Tsucrea to Operate Kyoto City’s FY2026 Youth Entrepreneurship Program

Tsucrea Inc. (Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; CEO: Hideki Suzuki; hereinafter "Tsucrea") has been awarded the contract for the "FY2026 Youth Entrepreneurship Program (Lectures and Workshops) Planning and Management" commissioned by Kyoto City.

About the Program This program is promoted by the Startup and Industry-Academia Collaboration Promotion Office of the Kyoto City Industrial Tourism Bureau. Its goal is to foster an entrepreneurial spirit and support the proactive challenges of young people. The program plans and manages lectures and practical workshops where middle school, high school, and university students can learn from entrepreneurs and advanced examples.

Background and Purpose Kyoto City has been designated as a Global Startup City by the Cabinet Office and boasts one of the highest numbers of universities and students in Japan, possessing high potential as a leading city for entrepreneurship education. Furthermore, the Keihanshin Startup Ecosystem is also a designated Global Startup City, and infrastructure development is underway to produce startups that operate both domestically and internationally. Since fiscal year 2020, Kyoto has been continuously engaged in entrepreneurship education for junior and high school students through the "Youth Entrepreneurship Program," and the formation of communities for students aspiring to start businesses has progressed steadily, including the launch of "High School Entrepreneur Circles" starting in fiscal year 2024.

However, while startups are being born rapidly in cities around the world, Kyoto's business opening rate remains below the national average. It is essential to elevate students with potential interest in entrepreneurship and management into a "preparation phase" for starting businesses to produce the next generation of entrepreneurs.

As an entry point, this program aims to function as a "gateway" that connects participants to continuous learning and practical opportunities while collaborating with existing community initiatives.

Implementation Outline We will design concepts that allow for a comprehensive approach for diverse middle school, high school, and university students with different interests, and conduct lectures and workshops.

- Lectures/workshops by local student entrepreneurs active in Japan - Lectures/workshops by entrepreneurs addressing social issues overseas - Lectures/workshops by specialists in management and administration

By creating touchpoints with active entrepreneurs domestically and internationally and conducting multilateral approaches tailored to the attributes and interests of participants, we aim to deliver opportunities for challenge to diverse youth in the city.