1. Intro

SusHi Tech Tokyo has grown into Asia's largest startup expo, drawing 50,000+ visitors and 500+ exhibitors to Big Sight this May. I spent one afternoon roaming the aisles, asking founders and booth staff how they validated demand.

2. Method (fast & biased)

I spoke with 22 booths chosen by who wasn't already mobbed. This is not a representative sample, but it captures on-floor sentiment.

3. What the numbers say about the event

• 500+ startups from 40 countries.
• Topics ranged from AI to food-tech, with heavy government presence.

4. What founders told me

Theme	Count	Quote
"We built it because we believe."	18	"Users will love it—trust me."
Did ≥ 20 external interviews	1	"We talked to 60 overseas firms before coding."
Waiting for feedback post-launch	3	"We'll test after we ship beta."

5. Why that matters

Lack of proven market need is the #1 reason startups fail per CB Insights post-mortems. SaaStr's "20-Interview Rule" says talk to at least 20 target customers before shipping code. Most booths here hadn't hit that bar.

6. Limitations

• Sample bias: many founders stayed off-site for meetings; staff may echo marketing lines.
• Short interaction windows (≈ 5 min/booth).

7. Takeaways

1. Run 20 real interviews before your next sprint.
2. Bring evidence to events; buyers now ask for numbers.
3. Conferences are for signal, not certainty—treat on-floor praise as lead gen, not validation.