Carlos Oba of Dots for, a student of the 'Impact Officer School', wins the Grand Prize at the Tokyo-hosted 'TOKYO Co-cial IMPACT' 2025 Results Presentation

UNERI (Headquarters: Nagoya, Aichi; CEO: Masaki Kawai), which builds an ecosystem for social impact startups, is pleased to announce that Carlos Oba, CEO of Dots for, whom UNERI mentored as part of the 'Impact Scale Course' in the Tokyo-hosted 'TOKYO Co-cial IMPACT' acceleration program, has won the Grand Prize at the 2025 Results Presentation pitch competition. Mr. Oba is also a member of the second cohort of the 'Impact Officer School' hosted by UNERI. TOKYO Co-cial IMPACT is a project launched by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government in May 2024 to promote the growth of companies aiming to solve social issues and foster co-creation among diverse players. It supports companies that aim to balance 'sustainability (social impact)' and 'growth (economic return)' to solve social issues through open innovation. Forbes JAPAN participates as a media partner, and UNERI participates as a supporting company. For details on the results presentation, please refer to the Forbes JAPAN article. Applications for the 2026 Studio Program and Acceleration Program (Impact Design Course and Impact Scale Course) are currently open. Carlos Oba, as CEO of Dots for, deploys ultra-low-cost decentralized communication infrastructure in over 600 rural areas in Africa. Through proprietary digital hubs, he provides educational services and financial services using credit scores derived from data, working to bridge the information and opportunity gap and realize digital and financial inclusion in rural Africa. He won the Grand Prize for his business scalability and his commitment to impact-oriented management, including the publication of IMM and impact reports during the program. UNERI managed the acceleration program, and CEO Kawai provided regular mentoring, business support, and introductions to overseas impact investors. The 'Impact Officer School' is a program where diverse practitioners at the forefront of the impact economy gather to deepen their learning. Each year, about 30 people are selected, including CxOs, CEOs, and members of finance and new business departments from listed companies, startups, established firms, and non-profits. It provides a community for practitioners to leverage impact management not just for governance, but as an opportunity for business growth. The third cohort will be recruited in the fall of 2026. UNERI was established in 2020 with the mission of 'restoring the dignity of entrepreneurs and creating a society where all innovators can walk their own path.' It focuses on talent development, corporate/government partnerships, and investment for social impact startups. In April 2025, it launched an investment business through the UNERI Capital fund.