Circulation Awarded "Professional Human Resources Matching Program (Practical Execution Type)" by STARTUP HOKKAIDO Executive Committee

Circulation Inc. (Location: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; President & CEO: Yu Fukuda; hereinafter referred to as Circulation), which operates a pro-sharing business that solves management issues by sharing the experience and knowledge of over 30,000 professional human resources across multiple companies, is pleased to announce that it has been awarded the "Professional Human Resources Matching Program (Practical Execution Type)" (hereinafter referred to as "this project") within the "Expert Accompanying Business Growth & Funding Support Program" promoted by the STARTUP HOKKAIDO Executive Committee (Secretariat: Sapporo City, Hokkaido, Hokkaido Bureau of Economy, Trade and Industry, private companies, etc.). This program aims to support companies selected for "J-Startup HOKKAIDO" and other initiatives. Centering on our Hokkaido branch, we will foster co-creation between professionals from the Tokyo metropolitan area and other regions with promising startups in Hokkaido, strongly supporting their challenges in the global market and business growth.

Startups Needed in Japan and the Situation in Hokkaido Currently, based on the "Five-Year Plan for Startup Development" led by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, Japan has set ambitious goals to increase investment in startups to 10 trillion yen by 2027 and create 100,000 startups in the future. As of 2026, the social implementation of advanced technologies and the creation of global unicorns are the most critical issues that will determine Japan's international competitiveness.

Hokkaido, with its vast land and rich resources, is Japan's food base with a food self-sufficiency rate exceeding 200% (on a calorie basis). In recent years, it has also become a hub for the space industry centered around the Hokkaido Spaceport (Taiki Town) and possesses the largest potential for renewable energy in Japan. Against this backdrop, the "STARTUP HOKKAIDO Executive Committee," a collaborative organization of industry, government, and academia, aims to develop Hokkaido into an Asian startup island.

On the other hand, to scale such deep tech and primary industry DX to a global level, management personnel with advanced expertise (CFO, Global BizDev, Intellectual Property Strategy, etc.) are indispensable, but securing such talent within the region poses a growth challenge.

Furthermore, Circulation opened its Hokkaido branch in February 2025 and has been accelerating the resolution of corporate issues and promotion of growth. In this project, by leveraging Circulation's pro-sharing mechanism, we aim to contribute to accelerating business growth and creating Hokkaido-born unicorn companies by matching and providing accompanying support with professional human resources who have the optimal experience for the advanced management issues faced by startups in Hokkaido.

Specific Initiatives in This Project Support will be provided to selected companies from among those selected for "J-Startup HOKKAIDO" and other initiatives, as follows:

1. Identification of Management Issues and Requirements Definition Circulation consultants will engage in dialogue with management to identify the highest priority issues (e.g., overseas market development, IPO preparation, organizational development, marketing strategy) according to the business phase.

2. Matching Optimal Professional Human Resources and Team Formation From a database of over 30,000 professionals, we will select professional human resources with practical experience optimal for solving the identified issues and form a project team.

3. Generating Results Through Accompanying Support Through regular meetings held weekly or bi-weekly and practical support, we will provide hands-on assistance that goes beyond mere advice. Furthermore, the knowledge and success stories gained through this project aim to be fed back to the entire startup ecosystem in Hokkaido.

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