Confidence Isn't Born. It's Built From Being Broken - Ayaka (Aya) Murai

Confidence Isn't Born. It's Built From Being Broken - Ayaka (Aya) Murai

When Aya was a teenager, she was bullied for being too tall and not fitting Japanese beauty standards. Instead of collapsing, she drew up a vision of her "ideal self" and reverse-engineered every step to become her. What followed was one of the most relentless reinventions you'll hear this year.In this episode of the Produck Podcast, Lee Jean sits down with Ayaka (Aya) Murai, co-founder and country manager of Idea Boxes Japan, to unpack a journey that includes self-taught English, a beauty pageant stage, a startup betrayal that left her unable to eat for three days, and a worship song on Instagram that changed everything. Aya is still early in her story, but what she has already lived through is worth every minute of your time.What we get into:- How Aya created a detailed "ideal self" vision as a teenager and built a plan to become her- The hostel trick she used to teach herself English with zero scores and zero safety net- Becoming a beauty pageant finalist as someone who was told she never fit the Japanese beauty mold- The startup betrayal that left her broke, alone in Japan, and stuck in bed for three days barely eating- How a worship song on Instagram found her at her lowest and led her to Christianity- Why she attended 100 to 150 startup events in a single year to rebuild her entire world from scratch- Why confidence is something you earn through hardship, not something you are born withAyaka (Aya) Murai is the co-founder and country manager of Idea Boxes Japan. Idea Boxes is a startup studio headquartered in New York, with offices in Armenia and London, that helps founders build companies from 0 to 1 with no upfront cost, providing tech in exchange for future revenue share or equity. Aya is also developing a 3-week workshop program to help aspiring entrepreneurs in Japan turn passion into practical action.Connect with Aya Murai on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ayakagrace/Check out Ideaboxes: ideaboxes.app#produckpodcast #entrepreneurship #startupjapan #womenfounders #selfimprovement #mindset #confidence #founderstory #japanstartup #leejean #ideaboxes #faith #selfbelief #buildyourself

Can AI Ever Replace Human Drivers? Max Frenzel, CTPO of Track Titan Answers

After one session using Track Titan's AI coaching tool, drivers improve their lap time by more than half a second on average. That's 150,000 laps analyzed every single day, more than one million kilometers of racing telemetry, all feeding an AI system built to turn anyone from a Gran Turismo casual into a competitive sim racer.In this episode of the Produck Podcast, Lee sits down with Max Frenzel, CTPO of Track Titan, a physicist-turned-AI-researcher who spent 12 years going from a Tokyo postdoc fellowship to leading AI at Mercari before finding his dream intersection of technology and motorsport. Max breaks down exactly how Track Titan works, where the sport is heading, and why the rest of the world is sleeping on what sim racing can actually do for your driving career.What we cover:- How Track Titan captures 250 telemetry channels per session (brake pressure, tire temps, throttle, steering angle) and translates them into actionable coaching that beginners and pros can both use- Why most beginner drivers brake too late and how that one fix alone saves enormous lap time, explained through Track Titan's trail braking data- The sim-to-real pipeline: why jumping from iRacing to a real racetrack is actually easier than the other way around, and how Max's team includes a GT Academy winner who raced at Le Mans- Why AI will never replace human race drivers (and what the Sony Gran Turismo AI, Sophy, is actually teaching us about the ceiling of human performance)- Max's best-selling book "Time Off" and why your rest ethic is just as important as your work ethic, especially in Japan's work culture- The Future of Speed event: Japan's first motorsport tech event, and why the AI and software side of professional racing teams is surprisingly underfundedMax Frenzel is the CTPO of Track Titan, the leading AI coaching platform for sim and real-world racing drivers. He holds a PhD in physics from Imperial College London and a postdoc from Tokyo University, and has spent over a decade working across AI research, engineering, and product at startups and companies including Toyota and Mercari. He is also the co-author of "Time Off," a best-selling book on the science and philosophy of rest that hit number one on Amazon in multiple categories and has been translated into five languages.Connect with Max Frenzel on LinkedIn: [LinkedIn URL]Check out Track Titan at tracktitan.io and pick up "Time Off" wherever books are sold.Support the Show: If you enjoy the Produck Podcast and want to help keep it going, becoming a Patreon supporter is the best way to do it. Starting at just $5/month, your support directly shapes the future of the show. We'd love to have you in the community: https://www.patreon.com/c/ProduckPodcast 🙏#produckpodcast #tracktitan #simracing #aicoaching #motorsport #iracing #granturismo #timeoff #restethic #formulaone #racingtech #futureofsport #tokyostartup #maxfrenzel

