Produck Podcast

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

She Burned Out as a COO, Went to Bali, and Found Her Calling in a Sound Bath - Nanako Aramaki

A COO burning out. A doctor's orders to do nothing for 6 months. A sound bath in Bali that sparked a vision so clear she built her entire next chapter around it. Nanako Aramaki's story is one of the most unexpected and quietly powerful ones we've had on the show. In this episode of the Produck Podcast, we sit down with Nanako Aramaki, founder of Zenso, a sound bath and wellness practice in Tokyo, to explore what healing actually looks and feels like — for the nervous system, the mind, and the soul. 🎵 What's actually happening in your body during a sound bath: brain wave entrainment, the vagus nerve, and why 70% of us being made of water matters more than you'd think 🍚 The Dr. Emoto rice experiment Nanako ran herself: love, hate, and the ignored jar that rotted the fastest of all🇯🇵 Why Japanese people resist therapy and coaching — and how sound baths became the perfect "disguised transformation" 🥁 The vision Nanako had during her very first sound bath: a taiko drum healing ceremony — and how she made it real within months 🧘 What 10 days of Vipassana meditation revealed about grief, fear and what it means to actually purify the mind 💼 How 20 years as a professional flamenco dancer and 10 years of classical piano secretly trained her for a career as a sound healer Nanako Aramaki is the founder of Zenso, a Tokyo-based sound bath and wellness practice helping Japanese people reset their nervous systems, release stored emotions, and reconnect with themselves. A former flamenco dancer, classical pianist, and ex-COO, Nanako brings a uniquely layered approach to healing that blends art, science, and deep intuition.Connect with Nanako Aramaki on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nanakoaramaki/ You can also find her on Instagram: @zenzo.wellness.therapy For more on Nanako's corporate experiences, checkout Rocklit where she is the Director of Wellness: https://www.rocklit.com Subscribe for more conversations with healers, founders, and extraordinary humans doing things their own way. 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 #SoundBath #WellnessJapan #SoundHealing #NanakoBath #MindBodySoul #NervousSystemHealing #Zenso #JapanWellness #Burnout #SoundTherapy #Mindfulness

The Real Reason Nobody Cares About Your Startup (And How to Fix It) - Apolline Daimaru

You can have the best product in the market and still get completely ignored. In a world of AI copycats and accelerating competition, the startups that win aren't just the ones with the best features — they're the ones that occupy a specific, unmistakable place in people's minds.In this episode of the Produck Podcast, we sit down with Apolline Daimaru, co-founder of NowThen, a brand studio based in Tokyo working with growth-stage startups across Japan and Europe to help them build brands that actually drive traction.🧠 Why brand is a gut feeling, not a logo, and the exact three-step process to build one that sticks🌊 Why Japan is still a blue ocean for startups and how the branding challenge here is totally different from the US or Europe🚫 The biggest misconception founders have about branding ("it's just decoration") and why that thinking keeps them stuck👤 Why you must define your customer persona attitudinally, not just demographically, before you even think about a name📊 The one metric that tells you whether you have a brand problem: compare your retention rate against your cost of acquisition🎨 What the "fifth element" of visual identity is, why it matters more than your logo, and what Adidas can teach every startup founderApolline Daimaru is the co-founder of NowThen, a brand studio in Tokyo helping startups build magnetic brands through fast, high-craft sprints. With a background in traditional brand management across global agencies and client-side roles, Apolline brings a rare combination of strategic depth and startup-speed execution to founders who are ready to stop being ignored.Connect with Apolline Daimaru on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/apolline-coat/nowthen's website: https://nowthen.cc/Subscribe for weekly conversations with founders, builders, and unconventional thinkers doing extraordinary things in Japan and beyond.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 #StartupBranding #BrandStrategy #NowThen #JapanStartup #ProductMarketing #FounderMindset #StartupMarketing #Entrepreneurship #TokyoStartup

