IVS 2026 will once again host the exhibition and networking space “IVS Startup Market,” featuring 300 leading startups. Exhibiting companies are now being accepted through May 31.

IVS, Japan's largest startup conference, will host "IVS2026" over three days from Wednesday, July 1 to Friday, July 3, 2026, with Kyoto City's Miyakomesse as the main venue. We have decided to further evolve and once again launch "IVS Startup Market," the exhibition and networking space where 300 leading startups exhibit, which drew a huge response last year.

What is "IVS Startup Market"?

This is an exhibition and networking space where only startups recommended by IVS, recommended by some of Japan's leading VCs, or those that have passed a strict self-nomination review can exhibit. During the three-day event, a total of 340 companies, or 100 companies per day, will exhibit in a rotating format with a complete daily turnover.

At the previous event, on a five-point satisfaction scale, the exhibitor satisfaction score was "4.40", and the market tour, where VCs guided visitors around the booths, also scored "3.94," earning high praise from participating companies. In terms of actual results, the average number of visitors per booth was 110 (with a maximum of 500 to 800), and each booth also achieved in-depth engagement with an average of 22 investors and 23 potential business partners. We received many positive comments such as, "We were able to obtain more leads than expected," and "We were able to directly meet high-quality customers, VCs, and business companies that we normally could not meet, and concrete business negotiations and collaboration opportunities were created on the spot."

The venue is designed so that investors and business companies can efficiently interact with their "future partners," and each booth is staffed by a company representative or business lead. Rather than merely introducing products or services, it provides a highly practical environment where concrete "business discussions and negotiations" such as business alliances, fundraising, and hiring can take place on the spot. In addition, startups that pass the screening will receive three IVS PASSes free of charge from IVS.

How to apply for an exhibit in "IVS Startup Market"

There are three routes to exhibit in IVS Startup Market: recommendations from IVS, "recommendations" from venture capitalists or well-known entrepreneurs, or "open entry (self-nomination)." In all cases, exhibition status is finalized after a strict review by the IVS2026 selection committee.

Application period: for both third-party recommendations and self-nominations, until 11:59 PM on Friday, May 31, 2026

Director Toshiaki Shimakawa (IVS Representative / Headline Asia Principal)
After conducting research at the RIKEN Institute and Osaka University Graduate School, he entered the startup industry. In parallel with his investment activities at Headline Asia, he has led IVS to become one of Asia's largest events, with more than 10,000 attendees. He is the driving force behind many fast-growing startups.

Director's Message
Last year, we took on the challenge of "Exhibition 2.0" and created the "Startup Market" as a new initiative that is not a one-way sales venue, but one where trust and quality are ensured. At IVS2026, we will accelerate this trend even further. We will add an additional category for the top 300 startups by market capitalization, and I want to raise the quality to the point where, when overseas investors visit IVS, the companies exhibiting in the Startup Market can be regarded as representative startups from Japan. The tours will also be organized mainly around executives and investors participating in IVS CORE, so that exhibitors can meet more decision-makers. Since startups are characterized by many births and many deaths, it is extremely important how they are evaluated and how investments and partnerships are made. For that reason, I believe that in the real-world IVS community, it is meaningful to make visible the connections of trust between people and the connections of capital. Through the Startup Market as well, we want to express trust-based connections that are difficult to see on the internet and create a place where new relationships are born.

Overview of IVS2026

IVS is Japan's largest startup conference, which began in 2007. Startups, investors, large corporations, 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 will introduce two areas: the "IVS" area (Kyoto Municipal Industry Hall "Miyakomesse" and ROHM Theatre Kyoto), the culmination of the evolved IVS2023, IVS2024, and IVS2025 that have been held in Kyoto, and the new invitation-only Reiwa-era IVS "IVS CORE" area (Hotel Okura Kyoto). The event will be held across these two areas.

[IVS ("Miyakomesse" / "ROHM Theatre Kyoto")]

This area is open to everyone who helps create the next generation: startup professionals, business companies, investors, aspiring entrepreneurs, supporters, government, research institutions, and students. We will hold stage sessions, the startup exhibition "Startup Market," and IVS's signature pitch event "IVS LAUNCHPAD," among others.

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

This is a fully invitation-only area for decision-makers only, including startup executives, institutional investors, senior executives of large companies, and government and policy stakeholders. It offers a venue where concrete decisions can move forward, with all sessions off the record, power matching between decision-makers, M&A matching, and more.

An access pass is required to participate in IVS2026. There are two types: the "IVS PASS," which grants access to the IVS area, and the fully invitation-only "CORE PASS," which grants access to the IVS CORE area. The CORE PASS is a screened 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 Municipal Industry Hall "Miyakomesse," ROHM Theatre Kyoto, Hotel Okura Kyoto, and others
Organizer: IVS KYOTO Executive Committee (Headline Japan / Kyoto Prefecture / Kyoto City)
Official website: https://www.ivs.events/
Official X: https://x.com/IVS_Official

About the IVS KYOTO Executive Committee

For IVS to be held in Kyoto, Headline Japan Co., Ltd., Kyoto Prefecture, and Kyoto City jointly established this committee with the aim of further developing the startup ecosystem and promoting regional industry even more. We will foster collaboration between startups and the companies, universities, research institutions, cultural resources, and other assets concentrated in Kyoto, leading 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