2025/11/17(月)「Ecosystem Link GLOBAL Kickoff presented by It's Sta.」を開催します!
What is Ecosystem Link GLOBAL presented by It's Sta.? Ecosystem Link GLOBAL presented by It's Sta. is a gathering for entrepreneurs and supporters from around the world to come together, connect, and spark new collaborations. By fostering dialogue between international and Japanese founders, corporates, and ecosystem builders, we aim to establish a new habit: "Go to JAM BASE on this day, and you'll connect with the world." Join us for an inclusive, open, and global innovation gathering in the heart of Osaka.
Theme: Global × Startup Collaboration For overseas startups and entrepreneurs looking to enter the Japanese market, language, business customs, and network barriers remain major challenges. In the Kansai region, more and more ecosystem players are stepping up to address these issues and build better support structures.
This event aims to shed light on the challenges and solutions for fostering international collaboration in Kansai. It also creates a real and open touchpoint for global founders, supporters, and Japanese companies to connect and explore future possibilities together.
In Session 1, we welcome key players from JETRO and Hankyu Hanshin Properties to share the actual concerns raised by international startups and the support frameworks in place to address them. In Session 2, global startups eager to expand into the Japanese market will pitch their businesses and collaboration ideas. Finally, we'll wrap up with an open networking session, offering a space where people from different countries, sectors, and roles can interact freely--and perhaps find the spark for their next partnership.
"Go to JAM BASE on this day, and you'll connect with the world." Be part of this first step in building that new habit at Umekita. Join us!
Event Overview|Ecosystem Link GLOBAL Kickoff presented by It's Sta. ◆ Date & Time:Monday, November 17, 2025|17:00-19:00 Doors open 30 minutes before the event starts. ◆ Venue:JAM BASE 4F "Syn-SALON", North Building, Grand Green Osaka(Click here for access details.) ◆ Admission:Free of charge Advance registration required. Please bring your business card. ◆ Capacity:50 participants Free entry and exit during the event. ◆ Organizer:U-FINO (Umekita Future Innovation Organization) ◆ Who Should Join:International entrepreneurs based in Japan or entering the Japanese market Corporate professionals and innovation leaders seeking collaboration with global startups
<Program(Tentative)> 16:30 Registration 17:00 Opening 17:00 Session1:Real Voices from the Field 17:20 Session2:Grobal Startup Pitch 18:00 Networking Gathering 19:00 Free Exit Please note that the program and schedule are subject to change.
Foreign startups seeking to expand in the Kansai region often face challenges such as language, business culture, and network access. In this session, experts from JETRO and Hankyu Hanshin Properties will share real-world insights based on their support experience for international startups. Discover practical support frameworks, common concerns from founders, and how local organizations can foster better collaboration across borders.
<Speaker>
Chieko Tanabe
Born in Fukuoka Prefecture. After graduating from Sophia University, joined JETRO, where I worked on attracting overseas companies and managing international conferences. Since 2023, at JETRO Osaka, I have been responsible for supporting open innovation partnerships in Kansai between Kansai-based companies and overseas companies seeking to collaborate with Japanese firms possessing new technologies. This aims to contribute to the development of Kansai's ecosystem through international collaboration. My daily goal is to make overseas companies say, "Osaka is definitely the best choice!"
I'm 29 years old, originally from Osaka, and currently in my seventh year as a working professional. I enjoy playing futsal and going to saunas in my free time. I joined Hankyu Hanshin Holdings in 2019 and have since been seconded to Hankyu Hanshin Properties, where I'm involved in startup-related projects and ecosystem development in the Osaka-Umeda area.
Business Overview Engaged in implementing functions to support new industry creation aimed at revitalizing the economic foundation of the Osaka-Umeda area. ・Conducting attraction activities primarily targeting startups and providing proof-of-concept (PoC) opportunities utilizing internal resources ・Planning and promoting collaboration projects with local established companies ・Managing co-creation initiatives with Hankyu Hanshin Group companies and investing in domestic and international startups through the corporate venture capital (CVC) framework
<Moderator> Sawako Nakura(U-FINO)
Session2:Grobal Startup Pitch
A selection of global startups aiming to expand into the Kansai market will take the stage. These companies will pitch their solutions and collaboration needs--don't miss this chance to meet your next innovation partner.
