IVS2026 has started accepting applications for official side events certified by IVS. Three days of simultaneous events in Kyoto!

The largest-scale startup conference in Japan, 'IVS2026', will be held over three days from Wednesday, July 1 to Friday, July 3, 2026, with Kyoto City Kangyo Hall 'Miyakomesse', ROHM Theatre Kyoto, Hotel Okura Kyoto, and other locations serving as the main venues. At IVS, applications have opened for official side events hosted by participants.

At IVS2025, more than 500 side events were held at cafes, galleries, temples and shrines, townhouses, coworking spaces, and other locations throughout Kyoto City, and IVS participants moved around various parts of Kyoto. This year, we will begin an initiative to give the 'IVS Official Badge' to official side events certified by IVS in accordance with its operating standards and list them on the ticket platform '4S (Force)'.Listing them will begin.

Create your own 'another IVS'

At IVS, 'IVS2026' is the main event, and the group of events hosted by IVS participants during, before, and after the event period are called side events.

The format is up to you: meetups, study sessions, running events, and more. Organizers can also decide whether the event is screened, paid, or free. Organizers can be individuals, companies, or communities. Themes and crossovers that the IVS program alone cannot fully cover come to life in a corner of a cafe, on the grounds of a temple or shrine, in a townhouse, or on a coworking space floor.

Starting from Miyakomesse, ROHM Theatre Kyoto, and Hotel Okura Kyoto, the entire city of Kyoto becomes the stage for IVS over three days.

Three benefits of hosting a side event

With a side event, organizers can create their own opportunities for encounters and networking that are not available through the main program alone.

1. Create focused encounters by industry or sector
   By making the event theme- or industry-specific, you can bring together only the people you want to connect with.

2. Networking within the IVS venue accelerates
   You can have in-depth discussions at the main IVS event with people you connected with in advance through side events, or deepen relationships at side events with people you met at the venue, making it possible to combine activities at the main event and side events.

3. Official side events receive one IVS PASS referral ticket
   The organizer of an official side event certified by IVS in accordance with its operating standards will receive one IVS PASS that allows entry to the IVS venue (Miyakomesse and ROHM Theatre Kyoto). This IVS PASS becomes a referral ticket, and it can be used to issue referral codes for two people.

Official Side Event

We receive applications from side event organizers and call the ones that are certified 'official side events'.

Official side events receive the 'IVS Official Badge'. For participants, it makes clear that it is 'a side event certified by IVS', and for organizers, it makes it possible to show externally that they are hosting a side event with high synergy with IVS.

For official side events, we have prepared two systems: a free plan and a paid plan.

[Free Plan]

• IVS Official Badge

• Listing on the ticket platform '4S'

• One IVS PASS referral ticket

[Paid Plan]

Process from application to approval and execution

1. Application

2. Screening (free plan) or plan selection (paid plan)

3. Certification + badge kit received

4. Information posted on the dedicated site (4S)

5. Harassment training [required]

6. Event held

7. Implementation report

Briefing sessions and a meetup for organizers will be held

We will hold an information session for official side event organizers and those who wish to become organizers to share how to plan and run the event, as well as a talk session and networking event featuring past organizers.

Online briefing session (held twice with the same content)

Content: Flow after becoming a partner / How to apply on 4S / Notes and examples of prohibited actions / Referral tickets / Past case studies / Organizer interviews / Q&A

Offline Meetup

With the concept of 'not letting side events end as just a drinking party,' we will hold a talk session and networking event featuring past side event organizers. We will share real stories from successful organizers, including why they held the event, what they did to attract attendees, what points led to results, failure stories, and how they designed relationships that continue after IVS, and create a place to generate new collaborations and plans.

First-time organizers are also welcome.

Application details will be provided on the IVS official website.

FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)

Q1. When is the application deadline for official side events?

