At the IVS2026 session "Government as a Catalyst: Building Next-Generation Industries Through Public Demand"—held under the event’s banner theme of "Japan’s Back"—industry leaders and policymakers gathered to outline a radical paradigm shift in Japan’s industrial and startup strategy. The panel brought together a prominent lineup of speakers: Hiroshi Ishikawa, Director, Innovation and New Business Promotion Division, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) Kazuhiko Chu

The macroeconomic shifts of the past three years have fundamentally rewritten the playbook for late-stage startups. In a candid panel discussion at IVS2026, startup CFOs and a crossover investor pulled back the curtain on the intense, often painful, decisions required to navigate today’s capital markets. The panel was moderated by Hirohiro Maekawa, Representative Director and Chief Contents Director of Funds Startups, and featured: Satoshi Yamada, CFO of 10X, Inc., a retail-t

Japan’s startup-finance market is broadening beyond traditional venture equity, but significant gaps remain between late-stage private funding, IPOs, and sustained growth as a listed company. At the IVS2026 panel, "Rethinking the New Standard of Startup Finance," industry pioneers representing commercial banking, private placements, corporate investment, and public asset management convened to dissect the structural issues hindering Japan's startup ecosystem and map out a mor

Introduction At the recent "AI Strategy for Business Development" panel discussion, industry leaders gathered to share raw, unvarnished insights into how artificial intelligence is reshaping corporate strategy, product design, and organizational culture. Moderated by Ohno-san, AI Strategy Advisor at DMM.com, the panel brought together diverse perspectives from high-growth technology companies and modernized legacy sectors: Kawahara-san, Board Director at Information Strategy

The "leapfrog" growth model has matured into a definitive economic mechanism, allowing emerging markets to bypass legacy Western structures in favor of decentralized energy, digital consumption, and social-trust finance. As traditional global systems face stagnation, India and Africa have emerged as the primary frontiers for this structural reconfiguration. By integrating real-time digital rails with a massive, youth-led demographic shift, these regions are no longer merely c

Session: Getting to the First Million Speakers: Dov Moran (Moderator) – Managing Partner, Grove Ventures Lockie Andrews – CEO and Founder, Catalyzes AI Leesa Eichberger – Fractional CMO Larry Li – Managing Partner, Amino Capital Barry O'Neill – Partner, Value Create Ventures Summary: This panel outlines critical pathways for early-stage startups to secure their first $100,000 and scale to $1 million, emphasizing that a company’s foundation relies heavily on finding complement

Session: Startup Tech Race: Founders Fight Host / Moderator Jan C. Küster: The host and moderator of the "Startup Tech Race", who guides the audience and participants throughout the event. Startup Founders (Competitors) Jeronimo von Ah: Head of Business Operations at BTRY, who pitches the world's thinnest solid-state battery in the red corner during the first round. Jan Wiese: CEO of production.AI GmbH, who pitches an industrial data and AI platform in the blue corner during