- Days
- 3
- Participants
- 15 to 60 participants
- Cities
- Fukuoka
Objectives
- Understand how a city of 1.6 million built a public policy to support startups
- Meet founders, incubators and city teams in a direct exchange format
- Turn visits into concrete leads during facilitated workshops
- Assess Fukuoka as a possible gateway to the Japanese and Asian markets
Participant profile
Leadership teams and innovation departments of large companies, delegations from local governments, business clusters or incubators, executive MBA cohorts and leadership programs. The format also suits companies considering setting up in Japan.
Day by day
- 1
Day 1
Day 1 — Arrival, public framework and Fukuoka Growth Next
- Meet-and-greet at Fukuoka Airport, direct subway to Tenjin (11 min) with an escort, luggage transferred by vehicle
- Check-in at ONE FUKUOKA HOTEL; above 40 participants, a second base at Nishitetsu Grand Hotel or Solaria Nishitetsu Hotel Fukuoka, a few minutes' walk away
- 1:30 pm — 90-minute opening session: Fukuoka's startup policy ("Startup City" declaration, National Strategic Special Zone, startup visa) presented by a local speaker, with consecutive interpretation
- 3:30 pm — Walk to Daimyo (about 10 min) and visit of Fukuoka Growth Next in the former Daimyo Elementary School (1929 building): incubated startups' spaces, Startup Cafe and exchange with the management team, subject to their availability
- 7:00 pm — Hosted free-choice dinner at iiTo Tenjin, the food hall in the basement of One Fukuoka Building, where everyone picks their cuisine
Fukuoka - 2
Day 2
Day 2 — Engineer Cafe, company visits and workshop
- 9:00 am — Engineer Cafe, a city-run space opened in 2019 for the tech community inside the Akarenga Cultural Center (a 1909 red-brick building) in Tenjin: introduction to the "Engineer Friendly City Fukuoka" program and meeting with developers
- 10:45 am — Company visits in two sub-groups of 15 to 30: a local startup and an established Kyushu company running open innovation projects, selected for your sectors (programs confirmed 4 to 6 weeks ahead)
- 12:30 pm — Lunch of local specialties at Tenjin Norengai, in sub-groups
- 2:00 pm — 2.5-hour workshop in a ONE FUKUOKA HOTEL function room: debrief, ecosystem mapping and first collaboration leads, run by a bilingual facilitator
- 7:00 pm — Dinner at GohGan in Hakata, a collaboration between chefs Takeshi Fukuyama and Gaggan Anand, with a share-style menu (groups up to 55, subject to availability)
Fukuoka - 3
Day 3
Day 3 — Institutional meeting, wrap-up and departure
- 9:00 am — Meeting with the city team in charge of welcoming foreign companies, or with a local investor, depending on availability: setting up, hiring, existing support schemes
- 10:30 am — 2-hour wrap-up workshop: each team presents three takeaways and one action to launch back home
- 12:30 pm — Closing lunch in a private room at the hotel; as an option, a private izakaya dinner the night before with the founders met during the tour
- 2:00 pm — Subway to Fukuoka Airport (11 min) or Hakata Station (6 min) for the Shinkansen to Osaka (about 2.5 hours) or Tokyo (about 5 hours)
三日目 · Ohori Park
Budget
From €2,100 per person, excluding flights
Indicative rate based on 30 participants in single rooms, 2 nights in Tenjin. Included: meet-and-greet and transfers, speakers and visit fees, consecutive interpretation, bilingual facilitator for both workshops, meeting rooms, meals as per program, escort. Not included: flights, optional izakaya dinner, simultaneous interpretation. Visits depend on the agreement of the organizations and companies: allow 6 to 8 weeks of preparation. Avoid Golden Week (late April to early May), mid-August and the first half of July (Hakata Gion Yamakasa), when Tenjin hotels are in high demand.
Quick estimate
1560
€84,000
i.e. €2,100 per person, excluding flights
Indicative estimate based on the per-person rate shown for this programme. The exact quote follows your brief.
Frequently asked questions
What is Fukuoka Growth Next?
It is Fukuoka City's public-private startup support center, housed since 2017 in the former Daimyo Elementary School in the city center. It hosts incubated startups, events and the Startup Cafe, a consultation desk open to the public. Group visits are booked in advance and depend on the venue's calendar.
Are the exchanges held in English?
Some founders and support teams speak English, but not all. We provide a consecutive interpreter for each sub-group, with optional simultaneous interpretation for plenary sessions, including into French.
Can we choose which companies to visit?
Yes, within their availability. We propose a shortlist matching your sectors (software, fintech, food, mobility, health…) and goals, then approach the companies. Visits are never guaranteed until confirmed in writing.
Can this program be timed with a startup event?
Yes. Fukuoka hosts conferences and pitch competitions each year that draw international visitors. Aligning dates with one of them enriches the meetings, but hotels fill faster: we check the calendar from the first conversation.
