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.
Innovation Pathways – Corporate × Startup Junction
Amid the global acceleration of innovation, collaboration between large corporations and startups has become the key to creating new value. In this session, “Innovation Pathways – Corporate × Startup Junction,” we will explore the possibilities and challenges of such partnerships from multiple perspectives. Jason Sydow of N47, Neal Hansch of Silicon Foundry, and Shawn McLaughlin of Emporia Energy will take the stage to share insights on the latest trends in open innovation, strategies for successful collaboration, and practical knowledge for sustainable growth. Together, they will chart the pathways to next-generation innovation from diverse viewpoints.
Go Global with CIC: Unlocking the Power of Innovation from Japan to the World
Tim Rowe, Founder of CIC (Cambridge Innovation Center), together with an entrepreneur who has leveraged CIC’s global network to pursue international expansion, will take the stage. They will share the challenges and lessons learned in taking Japan-born innovation to the world, and how the CIC ecosystem supported that journey. This session aims to inspire startups aiming for global success with the insights and confidence to take their next step.
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.
Turning Passion into Earning Power: How to Nurture the Talent that Will Shape Japan in 2040
What kind of talent will create Japan in 2040? This session will explore concrete methodologies for transforming passion, or "suki," into "earning power," moving beyond the focus on deviation scores (Hensachi) in education. We will propose a vision for future human resources and their development methods, drawing perspectives from diverse fields such as business, creativity, and technology.
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.
As the global wave of innovation continues to accelerate, collaboration between large corporations and startups has become a key driver of new value creation. In this session, “Innovation Pathways – Corporate × Startup Junction,” we will explore, from multiple perspectives, the opportunities and challenges that arise at the intersection of these two worlds. The speakers include Jason Sydow, Founding Partner at N47 and an expert in venture investment and growth support; Neal Hansch, CEO of Silicon Foundry, which serves as a hub connecting corporations and startups; and Shawn McLaughlin, CEO of the rapidly growing energy startup Emporia Energy. Together, they will discuss the latest trends in open innovation, strategies for successful collaboration, and practical insights for achieving sustainable growth. Through the authentic experiences shared by leaders from diverse backgrounds, this session will chart pathways toward the next generation of innovation.
Will Japan in 2040 still be shaped by deviation scores (Hensachi) and uniform career paths? This session begins with that fundamental question. As AI advances and the future grows more unpredictable, perhaps the true source of the “earning power” needed to thrive lies in the passion — the natural suki or love — that children are born with. What kind of education best nurtures individual potential? How can creativity translate directly into business? What defines globally competitive talent, and what critical challenges must Japan’s education system now face? Through these perspectives, this session will explore the “future talent profile of 2040” and propose practical approaches to developing it. A must-attend discussion for leaders who care about cultivating the next generation that will shape Japan’s future.
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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