Curations, Inc. (Headquarters: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; CEO: Takayuki Nemoto; hereinafter 'the company'), which successfully drives business transformation for client companies, will host a public seminar titled 'Turning Research into Business — Creating the Next Pillar through Marketing-Driven Design' on Thursday, July 9, 2026, from 11:00 to 12:00 via online format (free of charge).

The speaker will be Hiroshi Arai, Director and CSMO of the company. In many R&D environments, 'amazing technologies' stall just before commercialization, unable to answer the critical question: 'How does this generate profit?' This seminar will explain a structured thinking framework to transform research and technological assets into 'next pillar businesses' from a 'customer behavior-first (marketing)' perspective, illustrated with cross-industry case studies.

◆ Do any of these challenges resonate with you? ◆

We are now in an era where technological superiority alone is no longer enough to win customers. Many companies are seeing a 'ceiling' in the growth engines of their existing businesses, making the creation of a 'next pillar' a central strategic priority.

Meanwhile, a common bottleneck persists in R&D departments. While research institutes and technical divisions generate 'amazing technologies,' initiatives stall the moment executives ask, 'How will this make money?' Despite calls to shift from 'products to experiences,' technology-driven projects remain trapped in a producer-centric (product-out) mindset. Proof-of-Concept (PoC) projects run, but fail to transition into viable business plans.

This is not due to individual shortcomings, but rather because the pathway to transform technology into business is structurally missing. If left unaddressed, R&D investments become shelved, and the technology risks being overtaken by competitors or forgotten internally.

This seminar will equip researchers and engineers with a practical thinking framework to transform stalled technologies into 'next pillar businesses' using three key perspectives: 'Future-Oriented Thinking × Backcasting × Loving the Customer (Design Thinking)'.

<Who Should Attend>

- Those struggling to get management approval for 'amazing technologies' emerging from research or technical departments

- Those aiming to shift from 'products to experiences' but unable to escape product-out thinking in technology-driven planning

- Those whose PoC projects fail to convert into business plans, resulting in discontinued budgets

- Those sensing a 'growth ceiling' in existing businesses and feeling the need to create a new pillar

<Three Key Takeaways from the Seminar>

① Five perspectives to audit your company's research and technological assets from a 'customer behavior-first' standpoint

We will share a framework to translate technical language into customer language, identifying true strengths and their real value to customers.

② Step-by-step process to reverse-engineer the 'next pillar' using Future-Oriented Thinking × Backcasting

Instead of incremental 10% improvements, we'll work backward from 10x moonshots (discontinuous ambitious goals). We'll explain how to define the 'fairway'—the intersection of your company's strengths, customer futures, and market viability.

③ The three traps researchers fall into—and the antidote: Design Thinking 'Loving the Customer'

A practical guide to building customer empathy, ensuring technology-driven initiatives don't end as product-out projects (the climax of this seminar).

Using well-known cross-industry examples where existing technological assets were repurposed into new business pillars, we will present a reproducible pathway.

[Speaker]

Hiroshi Arai (Arai Hiroyuki)

Director, CSMO / Executive Strategy Designer, Curations, Inc.

As a practitioner of 'co-creation,' he supports the commercialization of research and technological assets by partnering with large enterprises to drive new ventures and business development from 'internal approval' to 'revenue generation' using a unique customer behavior-first methodology—focusing not on 'analysis and recommendations' but on 'execution and results.'

[Event Overview]

Seminar Title: Turning Research into Business — Creating the Next Pillar through Marketing-Driven Design

Date and Time: Thursday, July 9, 2026, 11:00–12:00

Format: Online (Zoom)

Participation Fee: Free

Target Audience: Researchers and engineers aiming to link research and technology to business growth (those involved in R&D and technology management)

Application Deadline: July 9, 2026 (Thu) 10:00

Organizer: Curations, Inc.

▼ Register Here ▼

https://curations-20260709.peatix.com/view

About Curations

Curations is a firm specializing in new venture creation for large enterprises. Based on our unique customer behavior-first venture creation model, we combine a team of venture specialists, support services, and corporate partnerships to achieve new business creation in the shortest possible time.

Furthermore, through new venture creation for large enterprises, we contribute to company-wide 'Business Transformation,' shaping the ideal future decades ahead.

https://www.curations.jp/

[Company Overview]

Company Name: Curations, Inc.

Location: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo

Representative: CEO Takayuki Nemoto

Web: https://www.curations.jp

[Inquiries / Media Contact]

Curations, Inc.

Contact: Fujishima

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