Hosei University x Anfini Host Industry-Academia Collaboration Business Contest
Anfini Inc., promoting AI-integrated management, partnered with Hosei University to host a business contest for students and professionals on April 16, 2026. The initiative aimed to foster new business creation by combining diverse talents. The top prize went to a Hosei University team for their AI-powered feedback system for job applicants.
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- 📰 Published: May 8, 2026 at 17:20
- 🔍 Collected: May 8, 2026 at 08:31
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Anfini Inc. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Jun Hashimoto), which promotes AI-integrated management, partnered with Hosei University to host a business contest for students and professionals on April 16, 2026.
This contest is an industry-academia collaboration initiative that challenges participants to create new businesses by combining the talents of each member, based on the philosophy of "creating businesses starting from people."
■ Background of Industry-Academia Collaboration
This initiative was carried out in collaboration with the seminar of Professor Kennosuke Tanaka of the Faculty of Career Design at Hosei University, who is also an executive at Anfini.
The aim was to foster practical business creation skills through the integration of education and practice. Teams were formed by third and fourth-year university students from the seminar, along with Anfini's new employees and interns for 2026, to tackle the same theme and propose new business ideas.
■ Contest Theme
"Maximize Anfini's corporate value through new business creation by combining team talents."
Each participating team defined their own and their members' talents and considered how to create new businesses by combining them.
■ On the Day of the Event
On the day, a total of 10 teams, consisting of Hosei University students, Anfini's new employees for 2026, and interns, gave presentations.
Despite the limited preparation time, each team presented highly polished proposals, covering target setting, value proposition organization, and business model design. It became a venue where diverse business ideas emerged, reflecting the flexible thinking unique to students and the practical perspectives of new employees.
The event will be available on the official YouTube channel. You can see the atmosphere of the venue and parts of each team's presentations.
Official YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@AnfiniChannel
■ Judging Results
The judging was conducted by Jun Hashimoto, Representative Director of Anfini Inc., and Kennosuke Tanaka, Professor of the Faculty of Career Design at Hosei University. The Grand Prize was awarded to the Hosei University "Watashi Palette" team.
This team conceived a service based on the idea of transforming members' strengths into "the power to turn negative experiences into strengths."
Their proposal was a system that provides feedback to unsuccessful job applicants, visualizing their weaknesses and connecting them to their next actions.
The design allows interviewers to simply input evaluations via multiple-choice, and AI generates feedback, reducing the burden on the field while ensuring a certain quality of feedback. The ability to transform a rejection into an opportunity for future growth was highly praised.
■ Judges' Comments
Jun Hashimoto, Representative Director, Anfini Inc.
"Throughout the contest, I was deeply moved by the enthusiastic proposals from many teams that embraced the concept of 'human capital management,' which I value greatly.
It was an extremely meaningful opportunity for us to re-recognize how our company is viewed from the outside through the 'external perspective' of the students and Professor Tanaka.
Leveraging these achievements, we will continue to accelerate industry-academia collaboration with universities, primarily in Tokyo, and strive to create new value."
Kennosuke Tanaka, Professor, Faculty of Career Design, Hosei University
"In this joint event with Anfini, a significant achievement was that students were able to deeply engage with Anfini's existing assets and the specific theme of 'brand generation.'
In particular, the experience of 12 new graduates and interns from Anfini all participating and working diligently with 45 seminar students for two weeks was an invaluable stimulus that cannot be gained elsewhere.
I feel that the fusion of real-world corporate practice and university learning served as a wonderful catalyst for nurturing the next generation of business."
■ About Anfini Inc.
Anfini Inc. is a comprehensive consulting firm established by former professionals from major consulting firms. It operates in two main areas: B2B, supporting corporate growth through consulting and education, and B2C, creating talent and brands as a Brand Generator.
Awarded "Best Venture 100" for three consecutive years since fiscal year 2024.
