15-Year-Old Entrepreneurial Producer Delivers Lecture and Workshop at Ibaraki Prefectural Shimotsuma Daiichi High School and Junior High School

Meta Heroes Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture; Representative Director: Kazutoshi Matsuishi) is pleased to announce that Nicol Kondo, the general producer of "THE HERO SUMMIT 2026," a next-generation project promoted by the company, delivered a lecture and AI workshop at Ibaraki Prefectural Shimotsuma Daiichi High School and Junior High School.

Over 500 students participated on the day, and through the lecture, workshop, and discussion session, they had the opportunity to feel, "Maybe I can do it too."

■ Lecture Overview

Date and Time

April 30, 2026 (Thursday) 14:40-15:30

Venue

Ibaraki Prefectural Shimotsuma Daiichi High School, First Gymnasium

Theme

Creating Education for the AI Era! The Path of an Entrepreneur Paved by 'Let's Try It'

Speaker

Nicol Kondo, Representative Director and CEO of EdFusion Inc.

Contact for Nicol Kondo (Lectures, etc.)

■ Event Highlights

Before the event began, the students proactively created an introductory video for Nicol Kondo, which was screened. The carefully compiled content of the video was a very pleasant surprise.

Additionally, many promotional posters were displayed on bulletin boards and stairwell walls within the school, and there were many instances where warm comments like "I've been looking forward to this day" were received directly.

On the day, the event started with Nicol Kondo appearing on a red carpet amidst a production using smartphone lights and colorful penlights. These productions were also conceived by the students themselves, creating an impressive space where the entire venue felt united.

Being welcomed in such a manner was extremely delightful, and it became a strongly memorable time filled with the enthusiasm of the venue.

■ The Option of "Entrepreneurship" Reaching Them Because They Are the Same Generation

In the lecture, from the perspective of the same generation as the participating students, Nicol Kondo spoke about:

The importance of "trying things out"

The reality of an entrepreneurial career

How challenges connect to the future

And shared the option of entrepreneurship as "a challenge not just for special people."

It became a time for students to consider their future as their "own business."

■ AI Workshop: Giving Shape to the School's Appeal

In the workshop, together with the students, we verbalized the school's appeal and characteristics, and worked on creating a mascot character using AI.

Keywords such as:

A vibrant club activity culture

The image color "purple"

The word "Iou" (為桜) symbolizing the school spirit and alumni association

were raised by the students, and they experienced the process of giving shape to "their school's uniqueness."

■ Initiatives to Turn Experience into "Results"

After the lecture, a "Nicol Kondo Discussion Session" was held, where she engaged in direct dialogue with students from the Career Research Club.

During this session, ideas for the mascot character created in the workshop were further deepened and refined.

As a result, the initiative developed into:

Mascot character refinement

LINE sticker creation

leading to "tangible results."

■ Comment from Shuichi Namai, Principal of Ibaraki Prefectural Shimotsuma Daiichi High School and Junior High School

"Our school has set entrepreneurship education as a key policy, aiming to foster students' ability to identify challenges and take them on themselves. What was particularly significant about this lecture was that Nicol Kondo was the same age as the students, 15 years old. It was a message from a peer, not an adult, which is why her words must have resonated with real power.

'There are no children in the adult's garden' – the future of Japan will be created by the students themselves. Ms. Kondo's presence proved that this can be done right now. I sincerely hope that each student at our school will take a step forward and 'give it a try.'"

■ Future Developments with THE HERO SUMMIT

Through this initiative, we have realized the potential of programs collaborating with schools and local communities. Moving forward, "THE HERO SUMMIT 2026" plans to expand similar initiatives nationwide.

THE HERO SUMMIT will collaborate with local governments, educational institutions, and companies to create an environment where children can gain extraordinary opportunities and small successes through side events.

THE HERO SUMMIT Official Page

■ Seeking Co-creation Partners

Currently, THE HERO SUMMIT is seeking co-creation partners – local governments, educational institutions, and companies – to expand similar initiatives nationwide.

Lectures and workshops at schools

Exploratory programs in collaboration with local communities

Next-generation development initiatives linked with companies

If you are interested, please contact us.

Inquiries