International Conference for Deep Tech Entrepreneurs and Investors

Lifetime Ventures, a venture capital firm, is pleased to announce the investors participating in the invitation-only conference, Startup Elevate 2026, to be held from Wednesday, November 4th to Friday, November 6th, 2026.

▼OIST-Lifetime Startup Elevate 2026:

Official Website

▼Startup Applications Due August 31st:

Application Form for Entrepreneurs

Investors Scheduled to Participate in OIST-Lifetime Startup Elevate 2026

*Titles omitted, order not guaranteed.

Life Science Day (November 4th):

Hiroaki Kobayashi | Tokyo University of Science Venture Capital (UTEC)

Hiroko Kimura | Fast Track Initiative, Inc.

Katsuya Hashiba | Beyond Next Ventures Inc.

Hiroyuki Misawa | Miyako Capital Co., Ltd. (MIYAKO Capital)

Yukako Yokota | Flagship Pioneering

Deeptech Day (November 6th):

Takuya Ukai | Global Brain Corporation

Yuuki Kuwahara | JIC Venture Growth Investments, Ltd.

Tomoko Numata | C1 Capital Inc.

Itaru Shiraishi | Environmental Energy Investment Co., Ltd. (EEI)

Tatsuya Nakamura | GLOBIS Capital Partners Co., Ltd.

Note that the investors announced today are only a small portion of those expected; over 100 investors are scheduled to attend the event (*based on last year's results).

⭐️Exclusive Benefits of OIST-Lifetime Startup Elevate 2026⭐️

Ten selected startups for the funding and business partnership pitch session will be mentored by the investors listed above, who will provide support leading up to their pitch. Specifically, they will engage in discussions about business content and help refine presentation materials. This is an unparalleled opportunity for founders of startups seeking funding.

Applications are also accepted from super early-stage teams (pre-founding).

Event Overview

This event will feature panel discussions with investors and industry experts to delve into the latest trends and market outlooks in the deep tech domain. Furthermore, it will create new connections between deep tech startups aiming for global expansion and investors/corporations through pitch sessions by 10 selected promising startups for funding and business partnerships, poster exhibitions by over 20 companies per day, and networking sessions.

OIST-Lifetime Startup Elevate 2026 focuses on the Life Science (drug discovery, biotech, medical devices, SaMD, Longevity, etc.) and Deep Tech (decarbonization, new energy, materials, quantum, climate change adaptation, etc.) fields, inviting world-leading researchers, growth-oriented startups, and global investors to offer a diverse program including:

🔬 Pitch Elevate: Funding and business partnership pitches by featured startups

🎙 Panel Elevate: Market trend panel discussions by investors and experts

📌 Poster Elevate: Inter-company matching through poster exhibitions

🤝 Network Elevate: Networking among startups, corporations, and investors

Eligibility

Startups in the seed to early stage (cumulative equity funding less than 300 million JPY / USD 2M) looking to raise funds.

Must be in the Life Science or Deep Tech fields.

Applications are accepted from companies with previous funding, pre-incorporation, or pre-service release. Entrepreneur Application Form Startup applications are now being accepted!

Schedule

May 13th (Wed): Application period opens

August 31st (Mon): Application deadline

September 1st (Tue) - September 15th (Tue): Interview period

November 4th (Wed) - 6th (Fri): OLSE 2026 held

Other

As this is an invitation-only event, applicant companies must complete the prescribed entry through the special page.

<Organizers>

・Lifetime Ventures

・Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University (OIST)

▼Special Page URL:

https://event.lifetime-ventures.com/oist-lifetime-startup-elevate-2026-jp/

【Organization Overview】

Lifetime Ventures

URL: https://lifetime-ventures.com

Headquarters Location: 7F, Yokohama Landmark Tower, 2-2-1 Minato Mirai, Nishi-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa

Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University (OIST)

URL: https://oist.jp

Location: 1919-1 Tancha, Onna Village, Kunigami District, Okinawa

【OLSE 2026 Secretariat (within Lifetime Ventures)】

E-mail: startup-elevate2026@lifetime-ventures.com