The Rise of "Vibe Coding": Can AI Really Replace the Engineer? - Sylvain Pierre

In this episode of the Produck Podcast, host Lee Jean welcomes Sylvain Pierre, the founder and CEO of Le Wagon Tokyo and a board member of French Tech, to discuss his unique journey through the Asian tech landscapeHaving spent a decade in Vietnam before moving to Japan in 2016, Sylvain shares how he transitioned from the world of IT outsourcing to building the most international coding bootcamp in TokyoThe conversation dives deep into the "product-first" mindset that defines Le Wagon's DNASylvain explains why teaching students to build functional products, rather than just focusing on theory, is the most efficient way to empower creative individuals to launch SaaS businesses and tech careersKey Discussion Points:- Life-Changing Success Stories: From a recruiter finding happiness in a more authentic "tech identity" to an electrician working manual shifts to fund his transition into a startup developer role, Sylvain highlights the profound personal transformations that occur during the 9-week pivot.- The Reality of "Vibe Coding": Sylvain addresses the current AI gold rush, arguing that while tools like Claude make building prototypes easier, true expertise is still required to manage enterprise-grade architecture and provide effective prompts.- New Tech Roles: A look at the rise of the "forward-deployed engineer" and the "AI developer," roles that are increasingly bridging the gap between technical execution and customer-facing problem-solving.- Entrepreneurship in Japan: Sylvain provides a candid look at the Tokyo startup ecosystem, discussing the "English-speaking island" within Japan and how founders can navigate the local "checkbox culture" to their advantage.- The "Chief Everything Officer": Sylvain shares his leadership philosophy on maintaining a "finger on the pulse" by personally speaking with leads while simultaneously looking for ways to automate business processes.Connect with Sylvain Pierre:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sylvainpierre/Learn more about Le Wagon Tokyo:Website: https://www.lewagon.com/tokyoSupport 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, #LeWagonTokyo, #SylvainPierre, #TechCareer, #CodingBootcamp, #JapanStartups, #VibeCoding, #AI, #Entrepreneurship, #TokyoTech, #CareerTransition, #FrenchTech Tokyo, #SoftwareEngineering, #ProductManagement, #BilingualJapan

STFD: The Founder Mantra Helen Iwata Swears By (And Why You Need It Too)

She was managing three departments at McKinsey, saying yes to everything, and one night she sat down to journal — and wrote, through tears, "I have a choice." That one sentence ended her corporate career and launched one of Tokyo's most respected executive coaching practices.In this episode of the Produck Podcast, we sit down with Helen Iwata, founder of Sasuga Communications and a 35-year Japan veteran, to explore what it really takes to communicate with impact — whether you're a Japanese professional trying to find your voice in a global room, or a founder who can't stop saying yes to everything.🧠 Why Japanese professionals are great listeners — but often understand nothing (the harmony trap vs. the comprehension trap)💼 The burnout at McKinsey that forced Helen to write "I have a choice" in her journal — and quit the next day🗣️ How to be assertive AND humble at the same time (the challenge every Japanese business professional faces globally)📖 The book Helen published 10 years ago that she re-read at a silent book club — and realized was still 99% relevant today🛑 STFD: why "Slow the F Down" might be the most important mantra for founders running at full speed🙅 People pleasing: when it's fine, when it's destructive, and how to get genuinely comfortable saying noHelen Iwata is the founder of Sasuga Communications, an executive coaching and leadership development practice based in Tokyo. With 7 years at Nippon Steel Trading and 10 years at McKinsey behind her, Helen now coaches corporate leaders and entrepreneurs on communication, leadership, and women's success — with a guiding philosophy of "less effort, more impact." She's also the author of a Shoga Khan-published book on business communication, now celebrating its 10th anniversary. Connect with Helen on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heleniwata/Connect with Helen on IG: https://www.instagram.com/heleniwata/Sasuga! Website: https://sasugacommunications.com/Sasuga! Tips for You Newsletter: https://go.sasugacommunications.com/stfyWomen's Presentation Workshop: https://go.sasugacommunications.com/wpwGrab Helen's Book: https://tinyurl.com/2huby5s8 Subscribe for more conversations with leaders, coaches, and unconventional thinkers doing remarkable things in Japan and beyond.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 #ExecutiveCoaching #LeadershipDevelopment #WomenInBusiness #JapanBusiness #CommunicationSkills #SasugaCommunications #McKinsey #FounderMindset #BusinessJapan #FemaleEntrepreneur #WorkLifeBalance