Futurist Monika Bielskyte explores how sci-fi world design techniques can inform innovation approaches that deliver positive impact and market value over the long term. Introducing protopian thinking and life-centric design principles, she outlines how companies can utilize edge insights to inform advanced and competitive design for future-ready products, platforms, experiences, and strategies in a rapidly changing world. This keynote will challenge the demoralizing dystopian assumptions, and explore how science-informed, contextual foresight practice combined with entertainment techniques could capture our imaginations to serve as strategic blueprints for a regenerative world – to inspire and energize tangible behavioral change.

The evolution of technology is driving a dramatic shift in medicine—from "Cure" (treating illness) to "Well-being" (enriching daily life). This session features Fumiaki Ikeno, a leader in Silicon Valley medical innovation, and Ruriko Tsushima, a pioneer in women’s healthcare in Japan. By bridging global investment and development trends with Japan’s critical clinical challenges, such as Femtech and preventive medicine, they will explore how technology can enhance Quality of Life (QOL) and create new economic value. Join us for an in-depth discussion on the grand design for the future of healthcare and society, led by experts from the front lines of Japan and the U.S.

Austin, Texas, the stage for SXSW, one of the world's largest comprehensive tech and arts events. What is the future being woven in this hub where world-leading tech companies converge and new startups emerge? Key players from Austin's ecosystem will provide a foresight into our daily lives ten years from now.

Addressing social challenges such as population decline and an aging society, this session explores how next-generation mobility will alter urban structures and lifestyles. We will discuss the vision and potential for creating a richer, sustainable future city.

As technology fuses with the human body, our very concepts of well-being and life are on the verge of a fundamental change. This session explores the cutting edge of human augmentation through wearables and biohacking, focusing on three core pillars: "Data," "Human Augmentation," and "Well-being." We will discuss how we can leverage bodily data to enhance individual mental and physical richness. Furthermore, we will delve into how technological body upgrades will shape the future of humanity and redefine our understanding of life itself.

Material science is often viewed as an uncharted frontier. This experiential session brings its immense potential to light through a live, public pitch format. Watch as venture capitalists and commercialization experts provide real-time evaluations of entrepreneurs’ authentic challenges in the field of innovative materials. By integrating academic expertise, we will visualize the dynamic ecosystem where materials awaken and evolve into world-changing unicorns. Witness the moment of transformation and discover the concrete strategies that will redraw the industrial map of the future.

Shradha Sharma, Founder & CEO of YourStory and The Bharat Project, explores the current state of the global startup ecosystem and the forces shaping its next era. Drawing on insights from thousands of founder stories and more than a decade of ecosystem-building across India and beyond, she highlights emerging trends in innovation, talent, investment, and technology. Shradha Sharma offers a clear view of where the world is heading next, and what founders, corporates, and investors must understand to stay ahead. This session provides actionable perspectives on navigating rapid change, building resilient organizations, and creating meaningful impact in an increasingly interconnected global market.

As the fusion of deep tech and open innovation creates uncharted markets and revolutionizes industries, frontline innovators will take a deep dive into the challenges of turning basic research into real-world applications. They will also explore how open co-creation is reshaping the future industrial landscape.

Is the future we are heading toward a catastrophic dystopia or a flawless utopia? This session explores the new frontiers of humanity through the lens of "Protopia"—a concept of hope where we move beyond binary extremes to build a world that is incrementally better today than it was yesterday.We bring together an extraordinary panel of visionaries: Monika Bielskyte, a futurist who transforms sci-fi-like visions into tangible reality; Youichiro Miyake, a philosophical AI engineer imbuing digital intelligence with "narrative" and "consciousness"; and Fumiaki Ikeno, a pioneer at the forefront of medical innovation redefining the very boundaries of life.By 2050, where the global challenges of climate change, the expansion of AI intelligence, and the transformation of the human body through regenerative medicine intersect—what kind of "story" will humanity be living?We will decode the "Equation of Hope" for the future, exploring how technology can transcend mere efficiency to heal loneliness, empower life, and co-create a sustainable world.

As autonomous driving and MaaS (Mobility as a Service) accelerate, mobility is transforming from a simple means of transportation into an infrastructure poised to reshape cities and our daily lives. This session will explore the vision and potential for next-generation mobility to address societal challenges, such as population decline and an aging society. We will discuss how it can transform urban structures and lifestyles to create a richer, more sustainable city of the future.

As responding to climate change becomes an urgent global challenge, the wave of the decarbonization revolution is sweeping across all industries. In this session, we will deeply explore the frontline strategies and challenges of how Central Japan's renowned monozukuri wisdom and cutting-edge technology are accelerating the Green Transformation (GX) and leading the way toward the realization of a net-zero society.

The rapid expansion of e-commerce has intensified the challenges of the "last mile"—the most critical bottleneck in logistics.This session explores how autonomous delivery solutions, including self-driving vehicles, drones, and delivery robots, are addressing these issues and fundamentally reshaping urban infrastructure and commerce. Through global cutting-edge examples, we will envision the future landscape of logistics and urban living.

