One fee. One operating system. Three paths out.
APRO is mid-priced for what's bundled. You pay for industry-AI deployment, weekly 1:1 founder mentorship, METI subsidy support for your host, and a mapped founder-track visa pathway. Accommodation is not bundled. If headline price is your only criterion, Beyond Academy at ~¥635K program-only is cheaper. If the bundle is what you need, APRO is the only programme in Tokyo that ships it.
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APRO Academy
One transparent fee. Tuition, host placement, weekly mentorship, METI subsidy support for the host, and the founder-bridge programme — bundled. No tier upsell.
Total programme fee
¥800,000–¥1,000,000
What's included
- Tuition: CORE · ARC · AER · Grow methodology, taught inside the host
- Host placement in a Japanese SME (manufacturing, finance, or healthcare vertical)
- Weekly 1:1 mentorship with Ryan or Thom for the duration of the cohort
- Industry-AI playbook for your host vertical (deploy in week one)
- METI subsidy application support for the host (¥450K–¥1.3M, host-side)
- Founder-track visa pathway mapping (Startup Visa + Engineer/Specialist)
- Three-paths exit support: hireable, freelanceable, or founder-track
Final fee depends on industry vertical (manufacturing · finance · healthcare) and cohort duration. METI subsidies applied separately on the host side.
Optional add-on · founder-track exit
Founder Bridge
Optional add-on for interns aiming at the founder-track exit. Maps the Startup Visa pathway, builds the business case, and bridges from intern to founder during the visa-switch window.
Pricing
¥650,000–¥950,000
What's included
- Startup Visa application package (Tokyo Metropolitan or comparable)
- Business case build with CORE · ARC · AER methodology applied to your venture
- Engineer/Specialist visa fallback if founder route is not yet viable
- Six-month post-internship continuation as a founder-coachee
Market-benchmarked range. Conditional pathway, not a guarantee. Startup Visa outcomes depend on individual circumstances; no public Tokyo Metropolitan transition statistics are published.
What's bundled — APRO vs alternatives
Different bundles, not different price tiers. APRO bundles AI vertical + founder-mentor + founder-track + METI support. Beyond bundles accommodation. Pick the bundle that fits.
| Feature | APRO Academy | Beyond Academy | Le Wagon Tokyo |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12-week host placement in Japanese SME | |||
| Industry-vertical AI deployment | Mfg / Fin / Health | Curriculum only | |
| Weekly 1:1 founder mentorship | Weekly 1:1 founder | ||
| METI subsidy support for host | |||
| Founder-track visa pathway | |||
| Three exit paths (hireable / freelance / founder) | Hireable focus | ||
| Structured methodology (CORE · ARC · AER · Grow) | CORE · ARC · AER · Grow | ||
| Accommodation in bundle | |||
| Programme fee | ¥800,000–¥1,000,000 Programme only | ~¥635K–¥671K · ~¥998K–¥1.215M w/ accom March 2025 listed rate, Tokyo programme | ¥890,000 · ¥950,000 Web Dev · Data Science & AI (9-week) |
APRO is mid-priced and excludes accommodation. The premium pays for industry-AI deployment, weekly founder mentorship, METI subsidy support for your host, and a mapped founder-track visa pathway — none of which the alternatives bundle. Total cost of attendance with Tokyo housing (sharehouse from ¥60K/month) is comparable to bundled providers. Sources: beyondacademy.com/compare-prices/ (March 2025), blog.lewagon.com/news/tokyo-hellowork-subsidy/ (May 2026). Verified May 2026.
Not included
- Visa application fees (paid to government, not APRO)
- Accommodation or housing in Tokyo
- Transport within Japan
- Health insurance
- Personal expenses