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2026 Programme

All sessions have real-time Japanese and English translation

All sessions

Wed 25 Feb5:00–6:00pmInvestor Hours

Stage-focused Happy Hour (Series B to C)

Empowering Entrepreneurship

About This Session

High-intent and mandate-aligned networking over draft beers across startups and investors at Investor Hours Lounge.

Registration is required, limited capacity available.

Apply here by 21 February: https://gftnforum.jp/investor-hours

When
Wednesday 25 February5:00–6:00pm, Tokyo time
Where
Investor HoursInvestors Hours Lounge
Access
Open

More Empowering Entrepreneurship Sessions

  • 10:00am–2:00pmThu 26 FebInvestor HoursInvestors Hours LoungeOpen

    Empowering Entrepreneurship

    1-1 Investor Pitch Table

    Investor HoursInvestors Hours LoungeOpen

    About this session

    Startup and investor matchmaking. Pre-registration required for curated facilitation. Sector-agnostic and open for early to growth stage companies.

    Apply here by 21 February: https://gftnforum.jp/investor-hours

  • 2:00–3:00pmThu 26 FebInvestor HoursInvestors Hours LoungeOpen

    Empowering Entrepreneurship

    Charting Your Next Exit

    Investor HoursInvestors Hours LoungeOpen

    About this session

    This session explores how founders and investors should think about exit readiness earlier than they think, not as an endgame, but as a strategic lens that shapes capital strategy, product roadmap, governance, and cross-border optionality. The discussion will cover what “exit-ready” looks like in practice (metrics, narratives, org structure), how Japan’s ecosystem and buyer landscape influences exit pathways, and how investors assess the conditions that make an exit realistic.

  • 3:00–4:00pmThu 26 FebInvestor HoursInvestors Hours LoungeOpen

    Empowering Entrepreneurship

    Analyst Hour by PitchBook - Japan Private Capital Outlook

    Investor HoursInvestors Hours LoungeOpen

    About this session

    Analyst Hour by PitchBook – Japan Private Capital Outlook is a Q&A-driven session led by Ansel Tan, Director, APAC Private Capital at PitchBook, curated for Managing Partners across venture capital, corporate venture capital, and private equity investing in Japan. As Asia’s largest and most mature capital market, Japan presents a distinct private markets profile - deep institutional capital, evolving GP–LP dynamics, active corporate participation, and increasing cross-border appetite. Drawing on proprietary data and live market intelligence, the discussion will examine Japan-specific fund formation trends, sector concentration, valuation benchmarks, exit routes including IPO and strategic M&A, and inbound-outbound capital flows.

    Session agenda:
    30min: Analyst Hour, a sharing session with Q&A
    30min: 1-1 session with PitchBook