87% of AI Agents Have Already Been Hacked. Is Yours One of Them? - Achraf Jday

87% of AI agents deployed worldwide have already been attacked. 80% of companies say their agents are doing things out of control. And the average cost of a data breach? Nearly $6 million. The problem is here, it's growing fast, and most people have no idea.In this episode of the Produck Podcast, Lee sits down with Achraf "Ash" Jday, co-founder of Antitech, a startup building AI agents that hack other AI agents in order to secure them. Ash is a Tunisian-born engineer who coded his first mods at 10, started his first startup at 15, and went on to work with Microsoft, NASA, Credit Suisse, Mitsubishi, and more before founding the world's most needed startup in the AI security space. Currently in Antler JP6, Ash breaks down exactly why your AI stack is more vulnerable than you think and what it will take to fix it.What we cover:- How Antitech's "Fight Club" system works: red agent attacks blue agent, both learn, and new defenses deploy instantly to all clients- Why AI jailbreaking is really a form of social engineering, and why guardrails alone are never enough- The real-world attack vectors you need to know: prompt injections, MCP hijacking, API exploitation, and indirect injections hidden in website comments- How Antitech hacked Sakana AI in a single prompt and turned it into a sales strategy- Why Physical AI (robots, drones, humanoids) is the biggest AI security risk nobody is talking about yet- What everyday business people need to watch out for when deploying AI tools in their workflowsAsh Jday is the co-founder and CEO of Antitech, a Tokyo-based AI security startup currently in Antler JP6. He holds a master's degree in AI and robotics from Sorbonne University, was recognized as the top cybersecurity talent in Paris by the mayor of France, and has worked on projects ranging from satellite collision prediction at NASA to AI governance at Swiss scale-ups. He started his first company at 15 years old with the same co-founder he's building Antitech with today.Connect with Ash Jday on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/achrafjday/Learn more about Antitech and follow their journey as they head toward their IC in June.Support the Show: If you enjoy the Produck Podcast and want to help keep it going, becoming a Patreon supporter is the best way to do it. Starting at just $5/month, your support directly shapes the future of the show. We'd love to have you in the community: https://www.patreon.com/c/ProduckPodcast 🙏#produckpodcast #antitech #aisecurity #cybersecurity #agentic #llmsecurity #jailbreak #tokyostartup #antler #physicalai #promptinjection #startupfounder #aistartup #futureofai

The Middle Word in "Execution" Is "Cut" — Here's What That Means - Marcel Jonté

Most entrepreneurs are stuck in a hamster wheel — running hard but going nowhere. Marcel Jonté has a name for it: RRAs, or Result-Reducing Activities. And the first step to escaping them? Understanding that the middle word in "execution" is "cut." In this episode of the Produck Podcast, Lee sits down with Marcel Jonté — founder and CEO of Japan Kingdom Builders, pastor, and entrepreneur coach — for the show's very first in-person episode, recorded in Tokyo, Japan. Marcel shares how a season of profound grief became the catalyst for everything he's building, and breaks down the exact frameworks he uses to help creators and founders go from clarity to execution. What we get into: - The 4 C's of Japan Kingdom Builders: Creative, Compassion, Community, and Commerce — and how Marcel's team has rehabilitated 13 homeless people off the streets of Shinjuku - RRAs vs. RPAs: why most entrepreneurs are busy doing the wrong things, and how to identify and cut what's not moving the needle - The hidden RRA killing your growth: chasing algorithms instead of outcomes, and building products nobody asked for - Implementation vs. IP: why teaching piano lessons will never scale — and what to do instead- The SES personal brand framework (Story, Experiences, Skills) and why your "boring" story has more value than you think - Why money is energy: Marcel's take on currency, mindset, and what it really means to attract abundance Marcel Jonté is the founder and CEO of Japan Kingdom Builders, a Tokyo-based organization built on four pillars: creative arts education, homeless outreach, church community, and entrepreneurship coaching. He came to Japan at 13 through his father's military career and has been building roots — and impact — ever since. Connect with Marcel Jonté on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcel-jont%C3%A9-4801913b0/ Join Marcel's Upcoming Event on July 11th in Tokyo! https://event.jpkb.org/?ref=lee Check out Japan Kingdom Builders website: https://www.jpkb.org/ Free Execution Diagnosis- https://7dayexecution.com/reset7 Day Execution System -https://7dayexecution.com Support the Show: If you enjoy the Produck Podcast and want to help keep it going, becoming a Patreon supporter is the best way to do it. Starting at just $5/month, your support directly shapes the future of the show. We'd love to have you in the community: https://www.patreon.com/c/ProduckPodcast 🙏 #produckpodcast #marceljonté #japankingdombuilders #entrepreneurexecution #personalbrand #tokyobusiness #homelessoutreach #mindsetshift #ipvsimplementation #produck

He Turned Down Antler Investment and Built Something Better Anyway - Rich Watson

He got all the way to the investment committee at Antler, was offered the deal, and said no. Two years later, he has zero regrets and a completely pivoted company that's growing without a board telling him what to build.In this episode of the Produck Podcast, I catch up with my old Antler Vietnam cohort mate Rich Watson, CEO and founder of Augmented Hype, to talk about why he walked away from VC money, how he built Ghost Orchestra (his own multi-agent AI system), and what it actually looks like to help SMEs operate like 30-person teams without hiring a single person.🤝 Why Rich turned down Antler investment and what it taught him about the difference between the right investor and just any investor🤖 What "Ghost Orchestra" is: the agentic multi-agent system Rich built for himself that became the foundation of his entire business model⚡ How Augmented Hype helps teams of 3 operate with the capacity of a 30-person agency using AI automation workflows💡 Why AI is actually adding time to people's plates instead of saving it, and the mindset shift that changes everything💰 The counterintuitive fundraising advice: if you feel desperate for investment, that's a sign you shouldn't be raising at all🏥 The personal AI health dashboard Rich built for himself, complete with an AI-augmented vision of his future self as motivationRich Watson is the CEO and founder of Augmented Hype, a company specializing in XR experiences and AI agentic automation workflows for creative agencies and SMEs. Based in Vietnam, Rich helps businesses embed custom AI operating systems into their teams so they can move faster, save money, and free their people up to do the work they actually love.Connect with Rich Watson on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rich-s-watson/Or reach him directly: rich@augmentedhype.comSubscribe for more conversations with founders, builders, and unconventional thinkers doing extraordinary things.Support the Show: If you enjoy the Produck Podcast and want to help keep it going, becoming a Patreon supporter is the best way to do it. Starting at just $5/month, your support directly shapes the future of the show. We'd love to have you in the community: https://www.patreon.com/c/ProduckPodcast #produckpodcast #AIAutomation #AgenticAI #StartupFunding #AntlerVC #AugmentedHype #FounderMindset #AIWorkflows #StartupJapan #VibeCoding #XR #Entrepreneurship