Japan's aging business owners are selling their legacies for cheap to young entrepreneurs who are down to hustle

What happened: Aging Japanese small-business owners without heirs are listing their companies on succession platforms such as Relay and BATONZ, often at low or zero cost, and younger entrepreneurs are taking them over. Key numbers: Japan Finance Corporation found 57.4% of surveyed small and midsize businesses expected to close when owners step away in 2023, up from 52.6% in 2019. Why it matters: The succession gap has created an opening for platforms connecting owners with successors, with owners often in their 60s and 70s and successors often in their 30s and 40s.

Aging Japanese small-business owners without heirs are listing their companies on succession platforms such as Relay and BATONZ, often at low or zero cost, and younger entrepreneurs are taking them over.

The succession gap has created an opening for platforms connecting owners with successors, with owners often in their 60s and 70s and successors often in their 30s and 40s.