Cluster Inc. Representative Director CEO Naoto Kato Appointed as Visiting Professor at Osaka Electro-Communication University, Department of Digital Game
Naoto Kato, CEO of Cluster Inc., has been appointed as a visiting professor at the Department of Digital Game, Osaka Electro-Communication University, starting April 2026. Leveraging his expertise in metaverse platform operations, he will collaborate with the university to promote metaverse education and foster the next generation of creators.
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- 📰 Published: May 8, 2026 at 19:00
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Cluster Inc. Representative Director CEO Naoto Kato Appointed as Visiting Professor at Osaka Electro-Communication University, Department of Digital Game.
Cluster Inc. (Headquarters: Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director CEO: Naoto Kato) announced that Naoto Kato has been appointed as a visiting professor at the Department of Digital Game, Faculty of Information Science and Arts, Osaka Electro-Communication University (Neyagawa City, Shijonawate City, Osaka Prefecture; President: Kunishige Shiota) starting April 2026.
[Background and Purpose of Appointment]
The Department of Digital Game, Faculty of Information Science and Arts, Osaka Electro-Communication University, will renew its curriculum through a reorganization in April 2026. With the aim of strengthening practical education in the fields of game, XR, and metaverse, the department has begun initiatives to welcome leading industry professionals as visiting professors.
With this appointment, Cluster Inc. will collaborate with the department to jointly develop new forms of learning that utilize metaverse spaces (virtual spaces).
Based on the knowledge gained through the development and operation of "cluster," Japan's largest metaverse platform, and the achievements of establishing an education-focused team within Cluster Inc. that has provided metaverse-driven educational experiences to over 800 educational institutions nationwide, we will support the development of skills for social implementation of virtual spaces.
[Comment from Naoto Kato]
"Virtual spaces are no longer merely a complement to reality; they are beginning to possess the power to move reality itself. I believe that students having the 'power to create space' will be more meaningful than ever before. We want to bring the practical knowledge of the metaverse that we have accumulated with 'cluster' to the field of education, and create opportunities for the next generation of creators and engineers to realize the potential of virtual spaces."
- Naoto Kato, Representative Director CEO, Cluster Inc.
[Naoto Kato Profile]
Researched cosmology and quantum computing at the Faculty of Science, Kyoto University. After dropping out of graduate school, he spent approximately three years as a hikikomori. In 2015, he founded "Cluster," a startup utilizing VR technology. In 2017, he launched "cluster," a VR platform capable of hosting large-scale virtual events. It has now evolved into a metaverse platform where users can gather with friends using their favorite avatars and play online games. In 2018, he was selected as one of "30 Japanese people under 30 who are changing the world" by Forbes JAPAN economic magazine. He was also selected for the TOP 20 in "Japan's Entrepreneur Ranking" for two consecutive years in 2022 and 2023. He is the author of "Metaverse: Goodbye Age of Atom" (Shueisha/2022). Appointed Visiting Professor at Osaka Electro-Communication University in 2026.
[About Osaka Electro-Communication University, Department of Digital Game]
The Department of Digital Game, Faculty of Information Science and Arts, Osaka Electro-Communication University, will further strengthen human resource development in cutting-edge fields such as games, XR, and metaverse through its reorganization in April 2026. Through direct instruction from industry frontrunners, it offers education that integrates theory and practice.
Special site: https://www.osakac.ac.jp/special/dg/
[About Cluster Inc.]
Cluster Inc. is a technology company that develops and operates Japan's largest metaverse platform, with the vision of "creating an OS for co-creation spaces that connect all people, things, and technologies." Centered on its independently developed large-scale simultaneous connection infrastructure, it provides co-creation space infrastructure that merges the real and virtual. It has been adopted in various industries including manufacturing, construction, education, international conferences, and entertainment, and supports multi-devices such as smartphones, PCs, and VR. It builds real-time spaces that can accommodate up to 100,000 simultaneous connections, and has a track record with numerous IP contents and large-scale events. Combining high reliability and scalability, it continues to grow as a B2B platform that achieves both commercial use and scale.
Furthermore, the company has established a research institute internally to promote R&D in user behavior analysis, virtual AI agents, and AI-driven 3D production automation. It is also actively engaged in joint research and demonstration experiments with external research institutions and universities, accelerating the evolution of metaverse technology.