<Speaker>
Yoshihiro Suzuyama CEO / Founder, RAYVEN Inc.
Business overview RAYVEN Inc. develops and operates Tumiki, a SaaS platform built on a new standard that enables AI to seamlessly connect with external data and tools. Tumiki provides an environment where AI can link to APIs, databases, and cloud services with a single click--dramatically simplifying processes that once required deep technical expertise. This allows companies to rapidly build AI-powered applications using their own data, significantly reducing development costs and operational complexity. By transforming AI from a "specialized tool" into a "universal business infrastructure," RAYVEN aims to unlock productivity and creativity across all industries. The technology is patented and has been recognized with the Geniac Prize, setting a new standard for practical AI adoption.
Profile Yoshihiro Suzuyama is the CEO of RAYVEN Inc. and Visiting Lecturer at Fujita Health University. He specializes in AI agent development and enterprise AI integration, helping organizations adopt technology with greater agility and efficiency. His experience spans a wide range of product development, from government certification systems to manufacturing management tools, leading both implementation and business strategy. Currently, he focuses on Tumiki, a SaaS platform that simplifies the connection between AI, data, and external tools, making AI integration more accessible and actionable. Through his work, Suzuyama bridges the gap between technology and business, building a future where individuals and organizations can leverage AI autonomously.
Caitlin Puzzar CEO & Co-founder, Gurdian Inc.
Business overview kimino micata® is an online child communication support system, used as a tool for children to express their concerns. Through online questionnaires, it catches early signs of abuse or bullying at school, and childrens' SOS alerts are passed on to designated teams within the school, the school nurse, or a pre-registered external consulting organization, to ensure timely intervention. It is designed to be easier for children to voice things they may not be comfortable saying in person.
Profile Born in 1995. Raised in a police family in Liverpoo, U.K. Served as a police cadet (volunteer) in high school.Graduated from Keele University, UK in 2016 (majoring in Criminology and Japanese). Subsequently worked for six years as an Assistant Language Teacher (ALT) at schools in Kumamoto City. Through interacting with children, she developed a deep awareness of issues surrounding bullying and abuse, resolving to protect children's lives. She developed kimino micata ® with children's welfare as the priority.She felt a sense of crisis that child rights were not being prioritized, with school convenience taking precednece, for example sharing of information without child's consent. Even when children wish to seek help, the barriers are extremely high. As such, she wanted to create a system similar to that of DSL teachers in the UK, who act as an ally for children, which do not yet exist in Japan.
Business overview Butlr is an MIT Media Lab spinout with an AIoT people-sensing platform using thermal signals to accurately and anonymously infer activity, occupancy, indoor location, and body posture in buildings. Butlr's Heatic sensors are privacy-friendly and incapable of collecting personal information.
Profile After earning his Master's degree from the Graduate School of Law at Kyoto University, Rang worked at a consulting firm and a securities company before joining Butlr in August 2023. He currently leads partnership development and business expansion across the APAC region, driving collaboration with major enterprises and strategic partners to strengthen Butlr's regional presence and accelerate growth."
Ken Guo CEO, Reluvate Technologies
Business Overview Reluvate Technologies Inc. is a company specializing in AI-driven business transformation and product development. Beyond simple automation, we utilize AI agents, knowledge graphs, and natural language processing to build systems that enable organizations to think and grow autonomously. Serving government agencies, large enterprises, and SMEs, we redesign decision-making, operational structures, and data utilization to maximize organizational intelligence and productivity.
Profile Ken Guo specializes in integrating AI system design with organizational operations. His work in finance, legal, and infrastructure projects emphasizes problem clarity and practical design over rapid deployment. He develops AI agents that bridge structured and unstructured information to improve organizational decision-making and intellectual productivity.
