Bridging Japan’s Top Research Teams and Business Leaders to Drive the Next Generation of Deep Tech Startups

Beyond Next Ventures Inc. (Headquarters: Chuo-ku, Tokyo; Founder CEO/ Managing Partner: Tsuyoshi Ito; hereinafter “the Company”) will organize TECH SEEDS MEETUP 2026 (hereinafter “the Event”) on September 2 and 3, 2026, as an official side event of TECHNIUM Global Conference 2026, which the Company will co-host.

The Event aims to connect promising deep tech seeds and startups from across Japan with business professionals seeking to launch new ventures or take on management roles. It will foster discussions and create opportunities to explore leadership and co-founding roles, helping drive the creation of next-generation deep tech startups.

Purpose & Background

Bringing deep tech into society requires not only outstanding research achievements, but also business professionals who can bridge technology and the market and drive business development. However, opportunities for business professionals seeking to co-found startups or take on leadership roles to connect with Tech Seeds remain limited.
Recognizing this challenge, Beyond Next Ventures has been working since 2017 to develop business leaders capable of co-founding and leading startups, while creating opportunities for business professionals to take on management roles.

As part of this initiative, TECH SEEDS MEETUP was launched in 2025 as one of Japan’s largest deep tech platforms for connecting Tech Seeds with business professionals interested in co-founding startups and taking on leadership roles.

Results from the 2025 Side Event

The 2025 side event brought together 231 research seed teams and approximately 200 business professionals. During the event, participants sent an average of five messages each to Tech Seeds. Survey results also show that they continued discussions with an average of approximately two seeds after the event.

These results indicate that participants were able to connect with multiple seeds, with some of these connections developing into post-event discussions on potential collaboration.

About TECH SEEDS MEETUP 2026

The Event will offer opportunities for both broad networking and in-depth dialogue. This year, participation by business professionals will be limited to 150 people to ensure more focused and substantive discussions.
*Please note that participation is subject to screening.

Value Proposition

• A Gathering of Selected Tech Seeds from Across Japan
  Approximately 80 promising Tech Seeds, selected from leading universities and research institutions across Japan based on VC recommendations, will gather in one place.
  Participants will be able to connect with Tech Seeds at an early stage, gain insight into the researchers’ aspirations and the potential of their technologies, and explore future opportunities for startup creation, leadership roles, and commercialization.
• A Platform for Creating Your Own Connections
  Before the event begins, participants will be able to use a dedicated platform to review information on participating Tech Seeds and arrange individual meetings. By identifying research teams that align with their own interests in advance, participants will be able to engage in deeper, more meaningful dialogue.
• Concierge Support to Facilitate In-Person Connections at the Venue
  Beyond Next Ventures members will be on site to recommend research teams that may be a good fit based on participants’ interests and experience, and to provide individual consultations on commercialization and taking on leadership roles.

About Participating Tech Seeds

The Event will bring together carefully selected Tech Seeds recommended by universities and VCs across Japan. The participating Tech Seeds will primarily cover the following five fields:

• Medical & Healthcare: Digital health, compact and mobile medical devices, telemedicine
• Drug Discovery and Biotechnology: Small molecules, antibodies, nucleic acids, genome editing, regenerative and gene therapies, biomanufacturing
• Agri-Food: Alternative proteins, new agricultural materials, smart agriculture
• Advanced Technologies: Semiconductors, AI, robotics, the metaverse, quantum computing, space
• Climate: Batteries, next-generation energy, carbon neutrality

Eligible Participants

Business Professionals

• Those interested in co-founding startups with researchers
• Those seeking to join early-stage deep tech startups as management team members
• Those interested in or experienced in launching startups through EIR (Entrepreneur-in-Residence) programs or similar initiatives
• Those recommended by parties affiliated with TECHNIUM Global Conference

*Participants in the ILP / PEAK TRIAL programs will be given priority.
*Participation is not open to those whose primary purpose is information gathering or exchanging business cards.

Tech Seeds and Startups

Eligible participants include research teams and startups recommended by VC partners or academic partners of TECHNIUM Global Conference. Those interested in participating should contact the relevant partner organization.
*Please refer to the official TECHNIUM Global Conference website for details on partner organizations.

Event Details

Event Name: TECH SEEDS MEETUP 2026 (Official side event of TECHNIUM Global Conference 2026)
Dates: September 2 (Wed.) – 3 (Thu.), 2026
Format: In-person (Participant search and networking will also be available online)
Venue: A location in Shibuya-ku, Tokyo

How to Apply

Participation in the Event is subject to screening. Those who wish to participate are asked to apply via the form below. Successful applicants will be contacted by the organizing team.
*Please note that applications may close before the deadline if there is a high volume of applications.
Expected Number of Participants: 150
Application Link: https://forms.gle/CVyBaEWvJBqtdjJS6

About Beyond Next Ventures Inc.

Creating the beyond next society; enabling exceptional people solving global challenges.
Beyond Next Ventures is a deep-tech venture capital firm dedicated to translating scientific breakthroughs into real-world impact and building a virtuous cycle in which the value created fuels the next wave of innovation. We manage JPY 48 billion (approximately US$320 million) in funds focused on deep-tech startups. Through our proprietary company creation capabilities, executive talent matching, and the TECHNIUM Global Conference that convenes key stakeholders from Japan and around the world, we strengthen a deep-tech innovation ecosystem and accelerate the commercialization of research outcomes in collaboration with industry, academia, and government.

• Head Office: 3-7-2 Nihonbashi Honcho, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, Nihonbashi Honcho Showa-dori Building, 3rd Floor
• Subsidairy: Galaxy-Wework, 43, Residency Road, Shanthala Nagar Ashok Nagar, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India – 560025
• Representative: Founder CEO / Managing Partner Tsuyoshi Ito , Managing Director / General Partner Kengo Ueha
• Established: August 2014
• Business: Investment and growth support for deep tech startups in Japan and India, support for the commercialization of research seeds, cultivation and formation of management talent and teams, operation of shared wet labs, etc.
• Website: https://beyondnextventures.com