ICT Startup League

On November 5th, the "5th Startup League Academy" was held in Tokyo.

After the secretariat explained the flow of the day, the selected participants present at the venue introduced themselves.

Following this, Executive Committee Chairman Tadashi Fukuda gave a greeting. He reaffirmed that the Startup League differs from traditional pitch events; with the watchword of immediate "Value Up," it is a venue aiming for matching with stakeholders and realizing the visions that lie beyond. He also mentioned that the Startup League was launched to inherit the achievements of "Inno-vation," a talent discovery program by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications. This program was led by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi during her time as Minister of Internal Affairs, where she powerfully commented, "I am the mother of distinct talent." Fukuda appealed for the importance of creating a platform that takes this history into account.

He also brought up the dramatic victory of the Dodgers in this season's MLB World Series. He pointed out, "The world of sports seems like an 'unscripted drama,' but in reality, a massive platform of thorough data analysis and endless effort lies at its foundation." On the other hand, regarding Yoshinobu Yamamoto growing into one of the world's top pitchers—recalling how the Orix Buffaloes once drafted the injured and divisively evaluated Yamamoto in the 4th round—Fukuda spoke about the necessity of both the "daily effort" of the side being scouted and the "ceaseless effort" of the scouting side to collect information over the long term, assess potential, and keep believing. He expressed his renewed determination to continue making efforts so that this "League," modeled after sports which incorporate every element of success, can become just such a place.

Furthermore, Mr. Fukuda emphasized, "It is essential that we do not leave things to the secretariat, but that all members participating in the League cooperate with a sense of ownership and actively recruit collaborators." He discussed the direction of actively increasing allies, stating, "This all-participation cooperation structure is the key to significantly expanding the League." He stressed, "To create a mechanism where it is said that 'Startups are Japan,' it depends on how hard everyone participating in the League works to expand this new platform." Encouraging the participants, he added, "Like Pitcher Yamamoto taking the mound in relief with zero days of rest, startups should always be in a state where they can pitch whenever called upon, even if told to do so tomorrow. You cannot win in the world at a level where you only do things because you were told to."

■ Session: "The Frontline of Human Resource Utilization in Startups"

The speaker for this session was Mr. Shoji Okamoto, President and CEO of Mirai Works Inc., and a member of the Executive Committee. Focusing on how to utilize his company's HR services to obtain support from professional talent, he spoke about the process of launching businesses based on case studies and his own experiences.

Point 1: Appealing to "Life Work" is the Key to Utilizing Professional Talent

Addressing the development resource shortages and fundraising challenges faced by startups, Mr. Okamoto advocated for a unique use of external talent. This involves specific methodology to involve high-cost professional talent at low cost while maintaining high motivation.
He introduced a case study from a regional side-job platform where a management consultant, whose main job brings in a monthly income of 3 million yen, cooperated for 15 hours for a mere 30,000 yen honorarium.
Work can be divided into "Rice Work," done to put food on the table (to live), and "Life Work," done for self-realization and to achieve what one wants in life. Talented individuals seek "Life Work" in their side jobs. He explained that by appealing to their enthusiasm for wanting to contribute to startup support or regional revitalization, you can draw out value that exceeds the monetary compensation. "There are many people who want to support startups out of a sense of mission. By appealing in the context of life work, you may find people who will help for values other than money."
This was not merely about cost reduction, but a lesson on the importance of "story creation" as a business owner—how to appeal to the other person's heart and move them with enthusiasm.

Point 2: There is No Right Answer for What Triggers a Business Launch

Next, he introduced the background of launching various businesses at Mirai Works. Mr. Okamoto shared his experience that the freelance business, which is now the company's core, did not start from a plan based on market research or ROI (Return on Investment) as an entrepreneur from a typical consulting firm might do.
He explained that the business began immediately after the Lehman Shock in 2007 by re-outsourcing work he received to freelance friends who were in financial distress. "I didn't think about the market or business value at all; I simply wanted to see the smiles of my friends who were in trouble. Our business started with just that," said Mr. Okamoto.
Additionally, the story of growing via a gritty "headhunting" approach targeting "former foreign consultancy employees" without spending any budget on client marketing until listing reaffirmed the value of "thinking about what you can do and executing it strictly" without spending money in the early stages of a startup.

