IVS 2026’s theme this year is "Japan is Back." A new fully invitation-only "IVS CORE" will be launched at Hotel Okura Kyoto, and the event will be held across two areas together with Miyakomesse.
IVS2026, one of Japan’s largest startup conferences, will be held in Kyoto for three days from Wednesday, July 1 to Friday, July 3, 2026, under the theme “Japan is Back.” In addition to the main venue Miyakomesse, this year we are newly establishing “IVS CORE,” a fully invitation-only decision-maker area at Hotel Okura Kyoto. Staying true to an entrepreneur-first approach, we will create three days that prove the true value of startups to the world.
PASS registration is scheduled to become available from mid-April.
IVS2026, one of Japan’s largest startup conferences
● IVS2026 Theme: “Japan is Back”
“Why does Japan need startups?”
How many people can answer this question with conviction right now? With drastic changes in the macro environment and structural shifts in the conditions for startup growth, the environment surrounding startups is no longer as optimistic as it once was.
However, even now, the souls of founders who take on challenges continue to burn. Rather, through major renewal and turnover, a new generation of startups is emerging on the foundation of the strengths of a “new Japanese style.”
In every era, startups have been expected to respond to economic issues and social demands as agents of structural transformation. There are indeed people taking on challenges that market principles alone cannot solve, striving to prove Japan’s value to the world.
Now is the time to prove Japan’s value to the world.
IVS2026 will prove the true value of Japanese startups to the world.
● Why “now”?
The global landscape is now changing. The full-scale progression of U.S.-China decoupling, inter-state industrial competition centered on AI, and rising military risks. We have entered an era in which not only politics and diplomacy, but also the private sector is expected to play a role in strengthening national presence.
At the same time, changes are also emerging in Japan’s economic environment. A shift away from deflation to a “world with interest rates.” Accelerated exports and inbound demand amid a weaker yen. Capital market reforms including a review of market segments at the Tokyo Stock Exchange, and the movement of funds toward business succession.
It is said that household cash and deposits exceed 1,000 trillion yen, and retained earnings of corporations exceed 600 trillion yen. Enormous resources that have yet to move still lie dormant in the Japanese economy.
This structure overlaps with the postwar era when many Japanese companies such as Toyota, Sony, and Matsushita Electric took flight globally. The next “global XX” should be born from this very environment, right now.
Japanese startups are, so to speak, the “new business division of Japan Inc.” They are also an engine that accelerates economic renewal. In the era of the IT revolution, Japanese startups implemented software as social infrastructure. And now, the next wave of social implementation is about to begin in national strategic fields such as AI, space, robotics, food, and energy.
IVS2026 is the place to accelerate that potential.
● What IVS2026 Pursues
IVS2026 will thoroughly pursue “height.”
The value of startups. The significance of challenge. The appeal of founders as a presence. By showing that higher ground, we will encourage new players who aspire to it to enter.
Having built the “breadth” that was possible only by running IVS at the 10,000-attendee scale for three years, this year we shift to “height.”
IVS2026 is designed not as a place to only listen, but as a place to think, speak, and decide.
When the three days are over, something inside you has changed. Your actions from tomorrow have changed. Aiming to be that kind of place, IVS2026 is structured into two areas: “IVS,” open to everyone, and “IVS CORE,” for decision-makers.
● “IVS” and “IVS CORE”
IVS2026 consists of two areas.
IVS (Kyoto International Exhibition Hall “Miyakomesse,” etc.)
“A 10,000-person-scale area that serves as a catalyst for everyone starting new challenges”
Startup stakeholders, operating companies, investors, aspiring entrepreneurs, supporters, government, research institutions, and students. This is an area open to everyone creating the next generation. Opportunities for investment, partnerships, and recruitment move in real time, and “accidental encounters” beyond conventional boundaries generate future business.
Challengers tackling issues and the next generation engage in dialogue, where overwhelming passion and talent intersect. It is a place that serves as a catalyst for everyone beginning new challenges.
Receive “questions” in sessions, encounter “triggers” in each area, and connect excitement to concrete “results.” From input to encounters, reflection, and then action. This flow itself is IVS’s design philosophy.
● In one sentenceThis is the culmination edition that evolves IVS2023, IVS2024, and IVS2025, which have been held in Kyoto.
IVS CORE (Hotel Okura Kyoto)
IVS CORE will be held for two days, from Wednesday, July 1 to Thursday, July 2, 2026.
“A fully invitation-only area where the key players deciding the next chapter of Japanese startups gather”
It is a venue where key agendas of Japan’s startup industry are discussed by frontline executives and investors.
What matters is “what gets decided.” We aim for conclusions made here to become industry standards, move policy, and serve as signposts for the next challengers. It is also a place where fundraising negotiations and decisions, as well as inter-company transactions, are actively conducted to create tangible benefits. We create opportunities to bring concrete social transformation.
