10 Teams Selected for Finals of "DCON2026," a Contest for KOSEN Students Competing in "Manufacturing x Deep Learning x Business Potential," from a Record 119 Entries!
The 10 teams selected for the finals of "DCON2026," a contest where KOSEN (College of Technology) students compete on "manufacturing x deep learning x business potential," have been announced from a record 119 entries. The finals will be held on May 8th and 9th, 2026, aiming to address the shortage of IT/AI talent and entrepreneurs.
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- 📰 Published: March 2, 2026 at 20:00
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## Press Release Information
Title: 10 Teams Selected for Finals of "DCON2026," a Contest for KOSEN Students Competing in "Manufacturing x Deep Learning x Business Potential," from a Record 119 Entries!
Subtitle:
Company Name:
Industry:
Body (first 8000 characters): Scenes from past DCON finals
NHK Enterprises, Inc. (Representative Director and President: Nobuto Ariyoshi, Location: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo) has hosted numerous technology contests such as "KOSEN Robocon," "NHK Student Robocon," "Elementary School Robocon," and "God Game Creator Evolution," attracting attention as a gathering place for many engineers and students.
The DCON Executive Committee (composed of the Japan Deep Learning Association / National Institute of Technology, Japan / NHK / NHK Enterprises) will hold the "7th National Institute of Technology Deep Learning Contest 2026 (hereinafter, DCON2026)" on Friday, May 8, and Saturday, May 9, 2026, at Hikarie Hall (Shibuya Hikarie 9F).
Hyadain (music creator) and Miki Satake (freelance announcer, graduate of Toyama KOSEN) have been confirmed as MCs for the presentation finals on Saturday, May 9. Comments from them, along with Professor Yutaka Matsuo, Chairman of the DCON Executive Committee, are also included. The 10 teams that will participate in the finals have also been decided.
■ 10 teams selected from a record 119 entries!
Challenging entrepreneurship and commercialization with "manufacturing x deep learning x business potential"
"DCON" is a business creation contest for KOSEN (College of Technology) students nationwide, where they devise products and services that solve problems by utilizing manufacturing and deep learning technologies, create prototypes, and compete on their business potential using the indicator of "corporate valuation." This year, the 7th edition, saw a record 119 entries from 40 KOSENs / 91 teams. The themes covered a wide range of societal foundations, including manufacturing, logistics, primary industries, infrastructure inspection, disaster prevention, security, medical care, and welfare. After two rounds of screening, 10 teams with evaluated business growth potential were selected for the finals.
■ About the MCs for "DCON2026"
For the finals, music creator Hyadain and freelance announcer Miki Satake, a graduate of Toyama KOSEN, will serve as MCs, following their roles last year. Hyadain, active in various fields as an expressive artist, and Satake, who empathizes with students as a KOSEN alumna, will bring out the charm of the KOSEN students' challenges and presentations from their different perspectives.
Hyadain (Music Creator)
KOSEN students' battle to propose business plans by innovatively utilizing AI, which everyone uses now, is thrilling! Cutting edge!
Miki Satake (Freelance Announcer / Graduate of Toyama KOSEN)
Following last year, as an alumna, I will proceed while cheering on all the teams. I'm really looking forward to everyone's presentations and their presentation skills!
■ Comment from DCON Executive Committee Chairman Yutaka Matsuo
To leverage deep learning in society, implementation capabilities combined with "monozukuri" are essential. KOSEN students, with their strong implementation skills, are the human resources who can put technology into practical use in society.
Furthermore, in recent years, as AI transforms into a social infrastructure, the importance for Japan to possess the technical capabilities to develop AI itself has increased. DCON, as a place for KOSEN students to hone such skills through practice, is growing in value year by year. The point of competing on technology and business potential using corporate valuation as an indicator is also a major highlight. We hope you will pay attention to the challenges of KOSEN students.
■ Addressing the shortage of IT/AI talent and entrepreneurs, fostering next-generation leaders
In Japan, a shortage of up to approximately 790,000 IT professionals is projected by 2030*1, and securing highly skilled digital talent, including AI, has become a national challenge. Additionally, the shortage of entrepreneurial talent is a prominent issue in Japan, with the government setting a goal of creating 100,000 entrepreneurs*2. Against this backdrop, attention is growing towards "KOSEN," which trains practical and creative engineers. DCON has produced 12 startup companies to date, supporting business creation that balances technology and business potential. It encourages KOSEN students to take on challenges towards entrepreneurship and commercialization while still enrolled, and uniquely evaluates the business potential generated by technically implemented works, including prototypes, using "corporate valuation" as an indicator. Moving forward, we aim to contribute to human resource development that leads to social implementation by combining KOSEN students' "monozukuri technology" and "deep learning."
