Hokkaido Innovation Week 2025: Crossing Industries, Connecting People, and Celebrating Hokkaido

On March 19, we successfully wrapped up Hokkaido Innovation Week 2025.
First and foremost, our heartfelt thanks go to everyone who joined us and helped make this event a reality.

This year, we had the rare opportunity to host Hokkaido Innovation Week at Bankei Ski Area, a unique venue located just minutes from Sapporo’s city center. It was a true pleasure to showcase this distinctive side of Sapporo and Hokkaido to our guests from Japan and around the world. Our sincere gratitude goes to the presient of the Bankei Ski Area for generously providing such a wonderful venue ⛄️

We would also like to express our deep appreciation to all the speakers who took the stage at Bankei. It was an honor to personally invite you, and your insights and presence truly elevated the quality of the event.

A special thank you to one of the representatives in space industry, who joined us as a keynote speaker and moderated the space session despite an extremely busy schedule. His insights resonated far beyond the startup ecosystem and offered valuable lessons for all business professionals.

His Five Key Lessons for Startups:

• Find your very niche market
• Start small, fail fast
• Make decisions quickly
• Seek government support when possible
• Be patient

We were also honored to hear from other two representavives who are both outstanding space startup leaders from Hokkaido and are making a global impact.

In the Food & Agri panel discussion, we welcomed several companies vetures from

• Moderator: Our partner from one of the Japanese venture capital firms
• Speaker: CEO from one of the Japanese innovation labs
• Speaker: CFO from one of the Japanese innovative eco-friendly agricultural technology firms

The Cross Pitch Session brought together eight innovative companies from Japan and abroad, each presenting cutting-edge solutions that perfectly embodied this year’s theme, “Cross Industry.”

From overseas:

• CEO of a semiconductor failure analysis technology from Germany
• Founder of an India–Japan sustainable startup collaboration firm
• CEO of a pure oil extraction from PPT technology company from U.S.A
• Business Development Director of the next-generation non-lithium energy storage companyfrom the U.S.A

From Japan:

• A manager of a water solution company
• A duputy head of an industrial automation and instrumentation firm
• A representative from an indystrial gas and enegy supplier as well as an incubator
• A representative from one of the Japanese largest energy companies

Each presentation demonstrated the immense potential that emerges when industries intersect and collaborate beyond traditional boundaries.

The final stage of the Bankei event was graced by a representative from a UAE-based conglomerate, whose heartfelt words were filled with genuine love for Hokkaido.
For the closing remarks, we had the honor of welcoming the Director of the Economic & Tourism Bureau of Sapporo City, who rushed to the venue despite his demanding schedule to deliver a warm and thoughtful speech. Your presence and support are deeply appreciated.

As the event owner and one of the speakers, we naturally found ourselves in the spotlight. However, standing on that stage, one truth became unmistakably clear: this event was never about me—it was about everyone involved.

💫 Hokkaido Innovation Week 2025 would not have been possible without:

• Those who provided the beautiful venue
• The speakers and facilitators who took on key roles
• The event staff who worked tirelessly behind the scenes
• Our generous sponsors
• Every participant
• Our dedicated team
• Organizations and government partners who helped bring this vision to life

Without even one of these contributions, the event would not have been complete.

The day itself passed in a whirlwind, and we regret not being able to speak with everyone as much as we wished. Still, we take comfort in the countless meetings and discussions we shared throughout the preparation process.

✨ A few behind-the-scenes moments worth sharing:
🍷 During the Hokkaido wine workshop, wine was served at the back of the venue—a generous gift from the president of Bankei Ski Area. One featured wine, “Penkeutashunai,” is a special blend of Seibel 13053, Pinot Noir, Dornfelder, and Zweigeltrebe. We encourage everyone to experience the beauty of Bankei Ski Area throughout all four seasons. 🏔️🍇

🔥 To those who set up the outdoor tents in the cold, thank you for your resilience and dedication. Special thanks to a local  small steel fabrication firm for providing beautifully designed stoves and ensuring everyone stayed warm. 🔥
💧 And to a representative from one of the major Japanese internet providers—your warm sponsorship truly saved me more times than we can count. Thank you for your generosity.
👏 Finally, our deepest gratitude goes to the COO of an online art platform, who stayed by our side throughout the entire day. Our unwavering support was invaluable—We truly couldn’t have done this without you.

From the bottom of our heart, thank you to everyone who was part of this journey.
Your dedication, generosity, and warmth made Hokkaido Innovation Week 2025 an unforgettable experience 🌿❄️❤️