Winning Strategies for High-Growth Startups: Real-World Paths to Scalable Success
A founder leading multi-product growth and Salesforce come together to discuss what it takes for startups to scale successfully. This session dives deep into practical strategies—from achieving Product-Market Fit (PMF) to scaling organizations. Topics include bridging product-market gaps, building teams that scale, how AI is transforming business strategy and talent, and how to strengthen both go-to-market capabilities and internal operations. With candid stories of both success and failure, this session offers essential insights for entrepreneurs looking to chart a clear growth trajectory.
What It Takes to Scale: Sales and Marketing in a Data-Driven World
How can startups overcome the common hurdles in using data effectively? This session offers practical insights for moving beyond Excel-based customer management and siloed sales knowledge to build repeatable, data-driven growth. By working backward from the future to ask, “What should we have done differently back then?”, this session is a must-attend for founders and executives seeking scalable success.
Go Global with CIC: Unlocking the Power of Innovation from Japan to the World
CIC founder Tim Lowe and entrepreneurs who took on the challenge of overseas expansion using the CIC network were on stage. He talks about issues and lessons learned in spreading innovation from Japan around the world, and how CIC supported that challenge. We deliver courage and hints to take the next step to all startups aiming to become global.
Digital Frontiers and the Eye in Space – National Defense and Growth Strategy in the 21st Century
The frontlines of modern national defense now lie in cyberspace and outer space — new domains that transcend borders and redefine security. This session explores these emerging “territories” and “vantage points” to examine Japan’s national defense in the 21st century, alongside the growth strategies it enables. We’ll dive into the cutting edge of public-private collaboration, where government security strategies intersect with advanced private-sector technologies. From economic security to disaster response, discover the vast business opportunities unlocked by dual-use technologies. For every leader seeking to rethink both how we protect the nation and how we drive its future growth, this is a must-attend discussion.
Japan’s Space Industry – Current Realities and Future Outlook
Japan’s space industry is undergoing a major transformation — but where does it stand on the global stage? This session brings together four leading figures in the field, including a venture capitalist, a satellite engineer, a space transportation developer, and a space tourism pioneer. From the perspectives of investment, satellite technology, space mobility, and new market creation, they will candidly discuss Japan’s current strengths, weaknesses, and challenges — along with their vision for the decade ahead. A must-attend session offering raw insights into the forefront of the space industry and the emerging business opportunities it holds.
Personal is Collective — How Companies and Individuals Can Help Increase Women Leaders
The anxieties and barriers felt by women leaders are not just personal — they are shared challenges. Under the theme “Personal is Collective,” this session explores how individual experiences can be framed as broader organizational issues, and what companies and individuals can do to help increase the number of women in leadership roles. This session offers actionable insights for women leaders — and for managers and leaders who support and work with women across their teams.
Government-backed large-scale initiatives, a surge of new startups, and even private citizens venturing into space — Japan’s space industry is now entering a historic period of transformation, accompanied by unprecedented excitement. But behind these dazzling headlines, where exactly does Japan stand in the global space race today? In this session, we welcome four leading figures who are driving Japan’s space industry to uncover its real state and future vision in depth. From the perspective of a venture capitalist funding domestic space startups; a technologist pioneering the global market through ultra-small satellites; a space transportation developer striving to make space travel accessible to everyone; and a pioneer creating a new market for stratospheric balloon-based space tourism— each will share candid insights from their front-line experience. Together, they will discuss Japan’s strengths and weaknesses, the real challenges being faced today, and the vision of what the next decade of Japan’s space industry might look like — with no sugarcoating. Join this session to experience the forefront of a massive industry poised to drive Japan’s next phase of growth — and to discover the boundless business opportunities expanding beyond our atmosphere.
The era when national defense was discussed solely in terms of land, sea, and air is over. Today, the frontlines that determine the rise and fall of nations extend into the borderless realm of cyberspace and the vantage point of outer space that surveys the Earth from above. In this session, we will explore these new “territories” and “eyes” — discussing Japan’s national defense strategy for the 21st century and the new avenues for growth that emerge from it. What happens when the government’s vision for national security intersects with cutting-edge private-sector technology? From critical infrastructure protection and economic security to disaster response, we will uncover the vast business opportunities opened up by dual-use technologies that serve both military and civilian purposes. This session brings together the forefront of public-private collaboration — a field that will shape Japan’s future. For every leader seeking to rethink both how we defend the nation and how we drive its future growth, this is a must-attend discussion.
Japan’s startups are standing at the edge of a global opportunity. As a global innovation platform, CIC (Cambridge Innovation Center) empowers entrepreneurs, corporations, governments, and universities to collaborate, innovate, and scale beyond borders. In this session, Tim Rowe, Founder and CEO of CIC, joins startup leaders who have leveraged CIC’s global network to expand internationally. Together, they will share their experiences—how they took their first steps toward global expansion, the challenges they faced, and how the CIC ecosystem supported their journey. This session aims to inspire Japanese founders and innovators to take their ambitions global, and to discover how connecting with CIC can open new pathways for growth and impact worldwide.
“What if, back then, we had managed our customer data differently — could our growth have accelerated even more?” This session is a strategic discussion designed to work backward from the future, offering practical insights to help startups overcome the inevitable challenge of data utilization. From managing customer information in Excel, to sales knowledge trapped in individuals, to the unseen signs of customer churn — this session explores how to escape such chaos and build repeatable, data-driven growth. A must-attend for every founder and executive who wants to transform data into a true growth engine for their business.
Startup growth hinges on a clear strategy and a series of well-informed decisions. In this session, we welcome a founder driving multi-product expansion and Salesforce, a trusted partner to startups worldwide. Together, they will dive deep into how to achieve Product-Market Fit (PMF) and scale their organization. Key topics include bridging gaps between product and market, building organizations that can scale, and how AI is transforming strategy and the talent landscape. The session will explore how to develop go-to-market capabilities and strengthen organizational foundations — even with limited resources. Packed with practical approaches, real success stories, and lessons learned, this session is a must-attend for entrepreneurs looking to identify their growth stage and chart a path toward sustainable scale
There is a famous phrase, “The personal is political.” The anxieties and barriers that women leaders often feel are not “mine alone” — they are common challenges faced by many women. That is why we believe “Personal is Collective.” Even when something appears to be an individual issue, we must explore how to expand one person’s experience into a shared challenge — and discuss how we can make things better together. For managers and executives who have women on their teams, this is a must-attend session that offers valuable insights and practical takeaways — the first steps toward increasing the number of women leaders in your organization.
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