Founded in 2007, IVS brings together founders, investors, corporations, government, and students—people who rarely share the same room—around a single purpose: creating new businesses.
What began as an invitation-only gathering of investors and startup founders has evolved into something far broader. In 2023, IVS opened its doors with a ticketed model, established its home in Kyoto, and scaled to 10,000 attendees a year. Today it stands as a platform for the entire startup ecosystem.
No venture is built alone. Technology, knowledge, capital, customers, experience—these resources live in separate worlds and seldom intersect. IVS exists to create those connections.
What happens here
Session Stage — Leaders at the frontier of their fields share the insights shaping what comes next.
Startup Market — Direct access to 300 startups from Japan and around the world.
Side Events — Participant-led programming that grows each year, extending well beyond the venue.
IVS LAUNCHPAD — The six-minute elevator pitch known as a proving ground for startups. With 5,000+ cumulative entries, past presenters have produced 60+ exits and 100+ companies that have raised over ¥1 billion.
Three days that change trajectories
Over three days, the encounters you planned for and the ones you never anticipated unfold side by side. The conversations exchanged here become turning points for the businesses that follow.
Our purpose is to generate real, tangible opportunities for everyone who takes part—and to move society one step closer to solving its hardest challenges and building entirely new industries.
“Be the catalyst for the next generation.”
This is our mission.
Founded in 2007, IVS brings together founders, investors, corporations, government, and students—people who rarely share the same room—around a single purpose: creating new businesses.
What began as an invitation-only gathering of investors and startup founders has evolved into something far broader. In 2023, IVS opened its doors with a ticketed model, established its home in Kyoto, and scaled to 10,000 attendees a year. Today it stands as a platform for the entire startup ecosystem.
No venture is built alone. Technology, knowledge, capital, customers, experience—these resources live in separate worlds and seldom intersect. IVS exists to create those connections.
What happens here
Session Stage — Leaders at the frontier of their fields share the insights shaping what comes next.
Startup Market — Direct access to 300 startups from Japan and around the world.
Side Events — Participant-led programming that grows each year, extending well beyond the venue.
IVS LAUNCHPAD — The six-minute elevator pitch known as a proving ground for startups. With 5,000+ cumulative entries, past presenters have produced 60+ exits and 100+ companies that have raised over ¥1 billion.
Three days that change trajectories
Over three days, the encounters you planned for and the ones you never anticipated unfold side by side. The conversations exchanged here become turning points for the businesses that follow.
Our purpose is to generate real, tangible opportunities for everyone who takes part—and to move society one step closer to solving its hardest challenges and building entirely new industries.
“Be the catalyst for the next generation.”
This is our mission.
Yuyu Asai
