Angel Bridge Holds 'Regional Bank DX Forum' to Promote Regional Digital Transformation

Independent venture capital (VC) firm Angel Bridge Inc. (Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Yutaro Kasai) held the 'Regional Bank DX Forum' on Wednesday, May 20, 2026. This forum is part of an initiative to facilitate direct contact between startups—which are actively promoting DX for regional enterprises—and regional banks. The goal is to bring innovative solutions to regional communities and promote collaborative measures to solve regional challenges.

Background and Purpose For regional banks that support key regional industries, improving productivity and digital support for client companies (Regional DX) is an urgent issue. Angel Bridge leverages its experience and network in startup investment to support the creation of concrete collaboration cases by establishing direct contact between regional banks and startups. The forum was held with the aim of acquiring 'reproducible insights' for promoting regional DX in each bank, by introducing the latest DX solutions from startups and sharing practical implementation examples from banks that have already started these initiatives.

Summary of the Event The forum featured four programs: pitch sessions, panel discussions, case studies, and demo experiences. 1. Startup Pitch Session (5 companies presented) Five startups from Angel Bridge's portfolio that contribute to regional DX presented. Each company outlined their products and proposed specific value and collaboration imagery realizable through partnership with regional banks. 2. Panel Discussion: Key Principles of Startup-Regional Bank Collaboration Representatives from Craft Bank, a regional bank, and Angel Bridge delved into past success stories. They engaged in candid discussions from both the startup and bank perspectives regarding obstacles to collaboration and how to overcome them. 3. Regional Bank DX Case Session Representatives from regional banks actively involved in DX support and startup collaboration took the stage. They shared practical insights, including the background and issues leading to implementation, methods for collaborating with external partners, and both quantitative and qualitative outcomes achieved post-implementation. 4. Networking and Demo Session In the second half of the forum, a demo session was held where attendees could experience products from various startups. Active exchanges of opinions took place in a casual atmosphere.

Participants (in alphabetical order) Regional Banks: Bank of Gunma, Ltd.; Keiyo Bank, Ltd.; The San-in Godo Bank, Ltd.; The Shizuoka Bank, Ltd.; The Joyo Bank, Ltd.; The Chiba Bank, Ltd.; The Tochigi Bank, Ltd.; The Hyakujushi Bank, Ltd.; The Hokuriku Bank, Ltd.; The Bank of Yokohama, Ltd.; YMFG Capital Co., Ltd. Startups: InProc Inc., M2X Inc., Craft Bank Co., Ltd., Takumi-Giken Industry Co., Ltd., PeopleX Inc.

Future Outlook Angel Bridge will continue to act as a bridge between startups and regional banks, contributing to the promotion of DX in the regional economy and its sustainable development. In addition to the continued holding of this forum, we plan to strengthen matching support between individual banks and startups to accelerate the creation of concrete collaboration projects.