KPMG Consulting and Keio University to Offer Endowed Course "Startups and Business Innovation" for Fifth Consecutive Year

KPMG Consulting Co., Ltd. (Head Office: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; Representatives: Yutaka Seki, Atsushi Taguchi, Masahiko Chino; hereinafter, KPMG Consulting) and Keio University (Location: Minato-ku, Tokyo; President: Kohei Itoh) will launch the endowed course "Startups and Business Innovation" at the university's Mita Campus (Location: Minato-ku, Tokyo) on Friday, April 10, 2026. This course provides systematic learning on knowledge essential for startups, including "entrepreneurship," from the latest technology trends to accounting, finance, and law. This marks the fifth consecutive year that the endowed course will be offered.

Against the backdrop of increasingly complex social issues and technological advancements, this endowed course has been offered since 2022 as a subject in the Faculty of Economics at Keio University. Its purpose is to teach the context and mechanisms for realizing innovation, as well as to systematically impart fundamental knowledge necessary not only for entrepreneurs but also for business professionals, including accounting, finance, relevant laws, and taxation. To date, over 4,000 students have taken the course, producing successful serial entrepreneurs active overseas. In the 2025 academic year, an optional program was offered where students traveled to Tottori and Shimane prefectures to experience creating business ideas for regional problem-solving. Another program allowed students to experience the new business development and entrepreneurship processes, including pitch events, focused on social problem-solving for a sustainable future.

In the 2026 academic year, the lecturers for this endowed course will primarily be professionals from KPMG Consulting's Business Innovation Unit. In addition to essential business knowledge for startups, the course will cover cross-disciplinary themes such as smart cities, regional revitalization, AI, and cybersecurity. External lecturers, including entrepreneurs from Keio University and practitioners responsible for new business development and innovation promotion at companies, will be invited to provide opportunities to learn insights cultivated on the front lines of business. Furthermore, the course will combine classroom lectures with experiential extracurricular programs, aiming to provide students with concrete opportunities to consider entrepreneurship as a future career option.

KPMG Consulting aims to contribute to the creation of new startups and the development of young entrepreneurs who will shape the future through this endowed course.

[Endowed Course Overview]

Course Name	Startups and Business Innovation
Main Themes (Planned)	Innovation in regional revitalization, smart cities, mobility, space, AI, sports, decarbonization, etc.; fundamental knowledge in finance, accounting, relevant laws and taxation necessary for startups.
Course Period	Spring and Autumn Semesters 2026, Total 28 sessions
Location	Keio University Mita Campus (Minato-ku, Tokyo)
Instructor	Teruo Nakatsuma (Professor, Faculty of Economics)
Target Students	Approximately 500 Keio University students (planned)

Related Pages

・[Keio x KPMG] What Kind of Business Plans Did Students Learning Entrepreneurship Envision?

・[Keio x KPMG] Towards a Future Where Youth Entrepreneurship is a Natural Choice

・KPMG Consulting Official note