Merging technology and creativity to pioneer the future of virtual experiences – Cluster continues to build the next generation of social infrastructure.
https://corp.cluster.mu/
▼Owned media where you can learn about the forefront of Cluster Inc.'s corporate business
https://metaversebiznews.cluster.mu/
Cluster Inc. (Headquarters: Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director CEO: Naoto Kato) announced that Naoto Kato has been appointed as a visiting professor at the Department of Digital Game, Faculty of Information Science and Arts, Osaka Electro-Communication University (Neyagawa City, Shijonawate City, Osaka Prefecture; President: Kunishige Shiota) starting April 2026.
[Background and Purpose of Appointment]
The Department of Digital Game, Faculty of Information Science and Arts, Osaka Electro-Communication University, will renew its curriculum through a reorganization in April 2026. With the aim of strengthening practical education in the fields of game, XR, and metaverse, the department has begun initiatives to welcome leading industry professionals as visiting professors.
With this appointment, Cluster Inc. will collaborate with the department to jointly develop new forms of learning that utilize metaverse spaces (virtual spaces).
Based on the knowledge gained through the development and operation of "cluster," Japan's largest metaverse platform, and the achievements of establishing an education-focused team within Cluster Inc. that has provided metaverse-driven educational experiences to over 800 educational institutions nationwide, we will support the development of skills for social implementation of virtual spaces.
[Comment from Naoto Kato]
"Virtual spaces are no longer merely a complement to reality; they are beginning to possess the power to move reality itself. I believe that students having the 'power to create space' will be more meaningful than ever before. We want to bring the practical knowledge of the metaverse that we have accumulated with 'cluster' to the field of education, and create opportunities for the next generation of creators and engineers to realize the potential of virtual spaces."
- Naoto Kato, Representative Director CEO, Cluster Inc.
[Naoto Kato Profile]
Researched cosmology and quantum computing at the Faculty of Science, Kyoto University. After dropping out of graduate school, he spent approximately three years as a hikikomori. In 2015, he founded "Cluster," a startup utilizing VR technology. In 2017, he launched "cluster," a VR platform capable of hosting large-scale virtual events. It has now evolved into a metaverse platform where users can gather with friends using their favorite avatars and play online games. In 2018, he was selected as one of "30 Japanese people under 30 who are changing the world" by Forbes JAPAN economic magazine. He was also selected for the TOP 20 in "Japan's Entrepreneur Ranking" for two consecutive years in 2022 and 2023. He is the author of "Metaverse: Goodbye Age of Atom" (Shueisha/2022). Appointed Visiting Professor at Osaka Electro-Communication University in 2026.
[About Osaka Electro-Communication University, Department of Digital Game]
The Department of Digital Game, Faculty of Information Science and Arts, Osaka Electro-Communication University, will further strengthen human resource development in cutting-edge fields such as games, XR, and metaverse through its reorganization in April 2026. Through direct instruction from industry frontrunners, it offers education that integrates theory and practice.
Special site: https://www.osakac.ac.jp/special/dg/
[About Cluster Inc.]
Cluster Inc. is a technology company that develops and operates Japan's largest metaverse platform, with the vision of "creating an OS for co-creation spaces that connect all people, things, and technologies." Centered on its independently developed large-scale simultaneous connection infrastructure, it provides co-creation space infrastructure that merges the real and virtual. It has been adopted in various industries including manufacturing, construction, education, international conferences, and entertainment, and supports multi-devices such as smartphones, PCs, and VR. It builds real-time spaces that can accommodate up to 100,000 simultaneous connections, and has a track record with numerous IP contents and large-scale events. Combining high reliability and scalability, it continues to grow as a B2B platform that achieves both commercial use and scale.
Furthermore, the company has established a research institute internally to promote R&D in user behavior analysis, virtual AI agents, and AI-driven 3D production automation. It is also actively engaged in joint research and demonstration experiments with external research institutions and universities, accelerating the evolution of metaverse technology.
Merging technology and creativity to pioneer the future of virtual experiences – Cluster continues to build the next generation of social infrastructure.
https://corp.cluster.mu/
▼Owned media where you can learn about the forefront of Cluster Inc.'s corporate business
https://metaversebiznews.cluster.mu/