JETRO Startup Acceleration Programs

JETRO Startup Acceleration

Offers continual acceleration pathways for Japanese startups entering new global markets through mentorship and market entry support.

The Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) is a government-related agency supervised by Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) that has supported Japanese startups expanding internationally since 2013. Through 15 distinct acceleration streams, JETRO supports more than 700 Japanese startups per year across sectors including enterprise B2B, artificial intelligence, sustainability and green transformation, manufacturing technology, and hard tech. Core programs include the flagship Global Startup Acceleration Program (GSAP), which partners with world-class accelerators such as Alchemist, StartX, ERA, Third Derivative, and Centrepolis; the Global Acceleration Hub offering one-to-one mentoring via 50-plus business partners across 29 overseas offices; and partner-branded programs including Techstars Tokyo, Alchemist Japan, X-HUB TOKYO, and J-StarX for student founders.

GSAP's five 2026 courses collectively accommodate 78 to 90 startup slots ranging from pre-seed through Series B, with durations of 8 to 30 weeks depending on the stream. Eligibility across GSAP requires the applicant company to be based in Japan, to be pursuing overseas business development or fundraising, and to have English-proficient decision-makers or founders available to participate. Critically, JETRO operates all programs on an equity-free basis — it does not take a stake in participating companies — and covers program fees; participants are responsible for travel, accommodation, visas, and communications costs. Award amounts in the conventional cash-grant sense are not applicable: the value delivered is structured mentorship, investor access, accelerator curriculum, and market-entry support.

Organizations evaluating fit should identify the stream that matches their stage and target geography — the JETRO Startup acceleration page enumerates all 15 active programs with per-stream entry points. The GSAP Enterprise B2B course (via Alchemist, 20 slots) targets pre-seed to Series A; the Sustainability/GX course (via Third Derivative, 15 slots) targets climate and green-transition ventures pre-seed to Series B; and the ManufacturingTech and HardTech course (via Centrepolis) runs a two-phase model with a narrower cohort of 3 to 5 companies in Phase 2. Per-stream application deadlines vary; GSAP's master 2026 deadline was May 31, 2026, and future cycles are expected annually.