Sendai City-Hosted Global Startup Event "DATERISE! 2026" Announces 10 Tohoku-Based Startups for Pitch Contest

The startup event "DATERISE! 2026" (Organizer: Sendai City / Operator: 01Booster), held under the theme of "Global," has released its latest program information.

This update includes the confirmation of 10 companies for the pitch contest, along with domestic judges, details of some sessions, the schedule, booth and festival exhibitors, sponsor information, and side event details.

10 Companies Selected for Pitch Contest

The pitch contest, one of the main events of DATERISE! 2026, will bring together startups challenging the world from Tohoku to present their visions, technologies, and business potential.

The winning startup will receive benefits to support further growth, and special awards from sponsoring companies are also planned. A panel of judges active both domestically and internationally will evaluate based on factors such as business viability, growth potential, and social impact to select the next generation of leading startups.

Following a rigorous selection process from a large number of applications exceeding capacity, 10 companies have been chosen to present. These startups represent diverse fields including university-launched ventures, deep tech, AI, healthcare, environment/energy, and robotics.

Please pay close attention to the moment when new Tohoku-born innovations take flight to the world from the DATERISE! 2026 stage.

【Presenting Companies and Speakers (in Japanese syllabary order, titles omitted)】

・Ems Robotics Inc. Eiji Sotani

・wead Inc. Momoka Ikawa

・ZAICO Inc. Toshihide Tamura

・Hide Innovative LAB Inc. Hideya Iemura

・Tsubame Lab Inc. Masaaya Inagawa

・TeconaAI Inc. Ryōichirō Koyama

・perple (Tohoku University) Takafumi Kubota

・bionto Inc. Hiromitsu Seno

・BearBell Inc. Yudai Hattori

・MiRESSO Inc. Tomonori Imai

3 Domestic Judges Announced

This year's pitch contest will feature judges with diverse backgrounds, including investors, corporate representatives, and support organizations leading the domestic startup ecosystem.

【Judges (titles omitted)】

・Yukako Yokota

(Flagship Pioneering Vice President)

・Kenji Fujita

(Mitsui Sumitomo Marine Insurance Co., Ltd. Senior Cross-Sector Innovation Fellow)

・Norifumi Suzuki

(01Booster Holdings Inc. Representative Director & CEO)

Key Sessions Partially Revealed

Sessions focusing on overseas expansion, social issue resolution, and new technological foundations have been announced. These sessions aim to create a space for discussion and co-creation among diverse players.

Session 1: "Go! Global Players Talk"

Three startups challenging overseas markets will present their experiences and insights on the significance and realities of global expansion.

【Speakers】

・Noriyuki Kakutani, Representative Director, Airat Inc. ・Wasure Kurokawa, Representative Director, MK PLUS Inc. ・Masami Hayashi, Global Promotion Office, Clean Planet Inc.

【Moderator】

・Ken Kawashima, Director, 01Booster Inc.

Session 2: "MICHINOKU SOCIAL INNOVATION"

Startups working to solve social issues in Tohoku, a region facing advanced challenges, will present their initiatives and discuss their potential.

【Speakers】

・Kei Fujimaki, Representative Director, appcycle Inc. ・Rika Hamade, Representative Director & CEO, Greedy Inc. ・Yosuke Ishida, Representative Director & President, TOMUSHI Inc.

【Moderator】

・Yutaka Shibata, Representative Director & President, JR East Startup Co., Ltd.

Session 3: "The Future of Tohoku Realized with IOWN"

This session will introduce the regional potential brought by IOWN (Innovative Optical and Wireless Network), a next-generation information and communication infrastructure concept. It will convey a future vision of how the NTT Group will support the growth of regional companies and businesses through technology, incorporating initiatives at the Smart Innovation Lab Sendai.

※IOWN (Innovative Optical and Wireless Network): A concept for next-generation information and communication infrastructure.

【Speakers】

・Junichi Kagesawa, IOWN Promotion Office, Management Planning Department, NTT East Corporation ・Yuka Takahashi, Business Innovation Department, Miyagi Business Department, NTT East Corporation

【Moderator】

・Akiko Iwamoto, Ecosystem Design Department, 01Booster Inc.

※Further program details will be released sequentially.

Day-of Event Schedule (Tentative) Released

The tentative schedule for DATERISE! 2026 has been released.

In addition to the pitch contest and various sessions, numerous activities are planned to foster interaction and new encounters among participants.

※Program details are subject to change.

Booth Exhibition Area Significantly Expanded

This year's booth area will be larger than last year.