Point 3: The Path to Realizing a Vision is "Keep Running Even Without an Initial Answer"

Subsequently, the trajectory of launching Mirai Works' regional revitalization business and practical reskilling business was told with a sense of scale, suggesting that the road to realizing a vision is never a straight line.
After listing in 2017, Mr. Okamoto witnessed the reality of professional talent unable to engage in "Life Work" and began businesses in regional revitalization and reskilling. The reskilling business, in particular, faced a tough situation with almost no sales for three years after launch. However, the regional revitalization business, which grew rapidly through M&A and other means during the same period, generated the resource of "regional challenges." By solving these challenges, large corporate personnel gained successful experiences, allowing the program to sublimate into a "practical reskilling program" that other companies could not imitate.
"When thinking about realizing a vision, even if you don't have the answer at the start, you may find it while you keep running. If you only look at ROI, you would quit because it's not profitable, but since realizing the vision is the top priority, you don't want to give up. In that case, it is important to keep thinking of every possible way," Mr. Okamoto said, based on his own experience in launching businesses.

Summary

Mr. Okamoto's session strongly appealed to startup managers about the importance of "selling yourself," the knack for involving capable talent with "motivation other than money," and the value of "continuing trial and error without giving up on the vision," weaving in his own specific success stories and failures.
Finally, Mr. Okamoto introduced the "Law of the Goddess x Law of 10,000 Hours." He explained, "The Goddess of Fortune only has bangs (an ancient Greek proverb). It is too late to try to grab her after she passes; you must seize the chance the moment it arrives. Also, becoming a professional requires 10,000 hours of training, and real ability is cultivated through continuous effort. Isn't success a product of these two factors?" He sent cheers to the participants, saying, "Meeting a chance involves luck, but you can only seize the chance beyond continuous effort."
He also cited figures such as 4 out of 280 of his contemporaries at Accenture having listed their companies, and 31 out of 290 members of the Venture Mitakai (Keio alumni) being experienced in listing, powerfully conveying that "managing in an environment where you can improve each other is very important." He concluded his lecture with expectations that the ICT Startup League would become such a place and for the participants' growth in 5 or 10 years.

■ Value Up Session

Fish Pass Inc.: Aiming to be an Infrastructure Company Contributing to Global Biodiversity Business

The Value Up Session featured two selected startups. First to take the stage was Mr. Shigehiro Nishimura, Representative Director of Fish Pass Inc., which creates symbiotic relationships between people and regions centered on rivers.

Business Overview and Challenge:
As "Japan's No. 1 digital river network," they operate the "Fish Pass" application service that provides convenience to Fisheries Cooperatives managing rivers nationwide and to anglers. They have grown into a social infrastructure supporting rivers through the introduction of digital recreational fishing tickets, ensuring safety at fishing spots, and improving the efficiency of surveillance and fishing ground maintenance for cooperatives. In the Startup League, they are challenging themselves to build a new infrastructure foundation to protect global biodiversity while supporting corporate and government environmental measures and ESG management through environmental DNA technology that visualizes biodiversity scientifically from just a cup of water.

Issue 1: High Explanation Costs for Implementation:
They have been proceeding with the goal of an IPO (Initial Public Offering) on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Growth Market in 2029, but they are questioning if this is truly the right path.

Issue 2: Low Awareness:
The environmental DNA analysis service currently has a track record of implementation in 60 fisheries cooperatives, 6 major companies, and 18 local governments. Overseas, after achievements in Cambodia and Thailand, surveys are starting in Malaysia. In which industrial sectors and areas should they concentrate service expansion in the future?

Issue 3: Possibility of Collaboration with Other Industries:
Directions include improving special data acquisition technology, advancing analysis technology, and improving usability, but they are asking which aspects of the service should be deeply developed.

Words of Wisdom from Experts:

Mr. Fukuda proposed that environmental DNA technology could be a solution to the urgent social issue of bear damage. He expressed the view that significant demand can be expected by acting now, as requests from the government and media are intensifying. He recommended focusing on countermeasures as "now is the timing to meet social expectations."

Executive Committee member Mr. Yoshinori Sasaki (Executive Officer, Gaiax Co., Ltd.) suggested possibilities for business expansion: "'Kumap' (Bear Maps), which plot points on a map based on bear sighting information, are already being made in various places. However, as a corporate ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) initiative, companies could survey rivers and create a 'Kumap' using rivers nationwide. Just taking bear information alone seems to offer various developments." Selection and Evaluation Committee member Mr. Nobuyuki Matsuda (Representative Director, Booster Knob Co., Ltd.) spoke from a monetization perspective: "From a VC (Venture Capital) perspective, what separates success from failure in startups working on data visualization is whether they can create the deployment *after* visualization. Regarding the bear topic, simply knowing 'they are in this river' is meaningless; if you go one step further and develop a 'Check Kit to confirm bear presence' for anglers, there is a possibility that it will sufficiently stand as a business."

When asked why he aims for an IPO, Mr. Nishimura replied, "To realize the vision of 'protecting Japan's rivers and connecting them to the future,' becoming public allows citizens to take more interest, and enhances business speed and performance."