*1: Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry "Survey on IT Human Resources Supply and Demand" (April 2019)
*2: Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry "About Industrial Human Resources Development Policy / Material 2-4" (January 2026)
■ Introduction of the 10 finalist teams
The finalist teams will undergo mentoring before proceeding to the finals (final judging).
The finals will be held on Friday, May 8, and Saturday, May 9, 2026.
Keywords:
Title: 10 Teams Selected for Finals of "DCON2026," a Contest for KOSEN Students Competing in "Manufacturing x Deep Learning x Business Potential," from a Record 119 Entries!
Subtitle:
Company Name:
Industry:
Body (first 8000 characters): Scenes from past DCON finals
NHK Enterprises, Inc. (Representative Director and President: Nobuto Ariyoshi, Location: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo) has hosted numerous technology contests such as "KOSEN Robocon," "NHK Student Robocon," "Elementary School Robocon," and "God Game Creator Evolution," attracting attention as a gathering place for many engineers and students.
The DCON Executive Committee (composed of the Japan Deep Learning Association / National Institute of Technology, Japan / NHK / NHK Enterprises) will hold the "7th National Institute of Technology Deep Learning Contest 2026 (hereinafter, DCON2026)" on Friday, May 8, and Saturday, May 9, 2026, at Hikarie Hall (Shibuya Hikarie 9F).
Hyadain (music creator) and Miki Satake (freelance announcer, graduate of Toyama KOSEN) have been confirmed as MCs for the presentation finals on Saturday, May 9. Comments from them, along with Professor Yutaka Matsuo, Chairman of the DCON Executive Committee, are also included. The 10 teams that will participate in the finals have also been decided.
■ 10 teams selected from a record 119 entries!
Challenging entrepreneurship and commercialization with "manufacturing x deep learning x business potential"
"DCON" is a business creation contest for KOSEN (College of Technology) students nationwide, where they devise products and services that solve problems by utilizing manufacturing and deep learning technologies, create prototypes, and compete on their business potential using the indicator of "corporate valuation." This year, the 7th edition, saw a record 119 entries from 40 KOSENs / 91 teams. The themes covered a wide range of societal foundations, including manufacturing, logistics, primary industries, infrastructure inspection, disaster prevention, security, medical care, and welfare. After two rounds of screening, 10 teams with evaluated business growth potential were selected for the finals.
■ About the MCs for "DCON2026"
For the finals, music creator Hyadain and freelance announcer Miki Satake, a graduate of Toyama KOSEN, will serve as MCs, following their roles last year. Hyadain, active in various fields as an expressive artist, and Satake, who empathizes with students as a KOSEN alumna, will bring out the charm of the KOSEN students' challenges and presentations from their different perspectives.
Hyadain (Music Creator)
KOSEN students' battle to propose business plans by innovatively utilizing AI, which everyone uses now, is thrilling! Cutting edge!
Miki Satake (Freelance Announcer / Graduate of Toyama KOSEN)
Following last year, as an alumna, I will proceed while cheering on all the teams. I'm really looking forward to everyone's presentations and their presentation skills!
■ Comment from DCON Executive Committee Chairman Yutaka Matsuo
To leverage deep learning in society, implementation capabilities combined with "monozukuri" are essential. KOSEN students, with their strong implementation skills, are the human resources who can put technology into practical use in society.
Furthermore, in recent years, as AI transforms into a social infrastructure, the importance for Japan to possess the technical capabilities to develop AI itself has increased. DCON, as a place for KOSEN students to hone such skills through practice, is growing in value year by year. The point of competing on technology and business potential using corporate valuation as an indicator is also a major highlight. We hope you will pay attention to the challenges of KOSEN students.
■ Addressing the shortage of IT/AI talent and entrepreneurs, fostering next-generation leaders
In Japan, a shortage of up to approximately 790,000 IT professionals is projected by 2030*1, and securing highly skilled digital talent, including AI, has become a national challenge. Additionally, the shortage of entrepreneurial talent is a prominent issue in Japan, with the government setting a goal of creating 100,000 entrepreneurs*2. Against this backdrop, attention is growing towards "KOSEN," which trains practical and creative engineers. DCON has produced 12 startup companies to date, supporting business creation that balances technology and business potential. It encourages KOSEN students to take on challenges towards entrepreneurship and commercialization while still enrolled, and uniquely evaluates the business potential generated by technically implemented works, including prototypes, using "corporate valuation" as an indicator. Moving forward, we aim to contribute to human resource development that leads to social implementation by combining KOSEN students' "monozukuri technology" and "deep learning."
*1: Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry "Survey on IT Human Resources Supply and Demand" (April 2019)
*2: Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry "About Industrial Human Resources Development Policy / Material 2-4" (January 2026)
■ Introduction of the 10 finalist teams
The finalist teams will undergo mentoring before proceeding to the finals (final judging).
The finals will be held on Friday, May 8, and Saturday, May 9, 2026.
Keywords: