Applications Open for the 2nd Batch of "Hokkaido F Village X (HFX)" Accelerator Program Supporting Startup Business Development in Hokkaido
Scrum Ventures and Scrum Studio have launched the 2nd batch of the 'Hokkaido F Village X' accelerator program. It seeks global startups to co-create businesses with local partners in fields like sports, food, and mobility, leveraging Hokkaido's unique environment.
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- 📰 Published: March 31, 2026 at 19:00
- 🔍 Collected: April 1, 2026 at 13:39 (18h 39m after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 22, 2026 at 02:25 (492h 45m after Collected)
Scrum Ventures and Scrum Studio Inc. have started accepting applications for the 2nd batch of "Hokkaido F Village X (HFX)", a global acceleration program. With the theme of enhancing Hokkaido's appeal and solving regional issues, the program aims to co-create businesses between global startups and partner companies, local governments, universities, support organizations, and regional players, based in Hokkaido and the Hokkaido Ballpark F Village.
In the second batch, the program is calling for startups in areas such as sports & entertainment, food & agri, mobility, sustainability, and well-being, aiming for business co-creation that leads to expansion from Hokkaido to the rest of Japan, and further to the global market.
◆ Hokkaido: An Ideal Environment for Innovators
Backed by its natural beauty, food, sports & entertainment, tourism, and advanced technologies, Hokkaido offers an ideal environment for innovators active on the global stage. Across Hokkaido, new industrial developments such as semiconductors, data centers, and renewable energy are also anticipated.
On the other hand, it is also a region where social issues facing Japan, such as an aging population and declining birthrate, are becoming more severe. By connecting cutting-edge startups from Japan and abroad to Hokkaido, where such attractiveness and advanced challenges coexist, the program aims to solve regional issues through business co-creation, improve people's daily lives, and revitalize the region.
◆ Not Just an Accelerator, but a Hokkaido-born Business Co-creation Ecosystem
A key characteristic of HFX is that it goes beyond mere mentoring and startup support. In addition to providing proof-of-concept fields within Hokkaido, centered around the Hokkaido Ballpark F Village, a major feature is that startups can advance their business development while directly entering the actual field within a business co-creation ecosystem connected with partner companies, local governments, universities, support organizations, and regional communities.
Startups that participated in the first batch also reported great value in being able to have touchpoints with stakeholders from diverse positions and explore multiple use cases in parallel. It was also highly evaluated that the insights gained in Hokkaido led to learnings applicable in other regions of Japan and overseas.
◆ High Praise from the 1st Batch Participating Startups
For the first batch, there were 310 applications from 29 countries worldwide, with 1 startup from Japan and 10 from overseas selected. A total of 11 companies participated in the approximately six-month program, resulting in 10 cases of business co-creation. Some initiatives have advanced to continuous implementation and operational phases.
The NPS (Net Promoter Score) from participating startups was exceptionally high at 90, with the rapid speed from proof-of-concept to implementation being particularly praised. The following feedback was received from a 1st batch participating startup:
"Being connected directly with decision-makers at large corporations was of immense value. HFX connected us directly to the right decision-makers and also supported us in organizing our supply chain from the US all the way to Hokkaido. The networking, meeting follow-ups, and interpretation support were also extremely helpful." (Kevin Bratcher – President and COO at Nature Coatings)
"They are connected with the local administration, and also with private companies as partners. My impression was that the scale and everyone's enthusiasm were quite different from other programs. The field is large, and there are many participating partners. Because of that..."
In the second batch, the program is calling for startups in areas such as sports & entertainment, food & agri, mobility, sustainability, and well-being, aiming for business co-creation that leads to expansion from Hokkaido to the rest of Japan, and further to the global market.
◆ Hokkaido: An Ideal Environment for Innovators
Backed by its natural beauty, food, sports & entertainment, tourism, and advanced technologies, Hokkaido offers an ideal environment for innovators active on the global stage. Across Hokkaido, new industrial developments such as semiconductors, data centers, and renewable energy are also anticipated.
On the other hand, it is also a region where social issues facing Japan, such as an aging population and declining birthrate, are becoming more severe. By connecting cutting-edge startups from Japan and abroad to Hokkaido, where such attractiveness and advanced challenges coexist, the program aims to solve regional issues through business co-creation, improve people's daily lives, and revitalize the region.
◆ Not Just an Accelerator, but a Hokkaido-born Business Co-creation Ecosystem
A key characteristic of HFX is that it goes beyond mere mentoring and startup support. In addition to providing proof-of-concept fields within Hokkaido, centered around the Hokkaido Ballpark F Village, a major feature is that startups can advance their business development while directly entering the actual field within a business co-creation ecosystem connected with partner companies, local governments, universities, support organizations, and regional communities.
Startups that participated in the first batch also reported great value in being able to have touchpoints with stakeholders from diverse positions and explore multiple use cases in parallel. It was also highly evaluated that the insights gained in Hokkaido led to learnings applicable in other regions of Japan and overseas.
◆ High Praise from the 1st Batch Participating Startups
For the first batch, there were 310 applications from 29 countries worldwide, with 1 startup from Japan and 10 from overseas selected. A total of 11 companies participated in the approximately six-month program, resulting in 10 cases of business co-creation. Some initiatives have advanced to continuous implementation and operational phases.
The NPS (Net Promoter Score) from participating startups was exceptionally high at 90, with the rapid speed from proof-of-concept to implementation being particularly praised. The following feedback was received from a 1st batch participating startup:
"Being connected directly with decision-makers at large corporations was of immense value. HFX connected us directly to the right decision-makers and also supported us in organizing our supply chain from the US all the way to Hokkaido. The networking, meeting follow-ups, and interpretation support were also extremely helpful." (Kevin Bratcher – President and COO at Nature Coatings)
"They are connected with the local administration, and also with private companies as partners. My impression was that the scale and everyone's enthusiasm were quite different from other programs. The field is large, and there are many participating partners. Because of that..."