Mr. Okamoto pointed out that if the bear business succeeds, fundraising might become unnecessary, and since social trust is already established through the fisheries cooperative network, the necessity of an IPO might be low. He advised, "Rather than receiving pressure for profit pursuit from institutional investors via an IPO, you should focus on social contribution."

Transtep Inc.: Creating a Society Where Anyone Can Utilize Subsidy Information via AI

The second speaker for the Value Up Session was Ms. Rei Okajima, Representative Director and President of Transtep Inc., who built her career in the management accounting departments of foreign companies and founded the company in 2024.

Business Overview and Challenge:
The selected research theme is "R&D of a DX Promotion Platform and Resolution of Information Asymmetry in Subsidies Using AI Technology." The goal is to enable everyone in companies to "easily find, correctly understand, and appropriately proceed with applications" for the vast and diverse subsidy information issued by the government and municipalities. This prevents opportunity loss for SMEs and builds a social infrastructure that enables challenges for problem-solving. In July 2025, they began offering the beta version of the subsidy DX solution "Tretel."

Issue 1: Direction of Business Model:
They are selling paid accounts to large companies that utilize subsidies for sales activities, but they have not yet reached PMF (Product-Market Fit). They want to identify where the "burning needs" are and restructure the business model.

Issue 2: Approach to Hearing Target Layers:
To verify if the "Tretel" beta version meets corporate needs and provides value, they have defined targets for interviews. They want advice on how to make contact with that layer and conduct hearings. Also, they would like introductions to companies utilizing subsidies for sales or using them internally as interview candidates.

Issue 3: Increasing Free Account Users:
They set a goal of 800 free accounts and 5 paid account contracts, but progress is slow, specifically regarding free accounts which are currently at 72. They want to get more feedback from various perspectives by having current and past League participants use the free account.

Words of Wisdom from Experts:

Mr. Fukuda mentioned regarding the current business model, "Isn't it difficult to sell to large enterprises one by one for a fee?" Mr. Okamoto from Mirai Works agreed regarding the business based on account unit price, but advised, "From the perspective of BPO-style support, perhaps you can monetize by having specific companies introduce it at a high unit price as an automation platform for subsidy application agency or secretariat operations."
Mr. Matsuda suggested there is a different target than large enterprises, stating, "It would be a good product for professionals like labor and social security attorneys who support subsidy applications." Selection and Evaluation Committee member Mr. Hiroyuki Kobayashi (President and Representative Director, Deloitte Tohmatsu Deep Square LLC) expressed expectations that business opportunities would expand by distributing necessary functions per target, saying, "I think the utility value increases if it can even automatically create application forms."

Discussion also proceeded in the direction of making the service completely free, including subsidies for general individuals, securing an overwhelming number of users in the tens of millions, and creating cash points through advertising revenue. Guest Mr. Koichi Sugiyama (Senior Managing Director, Japan Enterprise Co., Ltd.) said, "If thinking about the original purpose of enabling anyone to get subsidies, a business model that drastically widens the service entrance for free is more suitable." Mr. Fukuda summarized, "There is a possibility if you can partner with huge platforms capable of capturing large numbers, such as mobile carriers, to acquire many users."

■ Event Summary
At the networking session after the Academy, participants exchanged business cards and engaged in active exchanges of opinions regarding reflections on the event and concrete support.

Mr. Nishimura of Fish Pass Inc., who took the stage at the Value Up Session, said, "My assumptions were destroyed (in a good way) from a completely different perspective level. I realized that this is exactly what 'Value Up' is," appearing surprised by the "unconventional nature" and energy of the League, which he had not experienced in other acceleration programs or business contests.

The second speaker, Ms. Okajima of Transtep Inc., looked back on the heated discussion during the Value Up Session, saying, "The opportunity to not only present the business but also receive feedback on the spot from experts in a wide range of fields was very valuable. I want to firmly consider the future direction of the service."

As an impression of the Startup League as a whole, Mr. Sasaki said, "It was good that it is a place where mentors from various fields continue to offer opinions from their respective professional viewpoints." In the League, discussions do not necessarily converge on a single conclusion; opinions with multiple directions are issued one after another. Having a broad soil to support participants' challenges makes it easy for stimulating discussions to develop, from which ideas for taking a new step forward are born.

Also, Mr. Fukuda commented, "Will you act immediately on the advice? Will you do it, or not? Whether you can seize the chance depends solely on that." The importance of explosiveness and speed in leading a business to success was conveyed.

Attention will continue to gather on the new challenges born from the heated discussions brought about at the League Academy.