Relic, a Business Co-Creation Company, Establishes 'HYOGO VENTURE FORGE' in Kobe City to Drive Innovation and Discover and Nurture Innovator Talent in Hyogo Prefecture
Relic has opened its 18th regional hub, 'HYOGO VENTURE FORGE,' in Kobe City to accelerate innovation and talent development in Hyogo Prefecture. By leveraging its experience in business co-creation, the company aims to foster collaboration across industry, academia, government, and the financial sector to stimulate regional economic growth.
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- 📰 Published: March 28, 2026 at 16:02
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Relic, Inc. (Headquarters: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; Representative CEO: Takao Kitajima; hereafter 'Relic'), a business co-creation company, has established its 18th regional hub in Japan, 'HYOGO VENTURE FORGE,' in Kobe City, aiming to foster innovation and discover and nurture innovator talent in Hyogo Prefecture. Moving forward, Relic will use 'HYOGO VENTURE FORGE' as a starting point to accelerate industry-academia-government-financial collaboration in Hyogo Prefecture and further promote regional innovation creation and the discovery and development of innovator talent.
■ Background of Establishing a Hub in Kobe City
Relic is the leading company in Japan with the top domestic market share (*1) in supporting and co-creating new business development, having worked with over 5,000 companies, including Japan's leading large corporations, with 'Business Co-Creation' at its core. Having established hubs in 18 prefectures across the country, the company has been promoting initiatives to generate new businesses and innovations together with companies in each region. Based on this track record and expertise, Relic is also focusing on regional industrial revitalization and development through the discovery and nurturing of innovator talent in local areas and the creation of new businesses originating from those regions. Going forward, the company will proceed with establishing hubs in all 47 prefectures and further accelerate business co-creation initiatives across Japan.
[About Relic's Nationwide Hubs (Link to https://relic.co.jp/company/branch_office/)]
In March 2026, Relic established this new hub in Kobe City to further accelerate innovation and the discovery and nurturing of innovator talent in Hyogo Prefecture, and to contribute to the region's sustainable development.
At 'HYOGO VENTURE FORGE,' Relic will actively pursue the recruitment and development of innovator talent rooted in Hyogo Prefecture. Furthermore, in addition to the startup entrepreneurs Relic has co-created with, and intrapreneurs who lead new business and open innovation at large corporations, Relic will also co-create widely with 'next-preneurs'—the next generation of leaders at small and medium-sized enterprises that support the Japanese economy and the region. The hub will be enhanced as a platform where all challengers can intersect to give birth to new businesses and innovations.
*1: 2024, 'Market Research on Boutique Consulting in New Business Development,' Relic, Inc. & Digital Infact, Inc. (https://relic.co.jp/press-release/54696/)
■ Hub Overview
Hub Name: HYOGO VENTURE FORGE
Address: Kigyō Plaza Hyogo, 56 Naniwa-machi, Chuo-ku, Kobe City, Hyogo Prefecture, 650-8660
Access: 7-minute walk from JR 'Sannomiya' Station or Hankyu 'Kobe-Sannomiya' Station
Business Scope: Promotion of business co-creation through collaboration with local governments, universities, and financial institutions, primarily in Hyogo Prefecture; development of new businesses and innovation with local companies; discovery and development of local innovator talent; and research, development, planning, and implementation of digital innovations, web services, and applications.
■ Comments from the Person in Charge
Testsuya Honda
Deep Tech Lead, Capitalist, and Hyogo Hub Manager, Deep Tech Innovation Center, Relic, Inc.
'I am very pleased that we were able to open Relic's Hyogo hub within Kigyō Plaza Hyogo. As I am originally from Kobe City, I feel a special connection to establishing our base within Kigyō Plaza Hyogo, a place familiar to me through past events.
Hyogo Prefecture is home to excellent universities, research institutions, and world-class manufacturing companies; I believe it is a region with great potential for the birth of deep-tech startups.
Also, as a region that experienced the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, I feel that we must never forget those memories and lessons. I believe that because Hyogo has overcome this disaster, there is soil here for the challenge of creating the next generation of industries.
Leveraging my experience in capital markets and startup investment, I am committed to building an ecosystem where next-generation industries can emerge from Hyogo Prefecture, through support for commercializing university research 'seeds' and creating startups. While collaborating with everyone in industry, academia, government, and finance, I will contribute to the creation of startups from Hyogo that take on the challenge of the world.'
■ Recruitment Information
'HYOGO VENTURE FORGE' is looking for members to work with us. Please see the recruitment site below for details.
[Relic Recruitment Page (Link to https://relic.co.jp/recruit/)]
■ About the Relic Group
As the core business entity of Relic Holdings, Relic is a 'Business Co-Creation Company' that supports new business development and innovation for Japanese companies. The company comprehensively deploys an 'Incubation Tech Business' that provides a world-first SaaS platform specialized in new business development; a 'Business Produce/New Business Development Support Business' that provides comprehensive and end-to-end support for innovation; and an 'Open Innovation Business' that co-creates innovation through investment in startups and joint ventures with large corporations. Boasting the top domestic market share (*1) in new business development support and co-creation, and having been involved in the new business development of over 5,000 companies, primarily leading large Japanese corporations, Relic is a leading company achieving unparalleled value, significance, and industry-leading scale and growth. As the core of the Relic Group, which consists of 27 companies and over 350 employees with sales exceeding 10 billion yen, it realizes new business development support and co-creation nationwide from its hubs in 18 prefectures.
