Source: Peatix

Ten student entrepreneurs come together to tackle social issues!
The final report session for the social entrepreneur acceleration program for students, "Zero to One," sponsored by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, "Zero to One Final Pitch 2026," will be held at SHIBUYA QWS.

In the first half of the event, a talk session will be held, where speakers from companies and organizations that support young people's endeavors will discuss the theme of "Why do we need young people taking on social entrepreneurship now?"

In the second half of the event, the "Final Pitch" will see 10 groups of students from the third batch take the stage to present their business plans as the culmination of the "Zero to One" program, which began in August 2025.

After the final pitch, there will be a networking event where speakers and participants can connect directly. This will not only open up new opportunities for co-creation, collaboration, and investment, but also provide an opportunity to connect with passionate entrepreneurs.

Come and see the student entrepreneurs trying to solve social issues through business at the venue or online!

\This event is recommended for the following people/

✅People interested in social businesses and impact startups
✅People interested in student startup challenges
✅Students who are thinking about starting a business in the future

(1) What is Zero to One?
"Zero to One" is a public-private partnership program that aims to develop the next generation of social entrepreneurs. Targeting students living in Japan who aspire to solve social issues, the program was launched in 2023 with the aim of cultivating young social entrepreneurs who will lead the next generation, and this year marks the third year of the program.

The program aims to provide participants with an environment where they can concentrate and improve through lectures, mentoring, and training camps by leading social entrepreneurs and supporters, and to help them acquire the mindset and skills of a social entrepreneur.

(2) Event Overview
Date and time: Friday, February 27, 2026, 14:00-19:30 (Registration begins at 13:30)
Location: SHIBUYA QWS (15th floor, SHIBUYA SCRAMBLE SQUARE, 2-24-12 Shibuya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo)
Capacity: Approximately 120 people at the venue (first come, first served) / No limit on online capacity
Participation fee: Free
Organizer: Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry
Organized by: Zero to One Program Management Office (Borderless Japan Co., Ltd.)
Special cooperation: SHIBUYA QWS (SHIBUYA SCRAMBLE SQUARE Ltd.)

timetable:
14:00-14:05 Opening
14:05-14:35 Talk session
14:35-18:10 Zero to One Final Pitch
18:10-18:15 Closing
18:30-19:30 Networking event (interaction with all 10 program participants)

*The time may vary depending on the progress on the day.
*If you require special support at the venue on the day, please contact the secretariat.

(3) Introduction of the talk session speakers

Takumi Matsuzawa (Ignition Domain Group Leader, New Business Development Department, Honda Motor Co., Ltd.)
Born in Yamanashi Prefecture in 1983, he joined Honda Motor Co., Ltd. in 2008. He has been involved for many years in the development of production technology and mass production support for automobile production plants. In 2023, he joined the management office of IGNITION, a companion-style new business creation program that produces startup companies from the company. He supports business development for entrepreneurs both inside and outside the company, and launches and plans programs for external parties.

Hiroshi Ishikawa (Director of the Innovation Creation New Business Promotion Division, Innovation and Environment Bureau, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry)
After joining the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, he was in charge of innovation policy, energy policy, automobile policy, etc., and then served as Secretary to the Minister for COVID-19 Response and Economic Revitalization, Director of the Industrial Structure Division, and Counsellor to the Minister's Secretariat (Overall Director for Asia and the Pacific Region), before becoming Director of the Innovation Creation New Business Promotion Division in July 2025. He graduated from the Department of International Relations, College of Liberal Arts, University of Tokyo, and holds an MBA from Carnegie Mellon University.

Masatake Suzuki (CEO and COO of Borderless Japan Co., Ltd.): Moderator
Born in Hiroshima Prefecture in 1979, he worked at Misumi Corporation (now Misumi Group Headquarters) before co-founding Borderless Japan. He has been involved in the creation and growth of numerous social businesses, including corporate divisions such as business creation and finance, as well as incubating and accelerating social entrepreneurs. He has also pursued the creation of a system for "Borderless Campanio," a community where social entrepreneurs gather to share know-how, funds, and other related assets and co-create social impact. He has also served as a sustainability advisor for the Marui Group and a project committee member for the Ministry of the Environment, sharing know-how and networks with companies, government agencies, and educational institutions, promoting collaboration and maximizing impact.

*Hiroshi Ishikawa (Director of the Innovation Creation New Business Promotion Division, Innovation and Environment Bureau, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry) and Masatake Suzuki (CEO and COO of Borderless Japan Co., Ltd.) will also appear as judges for the Zero to One Final Pitch.

