The 9th "Startup League Academy" was held on December 17, 2025.

The event opened with remarks from Mr. Fukuda, Head of the ICT Startup League Steering Committee. Mr. Fukuda positioned the upcoming period from January to March as a "crucial preparation period for the next leap forward," encouraging participants to fully utilize this venue to drive value enhancement for their businesses.

■ Special Session: "Global Ecosystems You Must Know for Growth"

   In the talk session, Ms. Ayumi Fujimoto, a steering committee member and Representative Director of the Startup Ecosystem Association Japan, took the stage. She discussed the definitions of "startups" and "ecosystems," as well as current global trends. Quoting definitions from Paul Graham and the OECD, Ms. Fujimoto emphasized that the essence of a startup lies in "rapid growth." She pointed out that it is not merely the presence of technology or the age of the company that matters, but the speed of growth in the market. She noted a global shift from an era where "big fish eat small fish" to one where "fast fish eat slow fish."

   Regarding ecosystems, she presented the perspective that startups are not merely central figures to be supported, but interactive components of the system. She posed the question of how startups themselves can contribute to the ecosystem to create a virtuous cycle, emphasizing the importance of targeting the global market from day one and utilizing industrial clusters and hubs in various countries.

■ Value Up Session by Metachrosys Inc.

    The first Value Up Session of the day featured Mr. Arai, Representative Director of Metachrosys Inc., which operates "Figure," a service for apparel e-commerce that automatically generates wearing images reflecting realistic sizing.

    The company aims to significantly reduce the cost and time of model photography while improving purchase rates in e-commerce. Experts discussed the importance of differentiation should Big Tech companies like Google or others release similar technology, as well as the necessity of speedy deployment.

   Advice was also given regarding expansion into overseas markets where diversity is more emphasized—rather than focusing solely on the low-margin domestic apparel industry—and the potential for transferring their technology to other industries, such as furniture and interior design.

■ Value Up Session by Sukidayo Inc.

    The second Value Up Session featured Mr. Atsuta, Representative Director of Sukidayo Inc., a company developing an app designed to facilitate conversation between couples and maintain healthy relationships.

    The company advocates a "preventative medicine-like" approach to relationships before they deteriorate and is taking on the challenge of global expansion. Experts suggested lowering the usage hurdles for men by tying the app to major life events such as pregnancy, childbirth, and childcare.

   Regarding global strategy, opinions were raised that instead of aiming for "one product for the whole world," a flexible strategy is needed. This could involve segmenting the product to fit cultural differences or acquiring and expanding similar local apps.

■ Value Up Session by KNiT Inc.

    The third Value Up Session of the day featured Mr. Nishimoto of KNiT Inc., which deploys a service that uses AI to analyze images of hair cuticles, quantitatively evaluating damage levels to propose optimal hair care.

    During the discussion with experts, a direction was indicated to move away from sticking solely to "on-the-spot analysis" at salons and instead consider a mail-in inspection model to provide higher value-added reports.

   Multifaceted feedback was provided, including ideas for pivoting to points that are easier to monetize—such as expanding technology applications beyond simple "cuticle diagnosis" to health checks or "skin diagnosis," which has stronger consumer needs—as well as expanding installation locations beyond salons.

■ Next Episode Preview

   Finally, the secretariat announced the "UPDATE EARTH Symposium -Spring-" scheduled for Saturday, March 7th.

   In addition to the "Value Up Pitch (Tentative)"—an expanded version of the results presentation and value up sessions from this program—the event will feature panel discussions with various top runners and the awards ceremony for the INNO-vation Generation Award, the predecessor to the ICT Startup League.

■ Detailed Report and Event Highlights on SNS!

    Further details on the heated sessions will be shared in a detailed report to be published at a later date.

    The latest information will be announced on our official X (formerly Twitter), so please follow us and wait for updates.
Official X Account:https://x.com/startupleaguejp

    Also, please search the hashtags to feel the real excitement of the day!
Recommended Hashtag:#StartupLeagueAcademy

Other League Reports

2026/01/15

 Rapid Growth Strategies in an Era Where "Fast Fish" Win and Ecosystem Interactions — 9th Startup League Academy Digest Report —

2025/12/18

 Business is Ultimately 'Luck,' but Efforts to Improve the Odds Are Essential — 8th Startup League Academy Digest Report —

2025/12/12

 Not 'Ease of Entry' but 'Is It In Demand?': Global Expansion as a 'Survival Strategy' — 7th Startup League Academy Digest Report —

2025/11/27

 "IPO is Not an Exit": The Nagoya Stock Exchange Discusses the "Small IPO" Option — 6th Startup League Academy Digest Report —

2025/11/07

 Is 'Lifework' the Key? The Realities of Utilizing Professional Talent and Launching a Business — 5th Startup League Academy Digest Report —

2025/10/28

 What are the Key Perspectives for Startups Collaborating with Large Corporations? - 3rd Startup League Academy Digest Report -

2025/10/10

 What are the Key Perspectives for Startups Collaborating with Large Corporations? - 3rd Startup League Academy Digest Report -

2025/09/22

 Value-Up Session Held for Two Selected Companies! - 2nd Startup League Academy Digest Report -

2025/09/08

 What Does It Take for a Startup to Win Globally? CICs Masaru Nagura Delivers a Passionate Talk!

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