Startups, support organizations, and corporations will gather, aiming to create touchpoints with visitors and foster new co-creation opportunities.

【Exhibiting Companies and Organizations】

Startup Booths

Acompany Inc.

appcycle Inc.

Aniwell LLC

Argonurse Inc.

Ems Robotics Inc.

Iwai AI Inc.

Olive Inc.

KiQ Inc.

Classless LLC

Grand Green Inc.

Greedy Inc. (Tennen Kaiki)

KUROFUNE Inc.

Co-LABO MAKER Inc.

ZAICO Inc.

Storyline Inc.

Zenshin Inc.

Sendai Smart Machines Inc.

Taggle Inc.

Tsubame Lab Inc.

Tohoku-TMIT Inc.

New Space Intelligence Inc.

perple

Bio Insight Inc.

hug.kumu feat. Kotoba to Keiei Kenkyusho

bionto Inc.

Phytochemical Products Inc.

BearBell Inc.

Maebuchi Kogyosho Inc.

Mu-Signal Inc.

MintAnd LLC

Reconai Inc.

Ecosystem Booths

Aomori Prefecture

Akita Prefecture

Iwate Prefecture

Utsunomiya City

Osaka Startup Ecosystem Consortium

Odate City

Kagawa Prefecture

Kyoto City

Kumamoto City

Kobe City

Sakai City

JETRO Sendai

Sendai City

Central Japan Startup Ecosystem Consortium

Takamatsu City

Organization for Small & Medium Enterprises and Regional Innovation (SMRJ) Tohoku Headquarters

Tokyo Metropolis

Tohoku Bureau of Economy, Trade and Industry

Tohoku University

Toyohashi City

Nagano Prefecture

Niigata Prefecture

Hamamatsu City

Fukushima Innovation Coast Promotion Organization

Fukushima Prefecture

Beppu City

Michinoku Academia-based Startup Co-creation Platform (MASP)

Miyagi Prefecture

Miyazaki City

Yamagata Prefecture

Yamagata Industry Support Organization

Festival Area Exhibitors Announced

The "Festival Area," where visitors can experience the charm and culture of the region, will also be enhanced this year.

Content designed for visitors to enjoy and interact will be offered, promoting community building unique to DATERISE!.

【Exhibitors (Partial)】

・Aroma Care Tech Inc. ・Tagboat Inc. ・Keijiro Fukushima LLC (KGR Harmony) ・BearBell Inc. ・Mu-Signal Inc. ・Reborn Inc.

New Sponsor Companies Decided

Sponsorship from companies and organizations that resonate with the purpose of DATERISE! 2026 is also expanding.

New sponsors have been confirmed, and they will join in supporting startups challenging from Tohoku.

【Additional Sponsors】

Side Event Information Released

During the event, various side events will be held not only at the main venue but also at locations throughout Sendai city.

Some event information is currently available, with more to be added sequentially.

Furthermore, applications are still open for side events held outside the main venue, and we welcome participation from all who wish to help make DATERISE! a success.

◆DATERISE! 2026 Event Overview

Date: September 5, 2026 (Sat)

Venue: Sendai International Center Exhibition Hall

Organizer: Sendai City

Co-organizers: Tohoku University, Miyagi Prefecture, JETRO Sendai, Michinoku Academia-based Startup Co-creation Platform, Sendai & Tohoku Startup Ecosystem Consortium

Participation Fee: Free (Advance registration required)

Event Page: https://01booster.com/program/daterise/

Registration Form: https://logoform.jp/form/3PrJ/1531550

About 01Booster Inc.

With the corporate philosophy of "Changing the world through the power of business creation," we develop open innovation programs that promote collaboration between large corporations and ventures, establish and recruit internal new business programs, and offer dispatched business development programs. We also operate the working community "Yurakucho 'SAAI' Wonder Working Community" to bring individual ideas to life, support startups from scratch with 01Booster Studio, and offer the startup collaboration management cloud InnoScouter. Through our group company, 01Booster Capital, we also engage in venture investment, providing multifaceted support for business creation.

Company Name: 01Booster Inc. Representative: George Goda, Representative Director Location: 1F, New Tokyo Building, 3-3-1 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-0005 Established: March 2012 Business Activities: Planning and operation of shared offices for entrepreneurs, corporate accelerator and intrapreneur accelerator programs, corporate entrepreneur training, investment and fundraising support, business creation consulting, M&A brokerage support, etc. URL: https://01booster.co.jp ※Corporate Accelerator is a registered trademark of 01Booster.