【Company Overview】
Location
Tokyo Head Office: Azabudai Hills, 5-9-1 Toranomon, Minato-ku, Tokyo 105-0001
Anfini Incubation Studio: Azabudai Hills Residence B, 1-1-2 Azabudai, Minato-ku, Tokyo 106-0041
Osaka Branch: Inogate Osaka, 3-2-123 Umeda, Kita-ku, Osaka 530-0001
Ryukyu AI Park: Naha OPA 3F, 1-20-1 Izumizaki, Naha-shi, Okinawa 900-0021
Representative: Jun Hashimoto, Representative Director
This contest is an industry-academia collaboration initiative that challenges participants to create new businesses by combining the talents of each member, based on the philosophy of "creating businesses starting from people."
■ Background of Industry-Academia Collaboration
This initiative was carried out in collaboration with the seminar of Professor Kennosuke Tanaka of the Faculty of Career Design at Hosei University, who is also an executive at Anfini.
The aim was to foster practical business creation skills through the integration of education and practice. Teams were formed by third and fourth-year university students from the seminar, along with Anfini's new employees and interns for 2026, to tackle the same theme and propose new business ideas.
■ Contest Theme
"Maximize Anfini's corporate value through new business creation by combining team talents."
Each participating team defined their own and their members' talents and considered how to create new businesses by combining them.
■ On the Day of the Event
On the day, a total of 10 teams, consisting of Hosei University students, Anfini's new employees for 2026, and interns, gave presentations.
Despite the limited preparation time, each team presented highly polished proposals, covering target setting, value proposition organization, and business model design. It became a venue where diverse business ideas emerged, reflecting the flexible thinking unique to students and the practical perspectives of new employees.
The event will be available on the official YouTube channel. You can see the atmosphere of the venue and parts of each team's presentations.
Official YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@AnfiniChannel
■ Judging Results
The judging was conducted by Jun Hashimoto, Representative Director of Anfini Inc., and Kennosuke Tanaka, Professor of the Faculty of Career Design at Hosei University. The Grand Prize was awarded to the Hosei University "Watashi Palette" team.
This team conceived a service based on the idea of transforming members' strengths into "the power to turn negative experiences into strengths."
Their proposal was a system that provides feedback to unsuccessful job applicants, visualizing their weaknesses and connecting them to their next actions.
The design allows interviewers to simply input evaluations via multiple-choice, and AI generates feedback, reducing the burden on the field while ensuring a certain quality of feedback. The ability to transform a rejection into an opportunity for future growth was highly praised.
■ Judges' Comments
Jun Hashimoto, Representative Director, Anfini Inc.
"Throughout the contest, I was deeply moved by the enthusiastic proposals from many teams that embraced the concept of 'human capital management,' which I value greatly.
It was an extremely meaningful opportunity for us to re-recognize how our company is viewed from the outside through the 'external perspective' of the students and Professor Tanaka.
Leveraging these achievements, we will continue to accelerate industry-academia collaboration with universities, primarily in Tokyo, and strive to create new value."
Kennosuke Tanaka, Professor, Faculty of Career Design, Hosei University
"In this joint event with Anfini, a significant achievement was that students were able to deeply engage with Anfini's existing assets and the specific theme of 'brand generation.'
In particular, the experience of 12 new graduates and interns from Anfini all participating and working diligently with 45 seminar students for two weeks was an invaluable stimulus that cannot be gained elsewhere.
I feel that the fusion of real-world corporate practice and university learning served as a wonderful catalyst for nurturing the next generation of business."
■ About Anfini Inc.
Anfini Inc. is a comprehensive consulting firm established by former professionals from major consulting firms. It operates in two main areas: B2B, supporting corporate growth through consulting and education, and B2C, creating talent and brands as a Brand Generator.
Awarded "Best Venture 100" for three consecutive years since fiscal year 2024.
【Company Overview】
Location
Tokyo Head Office: Azabudai Hills, 5-9-1 Toranomon, Minato-ku, Tokyo 105-0001
Anfini Incubation Studio: Azabudai Hills Residence B, 1-1-2 Azabudai, Minato-ku, Tokyo 106-0041
Osaka Branch: Inogate Osaka, 3-2-123 Umeda, Kita-ku, Osaka 530-0001
Ryukyu AI Park: Naha OPA 3F, 1-20-1 Izumizaki, Naha-shi, Okinawa 900-0021
Representative: Jun Hashimoto, Representative Director