First Session Lineup Revealed for 'KOZAROCKS 2026' — A Two-Day Event Discussing 'Lagoon KOZA's 10th Anniversary', 'Okinawa's Sports Industry', and 'Bunso City Planning'

Four Seeds Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Okinawa City, Okinawa; Representative Director: Kenichiro Toyosato), which provides startup support based in Koza, Okinawa, and operates the KOZAROCKS Executive Committee, has announced the first lineup of sessions for the Okinawa-born startup conference and festival "KOZAROCKS 2026," to be held on Friday, July 10, and Saturday, July 11, 2026. Under the theme of "Bunso Kaika" (Cultural Creation and Enlightenment), the event will feature sessions looking back on the 10th anniversary of Lagoon KOZA and envisioning the next 10 years, sessions mapping out the sports industry originating from Okinawa, and sessions uncovering the perspectives and methods of "Bunso" city planning that utilizes existing resources. In addition, early bird tickets, offering the best value, are on sale until Sunday, May 31. During the event, the "Palmyra Night Market," inspired by Taiwanese night markets, will be held simultaneously on Koza Palmyra Street.

■ Session 1
[Lagoon KOZA 10th Anniversary Special]
Creating a Surge of Startups and Generating New Industries from the Region
~ 10 Years of Progress Starting from a Deserted Shopping Street, and the Challenge of the Next 10 Years ~

#Industry #LagoonKOZA10thAnniversary

In 2016, a small startup support facility was born in a corner of a deserted shopping street. 10 years have passed since then. Why was Koza able to transform into a place where diverse entrepreneurs and investors intersect?

Masanori Hashimoto, who connected Fukuoka's precedent to Koza; Ryuji Tokiwagi, who has stood at the forefront of this change for 10 years and continued to demonstrate Koza's potential; and Kenichiro Toyosato, who has navigated through the rough waves of grassroots operations. The moderator is Hideyuki Shimane, who has been involved since the launch phase of Startup Cafe Koza, the predecessor of Lagoon KOZA, and has continuously provided support for a long time.

In this session, we will look back at the scenery of "nothingness" at that time and share behind-the-scenes stories of the hardships and desperate situations in the process of shaping ideals. To further accelerate the progress built over 10 years and this surge, we will talk about the "future vision and challenges of the city and industry" for the next 10 years.

Main Talk Themes
Q1. The situation when Startup Cafe Koza, the predecessor of Lagoon, was established
Q2. Hardships and desperate episodes over the past 10 years
Q3. Current potential and challenges of Koza (Okinawa)
Q4. Vision and challenges for the next 10 years

■ Speakers

Kenichiro Toyosato
Representative Director, Four Seeds Co., Ltd. / Chairman, KOZAROCKS Executive Committee
Born in Okinawa City, Okinawa. After 15 years of overseas experience studying and working, he established the current Four Seeds Co., Ltd. in 2017 to begin supporting entrepreneurs. He operates the core base for startup support in Okinawa, engaging in entrepreneurship support, human resource development, and community management, contributing to a startup ecosystem that connects Okinawa and Asia.

Ryuji Tokiwagi
Parallel Career Evangelist / Board Director, Founder, CTO, CSO, EBILAB Co., Ltd. / Board Director, Head of DX Promotion, Okano Valve Mfg. Co. Ltd. / Executive Officer for Technology & Innovation, Umusun Lab Inc. / Co-founder CSO, Ryukyu AlphaDrive / Business Strategy Advisor, Okinawa C&C Holdings / Local Revitalization Ambassador, eiicon inc. / Chief Strategy Officer, Daimaru Development Group / Fellow, Okinawa IT Innovation Strategy Center
Born in Tokyo in 1976. Dedicated to product business for 25 years since 2001, he has been involved in numerous No. 1 share products domestically and internationally at TENDA, Toyo Business Engineering, Infoteria (now Asteria), SAP, and more. Since 2016, to accelerate the structural transformation of Japan's industry, he has engaged in product planning, development, business strategy, marketing, and HR development at leading Japanese technology companies through a parallel career. Co-founded EBILAB in June 2018, assuming the roles of Founder, CTO, CSO, and Evangelist. He serves as CSO, CTO, external director, evangelist, and business strategy advisor for various companies, from tech firms to prominent business corporations, including Persol Holdings, QUANDO, ZENTech, Fukusaya, and Lexues.

Masanori Hashimoto
Representative Director, Nulab Inc.
In 2004, established Nulab Inc. in Fukuoka with the meaning of "a laboratory that creates something from nothing," and assumed the role of Representative Director. Currently, under the brand message of "Creating 'glad to have worked with this team' all over the world," the company engages in the development and operation of SaaS supporting team collaboration, including the project and task management tool "Backlog."

■ Moderator

Hideyuki Shimane
KSA Steering Committee / Representative Director, Faustbeat Inc.
Leveraging his experience in HR consulting and launching businesses at multiple startups, he provided startup support to about 50 companies over 5 terms at MOVIDA JAPAN. Subsequently, he accumulated a track record of supporting multiple startup companies at Mistletoe. Currently, as the Representative Director of Faustbeat Inc., he primarily mentors and consults startups, while operating parallel activities such as business renovation, non-executive auditing, and new business development for operating companies.

■ Session 2
Sports in Okinawa Grow with the City.
~ The Shape of Okinawa's Next-Generation Sports Industry ~

#Industry #Sports

Okinawa's climate, camp culture, proximity to Asia, and the context of the city accumulated in Koza—the seeds of the sports industry are already complete on this island. A leader heading a professional J.League club, the representative of an international baseball league gathering players from 16 countries and regions worldwide, and a regional producer who led the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 to success and connected the region with sports. How will the assets Okinawa has cultivated over many years be transformed into a "third industry"? From the intersection of the city and professional sports, we will draw a blueprint for the sports industry originating from Okinawa.

■ Speakers

Daisuke Yanasawa
Representative Director and CEO, KAYAC Inc. / Representative Director and Chairman, Ryukyu Football Co., Ltd.
Established KAYAC Inc. in 1998. Based in Kamakura, planning and producing diverse content not bound by preconceptions. Advocates "Regional Capitalism" nurturing economic, social, and environmental capital, and develops businesses connecting regions and people, such as the migration and related population matching service "SMOUT". Currently serving as Chairman of FC Ryukyu, actively working on regional revitalization through sports.

Issei Washizaki
Representative Director, Japan League Inc.
Born in Fukuoka in 1991. Played baseball at the Keio University athletic association, and gained experience as a store manager and headquarters MD at Fast Retailing. With his original experience participating in the California Winter League in 2015 in his heart, he founded Japan League Inc. in 2022. Under the slogan "Bringing light to places that don't see the sun," he created the Japan Winter League in Okinawa, where players from 16 countries and scouts from 36 teams gather, serving as a stage for players who cannot give up their dreams to try again.

■ Moderator

Daihachi Miyazato
Representative Director and CEO, DCC Inc.