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Thursday Gathering
Thursday Gathering #385
Jun 11, 2026, 4:00 PM - 9:10 PM GMT+9

Welcome to Thursday Gathering!

下記にてイベント会場参加登録方法オンライン参加方法について記載しております。
イベント当日までにご確認ください🙌

Below, you’ll find information about the event venue, how to register, and how to join online. Please take a moment to review the details before the event day ✅

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■会場 | Venue

現地会場:CIC Tokyo 
住所:東京都港区虎ノ門1丁目17番1号 虎ノ門ヒルズビジネスタワー15階
*イベント受付は1階、会場入り口は15階となります。

Venue:CIC Tokyo 
Access:Toranomon Hills Business Tower 15F, 1 Chome-17-1 Toranomon, Minato City, Tokyo
*Event check-in counter will be open at 1st floor

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■参加登録方法 | How to Register

Register to Event」ボタンより参加登録をお願いいたします!

Click the “Register to Event” button to sign up!

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■オンライン参加方法について 

セッション一覧に表示される「Join Remotely」ボタンより参加いただけます。
Thursday Gathering開始時間になりましたら、セッション枠の下に「Join Remotely」ボタンが表示されます。 
そのボタンをクリック後、オンライン参加いただけます。 

*オンライン参加には、参加登録が必要です。本ページの「Register for Event」ボタンより参加登録をお願いいたします。

■ How to Join Online

You can join the session by clicking the “Join Remotely” button shown in the session list below.
Once Thursday Gathering starts, the “Join Remotely” button will appear below each session.
Click the button to join the session online.

*Please note that registration is required to join the event online. To register, click the “Register for Event” button on this page.

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Venture Café TokyoのWebサイトはこちら | Here is the Venture Café Tokyo website.:URL

Sessions
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4:00 PM - 4:30 PM GMT+9
Thursday Gatheringの楽しみ方 / HOW TO ENJOY THURSDAY GATHERING
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5:00 PM - 6:00 PM GMT+9
イノベーションによって社会課題の解決と経済成長は両軸で実現できるのか -両立の条件を徹底討論-
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5:00 PM - 6:30 PM GMT+9
Sustainable Human Incubation Project: We are born free. What's your true desire?
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6:00 PM - 7:00 PM GMT+9
Startup Fundraising in Japan: Featuring Decile Group
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6:00 PM - 7:00 PM GMT+9
デジタルで切り拓くエネルギーと現場の未来 事業創出を見据えた共創の可能性 in 東京 〜九電グループと共に共創に取り組むパートナーを募集〜
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7:00 PM - 8:00 PM GMT+9
10,000人が集まる場は、どのように設計されているのか?
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7:15 PM - 8:00 PM GMT+9
Meetup for Thursday Gathering Beginners ! [In-person Only | 日英 ENG&JPN]
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8:00 PM - 9:00 PM GMT+9
Founder Voices: Stories from the Entrepreneur Community
Speakers
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Akiho Adachi
Program Manager at Venture Café Tokyo

関西学院大学 総合政策学部 国際政策学科 卒業。中学のとき、アメリカにて当たり前に"個"が受け入れられている社会にカルチャーショックを受けたことから ”一人ひとりの自分らしさを最大限発揮できる機会や場所を創る” という想いを軸に活動。特にLGBTやジェンダー、自分らしくいられるコミュニティ・機会創りに関心をもつ。大学在学中には、学生団体AIESECに所属し、事業立ち上げや人事統括を担当。また、1年間休学してSan Franciscoへ留学やシンガポールのスタートアップにてインターンを行った後、帰国後は外資系アクセラレーションにてマーケティングアシスタントに従事。これらの経験からスタートアップ/ベンチャー・アクセラレーターに興味をもつ。大学卒業後は、投資/スタートアップ支援なども行うIT企業へ入社し、新卒採用に従事。Venture Caféのビジョンや活動に共感しJoin、現在はProgram Leadを担当。

