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Be ambitious.
Thrive here.

Hokkaido was a land where ambitions took root, but has it become a region overlooked by aspiring entrepreneurs seeking a place to build their dreams? At STARTUP HOKKAIDO we’re reimagining the northern land as a place where innovators pave the way for groundbreaking ventures again and again.

Are rules and red tape throwing up roadblocks for your business? Let’s tear those barriers down.

Is your fledgling company struggling to fund exciting, new innovations? We’ll come together to seek out resources.

Hokkaido is a land of opportunities waiting to be realized. Start your journey with STARTUP HOKKAIDO.

STARTUP HOKKAIDO  STARTUP HOKKAIDO  STARTUP HOKKAIDO 

Project

PROJECT

café
(Consultations for startups)

all stages

The consultation service is open all year round to answer various concerns about startups. In addition to consulting with the secretariat on business and ideas, this service offers a diverse menu of consultation services, including consultations with lawyers, accountants, patent attorneys, and other experts, financial consultations with financial institutions, assistance programs from government agencies, and consultations on corporate entry into new markets.

01.

PROJECT

STARTUP HOKKAIDO STARTUP SCHOOL

Targeted at high school students, university students, graduate students, junior college students, vocational school students, and technical college students

This is a community-based program for students to recognize careers in startups and entrepreneurship (entrepreneurial spirit) for pioneering the future through practice.
Through the process of learning about diverse careers active around the world, acquiring ideas
and knowledge to solve problems, and implementing their own ideas into society, the program
will lead to the development of globally active human resources that promote the discovery and incubation of startups.

02.

PROJECT

RESEARCHER’S BOOTCAMP

For researchers

RESEARCHER'S BOOTCAMP is an intensive project planning course for researchers to learn the process of analyzing the value of knowledge accumulated through research activities, conceiving projects, and sharing them with others, for those who wish to return research results to society through collaborations with industry.

03.

PROJECT

Local Innovation
Challenge HOKKAIDO

For entrepreneurs (from an early stage)

One of the largest administrative open innovation projects in Japan, in which startups collaborate with 12 municipalities in the Sapporo Collaboration Hub City Region to solve regional and administrative issues. Through demonstration experiments (PoC) with local governments, the project aims to support startups' business growth and at the same time foster innovation in the region.

04.

PROJECT

webinars

all stages

We hold webinars on various themes throughout the year on a variety of topics, including the latest information for startups in Hokkaido, pitches, and knowledge content for startups. We also hold social events with the goal of building a community.

05.

PROJECT

Exhibits at various events

all stages

We support exhibits at various startup events not only within Japan but also internationally. We provide a variety of opportunities for companies to gain a foothold to expand their business outside of Hokkaido and outside of Japan.

06.

PROJECT

J-Startup HOKKAIDO

For entrepreneurs (from an early stage)

STARTUP HOKKAIDO provides multilateral support in collaboration with "J-Startup HOKKAIDO," which is being promoted by METI's Hokkaido Bureau of Economy, Trade and Industry and the City of Sapporo, among others. "J-Startup HOKKAIDO" selects promising local startup companies from Sapporo, Hokkaido that are expected to be active globally and aims for dramatic growth through focused support and collaboration with public-sector institutions and private-sector enterprises.

07.

PROJECT

Open Network Lab
HOKKAIDO

For entrepreneurs (seed stage)

STARTUP HOKKAIDO supports the business growth of startups in the seed stage in collaboration with "Open Network Lab HOKKAIDO," an accelerator program for the incubation of startups aiming to go global from Hokkaido. The program provides mentoring by senior entrepreneurs and specialists in various fields, and accompanying support from the secretariat to achieve business growth in a short period of time.

08.

Member

INCUBATION HUB

SAPPORO Incubation Hub DRIVE

SAPPORO Incubation Hub DRIVE is a hub for connecting your "ideas" with society and the local community, housing the STARTUP HOKKAIDO office and serving as a support center for startups, with consultation services for starting new businesses and open innovation by companies and local governments in Hokkaido.