Fukuoka Growth Next Opens Applications for Practical Startup Support Program "STARTUP ELITE Bootcamp - Summer Edition"

Fukuoka Growth Next (Location: Daimyo, Chuo-ku, Fukuoka City, hereafter referred to as FGN), a public-private collaborative startup support facility in Fukuoka City, will host the practical entrepreneurship support program designed to refine business hypotheses, "STARTUP ELITE Bootcamp - Summer Edition" (hereafter referred to as the program), over two days on Saturday, July 18, and Sunday, July 19, 2026. In conjunction, the recruitment of participants has commenced today. For details, please visit the special website below.

Special Website
https://summer2026.growth-next.com/

What is "STARTUP ELITE Bootcamp - Summer Edition"?

FGN has previously conducted the incubation program "STARTUP ELITE Bootcamp," which supports everything from business hypothesis formulation to customer validation, product development, and fundraising.

This program serves as a pre-event situated at the entrance of that journey, offering an opportunity for participants in the early stages of business ideation to materialize their business hypotheses through an intensive two-day format. Targeting individuals and teams with business ideas, the program supports the construction of business hypotheses and the refinement of business plans through talk sessions by founders of rapidly growing startups, business design workshops, and one-on-one sounding board sessions with VCs (Venture Capitalists).

Approximately the top three participants who receive excellent evaluations in the final selection will be granted priority participation rights for the main "STARTUP ELITE Bootcamp" program scheduled to be held after August 2026.

Features of the Program

1. Talk Sessions by Founders of Rapidly Growing Startups

Participants will hear from founders leading fast-growing startups about their experiences ranging from the process of launching a business and making decisions, up to achieving growth.

Speakers (Titles omitted)

Eiichiro Omori
Representative Director, Runtrip, Inc.
Rooted in his experience as a former Hakone Ekiden runner, he operates the running app Runtrip under the vision of "Towards a world where we can run more freely and enjoyably." He supports the joy of running and its habituation through the app, media, events, and running stations.

Kenpei Monna
Representative Director, KAUCHE Inc.
Born in 1991. Half Japanese and half Chinese. Raised in Shanghai, he graduated from the Faculty of Environment and Information Studies at Keio University in 2015. Since 2012, he joined Loco Partners, which operates the travel booking service "Relux," experiencing everything from the early startup phase to PMI after M&A. As the head of overseas business, he drove business growth and served successively as the head of the China branch and executive officer. He founded Kauche in April 2020. His strengths lie in team building, large-scale partnerships, and Asian expansion.

2. Workshops to Support the Construction of Business Hypotheses

Welcoming Mr. Yoshinori Sasaki, Executive Officer at Gaiax Co.Ltd., as an instructor, workshops will be held to translate business ideas into business plans. Participants will organize their business hypotheses from perspectives such as customer issues, market size, unique value proposition, and revenue models, and create a pitch deck. Furthermore, they will utilize an AI-powered pitch evaluation tool to verify their ideas multi-dimensionally and refine them through continuous improvement.

Workshop Instructor (Titles omitted)

Yoshinori Sasaki
Executive Officer, Gaiax Co.Ltd.
Representative Director, Startup Studio Association
Leveraging his experience in embedded system ventures and consumer-facing internet-related operations, he became independent as a freelance engineer. Subsequently, after serving as a board member of a field engineering company, he joined Gaiax in 2007. As the head of the startup studio, he handles business development support and investment decisions for entrepreneurs. He established the Startup Studio Association and engages in social activities to broaden the base of startup challengers.

3. Business Refinement through 1-on-1 Sessions with VCs

Approximately 16 participants who pass the screening on the first day of the program will advance to the second day and engage in round-robin 1-on-1 sessions with VCs. They will refine their business plans while receiving sequential feedback from multiple VCs, ultimately challenging the final pitch. This is a valuable opportunity to build a business with fundraising in mind and obtain advice from an investor's perspective.

Approximately the top three participants who receive excellent evaluations in the final pitch will be granted priority participation rights for the main "STARTUP ELITE Bootcamp" program scheduled to be held after August 2026.

Participating VCs (Scheduled)
Incubate Fund
FFG Venture Business Partners
F Ventures
QB Capital
SEREAL
Beta Venture Capital

Event Overview
Name: STARTUP ELITE Bootcamp - Summer Edition
Dates: Saturday, July 18, and Sunday, July 19, 2026
Venue: Fukuoka Growth Next (2-6-11 Daimyo, Chuo-ku, Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture)
Participation Fee: Free
Organizer: Fukuoka Growth Next