Startups Driving Next-Generation Innovation Create Opportunities to Unlock Potential | 25 Leading VCs Nationwide and 33 Key Individuals Participate, Conducting 175 Finance Meetings

STORIUM, an innovation platform operated by Grand Story Inc. (Minato-ku, Tokyo; CEO Takayuki Ochi), held the "KANSAI SEED NEXT FORCE 2026" funding support program for seed-stage startups on June 24, 2026 (Wed) at JAM BASE in Osaka.

In its third year, the event saw a record number of 25 leading venture capitalists from across Japan and 33 individuals participate, alongside 18 startups from the Kansai region that passed preliminary screening. A total of 175 finance meetings were conducted.

The participant satisfaction rating was 4.7/5, and 100% of investors responded that they "want to participate next year."

Furthermore, high-quality discussions leading to concrete investment considerations were realized, resulting in both investors and startups expressing a desire to continue discussions with over half of their meeting partners.

▍Background of the Event

While investment in startups in Japan continues to grow, many venture capital firms that lead seed and early-stage investments remain concentrated in the Tokyo metropolitan area.

As a result, entrepreneurs in regional areas are forced to travel to events in Tokyo and across the country in search of funding opportunities, spending time and resources that should ideally be allocated to business development and customer acquisition. The fact that growth opportunities are dictated by the location of one's endeavors is one of the significant challenges facing Japan's startup ecosystem.

On the other hand, the number of startups originating from regions, including university-launched and deep tech ventures, is increasing year by year. However, regions often lack sufficient risk capital and points of contact with investors, leading to cases where promising ventures, even if born in a region, face challenges in accessing growth funding and networks.

STORIUM perceives this issue as the "distance between regions and capital," specifically the lack of opportunities for regional startups to connect continuously with investors nationwide. To address this, we launched "KANSAI SEED NEXT FORCE," a selective matching program designed for substantive investment discussions between startups from the Kansai region and leading venture capital firms nationwide.

▍What is "KANSAI SEED NEXT FORCE"?

"KANSAI SEED NEXT FORCE" is a 1-on-1 program specifically focused on fundraising, connecting seed and pre-seed stage startups with leading venture capital firms nationwide.

By integrating mentoring, meeting matching, and pre-event information sharing with investors for startups that pass the preliminary screening, the program aims to create opportunities that extend beyond a one-time encounter on the event day, leading to ongoing fundraising discussions and business growth.

Since its inception in 2024, the program has been held repeatedly to support the challenges of startups that will lead next-generation industries from the Kansai region.

▍2026: Committing to Preparations to Enhance Meeting Value

For this year's event, many partners supporting the regional ecosystem, including startup support organizations, financial institutions, and government bodies in the Kansai region, agreed with the program's philosophy and made significant efforts towards its realization.

Additionally, by having participating startups and investors sincerely commit to preparations and information sharing from their respective standpoints, high-quality finance meeting opportunities were created for both parties.

Specifically, the following initiatives were undertaken:

Pre-event information sharing utilizing STORIUM company pages

Provision of AI-generated company analysis reports

Pre-meeting mentoring and sparring sessions

High-precision meeting matching based on investment policies and areas of focus

Through these initiatives, deeper discussions were fostered from the initial meetings, leading to the establishment of ongoing relationships.

▍Program Workflow and 1-on-1 Session Design

The most distinctive feature of "KANSAI SEED NEXT FORCE" is its emphasis on transforming the limited 30 minutes on the day of the event from a "business presentation session" into a "dialogue session leading to investment decisions."

Therefore, we focused on creating opportunities for continuous investment discussions by designing and operating the program integrally from pre-event preparation to post-event follow-up, not just on the day of the meeting.

Startups

Business overviews and pitch materials were posted on their company pages within STORIUM. Furthermore, through multiple individual meetings with the STORIUM team, startups received feedback from an investor's perspective and support in refining their business strategies and pitch content, preparing them for the main event.

Investors

Investors participated in the 1-on-1 sessions after reviewing each startup's company page, pitch materials, and AI analysis report in advance. As a result, the limited 30 minutes were utilized not for company explanations or pitches, but for focused, substantive discussions on business strategy, growth challenges, and investment decisions.

AI Analysis Report

"AI Analysis Reports" were created for all participating startups in collaboration with co-organizer esse-sense. These integrated reports summarized information necessary for investment decisions, including technological superiority, competitive comparison, marketability, as well as background of the founders and vision, and were stored on each company's page within STORIUM.

Meeting Design

Optimal matching was designed to minimize mismatches by comprehensively considering the investment areas, business domains, and competitive relationships of both investors and startups. A total of 175 1-on-1 sessions, each lasting 30 minutes, were coordinated to create high-quality dialogue opportunities leading to continuous investment discussions.

▍Survey Results and Participant Satisfaction

The participant survey indicated high ratings across the entire program.

Participant Satisfaction: 4.7/5

Operational Satisfaction: 4.5/5

Startup Recommendation Intent: 95%

Investor Intent to Participate Next Year: 100%

The continuation intent after the meetings resulted in the following:

Investors expressed interest in continued investment consideration for an average of 3.1 startups.

Startups expressed interest in continued consultation with an average of 6.7 investors.

Both investors and startups expressed a desire for continued discussions with over half of their meeting partners, indicating that the program leads to ongoing relationship building beyond the meetings on the day.

STORIUM continues to monitor subsequent investment discussions and fundraising progress through post-program surveys and ongoing follow-ups, supporting continuous relationship building.

▍Voices from Participating Startups

Participating startups highly praised the pre-event information sharing, the design of the meeting matching, and the sincere attitude and constructive dialogue from the investors. Here are some excerpts:

- The investors thoroughly read the company information and pitch materials in advance, allowing for very dense discussions during the meetings.

