ENSAPIA and Hitotsubashi University to Launch the Hitotsubashi University ENSAPIA School for Startup and Innovation Education

ENSAPIA Inc. (Minato-ku, Tokyo; Chairman and President: Ryunosuke Sen; renamed from cocone ONE Inc. on April 1, 2026; hereinafter “ENSAPIA”) and Hitotsubashi University (Kunitachi, Tokyo; President: Satoshi Nakano) will establish the “Hitotsubashi University ENSAPIA School (Startup and Innovation Education Program)” within Hitotsubashi University’s School of Social Data Science. The program will combine Hitotsubashi University’s strengths in the social sciences with data science, an essential literacy for the new era, and serve as a university-wide hub for developing entrepreneurs and innovation talent equipped with data-driven decision-making skills. Over the past three years, ENSAPIA has advanced industry-academia collaboration with Hitotsubashi University through initiatives such as dispatching lecturers to media and service design courses and supporting the Global College Startup Camp (GCSC) program. The new program is designed to further develop educational collaboration based on this relationship of trust. The program will be housed in the School of Social Data Science and will be available not only to undergraduate students but also broadly to graduate students. By integrating social science and data science, it aims to contribute to the development of next-generation innovation talent with an entrepreneurial mindset. Hitotsubashi University established its School and Graduate School of Social Data Science in 2023 and has since developed a distinctive education model that fuses social science and data science. In fiscal 2026, the first undergraduate cohort will graduate, marking an important milestone in the completion of the school’s initial development. Using this milestone as an opportunity, Hitotsubashi University will fully promote entrepreneurship and innovation education for students across the university, building on the achievements of the school’s education. As one symbolic initiative, the university will open the endowed course “Hitotsubashi University ENSAPIA School” for five years from fiscal 2026 to fiscal 2030. The program’s basic information is as follows: name, Hitotsubashi University ENSAPIA School (Startup and Innovation Education Program); department, School of Social Data Science; period, fiscal 2026 to fiscal 2030; total donation, 150 million yen (30 million yen annually for five years); donor, ENSAPIA Inc. The program will integrate three functions: education, practice through international collaboration, and ecosystem building. In education, it will offer a three-tier startup certificate program, including the introductory course “Introduction to Startups,” core courses “Startup Workshop I and II,” and linked data science courses designed to equip students with data-driven decision-making skills that do not rely on intuition or subjectivity. In practice, it will promote and expand international collaboration programs such as the Global College Startup Camp (GCSC), develop practical entrepreneurial experiences for students starting from Asia, and advance collaborative projects with the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. In ecosystem building, it will create a network of practitioner mentors, including entrepreneurs, venture capitalists and accelerators, support student startup communities, and build networks with companies, government bodies and overseas partners. The university will newly invite faculty specializing in startup development to oversee program design, operation and external collaboration. Looking ahead, the Hitotsubashi University ENSAPIA School is envisioned not only as a university-wide initiative centered on SDS but also as a medium- to long-term platform that may expand to the Four Universities Alliance for Future Co-Creation, including Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, Institute of Science Tokyo and Ochanomizu University, as well as five universities in the Tama area. The initiative aims to broaden participation by science and engineering students and generate interdisciplinary innovation. It also plans to establish a “Challenge Fund” to directly support student teams’ prototype development costs, participation in overseas startup events and early-stage activities by startups addressing social issues, while building a global startup network originating in Asia. Hitotsubashi University President Satoshi Nakano commented that Hitotsubashi University, which marked its 150th anniversary in 2025, has long produced ambitious leaders known as “Captains of Industry” for Japan and the world as a comprehensive university of social sciences. The School and Graduate School of Social Data Science, established in 2023, aim to create innovation in Japan and globally through the creation of new research fields and talent development that integrate social science and data science. The Hitotsubashi University ENSAPIA School is a new initiative to develop startup and innovation talent through deep industry-academia collaboration, and Hitotsubashi University will powerfully open new horizons together with the ENSAPIA Group. ENSAPIA Chairman and President Ryunosuke Sen commented that the ENSAPIA Group focuses on entrepreneurship as one force for creating positive impact in society, and believes it is important not only to launch new companies but also to conceive new businesses and generate innovation through that process. Together with Hitotsubashi University, ENSAPIA has supported challengers seeking to open doors to a new world and has contributed to talent development through the fusion of social science and data science. The opening of this program further develops that collaboration and expresses the ENSAPIA Group’s commitment to nurturing next-generation innovation talent.