IVS2026 Announces First Wave of Keynote Sessions Under 'Japan is Back' Theme; Special Dialogue Between Toru Kenjo and Susumu Fujita Among Featured Speakers

IVS2026, Japan's largest startup conference, will be held from Wednesday, July 1 to Friday, July 3, 2026, at the main venues of Miyako Messe, Rohm Theatre Kyoto, and Hotel Okura Kyoto. The first wave of featured sessions to be held at IVS (Miyako Messe, Rohm Theatre Kyoto) has been announced. Note that featured sessions for IVS CORE will be announced separately.

IVS2026, under the banner 'Japan is Back,' is designed as three days to thoroughly pursue 'excellence' and prove the true value of Japanese startups to the world. This release introduces the first wave of featured sessions with leading entrepreneurs, investors, executives, and policymakers.

July 1 (Wednesday)

Government as a Catalyst: Next-Generation Industry Ecosystem Created by Government Demand

Innovation driven by government demand, generating new industries from national challenges such as space, defense, and climate. Can government procurement and policy become engines for startup growth? The session will discuss the industrial creation model Japan should aim for, based on global examples.

Moderator: Hirohiro Maekawa (Representative Director, Funds Startups Inc.)
Panelists: Hiroshi Ishikawa (Director, Innovation and New Business Promotion Division, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry) / Kazuhiko Chuma (Executive Officer, CBDO, Mizuho Financial Group, Inc.) / Hitoshi Tomioka (Representative Director & CEO, Telexistence Inc.)

Domestic Cloud and Domestic AI as National Infrastructure: Sovereign Digital Foundation and Startups

Competitiveness in the AI era depends not only on models and applications but also on digital infrastructure such as cloud, computing resources, data platforms, and administrative systems. This session will discuss how to nurture Japan-originated digital infrastructure companies, focusing on domestic cloud, domestic AI, GovTech, and public procurement.

Moderator: Sho Okiyama (Representative Director, Iris Inc. / Representative Director, AI Safety Promotion Organization)
Panelists: Soichiro Imaeda (Member of the House of Representatives, Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Digital / Parliamentary Vice-Minister, Cabinet Office) / Ryosuke Takahashi (Representative Director & CEO, Acompany Inc. / Chairman, Privacy Tech Association) / Masatoshi Yokota (Executive Officer, Cloud Business Strategy Division, Sakura Internet Inc.)

An IPO is Just a Milestone: The Essence of Management Driving Market Capitalization, Deciphered from SHIFT's Growth

How did a startup that went public at approximately 3.4 billion yen grow to a market capitalization of around 600 billion yen in 10 years? From the utilization of M&A to the systematization of business, the founder and a capital market professional will delve deep into SHIFT's journey and management decisions, including the strategy as an AI company aiming for the next market cap of 1 trillion yen.

Moderator: Koichi Maruo (Representative Director, Major7th Inc., former Senior Managing Director, Daiwa Securities)
Panelist: Dai Tange (Representative Director & President, SHIFT Inc.)

July 2 (Thursday)

Global AI Landscape: US-Japan Synergy and Strategies (EN)

As AI reshapes global industries and geopolitical tensions rise, the bridge between Silicon Valley’s cutting-edge innovation and Japan’s unique market is becoming critical. This session brings together key leaders from OpenHome, OpenAI, Headline, and Techstars, to explore how the US and Japan can forge powerful synergies in AI development, investment, and adoption.

Moderator: Yuki Shirato (Techstars Tokyo)
Panelists: Shalini Rao (Headline US, Growth Fund) / Thomas Jeng (OpenAI, Sales head of Asia region) / Shannon Wu (OpenHome, CEO/Co-Founder)

Japan's Maritime Comeback

Japan has been called a resource-poor nation. However, with its vast exclusive economic zone and high maritime technological capabilities, Japan holds multifaceted growth opportunities in resources, food, energy, logistics, and biotechnology. How far can new ocean-based industries, such as deep-sea resources, smart aquaculture, marine renewable energy, submarine infrastructure, and maritime DX, develop? The session will explore the roles of public-private partnerships and startups.

Moderator: Ryoto Iwasaki (Associate, Incubate Fund Inc.)
Panelists: Tadatoshi Kaneko (Counselor, Headquarters for Ocean Policy, Cabinet Office) / Satoshi Yoshiga (Representative Director, President & CEO, FullDepth Inc.) / Ryosuke Itai (Representative Director & CEO, UMIAILE Inc.)

July 3 (Friday)

What Value Does CVC Create? Redefining 'Strategic Investment' in Startup Growth

CVCs have been expected to support startup growth. However, in reality, it is necessary to redefine their role: are they 'funds pursuing returns' or 'strategic investments creating business synergies'? This session will discuss the multifaceted value creation potential of CVCs, including the utilization of corporate assets, provision of customer bases, and joint development, based on facts.

Moderator: Masahiro Kanemaru (Senior General Manager, Creative Incubation Department, Sony Group Corporation)
Panelists: Goji Araki (General Manager, Corporate Development Division, MIXI Inc.) / Hiroshi Oka (General Partner, Spiral Innovation Partners Inc.) / Yuko Sasahara (Representative Director, CEO & CCO, NTT Docomo Ventures Inc.)

DeNA's Aim: A Delight Creation Ecosystem With Startups

One year after declaring 'AI For & With Startups' at IVS 2025, DeNA will discuss its 'Delight Creation Ecosystem,' which supports those who challenge themselves to create delight and returns the results to support the next challengers, in addition to the track record of support programs such as Go-to-Market support. DeNA welcomes participation from startups willing to take on the challenge with them.

Speaker: Tomoko Namba (Representative Director & Chairperson, DeNA Co., Ltd.)

Special Dialogue: Toru Kenjo × Susumu Fujita Special Dialogue powered by FINCHI

In the 'Toru Kenjo × Susumu Fujita Special Dialogue powered by FINCHI,' a collaboration will be realized between Toru Kenjo, Representative Director & President of Gentosha Inc., who has created numerous legends in the Japanese publishing world, and Susumu Fujita, Representative Director & Chairperson of CyberAgent Inc., who has continued to lead the industry since the dawn of the internet era.

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