Where Startups Meet Kyoto’s Creative Scene: A Report on IVS2026

Kyoto is a city where a wide variety of content and culture intersect, including games, manga, anime, film, traditional culture, and tourism. In this same city, there is also an event that brings together people from Japan and overseas who are taking on new challenges in services, technology, and business. That event is the startup conference IVS, held from July 1 to 3, 2026.

The phrase “startup conference” may sound a little business-oriented or specialized. However, the venue was filled not only with entrepreneurs and investors, but also with companies, students, researchers, creators, and people from many different fields. For this article, we visited IVS2026, a three-day event that brought a different kind of energy to Miyako Messe, a venue familiar to many KYOTO CMEX readers through events such as KYOMAF and BitSummit.

What is IVS?

For many KYOTO CMEX readers, the name IVS may not be very familiar. IVS is one of the Japan’s largest startup conferences, first launched in 2007. In 2026, under the theme “Japan is Back,” the event was held across multiple venues in Kyoto, including Miyako Messe, Hotel Okura Kyoto, and ROHM Theatre Kyoto, featuring exhibitions, talk sessions, pitch events, and more.

A startup refers to a company or team that aims to create new services or businesses based on new technologies and ideas. In other words, these are entrepreneurs and venture companies working to bring new possibilities into society. IVS provides a place for these challengers to meet, exchange ideas, and take their next steps forward.

Kyoto City and KYOMAF were also involved in IVS2026!

Kyoto City, which is closely connected to KYOTO CMEX, and KYOMAF, one of KYOTO CMEX’s official events, also supported IVS through exhibition activities and pitch event support. In particular, KYOMAF was involved in the operation of the event “Uzumasa NINJA PITCH 2026.”

A pitch event is an event where entrepreneurs and startup companies present their business ideas or services within a limited time. Investors and judges then evaluate their originality, innovation, and future potential. These events often lead to opportunities for investment, but at Uzumasa NINJA PITCH 2026, participants could also receive a prize of 1 million yen, as well as supports from Kyoto Prefecture and Kyoto City. In this way, IVS supports young entrepreneurs and new businesses from many different angles, creating opportunities for new ideas and businesses to grow.

The “KYOTO ZONE”: the special area focused on Kyoto

At Miyako Messe, a special area called “KYOTO ZONE” was set up. Under the theme of “practical benefits,” this area brought together leading Kyoto companies, universities, and financial institutions, showcasing Kyoto as a hub for deep tech.

Kyoto City also exhibited in this zone, introducing various initiatives conducted by the city. Through this, we felt that Kyoto City’s presence as a base for new business should continue to grow—not only in content industries and traditional industries, such as those connected to KYOTO CMEX, but also as a place where new businesses can be launched and shared with the world. At a time when business activity continues to concentrate in Tokyo, we felt that it is highly significant for IVS, an event that gathers business professionals from across Japan, to be held in Kyoto.

Using stickers to show everyone who you are

One of the things we especially liked at IVS was the way participants could display their attributes on the passes they wore around their necks. At large-scale exhibition events, it can often be difficult to tell who is who. However, by attaching stickers to their passes, participants could show not only their name and affiliation, but also what kind of person they were.

We thought this would be a great idea for events like KYOMAF and BitSummit as well. For example, at KYOMAF, participants could use stickers such as “Moe-Anime Fan,” or, while at BitSummit, stickers like “Action Game Developer” could help people express their interests and roles more clearly. If visitors could easily show what they are interested in or involved with, communication inside the venue might become much easier and more active. There is a lot to learn from other events.

Not just at Miyako Messe: specialized side events around Kyoto

BitSummit also has a B2B aspect, and in that sense, it shares some similarities with IVS. While business meeting booths were set up at the venue, one of IVS’s unique attractions was its side events, held in various locations around Kyoto during the three-day conference.

Since the event lasts for three days, the idea is to make use not only of Miyako Messe, but also of other locations throughout the city, creating events focused on specific themes. Anyone can register to host a side event, and once approved by the organizers, it can be listed on the official website as an official side event. These side events are characterized by their open atmosphere, where more specialized topics can be discussed in depth.

Interview with a young creator in IVS

What kind of thoughts do young creators have when they stand at a booth at IVS? This time, we spoke with Shinichiro Uno, an entrepreneur, AI engineer, and representative of ProtoductAI Inc.

While studying at Doshisha University, he founded the Doshisha AI Lab., a student community focused on generative AI. Later, together with his peers, he launched a company developing AI-powered applications. He is currently developing an application called Miica, which he says was built in just two days.

This time, Uno participated not as an exhibitor for his own company, but by helping a company he knows. “Exhibiting at IVS normally costs a lot, so it is very helpful to be able to support a larger company while also promoting my own company and services,” he said.

The company he was supporting was RevenueCat, a payment service. This is also integrated into Miica and is a solution that helps streamline subscription and payment management. On the day of the event, he handed out novelty items such as T-shirts, interacted with many visitors, and actively promoted the service. They are also currently recruiting participants for Shipaton 2026, one of the world’s largest mobile hackathons. Those interested may want to check it out.

Conclusion

IVS is a business event that brings together startups, companies, and investors, but the venue was also filled with the energy of people taking on new challenges through technology, services, and ideas. It was impressive to see Miyako Messe, a venue familiar from KYOMAF and BitSummit, transformed into a place where new businesses and connections were being created.

Although the content industry and startups may seem separate at first glance, they are in fact connected through the creation of new forms of expression and new experiences. We look forward to seeing how these new challenges emerging from Kyoto will lead to the future of creativity.

IVS2026

Dates: July 1, 2026 – July 3, 2026

Venues: Miyako Messe, Hotel Okura Kyoto, ROHM Theatre Kyoto, and other locations

Organizer: IVS KYOTO Executive Committee (Headline Japan / Kyoto Prefecture / Kyoto City)

Official Web　https://www.ivs.events/ Official SNS　https://x.com/IVS_Official