Since the establishment of Relic Holdings in 2021, the Relic Group has expanded to 27 companies through the establishment of joint ventures with large corporations and the launch of businesses from 'ZERO1000 Ventures,' an all-encompassing startup and venture co-creation program. The Relic Group will continue to promote new business development across Japan simultaneously and extensively.
[See Details (Link to https://relic.co.jp/)]
[Relic Holdings Corporate Site: https://relic-holdings.co.jp/]
■ Background of Establishing a Hub in Kobe City
Relic is the leading company in Japan with the top domestic market share (*1) in supporting and co-creating new business development, having worked with over 5,000 companies, including Japan's leading large corporations, with 'Business Co-Creation' at its core. Having established hubs in 18 prefectures across the country, the company has been promoting initiatives to generate new businesses and innovations together with companies in each region. Based on this track record and expertise, Relic is also focusing on regional industrial revitalization and development through the discovery and nurturing of innovator talent in local areas and the creation of new businesses originating from those regions. Going forward, the company will proceed with establishing hubs in all 47 prefectures and further accelerate business co-creation initiatives across Japan.
[About Relic's Nationwide Hubs (Link to https://relic.co.jp/company/branch_office/)]
In March 2026, Relic established this new hub in Kobe City to further accelerate innovation and the discovery and nurturing of innovator talent in Hyogo Prefecture, and to contribute to the region's sustainable development.
At 'HYOGO VENTURE FORGE,' Relic will actively pursue the recruitment and development of innovator talent rooted in Hyogo Prefecture. Furthermore, in addition to the startup entrepreneurs Relic has co-created with, and intrapreneurs who lead new business and open innovation at large corporations, Relic will also co-create widely with 'next-preneurs'—the next generation of leaders at small and medium-sized enterprises that support the Japanese economy and the region. The hub will be enhanced as a platform where all challengers can intersect to give birth to new businesses and innovations.
*1: 2024, 'Market Research on Boutique Consulting in New Business Development,' Relic, Inc. & Digital Infact, Inc. (https://relic.co.jp/press-release/54696/)
■ Hub Overview
Hub Name: HYOGO VENTURE FORGE
Address: Kigyō Plaza Hyogo, 56 Naniwa-machi, Chuo-ku, Kobe City, Hyogo Prefecture, 650-8660
Access: 7-minute walk from JR 'Sannomiya' Station or Hankyu 'Kobe-Sannomiya' Station
Business Scope: Promotion of business co-creation through collaboration with local governments, universities, and financial institutions, primarily in Hyogo Prefecture; development of new businesses and innovation with local companies; discovery and development of local innovator talent; and research, development, planning, and implementation of digital innovations, web services, and applications.
■ Comments from the Person in Charge
Testsuya Honda
Deep Tech Lead, Capitalist, and Hyogo Hub Manager, Deep Tech Innovation Center, Relic, Inc.
'I am very pleased that we were able to open Relic's Hyogo hub within Kigyō Plaza Hyogo. As I am originally from Kobe City, I feel a special connection to establishing our base within Kigyō Plaza Hyogo, a place familiar to me through past events.
Hyogo Prefecture is home to excellent universities, research institutions, and world-class manufacturing companies; I believe it is a region with great potential for the birth of deep-tech startups.
Also, as a region that experienced the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, I feel that we must never forget those memories and lessons. I believe that because Hyogo has overcome this disaster, there is soil here for the challenge of creating the next generation of industries.
Leveraging my experience in capital markets and startup investment, I am committed to building an ecosystem where next-generation industries can emerge from Hyogo Prefecture, through support for commercializing university research 'seeds' and creating startups. While collaborating with everyone in industry, academia, government, and finance, I will contribute to the creation of startups from Hyogo that take on the challenge of the world.'
■ Recruitment Information
'HYOGO VENTURE FORGE' is looking for members to work with us. Please see the recruitment site below for details.
[Relic Recruitment Page (Link to https://relic.co.jp/recruit/)]
■ About the Relic Group
As the core business entity of Relic Holdings, Relic is a 'Business Co-Creation Company' that supports new business development and innovation for Japanese companies. The company comprehensively deploys an 'Incubation Tech Business' that provides a world-first SaaS platform specialized in new business development; a 'Business Produce/New Business Development Support Business' that provides comprehensive and end-to-end support for innovation; and an 'Open Innovation Business' that co-creates innovation through investment in startups and joint ventures with large corporations. Boasting the top domestic market share (*1) in new business development support and co-creation, and having been involved in the new business development of over 5,000 companies, primarily leading large Japanese corporations, Relic is a leading company achieving unparalleled value, significance, and industry-leading scale and growth. As the core of the Relic Group, which consists of 27 companies and over 350 employees with sales exceeding 10 billion yen, it realizes new business development support and co-creation nationwide from its hubs in 18 prefectures.
Since the establishment of Relic Holdings in 2021, the Relic Group has expanded to 27 companies through the establishment of joint ventures with large corporations and the launch of businesses from 'ZERO1000 Ventures,' an all-encompassing startup and venture co-creation program. The Relic Group will continue to promote new business development across Japan simultaneously and extensively.
[See Details (Link to https://relic.co.jp/)]
[Relic Holdings Corporate Site: https://relic-holdings.co.jp/]