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From women-led startups to globally minded regional brands, this week’s Thursday Gathering highlights the energy driving Kyushu forward. Discover emerging entrepreneurs, bold local challengers, and the strategies turning regional strength into global impact.
Date and Time: Thursday, March 12, 2026, 16:00 to 20:00
Location: ONE FUKUOKA BLDG. 6F SKYLOBBY
Admission: Free (registration required)
Registration & details: Event website (Japanese)
Event Highlights (In-person only):
16:00 – 18:20
Bloom Fukuoka Business Plan Presentation (2nd Edition)
Empowering the next generation of women entrepreneurs. Since September 2024, Fukuoka Prefecture has supported aspiring female founders through its startup initiative, Bloom Fukuoka. At this second Business Plan Presentation event, six women entrepreneurs—four of them first-time challengers—will showcase the business plans they have refined through the program.
Experienced entrepreneurs and advisors from economic organizations and universities will provide live feedback, followed by a networking session designed to foster business matching and collaboration opportunities.
Witness the passion and ambition shaping the future of women-led innovation in Fukuoka.
More info: Japanese
18:30 – 19:20
The Rise of Kyushu’s Small Giants — Local Passion Driving Global Impact
As population decline and industrial maturity reshape Japan’s regions, the notion that “local means disadvantage” no longer holds true. From Kyushu, a new wave of “Small Giants” is emerging—companies rooted in regional identity yet competing on the global stage.
Instead of scale alone, they leverage local character, devoted fan communities, storytelling, and experiential brand value to build distinctive growth models that attract attention both in Japan and abroad.
Featured speakers include:
• SAGA HIRAKAWAYA, reinterpreting 75 years of heritage to share regional culture as immersive experiences
• PIETRO, evolving its food brand into experiential value with a global outlook
• welzo, rebuilding a “sweet potato economy” through industry–academia–government collaboration and agricultural innovation from Kyushu
The session is facilitated by Keisuke Sone, CEO of i-NNO, a PR and brand strategy firm with domestic and international expertise. Drawing on both global and local perspectives, he will guide the discussion on elevating regional strengths to world-class standards.
Participants will gain practical insights to update and strengthen their own businesses from the forefront of the “Local × Fans × Global” movement.
Special Gift:
The first 100 participants who pre-register will receive a roasted sweet potato terrine—a limited collaboration sweet by Boom Boom Coffee and Enarin, inspired by connections formed through the Save the Sweet Potato project.
More info: Japanese
Organized by Venture Café Fukuoka
Languages: Japanese and/or English (varies by session)
All sessions are in-person only. Pre-registration required via the event website.