【Generative AI Conference TOKYO 2026】The shortest route to a 1 million yen prize is "AI selection". An additional pitch selection slot has been added by AI capitalist "ANO-kun", celebrating its 1st anniversary!

ANOBAKA Inc. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Yasuo Nagano; hereinafter "ANOBAKA"), which operates a venture capital fund targeting seed-stage startups, announced the establishment of a new "ANO-kun Special Slot" (+1 slot) for the AI Startup Pitch (with a 1 million yen grand prize) at the "Generative AI Conference TOKYO" to be held on Tuesday, May 26, 2026. This special slot will select participants based on interview evaluations with the AI capitalist "ANO-kun". Normally, the five pitch presentation slots are selected through interviews with ANOBAKA capitalists. However, as a trial initiative to commemorate the first anniversary of ANO-kun's launch in April 2025, an additional slot has been prepared for startups that receive high evaluations in interviews with ANO-kun. This is an industry-first attempt where an interview evaluation with AI can lead to a chance to win the 1 million yen grand prize. ▼About AI Capitalist "ANO-kun" https://lp.anokun-ai.jp/ "ANO-kun" is an AI capitalist jointly developed by ANOBAKA Inc. and Automagica Inc., a generative AI-specialized startup in which ANOBAKA has invested. It provides new value to entrepreneurs by facilitating business plan brainstorming and organizing discussion points for investment committees. ANO-kun has learned from over 1,500 investment know-how cases accumulated by ANOBAKA over more than 10 years, reads entrepreneurs' pitch materials, and organizes discussion points from a VC's perspective. For entrepreneurs facing their first fundraising challenge, it serves as a reliable consultant available 24/7. ▼Related Release: [1 Million Yen Prize] "Generative AI Conference TOKYO" to learn about the cutting edge of AI utilization in Japan! https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000058.000056016.html Event Overview Name: Generative AI Conference TOKYO Date: Tuesday, May 26, 2026, 19:00-22:00 (Opening at 19:00) Venue: MFPR Shibuya Building (1-2-5 Shibuya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo) Content: Special sessions, panel discussions, Generative AI Idea Pitch (5-minute pitch + 5-minute Q&A), networking event with food and drinks Winner's Prize: 1 million yen (no equity acquisition) + 6 months free access to ANOBASHO shared office plan Pitch Presentation Slots: Total 6 companies (5 slots selected through ANOBAKA interviews + 1 slot selected through ANO-kun interviews ) Application Conditions: Pre-seed/seed stage (company establishment status and corporate affiliation not required) Application Deadline: Friday, May 1, 2026 Co-organizers: ANOBAKA Inc., NISSAY CAPITAL CO., LTD., PKSHA Technology Inc., UNITED, Inc., Amazon Web Services Japan G.K. Event Details and Application: https://luma.com/rd78xrji Application Conditions and Process for the "ANO-kun Special Slot" To apply for the "ANO-kun Special Slot" at this event, you must complete the following two steps by the deadline. Please note that only an interview with ANO-kun or only a form application will not make you eligible for selection. The right to pitch will be granted to the one company that receives the highest evaluation score from ANO-kun. ① Complete the application for pitch presentation through the entry form. Apply for pitch presentation here ② Complete all online interviews with AI capitalist "ANO-kun" by the application deadline. Interview with ANO-kun here Background: AI Capitalist "ANO-kun" - 1 Year of Achievements Since Launch ANO-kun was launched in April 2025 as the industry's first AI capitalist. It conducts interviews with seed-stage entrepreneurs, comprehensively organizes business discussion points, and then connects them with human capitalists, establishing an investment consideration flow. The main achievements over one year since its launch are as follows (as of April 10, 2026): Cumulative number of interviewed companies: 240 companies Interview completion rate: 77% Connection to human capitalists: Approximately 40 companies (3 of which proceeded to the investment committee) The 77% interview completion rate is attributed to the fact that the process where entrepreneurs answer 10 important discussion points prepared by ANO-kun functions as a "brainstorming session." Despite the demanding process, which takes about 30 minutes to complete an interview, approximately 80% of entrepreneurs complete it, demonstrating that it provides substantial value to them. Furthermore, it has created opportunities to meet individuals who previously had difficulty connecting with VCs in traditional startup communities, such as first-time entrepreneurs or those entering from different industries, increasing the uniqueness of the user base. Since February 2026, advertising operations have also begun, further expanding reach to entrepreneurs outside the startup community. Comment from Capitalist Akira Kobayashi: In Silicon Valley, the center of startup culture in the United States, VCs used to set up offices on "Sand Hill Road," and sourcing was mainly about capturing the flow of entrepreneurs physically visiting them. Later, with the emergence of Y Combinator (YC) and others, the method changed to widely soliciting applications online. However, now that generative AI has become widespread, we believe VCs are in a phase where they should explore new ways of sourcing using AI. Until now, ANO-kun has primarily served as a "brainstorming" point of contact to help entrepreneurs organize their thoughts. Going forward, we want to explore the possibilities of what role AI can play in the realm of "judgment." While it is premature to entrust investment decisions to AI at this stage, as a first step in this experimental endeavor, we have decided to entrust a portion of the pitch selection for this event to the AI capitalist ANO-kun. Through this trial and error, we hope to ascertain whether AI can become a new option for connecting entrepreneurs and VCs. Future Developments ANOBAKA will continue to promote the improvement of AI capitalist "ANO-kun"'s functions and expand its scope of use. We aim to establish ANO-kun as the "first brainstorming partner" for entrepreneurs and evolve the investment consideration process using AI. Entrepreneurs considering fundraising are encouraged to try an interview with ANO-kun. Related Links AI Capitalist ANO-kun: https://lp.anokun-ai.jp/ Generative AI Conference TOKYO Event Details: https://luma.com/rd78xrji Related Release "Generative AI Conference TOKYO" Announcement: https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000058.000056016.html About ANOBAKA Inc. With the vision of "Empowering Mad Dreams," ANOBAKA operates a venture capital fund targeting seed-stage startups. We uphold "challenge" as our supreme concept, empowering entrepreneurs and helping them realize their dreams as a professional firm. Furthermore, through funds specialized in cutting-edge fields such as generative AI, we support the growth of companies with innovative technologies and business models, aiming to create startups that lead social change. Company Profile Company Name: ANOBAKA Inc. Headquarters: MFPR Shibuya Building, 1-2-5 Shibuya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 105-0001 Established: October 21, 2015 Representative: Yasuo Nagano URL: https://anobaka.jp/