Hands-on Program for Women Entrepreneurs Aiming for Global Success: HerRise STEP6
Lessons from the Field: Real Insights from Trial and Error
― Featuring three women entrepreneurs sharing real-world experiences and practical insights from their journeys ―
The Startup Lady Association (Head Office: Shinjuku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Moeko Suzuki) held STEP6 of the women entrepreneur support program “HerRise,” implemented by Shibuya City.
The theme of this session was “Lessons from the Field: Real Insights from Trial and Error.”
Three women entrepreneurs—Megumi Iguchi, Tracey Northcott, and Anna Kreshchenko—were invited as speakers to share their real-world experiences, including how they navigated challenges, made decisions, and learned through trial and error.
Building on the knowledge and skills developed throughout previous sessions, this workshop provided participants with an opportunity to reflect on their mindset as entrepreneurs and explore how to apply real-world lessons to their own businesses.
Event Overview
Lessons from the Field: Real Insights from Trial and Error
As the final session of the program, STEP6 focused on real-world decision-making and lessons learned from both successes and failures.
Through lectures and interactive workshop activities, participants examined their own business challenges and strengthened their ability to take action and make informed decisions as entrepreneurs.
In addition, an Open Hour session was held during the day, where participants could bring their own business challenges and receive personalized mentoring and coaching from experts, further deepening their practical learning experience.
Keynote Speakers
Iguchi Megumi | Kanatta - CEO
She graduated from the Faculty of Business Administration at Yokohama National University in 2010 and joined KPMG AZSA LLC in the same year. After three years of experience in auditing, she joined LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton Japan K.K. as an analyst in 2013.
In 2016, she founded Kanatta Inc. and began building communities that empower women in industries where men account for 80–90% of the workforce, such as the drone and space sectors. She currently operates Drone Jo+ (Drone Jo Plus) and Cosmo Joshi, women-focused communities dedicated to expanding female participation in these fields.
In 2024, Cosmo Joshi became the first women’s community in Japan to successfully launch an artificial satellite. In the same year, she received the Pioneer Award (Individual Category) at the Forbes JAPAN WOMEN AWARD.
Northcott Tracey
| Tokyo Family Stays G.K - CEO
Tracey Northcott’s journey as an entrepreneur in Japan reflects the spirit of the Japanese proverb nanakorobi yaoki (七転び八起き), fall seven times, rise eight. Building multiple businesses in Tokyo as a foreign woman has required resilience, adaptability, creativity, and determination. Alongside running Tokyo Family Stays and her consulting practice, Tracey also plays a leadership role at Enfour, a long-standing family-run software company known for introducing innovative language and productivity tools to Japan. Navigating hospitality, tech entrepreneurship, and family life has shaped a dynamic professional path filled with both challenges and opportunities.
Over the years, Tracey has faced shifting regulations, market changes, and global disruptions including a pandemic, each time learning to pivot, rebuild, and move forward stronger than before. Rather than seeing setbacks as failures, she has used them as opportunities to grow, refine her vision, and support others on their own entrepreneurial journeys. Tracey will share lessons from her experience building businesses in Japan and offer practical insights on developing resilience as an entrepreneur. Her story reminds us that success is not about avoiding setbacks. It is about rising each time with greater clarity, courage, and purpose.
Anna Kreshchenko
| Flora KK - CEO
Anna graduated from the Faculty of International Relations at I.I. Mechnikov Odessa National University. In 2017, she came to Japan after receiving a scholarship from Japan’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT). She graduated from the Faculty of Law at Kyoto University in 2022.
In 2020, Anna was selected by the S&R Foundation to participate in the Kingfisher Leadership Program and traveled to Silicon Valley. That same year, she was also selected for the Phoenixi Incubation Program in Kyoto. Inspired by the illness of someone close to her, and motivated by a desire to create a society where women can play a more active role, she founded Flora in Japan.
Anna received the Shining Woman Award at the 2022 Kansai Keizai Seminar, the Special Award at the 2023 EY Entrepreneur of the Year Japan, and was selected for Forbes Japan’s “Next 100” as well as Forbes Asia & Japan’s “30 Under 30.”
About HerRise
HerRise is a hands-on workshop series emphasizing practicality and immediate action.
Through six sessions, it supports women entrepreneurs in transforming their business ideas into viable, executable plans.
Beyond acquiring knowledge, participants gain real-world skills that can be directly applied to their ventures through experiential learning.
For details and registration for each program, please visit the event page below.
Event Highlights
Related Releases
Shibuya City Press Release:
June 2 – Launch of the Women Entrepreneurs Program “HerRise”
https://www.city.shibuya.tokyo.jp/kusei/hodo/hodo-2025/hodo_20250602.html