In this episode of Off to the Valley, I sit down with Evan Burkosky, Co-Founder & CEO of Kimaru.ai, to explore his extraordinary journey, from growing up on Vancouver Island and working summers on his family’s fishing boat, to spending over two decades building businesses in Japan.

I share in Evan’s reflections as he talks about how an early dream of importing Canadian seafood to Japan transformed into a career leading market entries for global SaaS platforms, and now, building a company that’s revolutionizing supply chain decision-making with AI.

In our conversation, Evan opens up about:

→ The realities of being an entrepreneur in Japan—cultural nuances, relationship-driven sales, and the growing startup ecosystem.
→ How Kimaru’s decision intelligence platform augments human judgment instead of replacing it, using AI to speed up and improve supply chain decisions worldwide.
→ Why a “human in the loop” circuit breaker is essential in AI systems.
→ Lessons from expanding from Japan into the U.S. market, including how to adapt to “Silicon Valley speed.”
→ His thoughts on mental health for founders and the importance of asking for help.
→ The emerging field of decision intelligence and why it’s a trend to watch over the next five years.

This episode is packed with hard-earned insights for entrepreneurs, AI enthusiasts, and anyone navigating global business.