A1. The final deadline for the free plan is Friday, June 19. For paid plans (Gold/Silver), due to the schedule for inclusion in the distributed pamphlet, we ask that contracts be completed by the end of May 2026. Please note that the number of paid-plan slots is limited, and applications may close even before the deadline.

Q2. If I fail the screening, can I apply again?

A2. We do not accept reapplications with the same proposal. You may reapply after revising the content. Please note that we do not provide any reasons for the screening results, so please improve your plan and apply again. (Even if you do not pass the screening, you may still hold a side event.)

Q3. Is there any difference in the badge granted between the free plan and the paid plans (Gold/Silver)?

A3. The 'IVS Official Badge' is the same across all plans. From the participant's perspective, there is no distinction by plan type. Paid plans differ in the level of attendee acquisition support provided by the IVS office (email announcements, signage placement, SNS posts, etc.).

Q4. In the case of co-hosting, does the number of referral tickets granted increase?

A4. One ticket per organization (for two people via referral code) will be granted. The number does not change depending on the number of co-hosts or whether they are corporations or individuals. Please coordinate the distribution of referral codes among co-hosts yourselves. Also, even if you host multiple side events, the number granted remains one ticket. (If you have already received one through a community partner or similar, no additional ticket will be granted for hosting a side event.)

Q5. Do ticket registration and sales for official side events have to go through '4S'?

A5. Ticket sales and registration through the 4S platform are required. Information listings can also be used together with other platforms such as Peatix and connpass. Details will be provided at the online briefing session for organizers.

Overview of IVS2026

IVS is Japan's largest startup conference, which began in 2007. Startups, investors, large companies, creators, and others from Japan and abroad gather together, and in 2026 it will be held in Kyoto under the theme 'Japan is Back'.

This year, we are introducing two areas: the evolved culmination edition of the 'IVS' area (Kyoto City Kangyo Hall 'Miyakomesse' and 'ROHM Theatre Kyoto'), building on IVS2023, IVS2024, and IVS2025 held in Kyoto, and the newly established invitation-only 'IVS CORE' area (Hotel Okura Kyoto), the Reiwa-era version of IVS. The event will be held across these two areas.

[IVS ('Miyakomesse' and 'ROHM Theatre Kyoto')]

This area is open to everyone who creates the next generation, including startup stakeholders, business companies, investors, aspiring entrepreneurs, supporters, government, research institutions, and students. We will hold stage sessions, the startup exhibition 'Startup Market', and IVS's flagship pitch event 'IVS LAUNCHPAD'.

[IVS CORE (Hotel Okura Kyoto)] *Newly established / Invitation-only

This is a fully invitation-only area for decision-makers only, such as startup executives, institutional investors, senior executives of major companies, and government/policy officials. It provides a place where concrete decisions move forward, including all-sessions off the record, power matching between decision-makers, and M&A matching.

Participation in IVS2026 requires an access pass. There are two types: 'IVS PASS', which allows access to the IVS area, and the fully invitation-only 'CORE PASS', which allows access to the IVS CORE area. CORE PASS is a screening-based pass and can only be purchased by invitees.

Name: IVS2026
Theme: Japan is Back
Dates: Wednesday, July 1 to Friday, July 3, 2026
Venue: Kyoto City Kangyo Hall 'Miyakomesse', ROHM Theatre Kyoto, Hotel Okura Kyoto, and others
Hosted by: IVS KYOTO Executive Committee (Headline Japan / Kyoto Prefecture / Kyoto City)
Official site: https://www.ivs.events/
Official X: https://x.com/IVS_Official

About the IVS KYOTO Executive Committee

For the Kyoto edition of IVS, Headline Japan, Kyoto Prefecture, and Kyoto City jointly established this committee with the goal of further developing the startup ecosystem and promoting regional industry even more. We will promote the fusion of companies, universities, research institutions, and cultural resources accumulated in Kyoto with startups, and connect that to the creation of new industries and the emergence of startup companies that can compete on the world stage.

Member organizations: Headline Japan Co., Ltd., Kyoto Prefecture, Kyoto City