(4) Introduction of the judges for the Zero to One Final Pitch (in no particular order)

Hideto Fujino (CEO, Rheos Capital Works Inc.)
Born in Toyama Prefecture in 1966. Graduated from the Faculty of Law at Waseda University in 1990 and joined Nomura Investment Advisors (now Nomura Asset Management). Has served as a fund manager at Jardine Fleming Investment Trust and Investment Advisors (now JP Morgan Asset Management) since 1996 and at Goldman Sachs Asset Management since 2000. He has extensive experience managing small and mid-cap stocks and growth stocks. In 2003, he went independent and founded Rheos Capital Works, Inc. He is also committed to investment education, serving as a Senior Specially Appointed Professor at the Tokyo University of Science's MOT Department, a Visiting Professor at Eikei University, a Visiting Professor at Shukutoku University's Faculty of Regional Revitalization, and a Visiting Professor at Tokyo University of Science. His recent publications include "The Nikkei Average of 100,000 Yen is Coming!" (Nikkei BP, Nikkei Publishing) and "Professional Investors' Thinking Methods for Looking Far Ahead" (Cross Media Publishing).

Miwa Tanaka (Co-representative and co-founder of Waris Co., Ltd. (Benesse Group))
After graduating from the Department of Political Science, Faculty of Law, Keio University, she worked as an editor and journalist for the magazine "Nikkei Woman" at Nikkei BP, listening to the voices of over 30,000 women. In 2013, she co-founded Waris Co., Ltd., which provides job introductions to women who want to work as freelancers, supports women in changing jobs and finding employment through reskilling, and introduces female executives and managers. Ten years after its founding, the company joined the Benesse Group through M&A. As an expert on women's career issues, she has appeared in numerous media outlets, including NHK and the Nikkei Shimbun. Her publications include "39 Tips for Working in Your Own Way" (KADOKAWA). She won the Excellence Award at the 3rd DBJ Women's New Business Plan Competition. She is a nationally certified career consultant.

Yutaro Koyanagi (CEO of JOYCLE Co., Ltd.)
Driven by his belief in "creating a business that will change society 100 years after my death," he is leading the realization of a circular economy. After working in chemical trade sales and a stint in Papua New Guinea at Sojitz Corporation, he was involved in new business development and acceleration program management at multiple companies, including Dentsu and U3 Innovations. Aiming to build a globally competitive business from Japan, he decided to start a business in the environmental field and founded JOYCLE Inc. in March 2023. He aims to realize a "society where resources and joy circulate (CYCLE)" by building a new decentralized infrastructure with JOYCLE BOX, which recycles waste without transporting or burning it. He is also active as a young expert on the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry's Carbon Neutral Subcommittee, and is a leader in a wide range of fields, leading to the future of the environmental energy sector.

Masahiro Kawachi (Representative of the Ano Support Project)
After graduating from Waseda University, he joined Borderless Japan Co., Ltd., where he worked in business development at group company Peopleport, primarily building production operations. He then gained experience as a systems engineer at Hummingbird Power. In 2021, he founded Annotation Support, which operates an AI data creation business for AI development companies and educational institutions. It was recognized as a social business model that tackles the issue of statelessness and won the Good Design Award. He was also selected as one of Forbes' "30 Under 30 (Asia) Changing the World."

(5) Pitch speakers (Zeroichi students) *In no particular order

・Sato Okawara (Energy issue: shortage of SAF fuel)
Mayu Onozawa (The lack of career support for junior and senior high school students in Cambodia)
- Kaito Komori (The issue of lack of quality of life support for children with cancer)
・Daiki Sekikawa (Niigata's population decline issue)
・Kanon Tanaka (Myanmar's poverty issue)
・Masato Doki (educational disparities for children from economically disadvantaged families)
・Aki Nakata (The issue of lack of support for people with developmental disorders and borderline intelligence)
Ayako Hoshino (the issue of declining blood donation rates)
Mayu Yoshino (Food waste and hunger)
・Moeka Akitani (The issue of stray dog adoption in Thailand)

▼Click here for details on Zeroichi Live
https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000658.000021621.html
*The current initiatives may differ from those at the time of the press release.

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Contact Us
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Borderless Japan Co., Ltd.
Zero to One Program Management Office
info@01zeroichi.jp

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Special cooperation: SHIBUYA QWS
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SHIBUYA QWS is a members-only facility where diverse people can intersect and interact, creating seeds that lead to social value, with the concept of "Not just asking, not just meeting, not just creating, but changing the world."

Official website: https://shibuya-qws.com/about
Address: Shibuya SHIBUYA SCRAMBLE SQUARE (East Tower), 15th floor, 2-24-12 Shibuya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo

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Management
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■About Borderless Japan Co., Ltd.

Founded in March 2007 as a platform company bringing together social entrepreneurs with the aim of "changing the world through social business," the company operates over 50 businesses in 14 countries around the world to solve various social issues, including poverty, the environment, education, and rural depopulation, with sales expected to exceed 10 billion yen by 2024. Its business model of continuously creating social entrepreneurs has been highly praised, and the company has received the Good Design Award in the Business Model category (2019), the Cherished Company Award - Jury Special Award (2019), and the CSA Award - A company that creates next-generation talent that people in their 20s would like to recommend.
HP：https://www.borderless-japan.com/

Venue