Built by people who lived the problem
Nstock was founded in Tokyo in 2024 after years of watching talented engineers miss out on equity they deserved, not because founders were unwilling, but because the compliance was too hard.
Why we built Nstock
Japan's startup ecosystem has grown quickly, but the tools for running equity programs have not kept pace. The zeisei-tekikaku regime is well-designed. It genuinely lets startups give employees a tax-advantaged path to ownership. But the compliance requirements are detailed enough that most founders either get them wrong, skip the process entirely, or spend months of lawyer fees on each grant cycle.
We built Nstock because equity should be a normal part of how Japanese startups attract and retain people, not a specialist exercise that only well-funded companies can afford. The founders we talked to during early design were smart, detail-oriented people who cared about their teams. They were not failing from lack of effort; they were failing because the right tool did not exist.
Nstock launched out of Tokyo in 2024 with angel backing from investors who understood the problem firsthand. We are still a small team focused entirely on Japanese startups, which means we can move quickly when the regulatory environment changes and stay close to the founders we serve.
The team
Three people who spent years at the intersection of Japanese corporate law, fintech infrastructure, and startup equity before founding Nstock.
Spent years helping early-stage Japanese companies structure equity programs and navigate the compliance requirements that govern stock option grants. Founded Nstock to make that expertise available to any startup, not just ones with in-house counsel.
Built compliance and data infrastructure for fintech platforms before joining Nstock. Background in distributed systems and financial data pipelines, focused on making Nstock reliable enough for the documents that matter.
Worked across Japanese corporate law and tax compliance, with years focused specifically on stock option regulation for growth-stage companies. Responsible for keeping Nstock's templates and checks current with regulatory changes.
What guides us
Founders should focus on building
Compliance is necessary but it should not be a full-time job. We automate what can be automated so founders spend time on products and people.
Equity is about people
Option grants mean something to the engineers, designers, and operators who receive them. We build tools that make that meaning clear and reliable.
Japan-first, always
Generic equity tools fail Japanese startups on the details that matter. Every feature in Nstock starts from Japan's specific regulatory and business context.
Work with us
We are angel-backed and growing. If you are a Japanese startup and want to work closely with the team, reach out.
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