{"id":176134,"date":"2026-02-24T15:46:39","date_gmt":"2026-02-24T06:46:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/?post_type=event&p=176134&lang=en"},"modified":"2026-02-24T15:46:39","modified_gmt":"2026-02-24T06:46:39","slug":"thursday-gathering-61","status":"publish","type":"event","link":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/en\/event\/thursday-gathering-61\/","title":{"rendered":"Thursday Gathering #61: Bloom Fukuoka Business Plan Showcase & Kyushu Small Giants"},"content":{"rendered":"

From women-led startups to globally minded regional brands, this week\u2019s Thursday Gathering highlights the energy driving Kyushu forward. Discover emerging entrepreneurs, bold local challengers, and the strategies turning regional strength into global impact.
\n\"\"
\nDate and Time:<\/strong> Thursday, March 12, 2026, 16:00 to 20:00
\nLocation: <\/strong>ONE FUKUOKA BLDG. 6F SKYLOBBY
\nAdmission:<\/strong> Free (registration required)
\nRegistration & details:<\/strong> Event website<\/a> (Japanese)<\/p>\n

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

16:00 \u2013 18:20
\nBloom Fukuoka Business Plan Presentation (2nd Edition)<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\u2014four of them first-time challengers\u2014will showcase the business plans they have refined through the program.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Witness the passion and ambition shaping the future of women-led innovation in Fukuoka.
\nMore info<\/em><\/a>: Japanese<\/p>\n

18:30 \u2013 19:20
\nThe Rise of Kyushu\u2019s Small Giants \u2014 Local Passion Driving Global Impact<\/strong><\/p>\n

As population decline and industrial maturity reshape Japan\u2019s regions, the notion that \u201clocal means disadvantage\u201d no longer holds true. From Kyushu, a new wave of \u201cSmall Giants\u201d is emerging\u2014companies rooted in regional identity yet competing on the global stage.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Featured speakers include:
\n\u2022 SAGA HIRAKAWAYA, reinterpreting 75 years of heritage to share regional culture as immersive experiences
\n\u2022 PIETRO, evolving its food brand into experiential value with a global outlook
\n\u2022 welzo, rebuilding a \u201csweet potato economy\u201d through industry\u2013academia\u2013government collaboration and agricultural innovation from Kyushu<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Participants will gain practical insights to update and strengthen their own businesses from the forefront of the \u201cLocal \u00d7 Fans \u00d7 Global\u201d movement.<\/p>\n

Special Gift:
\nThe first 100 participants who pre-register will receive a roasted sweet potato terrine\u2014a limited collaboration sweet by Boom Boom Coffee and Enarin, inspired by connections formed through the Save the Sweet Potato project.
\nMore info<\/em><\/a>: Japanese<\/p>\n

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

From women-led startups to globally minded regional brands, this week\u2019s Thursday Gathering highlights the energy…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":30292,"featured_media":176150,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","tags":[],"class_list":["post-176134","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\/176134","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=176134"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/176150"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=176134"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=176134"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}