Founder communities in Japan, Korea, Taiwan and Hong Kong: 11 compared (2026)

The right founder community in East Asia depends on two things: the city you're in and the language you work in. Many groups run in Japanese, Korean or Mandarin, and a few run in English or translate live. Below are 11 communities across Tokyo, Osaka, Fukuoka, Seoul, Taipei and Hong Kong, each checked on its own pages on 28 October 2026, with what each costs, how to get in and, where the page says, which language it runs in.

A note before you read on: this guide is published by Remote Builders, our own free community for founders who build companies remotely, which you can join online from anywhere in the region. It isn't in the table, because the table is for groups based in East Asia. We've left out any number we couldn't find on a community's own page.

How to choose a founder community in East Asia

Weekly gatherings

Venture Café runs a free Thursday Gathering every week in Tokyo, at CIC Tokyo in Toranomon, and in Fukuoka, at ONE FUKUOKA BLDG. Tokyo's sessions are partly in Japanese and English, and it offers free 30 minute office hours. In Seoul, Venture Park holds free talks and networking nights at SVC Seoul, run in Korean with real-time Korean to English translation.

City startup hubs

• Startup Hub Tokyo in Marunouchi is for people thinking about or preparing to start a business, with free consultations every day, events and a lounge. Its site is in Japanese.
• Osaka Innovation Hub, set up by the City of Osaka in 2013, has a free startup membership after an interview, runs more than 250 events and programmes a year, and offers Startup Visa support.
• HK Science Park Startup Ecosystem runs talks, workshops and networking, many at Science Park in Ma Liu Shui, and members can apply to host their own meetup there.

Founder groups and spaces

The Bridge Circle in Seoul is a non-commercial group for growth-stage Korean tech founders expanding overseas, with host approval to attend. In Taipei, The Trenches holds co-working every Monday from 2 to 6 PM for the price of a drink, and Day 1 is a coworking space with founder events and mentors. In Hong Kong, the HK Entrepreneurs, Startups & Venture Capital Community runs happy hours, seminars and pitch nights, and Founders Running Club meets every Saturday morning.

Founder communities in East Asia compared

These are 11 communities we checked on 28 October 2026. Every row had an event, intake or live join page dated May 2026 or later. "Says" means the figure is the community's own claim.

Notes by city

• Tokyo. Venture Café Tokyo lists Thursday Gathering #402 on 29 October and #403 on 5 November, and its Meetup group shows 2,751 members. Startup Hub Tokyo posted a call on 14 October 2026 for sign ups to its October and November events.
• Osaka. Osaka Innovation Hub's Tech Osaka Summit 2027 runs on 26 and 27 January 2027, with free admission.
• Fukuoka. Venture Café Fukuoka marks its 2nd anniversary with a GLOBAL CONNECT day on 5 November.
• Seoul. Venture Park's 29 October 2026 event had 159 people registered. The Bridge Circle's fireside chat the same evening covers when and how to set up an overseas entity or flip.
• Taipei. Day 1 holds a founder event on 5 November 2026 at the IEAT Convention Center. The Trenches' Meetup group shows 629 members, with a no soliciting or sales house rule.
• Hong Kong. HK Entrepreneurs, Startups & Venture Capital Community is a community partner of HKTDC Entrepreneur Day on 19 and 20 November 2026. HK Science Park Startup Ecosystem shows 1,425 past events. Our Hong Kong guide compares 11 founder communities in the city.

Communities we checked and left out

We left out groups with nothing dated May 2026 or later, sites that blocked us, accelerators whose community is open only to their cohorts, and extra chapters of clubs we already list. If you run an active founder community in East Asia, tell us and we'll check it.

East Asia's startups in numbers

The Hong Kong Government says the city's start-up count reached a record 5,221 in 2025. Japan's five-year startup plan aims for 100,000 startups and 100 unicorns, and the Japan Science and Technology Agency reported on 30 June 2026 that the count had risen to 25,000. In South Korea, The Korea Times reported on 19 August 2026 that the Ministry of SMEs and Startups recorded a first-half record of 8.87 trillion won in startup investment.

How to get value in your first month

1. Start with a weekly gathering. Venture Café in Tokyo and Fukuoka and The Trenches in Taipei meet every week, so you can go three times in a month.
2. Check the language first. Read the event page, or pick sessions marked English or translated.
3. Bring one specific ask. "I need an intro to a founder who has sold SaaS to Japanese enterprises" gets you somewhere.
4. Use the free hubs. Startup Hub Tokyo and Osaka Innovation Hub offer free support and membership.
5. Add an online group for between events. Our comparison of communities for remote founders covers the online options, and our Southeast Asia guide covers the region to the south.

Common mistakes

• Assuming everything runs in English. Many sessions don't. Check before you go.
• Treating the region as one market. A Tokyo group won't help much with a Seoul launch. Join where your customers are.
• Skipping the entry steps. Osaka Innovation Hub interviews applicants, and The Bridge Circle needs host approval.
• Waiting for the perfect group. If nothing fits your city, start one. Our guide to starting a founder meetup covers the first three events.