On Tuesday, July 7, 2026, we held our FY2026 Business Briefing & Networking Event at SAKURA DEEPTECH SHIBUYA (12F, Shibuya Sakura Stage Central Building). The event brought together 68 participants, including member companies and organizations, startups, and local government officials.
Experiencing “Turning Differences into Strength”
What made this year’s briefing unique was how it began: with a hands-on workshop by our Culture Lab. Facilitated by Yutaka Yamauchi, Representative Director of Donner le mot, participants paired up for a “dialogue-based art viewing” session.
One person looks closely at a painting, while the other — without seeing it — builds an image of the work purely through their partner’s words. The same painting comes across completely differently depending on who is looking at it. It was a chance to physically experience SII’s core belief that “every difference can become a strength for the city,” rather than hearing it explained on slides. In the post-event survey, many participants told us the workshop “created a wonderfully participatory atmosphere.”
Our Initiatives for FY2026
Next, the secretariat team introduced this year’s programs.
Lab
We treat the entire city of Shibuya as one living lab. Culture Lab will expand its dialogue and experience programs, including “Dialogue Electronica” at DIG SHIBUYA. Well-being × Sports Lab is launching joint research with the University of Tokyo and Waseda University toward an “employee coach model,” in which company employees help sustain school club activities. Public Life Lab will explore how to make the most of Shibuya’s public spaces—amid a once-in-a-century redevelopment—through town walks and workshops. Startup Support Lab will strengthen collaboration across Shibuya’s startup ecosystem and make support more visible through an ecosystem map.
Startup Support
Under the tripartite agreement with Shibuya City and Shibuya Startups Inc., applications for the fourth cohort of S-Startups—our program certifying and supporting startups that aim to grow from Shibuya to the world—are scheduled to open in September. The Startup Visa has now been issued to 126 entrepreneurs from 34 countries and regions, making Shibuya more international than ever. At our hub, Shibuya Bridge, we continue to host “Snack & Connect” every Wednesday, along with many other opportunities to meet.
Co-Creation Projects
Projects made possible by public-private-academic-civic collaboration are already underway: a pilot tackling street drinking around Shibuya Station using behavior-recognition AI and neuro-music, and a heatstroke hazard map that visualizes risk around Dogenzaka at a 5-meter resolution. We are accepting proposals for new projects this year as well.
Members Networking Session
After the briefing, members, startups, and government officials gathered for a networking session. All around the venue, conversations were sparking—“it feels like we could start something together.”
In the participant survey, overall satisfaction averaged 4.8 out of 5. We received many encouraging comments, such as “I got a compact overview of everything SII does” and “the exchanges with other participants were truly meaningful.”
In Closing
Thank you to everyone who joined us.
SII is looking for new member companies.
For inquiries and membership applications, please contact us here.
