Sakura Internet and MUIC Kansai to Launch Co-creation Acceleration Program "Blooming DRIVE with MUIC 2026: Dialogue for Co-Engineering"

General Incorporated Association MUIC Kansai (Location: Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture; Chairman: Minoru Saotome), which operates open innovation hubs, and Sakura Internet Inc. (Headquarters: Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture; President & CEO: Kunihiro Tanaka), which provides digital infrastructure services, through its "Blooming Camp" facility for open innovation, will implement the co-creation accelerator program "Blooming DRIVE with MUIC 2026: Dialogue for Co-Engineering."

This program is a co-creation acceleration program that supports demonstration experiments aimed at social implementation, through collaboration between "MUIC Kansai" and "Blooming Camp," both innovation co-creation hub facilities based in Kansai. Prominent entrepreneurs, creators, and business leaders active in various fields will take the stage, fostering improved accuracy in business verification and the creation of new businesses through dialogue and hands-on support.

Background of Implementation

"MUIC Kansai" and "Blooming Camp" have each supported the challenges of entrepreneurs and project implementers as innovation co-creation hub facilities in Kansai. This initiative emphasizes providing substantial added value to each participant and aims to build a more practical and continuous support system.

"MUIC Kansai" is an open innovation hub operated by the General Incorporated Association Kansai Innovation Center, established by Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc. and MUFG Bank, Ltd., focusing on themes such as the tourism industry. Triggered by the 2025 Osaka-Kansai Expo, it engages in activities aimed at solving social issues and creating new businesses through collaboration among large corporations, startups, and local governments.

"Blooming Camp" is a facility for open innovation operated by Sakura Internet Inc. Located in the Grand Green Osaka redevelopment area in Umeda, Osaka, it provides a place where diverse people and companies can meet and transform "what they want to do" into "what they can do." Through the fusion of online and real-world interactions, it aims to create a venue where new challenges and values are born.

By combining the strengths of both hubs and building a support system that transcends the boundaries of locations and fields, the program aims to foster innovation originating from Kansai and form a co-creation ecosystem where diverse players can thrive.

Overview of "Blooming DRIVE with MUIC 2026: Dialogue for Co-Engineering"

◆ Overview

This program is a co-creation acceleration program that emphasizes refining the "quality of questions," which is key to increasing the success rate of demonstration experiments. By deepening questions through dialogue with top runners and practitioners in various fields regarding challenges faced in advancing business, and by clarifying hypotheses to be verified, the program aims to improve the design accuracy of demonstration experiments and connect them to further co-creation and commercialization.

◆ Support Content

- Sessions led by business leaders active in various fields.
- Individual mentoring by Tutor Leader Naotaka Hosono (CEO of BIG Impact Inc.) after sessions with lecturers.
- Matching with networks possessed by "MUIC Kansai" and "Blooming Camp."
- Project management through bi-weekly meetings with accompanying community managers.

◆ Schedule (Planned)

[Participant Recruitment]
Application Deadline: June 14 (Sunday)

[Orientation for Participants]
Date: July 1 (Wednesday)

[Session ①]
Date: July 23 (Thursday)
Theme: "Will this service truly reach society?"
Lecturer: Aisako Tsuji (CEO & Creative Director, arca Inc.)

[Session ②]
Date: August 18 (Tuesday)
Theme: "How can social issues become business?"
Lecturer: Eriko Yamaguchi (CEO & Team Designer, Motherhouse Co., Ltd.)

[Session ③]
Date: September 2 (Wednesday)
Theme: "Can ideals and business coexist?"
Lecturer: Fumito Matsuda (Co-CEO, Heralbony Inc.)

[Final Presentation]
Period: October (Planned)

[Location]
MUIC Kansai, Blooming Camp, and others.

[Application]
For applications, please refer to the following webpage:
https://bc.sakura.ad.jp/n/form/fwnb/QNPsChVy84GnKYHc3wsxm

Lecturer Profiles (in order of appearance)
CEO & Creative Director, arca Inc.
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