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Shota (Taisho) Atago
Senior Director
Ant Capital Partners Co., Ltd
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Erdinç Ekinci
Co-Founder and CEO – Openfor.co

Erdinç Ekinci is a startup founder, venture builder, aspiring investor, and ecosystem leader, serving as Co-founder & CEO of Openfor.co and Director of Founder Institute Japan, Korea, and Taiwan. He empowers individuals to tackle major challenges through entrepreneurship and sustainable business building. He advises startups, enterprises, and governments on go-to-market partnerships and ecosystem development across the U.S., Europe, Southeast Asia, and Japan. Without external funding, he launched Founder Institute Accelerator in Japan, Korea, and Taiwan, expanding its mentor network to 200 entrepreneurs and investors. At Openfor.co, he drives partnership-led growth, supporting enterprises and pre-seed startups. Having reviewed thousands of startup pitches, mentored 300 startups, and organized 100 events, he is now launching Co-Capital.co, a pre-seed GTM Accelerator VC, accelerating startup growth through partnerships.

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Bibi Ishikawa
Analyst
Incubate Fund
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Thom Peace
Founder and CEO of Peace Works

Founder and CEO of Peace Works, building cross-border ecosystems that connect globally minded talent with real business opportunities in Japan. With over 20 years in Tokyo across education, workforce development, and cross-cultural collaboration, Thom knows what it takes to make partnerships and people land in a new market.

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yuli shein
Co-Director of Founder Institute Japan | Co-Founder & COO of Openfor.co
Yu Li is the co-founder and COO of Openfor.co, Co-Director of Founder Institute Japan and CEO of the United States branch of Global Innovation Consulting Company currently living in Tokyo, Japan. She is also running the fellowship youth community of Openfor.co. She has more than 12 years of international working experience (2 years in India, 2.5 years in the United States, and more than 8 years in Japan). She has traveled to many countries to help mostly Japanese Companies from startups to global leading companies for overseas business expansion by partnership development. She can speak 3 languages (Burmese, English, and Japanese).    
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Clay Wong
AI Product Lead at AI Commercialization Lab

I am a product strategist and entrepreneur based in Hong Kong, and I regularly travel to Japan to host events and collaborate with local builders.

Over the past 10 years, I have helped scale startups to ¥450M in funding and launched products in over 50 countries.


Through my journey, I learned one major lesson: we must stop chasing new technology and start obsessing over real customer problems. Today, Japan is at an exciting turning point. AI makes it easier than ever to build, but many people still build the wrong things.


I want to combine Japan’s incredible culture of craftsmanship with practical frameworks for finding true customer needs.

My goal is to empower Japanese students, founders, and professionals to ask better questions. By understanding the problem before jumping to a solution, together we can help Japan become a global launchpad for the next generation of great startups.

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Towhida Yume
Program Sr. Lead at Venture Café Tokyo

I work at the convergence of innovation ecosystem building, community design, and strategic storytelling, at Venture Café Tokyo.

Driven by a core belief that human systems shape human possibility, and that better-designed communities, systems, and institutions can unlock collaboration, confidence, and collective progress, I bridge ideas, strategy, people, and execution. 

My role centers on creating human-centered spaces, programs, and interactions that help innovators, founders, professionals, researchers, students, and institutions connect meaningfully, collaborate effectively, and move ideas toward tangible outcomes.

My previous career in advertising continues to shape my ecosystem work through stakeholder understanding, narrative framing, and trust-based community engagement.

My ongoing work focuses on social architecture of innovation -  globally connected ecosystems, inclusive communities, purpose-driven innovation, and storytelling.

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友和 岡田
COO
IVS
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尭洋 浅尾
代表 | HEAD OF STRATEGY & CREATIVE
ZFILMS | IVS
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中窪 真大
DX推進本部
九州電力株式会社
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恵介 砂流
クリエイティブ&コミュニケーションズ マネージャー | PR責任者
株式会社天地人 | IVS