Gaiax and Hyogo Prefecture Launch Trial Entrepreneurship Program Supporting Students and Young Professionals Under 30 from Idea Validation to Startup Creation

Gaiax Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; President and Representative Executive Officer: Yuji Ueda; Securities code: 3775), which provides entrepreneurship education programs in collaboration with industry, academia, and government, will work with Hyogo Prefecture to implement the Trial Entrepreneurship Program. The program targets high school, technical college, and university students in Hyogo Prefecture, as well as young working adults aged 30 or younger, supporting them from startup idea validation through to business creation. Participants with outstanding ideas will receive support including hands-on mentoring from experts, activity grants of up to 200,000 yen, and customer introductions. This marks the second year of Gaiax’s collaboration with Hyogo Prefecture on this initiative. Last year, 42 people participated in the preliminary lectures, and all 10 participants in the demonstration program completed prototype development and customer testing. Of these, two actually founded businesses, while four generated revenue through their ventures. The program consists of two parts: preliminary lectures that teach participants how to generate and validate startup ideas, and a demonstration program in which participants work with startup support experts to implement their ideas in society. The three-session preliminary lecture program systematically covers how to develop startup ideas, design prototypes, and manage market validation projects. In the demonstration program, participants validate solutions in their business plans and work on solving real-world problems. Each participant is paired with one startup support expert as a mentor, who provides guidance tailored to the participant’s current situation and needs. The goals of the preliminary lectures are to help participants decide on a startup idea, become able to create prototypes and conduct market validation, and acquire the ability to drive projects forward. The demonstration program aims to validate the business plans participants have developed and, for those who wish to start a company, support actual business creation. Eligible applicants must be 30 or younger at the time of application, live in Hyogo Prefecture or belong to a university or company in the prefecture, be considering starting a business in Hyogo Prefecture in the future, and be willing to commit to program activities and interaction with other participants after selection. Applicants to the demonstration program must also have a business idea or business plan that has been developed to a certain level of specificity. The preliminary lectures will accept around 30 participants per session on a first-come, first-served basis, while the demonstration program will accept around 10 participants. The preliminary lectures will be held on June 21, July 12, and July 20, 2026, from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. The selection period for the demonstration program will run from August to September 2026, and the program itself will run from September 2026 to March 2027. Participation is free. The program is hosted by Hyogo Prefecture, with Gaiax serving as operator, lecturer, and mentor provider. Venues include Startup Plaza Hyogo in Chuo-ku, Kobe, and online sessions. The first preliminary lecture focuses on idea generation, helping participants identify issues in their surroundings and society and develop products or services as solutions using ideation methods. The second focuses on idea validation, teaching participants how to create prototypes using generative AI and no-code tools and verify the usefulness of their business ideas. The third focuses on idea demonstration, challenging participants to solve real problems while learning project management, funding plans, and communication methods for involving others. The demonstration program’s main application period runs from July 1 to July 31, 2026. Document screening results will be announced in early August, followed by mentoring selection from mid-August to mid-September. Program activities will begin after selection results are announced in mid-September. Participants will join several offline group work sessions, an interim presentation, and a final presentation in March 2027, where they will pitch their business plans and the results of hypothesis validation conducted during the program. Gaiax provides entrepreneurship education programs in collaboration with industry, academia, and government, mainly targeting elementary through high school students. To date, the company has delivered startup experience programs to more than 15,000 people and has produced numerous entrepreneurs, including five IPO founders.