{"id":175803,"date":"2026-01-29T09:34:25","date_gmt":"2026-01-29T00:34:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/?post_type=event&p=175803&lang=en"},"modified":"2026-02-12T18:09:34","modified_gmt":"2026-02-12T09:09:34","slug":"thursday-gathering-57","status":"publish","type":"event","link":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/en\/event\/thursday-gathering-57\/","title":{"rendered":"Thursday Gathering #57: Impact Startups, Decarbonization & Canadian AI Innovation"},"content":{"rendered":"

From university-born impact startups to practical decarbonization solutions and globally active Canadian AI ventures, this edition of Thursday Gathering brings together students, startups, corporates, and ecosystem builders to explore how innovation can address real-world challenges\u2014from Kyushu to the global stage.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Date and Time<\/b>: Thursday, February 12, 2026, 16:00 to 20:20
\n<\/span>Location<\/b>: ONE FUKUOKA BLDG. 6F SKYLOBBY
\n<\/span>Admission<\/b>: Free (registration required)
\n<\/span>Registration & details<\/b>: Available <\/span>online<\/span><\/a> (Japanese)<\/span><\/p>\n

Event Highlights (In-person only):<\/span><\/h3>\n

16:00 \u2013 16:50
\n<\/span>PARKS Impact Startup Seminar: Designing Support for Student-Led Impact Startups
\n<\/b>How can a student\u2019s small curiosity grow into an impact startup that tackles social issues? Drawing on experience from the University of Tokyo\u2019s Hongo Tech Garage, this seminar shares insights from a proven manufacturing and innovation ecosystem and discusses how it can be adapted and expanded across Kyushu and Okinawa. Using case studies from programs such as Mitou Advanced and 1st Round, speakers explore the support elements that should be replicated locally, as well as the unique strengths Kyushu can leverage to build a regional, university-driven startup ecosystem.
\n<\/span>More info<\/span><\/i><\/a>: Japanese<\/span><\/p>\n

17:00 \u2013 17:15
\n<\/span>How to Enjoy Thursday Gathering
\n<\/b>New to Thursday Gathering? This short, interactive session introduces Venture Caf\u00e9 Fukuoka\u2019s signature weekly event. Learn about the community\u2019s mission, how the gathering works, and why meaningful connections matter. Held every week, it\u2019s the perfect starting point for anyone curious about joining the Thursday Gathering community.
\n<\/span>More info<\/span><\/i><\/a>: Japanese<\/span><\/p>\n

17:00 \u2013 18:00
\n<\/span>Interactive Learning Series 02: Understand
\n<\/b>Hosted by Empowered by Industry (EBI), this second session in the Innovation Learning Series (ILS) focuses on the \u201cUnderstand\u201d phase of innovation. Building on discovery, participants will create detailed user personas and map customer journeys from awareness to retention using practical tools. Through multi-dimensional pain point analysis\u2014functional, emotional, social, financial, time, and workflow\u2014attendees will identify priority segments, align products with validated needs, and strengthen market traction.
\n<\/span>Location: Sub-session Area (next to REC COFFEE)
\n<\/span>More info<\/span><\/i><\/a>: Japanese<\/span><\/p>\n

17:30 \u2013 18:20
\n<\/span>Decarbonization Business Pitch in Fukuoka Vol. 2
\n<\/b>Fukuoka City certifies companies contributing to carbon neutrality and supports their market expansion, while K-RIP promotes environmental products and services and facilitates new partnerships. In this pitch event, three companies with solutions that genuinely contribute to decarbonization will take the stage. This session is ideal for those seeking effective carbon-neutral solutions or new collaboration opportunities in the sustainability space.
\n<\/span>More info<\/span><\/i><\/a>: Japanese<\/span><\/p>\n

18:00 \u2013 18:30
\n<\/span>FOOD DIVERSITY INNOVATION: Building the Next-Generation Food Infrastructure from Kyushu
\n<\/b>Food allergies and dietary restrictions affect far more people than commonly assumed, including adults with sudden onset and families with newly diagnosed children. In this session, a 19-year-old student with severe food allergies shares firsthand experiences from emergency medical incidents, the current realities of meal accommodation, and the challenges facing society today. The talk also introduces \u201cMYSHOKU,\u201d a vision for a next-generation food infrastructure designed to protect lives, presented from Kyushu with a global perspective.
\n<\/span>More info<\/span><\/i><\/a>: Japanese<\/span><\/p>\n

18:30 \u2013 20:20
\n<\/span>Canadian AI Startup Pitch & Meetup 2026 in Fukuoka
\n<\/b>Hosted in collaboration with the Canadian Embassy in Japan (Trade Section), this session highlights alumni companies from the Canadian Technology Accelerator (CTA) Japan program\u2014Canadian AI startups already active in the Japanese market. Learn how collaboration between Japanese companies and Canadian startups is progressing, what distinguishes Canada\u2019s AI ecosystem, and why the country continues to produce globally recognized AI ventures.
\n<\/span>A panel discussion, moderated by Alex Odajima, brings together perspectives from startups, ecosystem support organizations, and government representatives to explore how Japan\u2013Canada collaboration can generate meaningful business opportunities. The session concludes with a networking reception.<\/span><\/p>\n

Pitching Startups:
\n<\/span>\u2022 PRIVATE AI \u2013 AI technology that detects and anonymizes personal data with over 99% accuracy across more than 52 languages and 50+ business domains
\n\u2022 CyberTrophy \u2013 A smartphone app using location-based technology to verify NFT trophies
\n\u2022 Synode \u2013 Automated content creation tools for training, assembly instructions, and sales\/marketing using 3D CAD data<\/p>\n

Language<\/b>: Japanese and English (with interpretation)
\n<\/span>More info<\/span><\/i><\/a>: Japanese<\/span><\/p>\n

Organized by <\/span>Venture Caf\u00e9 Fukuoka
\n<\/b>Languages: Japanese and\/or English (varies by session)
\n<\/span>All sessions are in-person only. Pre-registration required via the event website.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

From university-born impact startups to practical decarbonization solutions and globally active Canadian AI ventures…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":30292,"featured_media":175804,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","tags":[],"class_list":["post-175803","event","type-event","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","location-chuo-ku","event-type-community","event-type-seminar","en-US"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/event\/175803","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/event"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/event"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/30292"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=175803"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/175804"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=175803"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=175803"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}