LIFULL and CAMPFIRE Announce Partnership to Support Municipal Town Development

LIFULL Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; CEO: Yuji Ito; Tokyo Stock Exchange Prime: 2120; hereinafter "LIFULL"), which works to solve social issues through its business, and CAMPFIRE, Inc. (Headquarters: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; CEO: Makoto Nakajima; hereinafter "CAMPFIRE") will launch a special website based on a partnership focused on municipal town development around May 2026.

Background: A New Option for Town Development Funding

In rural areas, challenges to transform towns are emerging across the country, such as startups, utilization of vacant houses, and activities of regional revitalization cooperators. Attention to crowdfunding as a means of fundraising for such projects is growing, and it is expected to become widespread in regions as a diverse fundraising method that supports sustainable activities, alongside public support such as subsidies.

Therefore, by combining LIFULL's network with over 770 municipalities nationwide and CAMPFIRE's accumulated crowdfunding know-how and platform, both companies believe they can deliver a new option following self-funding, financial institutions, and public funds to municipalities and people taking on challenges in regions that have not had contact with crowdfunding before. This led to the current partnership to build a platform that expands the continuity and potential of town development.

Overview: Launch of a Special Crowdfunding Site Where Challenges Are Visible for Each Municipality

On the special site scheduled to open in May 2026, projects will be aggregated on a town-by-town basis, allowing a view of what challenges are being undertaken in that region. By gathering all challenges related to the town in one place, such as vacant house utilization, specialty product development, activities of regional revitalization cooperators, and creating vibrancy, the special site itself will function as a "city promotion" venue for that town.

■ Roles of Both Companies

LIFULL

LIFULL will create and discover projects by leveraging its relationships with municipalities and regional experts, cultivated through the operation of the "National Vacant House Bank" in which over 770 municipalities participate, support for the recruitment of regional revitalization cooperators, and partnership agreements with municipalities. They will find the seeds of challenges dormant in the regions and connect regional issues to the special site where challengers can be active.

CAMPFIRE

CAMPFIRE will provide the crowdfunding platform, as well as know-how and support for fundraising and fan-building. Based on its track record of operating Japan's largest crowdfunding platform, it will deliver the passion of challengers to supporters nationwide and provide a mechanism for supporters to become future customers and part of the 'related population'.

Furthermore, through collaboration with "HIOKOSHI," a crowdfunding service specialized for regional revitalization cooperators developed by CAMPFIRE, the network of regional revitalization cooperators that LIFULL has been involved with from the recruitment stage will also be utilized to provide a smooth path for fundraising and further enhance activity support.

■ How Municipalities Can Get Involved

In this partnership, the special site will play the role of a place to disseminate "regional issues and passions." Individual project screening and financial burdens by municipalities are unnecessary. Municipalities will become "flag-wavers" that support challenges by sending out supportive messages from the town's dedicated page or the mayor on the special site.

Municipalities, through their endorsement,