Marketing Lead, Product & Japan

Location: Tokyo, Japan (must be based in Japan)

Reports to: Head of Marketing & Growth

In partnership with Sony and SBI, two of Japan's largest companies, we are building the infrastructure to bring the world onchain. Our product surface spans Soneium (an Ethereum L2 co-developed with Sony), Startale App (a consumer super-app and gateway to the onchain economy), Startale USD and JPYSC (a fully backed USD and Yen stablecoin), and Strium (a next-generation tokenized exchange). We are ~70 people, distributed across the world, including Tokyo, Singapore, and New York.

We are looking for a Marketing Lead who owns two things at once: global product marketing across the full Startale product stack, and leadership of the Japan market.

On the product side, the scope is wide by design — consumer growth for Startale App, ecosystem marketing for Soneium, stablecoin adoption for USDSC/JPYSC, and go-to-market for Strium — for a global user base. You move seamlessly between campaigns for global users and targeted strategies for crypto-native audiences, keeping a cohesive product narrative across segments, ecosystems, and competitive landscapes.

On the Japan side, you are the decision-maker for how Startale lands and grows in its home market. You build Startale's brand in Japan for two audiences — businesses (ToB) and the individual investors who use financial products inside Startale App — and you build and steward relationships with Japanese media and key stakeholders.

You also operate at the intersection of marketing, regulation, and product: you understand the regulatory environment well enough to work directly with Legal, and you translate what that means into clear guidance for the Product team and into marketing the market can trust.

You thrive in a highly cross-functional environment, working closely with Product, BD, and ecosystem partners to take initiatives from concept to launch. You start as an individual contributor and build a Japan marketing team over time as the work scales. This role reports to the Head of Marketing & Growth.

Global Product Marketing — Full Stack

Own product marketing across all four products for a global user base: positioning, messaging, launches, campaigns, and growth. Coordinate integrated campaigns across product lines and stakeholder groups, and switch fluently between consumer, developer, enterprise, and institutional messaging.

Startale App — Growth & Engagement

Partner with Product to plan and execute campaigns, product launches, seasonal events, and retention initiatives. Drive user acquisition across organic, community, and paid channels, and translate onchain behaviors into growth insights and product feedback.

Soneium — Ecosystem Marketing

Position Soneium within the competitive L2 landscape. Lead co-marketing with partners, developers, and builders through launches, content, campaigns, events, and community programs.

Startale USD & JPYSC — Go-to-Market

Support the go-to-market strategy for our stablecoins across consumer and institutional audiences. Shape the narrative around adoption, yield, transparency, and institutional infrastructure.

Strium — Launch Marketing

Partner with Product and BD on positioning, messaging, and launch strategy. Contribute to market research, audience segmentation, content, and campaigns targeting institutional users and trading partners.

Japan Market Leadership

Own how every Startale product lands and grows in Japan, and make the calls on Japan positioning, priorities, and go-to-market. Represent the Japan market's needs inside a global company.

Brand — ToB & Investor (Japan)

Build Startale's brand in Japan for business partners (ToB) and for the individual investors using financial products within Startale App. Develop a coherent, trusted narrative across audiences and products.

Media & Stakeholder Relations (Japan)

Build and maintain relationships with Japanese media and key stakeholders. Own earned media, manage PR agencies, and drive announcements, launches, and the company's public presence in Japan.

Regulatory Awareness & Product Translation

Stay close to the Japanese regulatory environment for crypto, stablecoins, and financial products. Work with Legal, and translate regulatory realities into actionable guidance for the Product team and into compliant, credible marketing.

Content, Brand & Growth

Own the content calendar and write across formats — from product and partnership announcements to long-form and social. Measure campaign performance, growth, engagement, and onchain metrics, and iterate based on data.

We don't expect every box ticked. If you're slightly short on the list below but bring a strong winning mindset and a real track record, we want to hear from you. Web3/crypto experience is not required.

Must have

• Based in Japan and eligible to work in Japan.
• Native-level Japanese.
• Business-level or above English.
• A startup mindset — you take ownership, move fast, and are comfortable with ambiguity and a wide scope.
• A proven marketing track record with real, demonstrable results.

Strongly preferred

• ~8+ years of marketing experience, including leading marketing for a product or a market.
• Product marketing across multiple product lines, with the ability to launch and scale products from zero to growth.
• Comfort switching between consumer, developer, enterprise, and institutional messaging.
• Track record marketing in and to the Japan market, across brand and growth.
• Existing relationships with Japanese media and stakeholders; experience with PR, agencies, and earned media.
• Experience building a brand for both business (ToB) and consumer/investor audiences.
• Experience marketing fintech or other regulated financial products.
• Ability to work with Legal and translate regulation into product and marketing decisions.
• Experience leading launches across Product, BD, ecosystem partners, influencers/KOLs, agencies, and media.
• Comfort with the full growth funnel (acquisition, activation, retention, referral, re-engagement), product analytics, and marketing KPIs (cohorts, funnel performance, CAC, LTV).

Nice to have

• Familiarity with crypto, stablecoins, or onchain financial products (conceptual understanding is enough — hands-on Web3 experience is not required).
• Hands-on experience with self-custodied wallets, DeFi, or onchain products.
• Experience adjacent to investor relations or corporate communications.

Join Startale at a defining moment as we bring the world onchain — from a consumer super app, stablecoins, and an Ethereum Layer 2 to institutional blockchain solutions and digital capital markets, in partnership with large conglomerates. Backed by a $63M Series A, you'll have the rare opportunity to shape products, strategy, and company direction from the ground up — and to own how Startale shows up in Japan.

We hire people who are driven and thrive on ownership, move quickly, and want to work alongside exceptional global talent to create impact. In return, we offer globally benchmarked compensation, meaningful equity, unlimited time off, fully remote and flexible work, annual global workations, and premium tools — including AI — to help you do the best work of your career.