welzo, an innovation company creating lifestyle value, takes the stage for a reverse pitch at Venture Café Fukuoka
welzo Co., Ltd. will take the stage for a reverse pitch at an event held at Venture Café Fukuoka on April 23, 2026. The company seeks co-creation partners in the agricultural sector to create new industrial models.
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- 📰 Published: April 22, 2026 at 18:30
- 🔍 Collected: April 23, 2026 at 00:02 (5h 32m after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 23, 2026 at 07:53 (7h 51m after Collected)
welzo Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Hakata-ku, Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture, President and CEO: Yoshifumi Kanao), an innovation company that creates lifestyle value, will take the stage at the CIC Fukuoka 1st Anniversary event "Venture Café Fukuoka Thursday Gathering #67" held at Venture Café Fukuoka on Thursday, April 23, 2026.
The session in which welzo will participate is "Major Company Pitch - Kyushu vs Kanto: Hot New Businesses!". In this session, representative companies from Kyushu and major companies from the Kanto area will gather. Leading companies from various industries such as railway, finance, aviation, and technology will conduct a "reverse pitch," directly communicating "What kind of business partners do we want to meet now?" and "What kind of co-creation are we seeking?".
In this initiative, to address structural issues such as food security, declining number of producers, and declining agricultural profitability, the company will share its assets including fields collaborated with Kyushu University, a nationwide network of producers, and cross-industry communities.
Through co-creation with startups, local governments, and large companies, the aim is to create a new industrial model for agriculture. At the forefront of this open innovation, we will disclose on-site assets cultivated over 100 years of history and pitch our "next challenge" envisioned together with startups. Please come and experience the energetic scene of co-creation that will trigger new partnerships.
■ Overview of Speaking Session
Session Name: Thursday Gathering #67 | CIC Fukuoka 1 year Anniversary!
Major Company Pitch - Kyushu vs Kanto: Hot New Businesses!
Date & Time: Thursday, April 23, 2026, 16:30 - 17:45
Venue: Venture Café Fukuoka (ONE FUKUOKA BLDG. 6F, 1-11-1 Tenjin, Chuo-ku, Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture)
Registration: https://community.venturecafefukuoka.org/sessions/346
■ Introduction of Speaker
welzo Co., Ltd. Biz Promotion Division Director
Motofumi Goto
After working at operating companies in construction and dining, he entered the consulting industry. He engaged in business revitalization and M&A for small and medium-sized enterprises. Subsequently, he was involved in supporting regional companies at a public-private fund, and currently oversees corporate planning, PR/branding, new business, M&A, and investments at an operating company. While leading rebranding and DX promotion, he promotes growth strategies through internal and external collaboration, mainly in the agricultural sector.
■ Overview of welzo Co., Ltd.
We, welzo, are an innovation company that provides products and services to enrich sustainable societies and people's lives. We deploy highly specialized solutions centered on BtoB across a wide range of fields including agriculture, livestock, and fisheries, the food industry, horticulture and flowers, and living environments, maintaining 24 bases domestically.
By combining the "power to nurture" cultivated over a history of more than 100 years since our founding with the "power to deliver" value to local communities and living environments, we have built a consistent value chain from upstream to downstream. We will pioneer a rich food culture for people and a happy future.
Headquarters
1-14-3 Hakataeki-higashi, Hakata-ku, Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture
Representative
President and CEO Yoshifumi Kanao
Establishment
August 1952 (Founded in August 1921)
Capital
470 million yen
Sales
48,805 million yen (Fiscal year ending December 2025)
Business
A specialized trading company handling mainly agricultural materials, home gardening supplies, flower-related products, and feed/fertilizer raw materials
Website
https://www.welzo.co.jp/
The session in which welzo will participate is "Major Company Pitch - Kyushu vs Kanto: Hot New Businesses!". In this session, representative companies from Kyushu and major companies from the Kanto area will gather. Leading companies from various industries such as railway, finance, aviation, and technology will conduct a "reverse pitch," directly communicating "What kind of business partners do we want to meet now?" and "What kind of co-creation are we seeking?".
In this initiative, to address structural issues such as food security, declining number of producers, and declining agricultural profitability, the company will share its assets including fields collaborated with Kyushu University, a nationwide network of producers, and cross-industry communities.
Through co-creation with startups, local governments, and large companies, the aim is to create a new industrial model for agriculture. At the forefront of this open innovation, we will disclose on-site assets cultivated over 100 years of history and pitch our "next challenge" envisioned together with startups. Please come and experience the energetic scene of co-creation that will trigger new partnerships.
■ Overview of Speaking Session
Session Name: Thursday Gathering #67 | CIC Fukuoka 1 year Anniversary!
Major Company Pitch - Kyushu vs Kanto: Hot New Businesses!
Date & Time: Thursday, April 23, 2026, 16:30 - 17:45
Venue: Venture Café Fukuoka (ONE FUKUOKA BLDG. 6F, 1-11-1 Tenjin, Chuo-ku, Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture)
Registration: https://community.venturecafefukuoka.org/sessions/346
■ Introduction of Speaker
welzo Co., Ltd. Biz Promotion Division Director
Motofumi Goto
After working at operating companies in construction and dining, he entered the consulting industry. He engaged in business revitalization and M&A for small and medium-sized enterprises. Subsequently, he was involved in supporting regional companies at a public-private fund, and currently oversees corporate planning, PR/branding, new business, M&A, and investments at an operating company. While leading rebranding and DX promotion, he promotes growth strategies through internal and external collaboration, mainly in the agricultural sector.
■ Overview of welzo Co., Ltd.
We, welzo, are an innovation company that provides products and services to enrich sustainable societies and people's lives. We deploy highly specialized solutions centered on BtoB across a wide range of fields including agriculture, livestock, and fisheries, the food industry, horticulture and flowers, and living environments, maintaining 24 bases domestically.
By combining the "power to nurture" cultivated over a history of more than 100 years since our founding with the "power to deliver" value to local communities and living environments, we have built a consistent value chain from upstream to downstream. We will pioneer a rich food culture for people and a happy future.
Headquarters
1-14-3 Hakataeki-higashi, Hakata-ku, Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture
Representative
President and CEO Yoshifumi Kanao
Establishment
August 1952 (Founded in August 1921)
Capital
470 million yen
Sales
48,805 million yen (Fiscal year ending December 2025)
Business
A specialized trading company handling mainly agricultural materials, home gardening supplies, flower-related products, and feed/fertilizer raw materials
Website
https://www.welzo.co.jp/