[Online Event on April 21st] Hybrid Fundraising Options Seed-Stage Startups Should Know ~Optimal Strategies from JFC & VC Experts~

Protostar Inc. (Headquarters: Chuo-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Hidemaro Maekawa), whose mission is to support challengers, will host an online seminar titled "Hybrid Fundraising Options Seed-Stage Startups Should Know ~Optimal Combination of Equity and Debt~" on Tuesday, April 21, 2026, for pre-seed and seed-stage entrepreneurs.

▼ Entrepreneurs in the seed stage or pre-founding stage who wish to expand their fundraising options, please apply via the link below.

https://peatix.com/event/4936042

【Background and Purpose of the Event】

With VC investment screening becoming increasingly cautious, the importance of hybrid fundraising, which combines "equity" and "debt," is growing.

However, many entrepreneurs struggle to find the optimal balance and sequence of utilization, hitting a wall in fundraising.

In this seminar, Hidemaro Maekawa, Representative Director of Protostar Inc., who has executed numerous investments as a VC, and Shunta Sato, who is responsible for startup loan screening at Japan Finance Corporation, will take the stage to discuss the realities of hybrid fundraising based on their live, on-site knowledge.

We will present concrete fundraising actions for entrepreneurs aiming for discontinuous business growth, serving as their next strategic move.

This project will delve deeply into the following four key discussion points:

• Current State of Equity Fundraising: Differences between companies that attract funds and those that struggle

• Reality of JFC Loans: Pros and cons for startups utilizing them

• Key Points of Business Planning: Decisive differences between business plans that secure investment and those that secure loans

• Future Actions: Fundraising actions seed-stage entrepreneurs should take in 2026

Speakers

• Protostar Inc.
  Hidemaro Maekawa (Representative Director)

• Japan Finance Corporation
  Shunta Sato (Senior Deputy Branch Manager, Tokyo Startup Support Plaza, National Life Finance Business Headquarters)

Event Overview

Date: Tuesday, April 21, 2026, 18:30 - 19:30

Format: Zoom Webinar (Online)

Participation Fee: Free

Contact for this event

Protostar Inc.

Kigyolog Business Division

[email protected]

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Protostar Inc. is looking for new colleagues to join us in our mission to support challengers.

▼ Recruitment information here

https://www.theprotostar.co/recruit

About Protostar Inc.

With a focus on supporting challengers, Protostar Inc. develops various services such as "StartupList," one of Japan's largest entrepreneur-investor matching services, and "JP STARTUPS," a media platform introducing and supporting Japanese startups.

In addition to existing businesses like alliance projects that promote collaboration and acceleration with startups, primarily for large corporations, and "Kigyolog," one of Japan's largest entrepreneur support media, we recently launched "Startup M&A" to support M&A as a growth and exit strategy for startups.

We have established a comprehensive system to support "challengers" broadly.

Location: Nihonbashi Tomizawa-cho Building 501, 9-4 Nihonbashi Tomizawa-cho, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 103-0006

Capital: 89,098,750 yen

Establishment Date: November 30, 2016

Number of Employees: Approximately 50 (including part-time and contract employees)

URL: https://www.theprotostar.co/

Participating Organizations:

・Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry J-Startup Supporters

・Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry Kyushu Bureau of Economy, Trade and Industry J-Startup KYUSHU

・Tokyo Metropolitan Government Tokyo Innovation Base Starting Member

・Tokyo Metropolitan Government Tokyo Innovation Base Partner

・Tokyo Metropolitan Government Bureau of Industrial and Labor Affairs Incubation HUB Promotion Project (adopted in FY2016)

・Organization for Small & Medium Enterprises and Regional Innovation, Japan Startup Angel Network Promotion Council (SAN) Member

・Tsukuba Startup Ecosystem Consortium Regular Member

・Diagonal Run Tokyo OFFICIAL SUPPLIERS

・Japan Venture Capital Association Supporting Member