“Partner with Startups, Not Go It Alone”: Exploring Tips for Collaboration Between Manufacturing SMEs and Startups—November 4 in Osaka: upCRAFT OSAKA

“upCRAFT OSAKA,” a program designed to promote collaboration between small and medium-sized manufacturing companies and startups, is recruiting participants for the event “Better with Startups Than Going It Alone: Exploring New Business Ventures for Small and Medium-Sized Manufacturing Companies with Major and Mid-Sized Manufacturers,” to be held on Wednesday, November 4, at the Dentsu Inc. Kansai Office (Grand Green South Building, 20th Floor) in Osaka.

New business ventures, talent shortages, business succession, digital transformation (DX), AI, and technological expansion—how can manufacturing companies increase their potential for growth while addressing these challenges? To explore ways to achieve this, “upCRAFT OSAKA” aims to support the creation of new value through collaboration and co-creation between manufacturing SMEs and startups.

The event on Wednesday, November 4, will feature a lecture by Professor Tomohiko Nakamura of Kobe International University, who specializes in SME theory and regional economics and has continued to visit manufacturing sites across the country. It will also include a panel discussion featuring two Osaka-based companies—Gyunyu Sekihan Kyoshin-sha and Fukushima Garirei—along with Kwon Ki-chul, CEO of Con, who has extensive experience facilitating numerous collaborations between large corporations and startups as head of Deloitte Tohmatsu Venture Support Kansaiand Con CEO Kwon Ki-cheol—who has extensive experience facilitating numerous collaborations between large corporations and startups—will take place. The session will explore the current state of the manufacturing industry in the Kansai region and analyze the future direction of management for medium-sized and small enterprises.

■What is upCRAFT OSAKA?
A program operated under the “Reiwa 8 Fiscal Year Project to Promote Collaboration Between Manufacturing SMEs and Startups,” implemented by Osaka Prefecture. It creates a space for manufacturing SMEs in Osaka Prefecture and startups from across Japan to deepen mutual understanding, interact, and move toward collaboration and co-creation. How can the technologies, ideas, and speed of startups be leveraged to create new value in manufacturing and in business itself?Through events, community building, matchmaking, and information sharing, we will explore these possibilities and pave the way for the next steps.

[Event Overview]
Date and Time: Wednesday, November 4, 5:00 PM – 7:30 PM (Registration begins at 4:30 PM)
Venue: Dentsu Inc. Kansai Office (Grand Green Osaka Park Tower, 20th Floor)
https://www.dentsu.co.jp/aboutus/kansai/access01.html
Format: In-person + Online Streaming
Admission: Free (Advance registration required)
Capacity: 80 in-person attendees / 100 online attendees
Organizer: Osaka Prefecture
Secretariat: Dentsu Inc.
In cooperation with: Tomoyasu Seisakusho, Plug and Play Japan, MOBIO (Osaka Manufacturing Business Center), and Osaka Science and Technology Center

■ Clickherefor symposium details and to register

[Program (Tentative)] * Content, times, and speakers are subject to change.
5:00 PM – 5:10 PM: Introduction
5:10 PM – 5:20 PM: upCRAFT OSAKA 2026 Project Overview
Mr. Masaki Terada, Planner, Dentsu Inc.
Mr. Yasutaka Matsuo, Executive Officer, Social Design Department, Tomoyasu Seisakusho
Yudai Kawaguchi, Plug and Play Japan

5:20 PM – 5:40 PM: Presentation: “
” — The Current State of Manufacturing in Kansai and the Future of Management for Mid-Sized and Small-to-Medium Enterprises
Prof. Tomohiko Nakamura, Department of Economics and Business Administration, Faculty of Economics, Kobe International University

5:45 PM – 6:15 PM　Panel Discussion: “
” ——“Considering Open Innovation as a Tool in the Manufacturing Industry”
Mr. Ryoichi Egoshi, Head of the New Business Development Office, Gyunyu Soap Kyoshin Co., Ltd.
Tomohisa Harayama, Acting General Manager, Sales Strategy Department, Fukushima Garirei, and MILAB
Mr. Ki-chul Kwon, Representative of Con

6:20 PM – 6:50 PM: Startup Pitches (approximately 3 companies scheduled)
6:50 PM – 7:30 PM: Closing / Networking

[Speaker Profiles]
Tomohiko Nakamura, Professor, Department of Economics and Business Administration, Faculty of Economics, Kobe International University

Born in 1964. After graduating from Senri High School, he enrolled in the Faculty of Letters at Sophia University. Following assignments in Singapore with a foreign-owned airline and a publishing company affiliated with a major consumer electronics manufacturer, he entered the graduate school at Nagoya University, where he earned a Ph.D. After conducting research on corporate management and policy at the International Research Office of the Osaka Prefectural Industrial Development Research Institute, he served as an associate professor in the Faculty of Economics at Nihon Fukushi University. He has held his current position since 2007.He serves as a Regional Strength Creation Advisor for the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications; an advisor to the Kyoto Machinery and Metals SME Youth Association; Chair of the Muko City “Furusato Muko” Comprehensive Plan Formulation Committee; and a part-time lecturer in the Faculty of Commerce at Kansai University, among other roles.

, Ryoichi Egoshi, Director, New Business Development Office, Gyunyu Soap Co., Ltd.
He is involved in the planning and promotion of new business ventures and is working to create new value in the nursing care and medical fields. In recent years, he has been working on domestic sales of “SUSUGU,” a portable hair-washing device set that allows users to wash their hair while fully clothed, as well as verifying demand for the product overseas.

Tomohisa Harayama, Acting General Manager, Sales Strategy Department, Fukushima Garirei, and MILAB

At a commercial refrigeration equipment manufacturer, he oversaw everything from strategy formulation to execution as the head of the planning, public relations, sales promotion, and marketing departments. Having participated in the launch of “MILAB,” an open innovation hub located at the Osaka headquarters, he currently also serves as the head of that hub, focusing on its operations and fostering external partnerships. He is dedicated to creating new business opportunities by driving both internal marketing and external co-creation.

Con Representative
Ki-Cheol Kwon
Certified Public Accountant. After joining Tohmatsu, he established the Kansai branch of Tohmatsu Venture Support and supported over 1,000 startups.He oversaw the Osaka Prefecture and City Venture Support Program (OSAP), achieving support for 60 companies over two years, with cumulative funding exceeding 4 billion yen, over 40 business partnerships, and over 100 media features. He founded Con in 2019. After serving as a CxO at two startups, he relaunched Con in October 2026.He is committed to fostering co-creation by connecting startups, successor-led ventures, and large corporations. At Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, he was involved in auditing publicly listed companies and providing IPO support. As the Kansai Regional Manager at Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Venture Support, he spearheaded municipal startup support initiatives and the establishment and operation of corporate venture capital (CVC) funds for major corporations. After serving as COO of a startup, he worked as Senior Manager of the Public Relations Department at Mitsufuji, a company that transformed from a Nishijin-ori textile factory into a wearable IoT firm.

Information on other speakers will be posted on the website below as it is confirmed.
https://upcraftosaka-vol4.peatix.com/