- Having the meeting's intent and hypotheses shared beforehand put me at ease when approaching the meeting.

- This is a greatly appreciated opportunity for entrepreneurs. I will definitely achieve business results and repay this support.

- The exchange not only with investors and sponsors but also among participating entrepreneurs was very meaningful. Sharing concerns with an entrepreneur working on overseas expansion was a significant takeaway.

- It was very impressive that the VCs approached us not to "judge" but with an attitude of "support." The discussions were positive and constructive throughout, and I am truly glad I participated.

▍Voices from Participating Investors

Participating investors shared many positive comments regarding the entrepreneurs' preparation, the quality of the meetings, and their expectations for the growth of the Kansai startup ecosystem and its future.

- It was evident that the entrepreneurs had meticulously prepared for this day, making each meeting a highly passionate experience. We intend to maintain continuous communication and provide support to the startups we met.

- From the perspective of a VC based in Kansai, the opportunity to directly discuss and mutually spar with leading capitalists active nationwide is extremely valuable.

- We are grateful for the continuous hosting of such high-quality investor-startup matching opportunities in Kansai. We expect further development in the future and, as a company, will continue to cooperate and contribute, however modestly, to the initiatives of STORIUM and the development of the Kansai startup ecosystem.

▍Post-Program Networking Event

A networking event was held after the program. Over 100 stakeholders supporting the startup ecosystem, including startups, investors from across the country, and local banks, corporations, and government agencies from Kansai, gathered.

Active exchanges took place to further deepen the dialogues initiated during the meetings, leading to new business collaborations, ongoing investment discussions, and co-creation.

▍Program Overview

Program Details Page

Date and Time: June 24, 2026 (Wed) 12:30 PM - 7:00 PM (Networking Event: 7:15 PM - 8:30 PM)

Venue: Grand Green Osaka JAM BASE (Networking Event: Blooming Camp by Sakura Internet)

Participating Startups: 18 companies

Participating Investors: 25 companies / 33 individuals

Number of Meetings: 175

Startup Selection Entry Requirements:

Aiming for exponential growth based on innovative ideas and technology

No prior VC investment, and lead VC not yet determined at the time of program participation

No anti-social forces among participants, related parties, existing shareholders, etc.

Representative (CEO) must be present in person on the day of the program

Organizer: STORIUM (Grand Story Inc.)

Sponsors: Blooming Camp by Sakura Internet / FUTRWORKS (Hankyu Hanshin Properties Corp.)/ QUINTBRIDGE (NTT West) / PR TIMES

Co-organizers: Ikeda Senshu Capital / esse-sense / Osaka Industrial Promotion Organization / Kansai Innovation Initiative / Genesia Ventures / PayForward / BIG Impact

Cooperating Organizations: J-Startup KANSAI / JAM BASE / ANCHOR KOBE / Kigyō Plaza Hyogo / Kyoto Capital Partners / Kyoto Chie Sangyo Sozo no Mori / Kobe City / Kobe Chamber of Commerce and Industry / Hyogo Prefecture / Minato Bank / Nanto Capital Partners / REACH REACH (Mainichi Broadcasting System) / U-FINO

▍Venture Capitalists Participating in This Program

Key individuals responsible for investment decisions, including GPs, Partners, CEOs, and Investment Department Managers, from 25 leading venture capital firms nationwide gathered. This program was realized through their cooperation.

*Investment stages, thematic areas, etc., for each investor can be found on this page within STORIUM.

▍About the Innovation Platform "STORIUM"

"STORIUM" is an innovation platform that accumulates and utilizes the trust and relationships of people and organizations, consolidating them as social capital.

By connecting diverse entities responsible for creating next-generation industries—such as startups, investors, corporations, financial institutions, local governments, and universities—based on a deep understanding of each other's challenges and potential, it supports endeavors that create new value in society, including fundraising, business co-creation, new business development, and joint research.

It structures not only company and organizational information but also interpersonal relationships and activity histories, and through its unique network infrastructure and catalyst-driven support, it enables high-quality decision-making based on trust.

In the future, by leveraging AI to enhance information gathering, partner discovery, dialogue design, and decision support, we aim to become a social infrastructure that supports innovation in Japan by accelerating the cycle of continuous creation of new industries and social value.

STORIUM Website

▍Future Outlook

STORIUM will continue to connect diverse players such as regional startups, investors, corporations, financial institutions, and government bodies, supporting the growth of startups challenging the world from their regions and the creation of new industries.

Furthermore, we will further enhance decision support utilizing AI and data, accelerating the cycle where people and organizations meet better partners and new value is continuously created.

▍STORIUM Operating Company

Company Name: Grand Story Inc.

Location: KDX Toranomon 1-chome Building 11F, 1-10-5 Toranomon, Minato-ku, Tokyo

Representative: Takayuki Ochi, Representative Director & CEO

Established: May 8, 2019

Business Activities:

Development and operation of the innovation platform "STORIUM" Planning and production of STORIUM-related events aimed at supporting startups

We are looking for new colleagues This is a job that involves creating new industries and businesses and tackling social issues by collaborating with diverse stakeholders such as startups, investors, corporations, financial institutions, and local governments.

We invite individuals who resonate with our company vision of "Connecting a prosperous future full of vitality and hope to the next generation," wish to exercise leadership in driving the growth of STORIUM's business and organization, and aspire to unlock the potential of entrepreneurs and innovators through valuable encounters to contribute to the development of Japan's innovation ecosystem. Please apply through our recruitment site.

Inquiries regarding the content of this release can be directed here.

Grand Story Inc. Public Relations

E-mail: [email protected]