On July 10, TOY8 Holdings Inc. (Headquarters: Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo; Co-founder & CEO: Masaki Ishibashi) announced that it became the first Japanese company to present at the final event of the startup pitch program, "AI for Good Innovation Factory," at the UN-hosted "AI for Good Global Summit 2026" in Geneva, Switzerland. They were also the sole startup representing the East Asia region.
Over 520 startups from around the world participated in the program, and 11 companies that survived a year-long qualifying round gathered in Geneva. TOY8 won the qualifying session themed "AI x Learning and Upskilling" to secure their ticket to the final event. Although they narrowly missed out on the Grand Prize, the company reported receiving numerous inquiries from international government officials, educators, and impact investors through their booth exhibition and pitch during the summit.
During the final event, Co-founder and CEO Ishibashi took the stage to introduce their initiatives in AI developmental screening and inclusive education for children aged 3 to 5. By simply having children play a smartphone game, the system screens five developmental areas, and the AI automatically generates a report and an Individualized Education Program (IEP). This mechanism enables early intervention in early childhood education, even in regions facing a shortage of specialists.
The pitch was highly praised for its proven track record of screening over 15,000 children across Malaysia, Indonesia, and Singapore, as well as achievements such as publishing joint demonstration research with the Malaysian Ministry of Health in international academic journals and securing a multi-year contract with the Sarawak state government.
The "AI for Good Global Summit" is one of the world's largest international conferences and exhibitions, led by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in partnership with over 50 UN agencies and the Swiss government. The 2026 summit, held from July 7 to 10, featured over 1,000 speakers. It served as a stage for countries to participate on a national level; notably, Japan's Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) hosted a Japan Pavilion alongside four domestic AI startups.
Moving forward, TOY8 plans to further accelerate its expansion into the Asian region, building upon the network established at this summit.
■ ICT Startup League
Launched in FY2023, this support program was sparked by the "Startup-Driven Sprouting R&D Support Project" organized by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC).
The ICT Startup League supports startups through four main pillars:
1. R&D Funding / Hands-on Support
R&D funding of up to 20 million yen is provided in the form of subsidies. For hands-on support, the selection and evaluation committee members who were involved in choosing the league members will continue to work closely with them to foster growth post-selection. For companies that the committee members evaluated as "must-select," the evaluators themselves will provide continuous support, such as advising on business plans and offering growth opportunities, creating a truly dedicated, "championing" support system.
2. Discovery & Incubation
We will provide opportunities for learning and networking to stimulate the business growth of our league members.
Additionally, we will expand our reach by discovering individuals who aspire to become entrepreneurs.
3. Competition & Co-creation
Functioning as a platform for positive competition much like a sports league, startups learn together and challenge each other to win the exact funding they need (up to 20 million yen). We also provide a space for co-creation where league members can collaborate and scale their businesses through various opportunities, including sessions led by the evaluation committee.
4. Broadcasting
We broadcast the initiatives of our league members in collaboration with the media! By letting more people know about these businesses, we aim to expand the landscape for new matchmaking and opportunities.
■ Related Websites
ICT Startup League
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TOY8 Holdings Inc. (Official Website)
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TOY8 Holdings Inc. (LEAGUE MEMBER)
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AI for Good Global Summit 2026
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AI for Good Innovation Factory
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