior Director

​Florian Geier is a Senior Director at Antler Japan, where he works closely with founders to build and scale innovative startups beginning their journey to global greatness in Japan. 

​He brings extensive experience from his roles at the US-Japan Unicorn Playco, where he led Partnerships and Operations, and at Fujifilm’s Innovation and Strategy Planning division, where he led global collaborations with startups and VCs. His strategic investments have led to significant value add for both corporates and startups, including one early-stage startup achieving an IPO with a valuation over $1 billion due to its collaboration with Fujifilm. 

​Florian originally came to Japan as a physics PhD student and has since developed a deep, multi-faceted understanding of both the startup and corporate ecosystem, which he now applies to support new entrepreneurs in Japan and globally.

​

​🇯🇵日本語

​〜人材市場と投資実績のデータから考える〜
日本発・多国籍チームの潜在力

​日本を拠点にしながら、海外在住メンバーや外国籍メンバーとともに、最初からグローバル市場を目指す——それは強みになるのか、それとも難易度を上げてしまうのか。

​本パネルでは、Antler Japan シニア•ディレクターのフロリアン•ガイヤがモデレーターとなり、ZooKeepでHead of GTMを務める郡司史徳氏、そしてTokyoDev 代表取締役のポール・マクマホン氏とともに、この問いをデータと実践知の両面から紐解きます。

• ​Antlerが日本で見てきたグローバルで25,000以上の起業家データ

• ​ZooKeepが向き合ってきた人材市場データ

• ​TokyoDevが持つ海外ソフトウェア開発者コミュニティのユニークなデータ

​を、具体例とともに議論します。

​「グローバルを目指すなら、いつ・どうチームを組むべきか？」そのヒントを持ち帰っていただくセッションです。

​📍日時・場所

​2026/2/18(水) 18-19時
YOKOHAMA CONNECT at TECH HUB YOKOHAMA