“From this day forth, change the future and achieve breakthroughs!”
Venture Ecosystem Summit 2025 was held on Thursday, October 2, 2025.
The idea for the summit started with a strong desire to provide a day of inspiration and learning that would transform entrepreneurs, with a vision of “From this day forth, change the future and achieve breakthroughs!” Over time, that concept evolved into a one-of-a-kind event that brought together top leaders from various fields, including Dr. Sachio Semmoto, co-founder of KDDI, and Ichiro Fujisaki, former Japanese Ambassador to the U.S.
This article summarizes the first half of the lecture portion.
The seminar kicked off with a performance by calligrapher Yuuna Okanishi. To the sound of traditional music, she presented a choreographed calligraphy inspired by the painting of a unicorn which we use as a symbol of our Venture Ecosystem. Reflecting the aspiration to “jump into the future with ambition”, she chose to paint the two Japanese characters 志 (ambition) and 飛躍 (a flying leap) for her dance-like performance.
The seminar’s emcee was Kaori Hida, President and CEO of Talk Navi Inc. She built a career as an announcer before founding Talk Navi to create second career opportunities for other announcers.
The seminar began after the calligraphy performance. First, Kazuhiro Goto, CEO of D-POPS GROUP Co., Ltd., and the organizer of Venture Ecosystem Summit 2025, took the stage.
In a presentation entitled “The Key Points That Breakthrough Entrepreneurs Defend to the Death”, he shared 20 critical strategies he discovered through analyzing numerous founders who built billion- or trillion-yen scale companies.
Among those in attendance were some members of “Goto School”, a study group led by President Goto. While some of the lessons President Goto shared here may have been review for them, he also shared the crazy roller coaster ride that he experienced as the founder of a startup, which he has not shared elsewhere.
Next to speak was Shinichiro Naito, President and CEO of Findstar GROUP Co., Ltd. President Naito also serves as D-POPS GROUP’s Non-Executive Director.
In his talk, “Turning Points on the Path to Building a 40 Billion Yen Business”, he revealed key points for profit generation that are not usually disclosed, allowing attendees to learn the secret foundation of Findstar GROUP’s strength. Many companies in the audience likely reflected on their own businesses, after realizing the underlying philosophy behind the guidance President Naito always provides.
Following him was Tetsuya Watanabe, D-POPS GROUP’s Senior Managing Executive Officer. Mr. Watanabe served as the head of purchasing for telecommunications and IT products at Yodobashi Camera for over 15 years, eventually becoming an Executive Officer and General Manager of the Business Division at Yodobashi Camera.
His presentation, “Retail Empire Yodobashi Camera’s Business Strategies and Their Amazing Founder Fujisawa”, was packed with fundamental business principles and strategies for maximizing profit. These insights into Yodobashi Camera’s greatness—understood only by someone like Watanabe, who consistently supported the founder—offered significant learning not just for CEOs but also for the executive officers in the audience.
Our next article features more priceless talks, the likes of which could never be heard anywhere except for this event, including those by KDDI co-founder Dr. Sachio Semmoto and former U.S. Ambassador Ichiro Fujisaki. So, please be sure to check out Seminar Review – Part 2!
