English Articles

Exclusive Interview: Steve Blank on “Customer Development” for Local Business in the AI Era

On September 29, 2026, a local business supporter from Niigata, Japan, conducted an exclusive interview with Steve Blank, the creator of Customer Development. This article explores how Silicon Valley's startup methodologies apply to small regional businesses and how AI helped cross the language barrier.

2026.10.04

English Versionビジネス

The Sengoku Era of Small Businesses: Exploring Enterprise Methods and Value Validation Through the Practice of Lean LaunchPad Nagaoka

Explore how local small businesses can navigate the "Sengoku Era" of AI. Discover how enterprise methods from Lean LaunchPad Nagaoka translate into local value validation and why primary field information remains indispensable.

2026.09.25

English Versionコラム・記録ビジネス人・挑戦

LLP Nagaoka Spotlight: From Failure to Grand Prize – The Reality of Fieldwork – Part 2

Discover how Ishii, leader of LLP Nagaoka 2026 Grand Prize winner Babreach, bounced back from past failure by fusing AI with deep fieldwork to solve real problems.

2026.09.22

English Version

LLP Nagaoka Spotlight: From 20 Years in Sales to Startup Fieldwork – Part 1

Struggling to validate your startup idea? Discover the "Go-to-Field" mindset from LLP Nagaoka's winning team and turn real customer pain into innovation.

2026.09.21

English Version

LLP Nagaoka Spotlight: From Taxi Driver to Startup Contender in Nagaoka City, Japan

Discover how a local taxi driver joined LLP Nagaoka from a single poster, navigated team isolation, and made a crucial pivot toward Demo Day.

2026.09.20

English Version

LLP Nagaoka Spotlight: Young Researcher Kento Kazuno on Commercializing Dairy Byproducts

Follow researcher Kento Kazuno’s transition from zero business experience to validating customer needs for novel biomaterials in Nagaoka.

2026.09.19

English Version

[Part 3] Innovation Can Be Taught: A Message for the Future with Takashi Tsutsumi

"Don't waste your potential!" VC Takashi Tsutsumi concludes our 3-part series with empowering advice for entrepreneurs and working professionals.

2026.09.14

English Version

[Part 2] Human Imagination Tested in the AI Era: Takashi Tsutsumi on the True Essence of Business

In Part 2, Takashi Tsutsumi explains key startup blind spots, traits of successful founders, and how Generative AI acts as a lever for human creativity.

2026.09.14

English Version

[Part 1] Business Creation Starts with Understanding Customers: Reflecting on the History of LLP with Takashi Tsutsumi

Discover how Takashi Tsutsumi brought Steve Blank's Lean LaunchPad to Nagaoka. Learn the true essence of Customer Development and breaking the "good products sell" myth.

2026.09.14

English Version

Exclusive Interview: Takashi Tsutsumi on the Essence of Business Creation & Entrepreneurship in the AI Era [LLP Nagaoka]

Takashi Tsutsumi shares key insights on LLP Nagaoka, Steve Blank’s methodology, and entrepreneurial mindsets for the AI era in this exclusive series.

2026.09.14

English Version