I am a Japanese-woman-founder of an innovative-tech start-up in Berlin. Sounds crazy?I am from a small beach-town called Hiratsuka in Japan.My adventure began when I went to the USA for my high school diploma as a scared 16-year-old who didn’t speak a word of English. This experience shaped my belief in freedom, equality & diversity. I went on to obtain a bachelor’s degree from Hosei University, Tokyo.Upon graduation, I was hired by an IT consulting firm. This was an intense period as I had no real technical skills. What ensued was a grueling year of training on ERP solutions. I was soon handling customers and regularly clocking 16-hour shifts. I loved the work but I was burning out. To preserve sanity, I quit & decided to do something more meaningful. I co-founded a fashion-brand. With our workshop in Ethiopia, we produced the finest sheep-skin leather to make bags for the Japanese market. The idea was to merge eternal Japanese design & ancient Ethiopian craft. It was a success. The long hours & non-stop travel paid off. However, we soon faced difficulties in ramping up production while maintaining quality. I realized I needed more business knowledge to create a global brand.I decided to pursue an MBA to enhance my exposure to business processes. I chose ESMT Berlin. The choice was based on 3 factors: the high rank, the international program & the access to Berlin.As part of my MBA, I went to California to observe the start-up ecosystem. I got a chance to implement some of my learnings in Senegal as a volunteer consultant.Rejuvenated after my social-work stint, I focused on the next phase of my career. At this point, my MBA batch-mate approached me with a semi-formed idea of a start-up providing XR solutions.XR or VR/AR/MR was very new to me. But the first time I wore a VR headset, I was blown away by the immersion.We polished the idea, devised a sustainable business model, & crafted a business plan. However, it was difficult to convince investors as XR was still too nascent. In 2018, we caught our first break with the Berliner Start-up Stipendium. This led to the formation of KARO Labs GmbH & set the ball rolling.To sum up, all my adventures have made me realize that nothing is easy, yet, nothing is impossible!This has led me, a Japanese-woman-founder, to co-create a tech-company in Berlin that believes in equality, diversity, & innovation.