Setoworks Presents at KOTRA-Hosted '2026 Makuake Store Entry Program' Briefing Session

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Setoworks, the official Korean partner of Japan's largest crowdfunding platform, Makuake, shared strategies and know-how for entering the Japanese market with domestic companies looking to expand into Japan at the "2026 Tokyo Makuake Store Entry Program" briefing session, which was co-hosted by the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) and Makuake of Japan.

This event began on March 12 and will continue until tomorrow at KOTRA headquarters in Yangjae-dong. On the morning of the 12th, a briefing session was held covering the overall Makuake entry program. Afterward, 1:1 customized entry consultations with Makuake’s official partner companies for domestic companies wishing to enter Japan will be held through March 13. Participating companies are expected to gain insights into the structure of the Japanese crowdfunding market and entry strategies during the briefing, and then, through 1:1 consultations with Setoworks, review specific action plans tailored to their products and situations.

Makuake, launched in Japan in May 2013, is the country's largest crowdfunding platform. It secured both market potential and credibility by being listed on the Japanese stock exchange in 2020. Makuake has served as a testbed and a distribution platform for domestic companies entering the Japanese market for the first time, and is recognized as a prominent platform for verifying local consumer responses in advance.

Since 2023, Setoworks has been serving as Makuake’s "Global Official Korean Partner." Starting from 2018, it has introduced more than 500 outstanding projects and achieved a cumulative Makuake funding amount of approximately 20 billion won, introducing the most startup and small and medium venture companies’ excellent products to Japanese consumers via Makuake and supporting the export of domestic companies to Japan.

Cho Beomjin, Head of Japan Business Division at Setoworks and presenter at this KOTRA-Makuake entry briefing session, said, "Setoworks has provided practical information about Japanese crowdfunding and the local market to domestic companies wishing to enter Japan through various support programs and consultation sessions with KOTRA and Makuake over the past 10 years." He added, "In this 1:1 briefing session, we plan to share strategies and implementation know-how based on the most extensive Makuake analysis data in Korea, and in the upcoming 1:1 customized entry consultations, we will present realistic solutions tailored to each company’s characteristics and stage of preparation."

In addition, Mr. Cho emphasized, "It is important to check Japanese consumers' reactions through Makuake and to develop distribution and marketing strategies for continually expanding sales channels in the Japanese market." He continued, "To this end, Setoworks has established a strategic partnership with Japan’s leading Funai Soken (Funai Consulting) to provide a one-stop Japanese market entry strategy for domestic companies after Makuake funding." He noted, "Recently, there has been an increase in notable success cases through export vouchers, including strategic consulting, POC, and e-commerce strategies involving platforms such as Rakuten and Amazon."

Meanwhile, Setoworks has been an export voucher implementing agency for six consecutive years and is currently providing services in research consulting, advertising and publicity, and promotional videos. In 2023, Setoworks became the first in the crowdfunding industry to be designated as a specialized trading company by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, earning recognition for its expertise and credibility. Especially in the global crowdfunding sector, Setoworks provides a variety of global hybrid marketing solutions to companies entering the global market through crowdfunding, leveraging its record of more than 1,300 all-in-one domestic crowdfunding executions, including as Makuake’s official partner in Japan, Kickstarter official expert partner in the United States, exclusive partner of Zeczec in Taiwan, and official partner of Modian in China.

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