The domestic largest-scale startup conference "IVS2026" will be held for three days from Wednesday, July 1 to Friday, July 3, 2026, with Miyako Messe, ROHM Theatre Kyoto, and Hotel Okura Kyoto as the main venues.
With "Japan is Back" as the theme, IVS2026 will fully redesign the "Networking Area" (Miyako Messe, ROHM Theatre Kyoto) that supports encounters between participants.

We are repositioning networking—which has often tended to be treated as a mere "bonus" at conferences—as a "main-character-class experience" alongside sessions and pitches. Through initiatives such as the new barter-style matching project "Black Market," we will address the challenge of "missing people you wanted to meet," which had been occurring on a scale exceeding 13,000 participants.

"Missed Encounters" Increased with Scale Expansion

As the scale of IVS expanded, we received feedback such as:
"The venue was so wide that I ended up missing the people I originally wanted to meet."
"I couldn't have deep conversations in the short time between sessions."
"We exchanged business cards, but it didn't lead to anything further."

Such voices have become particularly prominent since the scale grew to exceed 13,000 participants.

Networking is originally the moment when participants most feel that they are "glad they came." However, in many conferences, stages and pitches play the leading roles, and networking has remained a mere "margin" in between. IVS2026 will invest time, space, and mechanisms directly into this networking, redesigning it as a main-character-class experience.

Two Concepts in the Redesign

1. Delivering "Practical Meetings" to All Participants

We will design the venue as a place where every participant can resolve at least one "reason they came to IVS" and take back practical benefits. We aim to deliver "practical meetings" to everyone, whether they are first-timers or regulars, those who are good at communication or those who are not, and whether they are attending alone or in groups.

2. Maximizing Accidental and Inevitable Encounters

We will co-locate the "inevitable" flow to reliably meet the people you want to see and the "accidental" margin to meet unexpected people within the same area.

The following four projects concretize these two axes.

List of Networking Area Projects

① IVS AMA (Ask Me Anything)

▲ Scenes from IVS2025

This is a matching project for participants under the theme of "clarifying needs to increase accidental encounters." We will prepare two approaches: "AMA" and the new AMA project "Black Market," according to the resolution of the participants' objectives.

AMA (Matching of Revealed Needs - Continued from last year)

This is a sharper mechanism for those with clear objectives. Participants write specific needs on a dedicated sheet, and interested parties match directly at high tables. We will prepare four genres: "Investment," "Recruit," "Alliance," and "Others."

For both, you can participate simply by coming to the venue on the day.

Featured New Project: AMA "Black Market" (Matching of Awareness to Interest - Newly established this year)

The new project "Black Market" symbolizes this redesign.

Participants write their GIVE (what they can offer) and TAKE (what they want offered) on a dedicated sheet and post it at a high table. For example, in response to a post saying "I can talk about the latest AI trends from an entrepreneur's perspective (GIVE)," someone interested might respond, "In return, I can talk about recruitment or fundraising." Such barter-style, casual encounters will be born.

Those whose objectives are still vague and who are "just looking for interesting connections" are the main characters. You can participate simply by coming to the venue on the day of the event. The aim is to push visitors who are in the stage before "going to meet someone" and who can offer "this" into accidental encounters.

② Session-Specific Networking Area

This is an area where speakers and participants can deeply interact after sessions end. The design aims for the optimization of quality rather than the maximization of quantity.

After each session (60 minutes) ends, networking time (30 minutes) will be secured in advance. Both speakers and participants can participate in the networking on the spot while the lingering excitement of the session remains.

In past conferences, there were cases where some participants monopolized speakers for a long time after sessions, or participants who wanted to discuss more ended up only exchanging business cards. By designing the session (60 minutes) + networking (30 minutes) as a single block, both speakers and participants can smoothly enjoy time for conversation without strain.

③ IVS Meetup (Newly established this year)

Held on the 3rd floor of Miyako Messe, this is a 1-to-3-hour themed meetup. Positioned like an official side event held inside the venue, it lowers psychological barriers as a place where people with common interests gather, leading to next actions such as business discussions and recruitment. The themes and schedule will be announced as soon as they are finalized.

④ IVS Matching Wall & Side Event Bulletin Board

▲ Scenes from IVS2025

The "IVS Matching Wall," continuing from last year's IVS2025, and the "Side Event Bulletin Board" alongside it. It is a physical bulletin board where you can freely post objectives such as "Looking for investors" or "Our job openings are here." Next to it, a side event information desk and photo spots will also be placed, functioning as a place where you can take a breath.

Since it can be posted continuously, you can connect with people interested in your post even after the session or the next day. As for posted items, bringing them on the day of the event is permitted.

Encounters Flow Utilizing "IVS Family Tree" of Referral Tickets

For those who want to make better use of the networking area, we recommend using the "IVS Family Tree" of referral tickets.

Referral tickets are a mechanism where IVS participants can invite up to two people using a dedicated code. Who invited whom is visualized for participants as the "IVS Family Tree."

For example, you can use it in the following ways:

Utilize it as a conversation starter at the Black Market while looking at the IVS Family Tree
If you find "someone you want to meet" in the family tree, arrange to meet them at the Black Market or IVS Meetup venues

There is a limit to the invitation slots for referral tickets, and they are on a first-come, first-served basis. If you are considering participating, please also make use of invitations via referrals.

Overview of IVS2026

IVS is the domestic largest-scale startup conference that started in 2007. Startups, investors, major corporations, creators, and others from both Japan and abroad will gather in one place, and in 2026, it will be held in Kyoto under the theme of "Japan is Back."

This year, we will establish two areas: the "IVS" area (Kyoto International Exhibition Hall "Miyako Messe" and "ROHM Theatre Kyoto"), which is a culmination version that evolves IVS2023, IVS2024, and IVS2025 held in Kyoto, and the Reiwa version of the invitation-only IVS, "IVS CORE" area (Hotel Okura Kyoto). The event will be held across these two areas.

【IVS ("Miyako Messe", "ROHM Theatre Kyoto")】

An area open to everyone creating the next generation, including startup affiliates, business corporations, 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

An invitation-only area where only decision-makers—such as startup executives, institutional investors, executives of major corporations, and government/policy officials—participate. We will provide locations where concrete decisions are made, including completely off-the-record sessions, power matching between decision-makers, and M&A matching.

An access pass is required to participate in IVS2026. There are two types: the "IVS PASS," which allows participation in the IVS area, and the invitation-only "CORE PASS," which allows participation in the IVS CORE area. The CORE PASS is a screening-based pass, and only invitees can purchase it.

Name: IVS2026
Theme: Japan is Back
Dates: Wednesday, July 1 to Friday, July 3, 2026
Venues: Kyoto International Exhibition Hall "Miyako Messe," ROHM Theatre Kyoto, Hotel Okura Kyoto, etc.
Organizer: IVS KYOTO Committee (Headline Japan / Kyoto Prefecture / Kyoto City)
Official Website: https://www.ivs.events/
Official X: https://x.com/IVS_Official

About the IVS KYOTO Committee

On the occasion of holding IVS in Kyoto, with the aim of promoting further development of the startup ecosystem and further promotion of local industries, Headline Japan, Inc., Kyoto Prefecture, and Kyoto City jointly established the committee. We will promote the integration of startups with companies, universities/research institutions, and cultural resources accumulated in Kyoto, leading to the creation of new industries and the spawning of startup companies that can compete globally.

Composition Members: Headline Japan, Inc., Kyoto Prefecture, Kyoto City