The regions collectively known as the Global South are becoming the "origin of innovation" shaping the future of mobility, driven by unique social challenges and explosive demand. This session gathers top leaders from Japanese trading houses (sōgō shōsha) and manufacturers—who are driving business on the front lines in vast markets like India and Africa—along with experts who possess real-world knowledge of local market trends. We will explore how mobility, evolving at a different pace than in developed nations, is transforming people's lives, cities, and economies. From the perspective of emerging nations, we will decode the strategic hints for global innovation applicable worldwide.

Europe is rapidly advancing the integration of innovation and startups within the sports sector. In this session, experts will share the latest trends from the Paris Olympics, as well as European stadium and league management.From Japan, we introduce the concept and specific initiatives of "Superhuman Sports," an innovation trend where technology augments physical capabilities and expands the field of play. Grounded in the current state of the Aichi sports ecosystem, we will explore a shared vision for the future of sports co-created by Japan and Europe.

The rapid evolution of AI marks a major turning point in how we work. But what exactly does this "AI-driven future of work" look like? This session features two startup founders: Taihei Onishi of Stamen Co., Ltd., a company dedicated to helping businesses win through people and organizations, and Takumi Kitaguchi of Grand Central Co., Ltd., which aims to become the sales and marketing infrastructure for a new era. From organizational management and decision-making to the transformation of daily operations, they will thoroughly discuss the future of work from an executive perspective.Supported by Salesforce Japan Co.,Ltd.

The world of sports is undergoing an unprecedented evolution with the integration of cutting-edge technologies like wearables and AI. This session explores how technology enhances athletic performance, optimizes training, and prevents injuries.This evolution is not just about breaking records; it holds the potential to push human limits and redefine our future. We will examine, with specific examples, how the coexistence of technology and athletes is poised to transform the future of both sports and humanity.        

As Japan's VC ecosystem matures, an increasing number of startups are taking on the world. This session will bring together top-tier VCs from both Japan and abroad who invest from a global perspective. We will discuss what Japanese startups need to succeed globally, the visions investors look for, and the strategies and future of creating a world-class ecosystem through open innovation.

Aichi Financial Group actively supports student entrepreneurs in the region. In this program, students who have been awarded the "Aichi FG Award," sponsored by our group, at the pitch contest of "Tongali," an entrepreneurial development project by a consortium of universities in the Tokai region, will take the stage to pitch their ideas and business plans. Watch the session featuring students with flexible imagination and drive, and a strong spirit of challenge, who aim to realize their innovative ideas, and Aichi Financial Group, a regional financial institution that supports student entrepreneurs.Supported by Aichi Financial Group, Inc.

We will explore opportunities for collaboration between regional companies and “Craft × Tech”—an experimental, art-driven initiative that seeks to reexamine the essence of technology through the refined aesthetic sensibility of Japanese craftsmanship and the discerning minds and skilled hands that bring it to life.Supported by The Ogaki Kyoritsu Bank, Ltd.

This session will explore how three key players—local manufacturers who support Japan's monozukuri, universities that lead cutting-edge research, and VCs that accelerate growth—collaborate to create a "co-creation map" for deep tech and forge new industries. We will discuss the concrete practices and future visions of open innovation born in Central Japan.

Centered in Aichi Prefecture, Central Japan has its own unique strengths in advanced monozukuri technology and industrial clusters. This session will discuss growth strategies for startups that leverage these regional strengths to take on the world. We will explore how to utilize local resources to gain global competitiveness and examine the challenges and prospects of building a sustainable startup ecosystem through open innovation with large corporations and collaboration with research institutions.

Traditional brewing and fermentation technologies are moving beyond the food sector to become a driving force in the sustainable materials revolution. By leveraging the power of microorganisms, we will explore innovative initiatives and their future, including the creation of new materials from waste and the development of bioplastics—all contributing to reduced environmental impact and the realization of a circular economy.

Bank of Nagoya Group supports many local startups — particularly in the manufacturing sector —by providing debt from the bank and equity from the group venture capital. As a symbolic case, we introduce Prodrone Co., Ltd.In a world where disasters are frequent, drones are becoming a "game changer". As a "dual-use tech company" contributing to both the civilian and defense sector, we aim to build a drone mass production facility based in Nagoya. Prodrone is leading the way in "Level 4" drone flight, which is beyond visual line of sight in populated areas, and will begin full-scale overseas expansion with our unmanned helicopter called the "GT-M" and our "Mine Detection Drones

We will introduce our initiatives aimed at enhancing the value of railway-adjacent assets through open innovation, such as postpartum care services utilizing hotel stays and mobility services with integrated tourist guides.Our goal is to create an opportunity to explore possibilities for future co-creation with the audience in the effort to generate urban vitality and excitement.