Metaverse Education Startup Gecipe Inc. Selected as Finalist for Nagoya Preliminary of "Startup World Cup 2026," One of the World's Largest Pitch Contests

Gecipe Inc. (Headquarters: Chuo-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Takuya Manabe; hereinafter "Gecipe"), a metaverse education startup leveraging e-sports, is pleased to announce its selection as one of the 10 finalists to present at the Nagoya preliminary round of "Startup World Cup 2026," one of the world's largest business pitch contests.

◼︎ About Startup World Cup 2026

Startup World Cup is one of the world's largest pitch contests, with preliminary rounds held in over 130 countries and regions, bringing together innovative startup companies. Each year, out of more than 30,000 startup entries from around the world, representative companies that win their regional preliminaries participate in the global finals in San Francisco, USA, competing for a grand prize investment of 1 million US dollars (approximately 150 million JPY).

■ Nagoya Preliminary Finalists (in alphabetical order)

1. AstroX Inc.
2. Deats Food Planning Inc.

3. FLIGHTS Inc.

4. Gecipe Inc.

5. iBody Inc.

6. Reee Inc.

7. Location AI Inc.

8. Mapfor Inc.

9. MetroWeather Inc.

10. Rebone Inc.

One representative from these 10 finalists will be selected for the Nagoya preliminary.

◼︎Event Overview

• Event Name: Startup World Cup 2026 Nagoya Preliminary

• Date: Thursday, April 23, 2026

• Venue: STATION Ai / Okayakoki Nagoya Public Hall

• Organizer: Pegasus Tech Ventures

• Spectator Tickets: https://swc2026-nagoya.peatix.com/

◼︎ Turn game time into learning time. What is "e-sports English® e-Spi!"?

"e-sports English®︎ (※1) e-Spi! (※2)" is an online English communication lesson where you learn in the world of games. It specializes in English output (speaking) and is a program that builds confidence in using English and helps acquire an English brain. It is a popular e-sports education program with over 500,000 lessons taken to date.

(※1) e-sports English conversation, e-sports English, and e-sports English are registered trademarks of Gecipe Inc.

(※2) e-Spi! is a trademark application filed by Gecipe Inc.

◼︎ About Gecipe Inc.

We want to realize a world where everyone can live more autonomously, have many choices, and choose their own path. By developing fun and easy-to-understand education in the world of e-sports and virtual reality, we believe we can help expand the possibilities for each individual. We will provide metaverse education content originating from Japan that will make people around the world happy to learn.

• Representative: Representative Director Takuya Manabe

• Head Office Location: MC Hatchobori Building 6F, 2-11-7 Hatchobori, Chuo-ku, Tokyo

• Capital: 100 million JPY

• Established: January 2018

• Business Activities: Metaverse education company utilizing e-sports

• Corporate Website: https://gecipe.co.jp/