IVS2026 Announces Second Round of Featured Sessions with Top Industry and Government Leaders

IVS2026 Announces Second Round of Featured Sessions

Japan's premier startup conference, IVS2026, will be held from July 1st (Wed) to 3rd (Fri), 2026, with Miyako Messe, ROHM Theatre Kyoto, and Hotel Okura Kyoto serving as the main venues. We are pleased to announce the second round of featured sessions to be held at IVS. Featured sessions for IVS CORE will be announced separately.

Promoting the theme 'Japan is Back,' IVS2026 is designed as a three-day event to demonstrate the true value of Japanese startups to the world by relentlessly pursuing quality and impact. This release highlights featured sessions featuring leading entrepreneurs, investors, business executives, and policymakers.

### July 1st (Wed)

#### OPENING SESSION: Japan is Back: Converting Nobel-level Discoveries into Industry - Focus: Exploring how to cross the 'Valley of Death' for deep tech in a setting where research, entrepreneurship, investment, and government intersect. - Speakers: Kazutaka Muraguchi (Japan Technology Venture Partners), Susumu Kitagawa (Kyoto University), Takatoshi Nishiwaki (Governor of Kyoto Prefecture), Daisuke Asari (Atomis Inc.)

#### Startup Nation Strategy Opened by AI and On-chain Finance - Focus: Discussing strategies for Japan to build a next-generation financial ecosystem that balances the trust of existing finance with the innovation of new technologies. - Speakers: Rei Matsukura (AVILEN Inc.), Seiji Kihara (Member of the House of Representatives), Noritaka Okabe (JPYC Inc.), Tatsuya Saito (Progmat Inc.)

#### The New Standard for Startup Entrepreneurs - Focus: Examining the required mindset for the coming era as the definition of 'entrepreneur' diversifies. - Speakers: Keisuke Tatsuoka (ALPHA Inc.), Fumiyoshi Takahashi (concon Inc.), Reiji Kobayashi (HAKKI GROUP Inc.), Shingo Yuhara (forest Inc.)

### July 2nd (Thu)

#### Is it true that Japan is not a resource-rich country? - Focus: Exploring winning strategies in global supply chains by combining Japan's precision technical prowess with domestic resources. - Speakers: Tatsuya Nakamura (Globis Capital Partners), Naoya Kato (Enecoat Technologies), Ryota Nomura (Quon Energy), Takahaku Utaki (GeoDreams), Mitsuo Shimofuji (ZettaJoule Inc.)