Charles Allard CEO, Delvify Japan
Business Overview Delvify manages apparel and fashion brands and suppliers digital assets. Through in house built AI models we use pre-production data to drive insight to shorten lead times and create more effiicient supply chains. Fashion and apparel companies face persistent operational challenges that delay development, waste resources, and undermine creative and commercial potential
Profile With a career in the finance industry spanning over 25 years, Charles has been a witness from the inside to the great bubble in Japan in the late 1980s, the implosion of the asset backed market in 2008 and the beginnings of the Chinese asset management industry. Early in his career, Charles co-authored two Euromoney Publishing best selling books on the Insurance Risk Securitization market. In 2006 he join the alternative asset management industry full time and rose to be Chairman of Winton Capital Asia, the APAC arm of the $30bn manager Winton Capital Management. Responsible for Winton's operations in the Asia Pacific region, Charles sat on the firm's Investment Committee and built the firm's investor base and business in Asia Pacific. He led the largest foreign fund raise in Japanese history and with his COO Kurt Settle, launched the first foreign advised quantitative fund in the PRC. With a career as an intrapreneur the finance industry, Charles helped develop early credit default swaps in Japan in the late 1980s and early 90s. He help drive innovation within several companies and in 2014 Charles took this skill set to become a joint entrepreneur and built from scratch Ve Interactive's Asian group of 7 APAC offices offering innovative adtech and martech onsite solutions to ecommerce before exiting to start his own company. Along the way he has invested in several successful startups including Delerrok, the mass transit disrupter. His current venture, Delvify is now leading the race to improve sustainability in garment production by harnessing AI to improve antiquated processes and reduce waste to make the planet better for all of us.
Fatima Bencheikh CEO, KOALA Tech. Inc.
Business Over view Koala tech is a startup born from Kyushu University in 2019, powered by an international team that values open-minded collaboration and diverse perspectives. We develop next-generation microdisplay technology for smart glasses, designed to overcome OLED limitations. Our innovation delivers superior brightness, durability, and efficiency, powering the future of immersive computing.
Profile Fatima Bencheikh, Ph.D. is the CEO and CTO of KOALA Tech Inc., a startup she co-founded in Japan in 2019. She is a scientist and entrepreneur with a passion for developing next-generation display technologies. Her company focuses on cutting-edge innovations such as OLED and organic laser devices, with applications in smart glasses, wearables, and other future display products.
It's Sta. is a community operated by the Umekita Future Innovation Organization (U-FINO), where startups, corporate new business developers, financial institutions, professionals, government agencies, and support organizations come together to take on innovation challenges. It aims to foster an environment where key players in new industry creation--such as innovators and trailblazers--can connect, share knowledge and technologies through events and study sessions, and actively engage in co-creation and mutual growth.
◆U-FINO (Umekita Future Innovation Organization)
U-FINO (Umekita Future Innovation Organization) was established in September 2022 to realize the vision of "a hub that integrates greenery and innovation" as part of the Umekita Phase 2 development project, known as "Grand Green Osaka." Drawing on nearly five years of experience from the "Umekita Phase 2 Green and Innovation Hub Promotion Council," U-FINO connects a wide range of players--researchers with cutting-edge technologies, startups, corporations, and public sector representatives. It serves as a coordinating body for new industry creation, bringing together government agencies, the private sector, and regional stakeholders including Osaka Prefecture, Osaka City, the Kansai Economic Federation, and the Osaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Ecosystem Link GLOBAL Kickoff presented by It's Sta. とは? 海外出身の起業家や支援者が気軽に集まれる場をつくりたい──そんな想いから、「Ecosystem Link GLOBAL」は始まります。 日本人起業家や事業会社とも交わることで、国籍・文化・言語を越えた共創のきっかけを生み出し、「この日にJAM BASEに行けば、世界とつながれる」──そんな習慣を大阪・関西のスタートアップエリアに根付かせていきます。 言語・立場を問わず交わることのできる "Global Gathering" に、ぜひご参加ください。
Ecosystem Link GLOBAL Kickoff presented by It's Sta. 概要 ◆日時:2025年11月17日(月)17:00-19:00 ※開始30分前から会場入室可能です。 ◆場所:グラングリーン大阪 北館 JAM BASE4階 Syn-SALON(アクセスの詳細はこちら!) ◆参加費:無料 ※要事前申込、名刺をご持参ください ◆定員:50名 ※時間中入退場可能 ◆主催:一般社団法人うめきた未来イノベーション機構(U-FINO) ▶参加対象: 海外起業家 海外スタートアップと共創したい事業会社 ほか