Participants are expected to include startup executives, financial institutions/institutional investors/asset owners, senior executives and business leaders of major corporations, government/local government/policy stakeholders, and researchers/academia who can shape the industry’s future through their own decisions.
Please note that IVS CORE will be held for two days, from Wednesday, July 1 to Thursday, July 2, 2026. On the final day, enjoy “IVS” at Miyakomesse.
As IVS CORE is fully invitation-only, only those invited by the organizer may participate. Pricing and purchase pages will be viewable only to invitees. If you have not been invited but wish to participate, please register for the waiting list. However, please note that entry is not guaranteed.
● In one sentenceThis format is close to the fully invitation-only style used by IVS before it grew to the 10,000-person scale. It is the Reiwa-era version of invitation-only IVS.
IVS2026 PASS Structure
PASS registration is scheduled to start in mid-April.
PASS | Price | Eligible Participants |
|---|---|---|
IVS PASS | TBD | Everyone involved in startups (IVS CORE access is not included) |
CORE PASS | TBD | Executives, investors, and decision-makers |
CORE PASS -Startup- | TBD | Companies founded within 7 years and currently conducting or planning equity fundraising; or companies in deep tech fields such as R&D-oriented or university-originated ventures (no year limit |
About IVS PASS
For IVS PASS, from the start of registration in mid-April, you can register for free until the number of issued passes reaches a certain threshold.
This uses the new “Referral Ticket” system introduced by 4S Corporation, in which participation expands through chains of introductions starting from IVS STAFF and speakers who provide content at IVS2026.
Those who are referred can participate for free, and those confirmed via referral are granted additional invitation slots. Through natural network expansion based on trusted connections, we aim to create a place where people with high contributions to the startup ecosystem gather.
How the “Referral Ticket” System Works
This system is an invitation-based mechanism where participants expand through a chain in which “trusted people introduce trusted people.”
Price | You can register at the “referral price (free)” until the number of issued passes reaches a certain threshold. After referral slots are filled, sales will move to paid general admission. |
|---|---|
Invitation Rights | Those who are confirmed to participate through referrals will be granted new invitation slots. |
Starting Point | Initial invitation rights will be provided primarily to IVS operations staff, speakers, and content providers. |
Why “Referral Tickets”?
We want to bring IVS to more people. But if we simply open the doors widely, what IVS has valued could be diluted.
The answer to balancing these two goals was “a chain of introductions from trusted people.”
First, we lower the barrier to participation. By revising the conventional list price and allowing free participation within referral slots, we make IVS accessible even to those who hesitated due to cost.
At the same time, we will protect and further elevate IVS’s greatest characteristic: the overwhelming passion of participants. With an introduction-based system, people who are truly serious about making the most of this place naturally gather. In addition, we will give preferential treatment as contributors to the startup ecosystem to those who register early and actively engage in community events and participant communication before the event.
Not an open door to an unspecified crowd, but a community that expands through trusted connections. Each participant becomes someone who helps build IVS through their own introductions. That is the vision of “Referral Tickets.”
About CORE PASS
As CORE is fully invitation-only, only those invited by the organizer may participate. Pricing and purchase pages will be viewable only to invitees. If you have not been invited but wish to participate, please register for the waiting list. However, please note that purchase and entry are not guaranteed.
Register for the Waiting List here
IVS2026 LAUNCHPAD Applications Open
IVS2026 LAUNCHPAD, scheduled to be held on Friday, July 3, is currently accepting speaker applications. The application deadline is Tuesday, April 21. The participation requirement is limited to “startups that can demo a product.” We look forward to receiving your applications.
■ Schedule (Planned)
Application deadline: Tuesday, April 21
Event day: Friday, July 3
For Those Interested in Sponsorship
For those interested in sponsorship, please contact us using the information below.
Overview of IVS2026
Founded in 2007, IVS is one of Japan’s largest startup conferences, bringing together startups, investors, major corporations, creators, and others from Japan and abroad.
In 2026, under the banner “Japan is Back,” we will realize both “discovery” and “practical value” through a two-area structure. We will prove the true value of Japanese startups to the world.
Official name: IVS2026
Dates: Wednesday, July 1, 2026 – Friday, July 3, 2026
Location: Kyoto International Exhibition Hall “Miyakomesse,” Hotel Okura Kyoto, and others
Organizer: IVS KYOTO Executive Committee (Headline Japan / Kyoto Prefecture / Kyoto City)
Official website: https://www.ivs.events/
Official SNS: https://x.com/IVS_Official
■ About the IVS KYOTO Executive Committee
For hosting IVS in Kyoto, Headline Japan Co., Ltd., Kyoto Prefecture, and Kyoto City jointly established this committee to further develop the startup ecosystem and further promote regional industry. We will promote fusion between startups and Kyoto’s concentrated assets—companies, universities and research institutions, and cultural resources—to create new industries and produce startup companies that can compete globally.
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Headline Japan Co., Ltd., Kyoto Prefecture, Kyoto City