Over 70 Companies Gather: 'Bizcon AWARDS 2026', Japan's Only Award Shedding Light on the Secretariats Supporting Corporate Innovation, Announces Grand Prize Winner

Filament Inc. (Headquarters: Chuo-ku, Osaka; CEO: Masaru Kado), a company supporting new business development for large enterprises, held the 'Bizcon AWARDS 2026' on June 10, 2026. This award recognizes the efforts of secretariats that manage internal new business proposal systems (Bizcon). The Bizcon AWARDS is Japan's only award that evaluates and honors the work of Bizcon secretariats supporting corporate innovation, and this was its second edition following the inaugural event in 2025.

On the day, over 160 secretariat representatives from more than 70 companies gathered. They engaged in lively discussions across corporate and industry boundaries on topics such as Bizcon system design, applicant support, and business commercialization support. The event served as a platform for sharing practical knowledge about business contests that support internal new business creation. This year, 24 companies entered, and 6 passed the document screening to present at the final judging. After a strict evaluation by the judges, JTB's 'JUMP' was selected for the grand prize.

□Why Focus on the Secretariat?

In recent years, internal new business proposal systems (business contests) implemented by companies are increasingly being used not only as a mechanism to turn employee ideas into businesses but also as initiatives to foster human resource development and organizational change. However, the optimal system design and operational methods vary greatly depending on the system's purpose, company size, and years of operation, and there is no single correct way to run them. Therefore, many secretariats are engaged in trial and error to create a system suitable for their company. While such knowledge and know-how accumulate within each company, opportunities for sharing them between companies are rare. The Bizcon AWARDS aims to shed light on the efforts of secretariats, sharing the practical wisdom and operational know-how cultivated by each company, and transforming the knowledge accumulated within individual companies into an asset for the entire industry.

□List of Final Nominees

・Casio Computer Co., Ltd. 'IBP (Idea Booster Program)'
・JTB Corp. 'JUMP'
・Daito Trust Construction Co., Ltd. 'HIRAKU'
・Chiyoda Corporation 'F1 PROJECT'
・Honda Motor Co., Ltd. 'IGNITION'
・Rohto Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. 'Ashita Niha'

□Grand Prize Winner

JTB Corp.
'JUMP' (nextender)

'JUMP' is an idea contest for all group employees within JTB Corp.'s group-wide innovation creation program 'nextender'. In 'nextender', 'CHALLENGE', which provides various opportunities for challenge including JUMP, and 'KNOWLEDGE', a place for learning and connection related to innovation, are linked. The synergistic effect of enhancing the value of business ideas, realizing businesses, and fostering an innovation culture and climate across the group while expanding the number of challengers was highly evaluated, leading to the selection for the grand prize.

□Judge Comments

First, I felt that the companies presenting this time had particularly good examples gathered. Among them, JTB, which won the grand prize, was impressive in that it was operated by a wonderful secretariat with a strong will to practice innovation management as a company and create a new future for the enterprise. (Noboru Kono, Chairperson, Japan Innovation Network)

Congratulations to JTB for winning the grand prize. The key point is that the Bizcon is within the larger framework of 'nextender'. The mechanism that effectively utilizes the company's human assets and further strengthens JTB's personnel stood out. I hope that 'JUMP' will lead JTB to become an even more excellent company through 'nextender'. (Shigeo Makino, Professor, Waseda University Graduate School of Business and Finance)

□Organizer Comment

In its second year, the Bizcon Awards saw a significant increase in both entering and observing companies, and I believe the variety and quality of shared knowledge have become remarkably richer. I think it's a great opportunity to break down barriers between companies facing similar challenges, create connections, and contribute to enhancing Japan's overall 'ability to generate innovation'. Next year, we aim to update the event to be a place where even more diverse ingenuity and ideas are exchanged. (Masaru Kado, CEO, Filament Inc.)

□Future Developments

The Bizcon AWARDS will continue as an annual award while aiming to develop into a place where secretariats supporting internal Bizcons can learn from each other and connect. In the future, in addition to the award ceremony, we will promote network formation and mutual exchange among secretariats supporting corporate innovation through networking events, research activities, case study sharing, and information dissemination. Furthermore, based on the entry sheets, questionnaires to participating secretariats, and presentation content from the judging session, we plan to publish the 'Bizcon AWARDS Report' in the fall of 2026. This report will analyze system design, operational characteristics, and the ingenuity and challenges of each company, visualizing the actual state and latest trends of internal Bizcons and widely sharing practical insights that can be learned from other companies' examples. The Bizcon AWARDS will continue to communicate the challenges of secretariats supporting corporate innovation to society and develop as a platform that promotes the accumulation and sharing of knowledge within the internal Bizcon industry.

□What is the Bizcon AWARDS?

The Bizcon AWARDS is Japan's only award that focuses on the efforts of secretariats responsible for running internal business contests (Bizcons) implemented by companies, evaluating and honoring their challenges and achievements.

In recent years, internal business contests are increasingly being used not only for creating new businesses but also as initiatives to promote human resource development and organizational change. Behind this success lies the existence of secretariats that handle system design, operation, applicant support, and business commercialization support.

The Bizcon AWARDS aims to visualize the efforts and ingenuity of secretariats and widely share that knowledge, thereby creating an environment where more companies can more easily take on the challenge of corporate transformation through Bizcons. By disseminating the excellent efforts of secretariats to society, we contribute to the evolution of mechanisms for creating new businesses and the acceleration of sustainable corporate transformation.

□Event Overview

Name: Bizcon AWARDS 2026
Date: June 10, 2026 (Wednesday)
Venue: Minato City Industrial Promotion Center, Main Hall
Location: 5-36-4 Shiba, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Sannotsuji Square
Organizer: Filament Inc.
Partners: ASCII STARTUP, CNET Japan, Shinkigyo Talks, Biz/Zine, FINDERS
URL: https://bizcon-awards.com/2026

□Company Profile

Company Name: Filament Inc.
Established: April 9, 2015
Representative: CEO Masaru Kado
Location: 2F, 2-1-1 Minamihonmachi, Chuo-ku, Osaka, Osaka
Business: New business creation support and human resource/organizational development
URL: https://thefilament.jp