Inter-academic Entrepreneur School. We will collaborate with educational institutions nationwide—including universities, technical colleges, and elementary, middle, and high schools—to revitalize entrepreneurship education, build communities with entrepreneurs and venture capitalists, and establish a framework to support young entrepreneurs.

As the first phase of this initiative, starting in April, we will provide schools nationwide with a free program designed for students in the pre-seed stage, where they can systematically learn the fundamentals of entrepreneurship.

So, we released it today.

https://lot.or.jp/iessp_notice/

Learning of Tomorrow is offering the Inter-academic Entrepreneur School Startup Program (IESSP), a comprehensive program covering everything from the basics of entrepreneurship to the presentation of business ideas, free of charge to educational institutions nationwide that are engaged in entrepreneurship education.

With the program set to begin in April, we are seeking educational institutions to participate in the program and companies to partner with us.

■About the Program

This program aims to provide a standardized curriculum that educational institutions nationwide engaged in entrepreneurship education can utilize. It offers schools across the country a comprehensive, free program designed for the pre-seed stage, covering everything from the basics of entrepreneurship to the presentation of business ideas.

Learning of Tomorrow served as a hub for all stakeholders, bringing together entrepreneurs, accelerators, and venture capital firms to collaborate and jointly develop the program.

In this program, participants can take an entrepreneurship curriculum under supervision from entrepreneurs in various fields, who have incorporated their own experiences into the educational content. The first phase, set to begin in April 2022, will offer an entrepreneurship program specializing in web services.

Going beyond the boundaries of individual educational institutions, we will foster cross-institutional collaboration among schools nationwide—combining online and offline approaches—to create startups originating from educational institutions through matchmaking with venture capital firms and corporations.

・About the Entrepreneurship Curriculum

The first installment of this program is primarily aimed at the pre-seed stage, providing participants with the knowledge necessary to launch a web-based startup, as well as a comprehensive curriculum covering finance, legal matters, and marketing—topics applicable to entrepreneurship in general.Courses can be taken via video or in person, and recorded sessions can be viewed at a later date. In-person sessions will be held at “Tokyo Port City Takeshiba”—the world’s most advanced smart building, which opened in September 2020 within the National Strategic Special Zone in the Tokyo Bay Area—with the cooperation of the CiP Council, a general incorporated association.

While taking the curriculum, program participants will refine their business ideas—either individually or in teams—and prepare for the idea review.

・About the Idea Review Process

We will evaluate the business ideas submitted by participating students. Selected teams will be matched with mentors, who will support them in turning their business ideas into reality. Even if a team is not selected, they will receive feedback from the judges and mentors, allowing them to refine their ideas for the next round of evaluations.

・About Mentoring

Students who pass the screening process will be invited to join an online community where they can receive mentoring support from entrepreneurs and instructors via chat and meetings, and will be assisted in refining their business ideas both online and offline.

・About Pitch Events

After completing the curriculum, a “pitch event” will be held where participants will present their business plans. The judging panel will consist of entrepreneurs, accelerator representatives, and venture capitalists, and ideas deemed viable for commercialization may receive funding from VCs.

■ We are seeking educational institutions to participate in this program

We are currently accepting applications from high schools, universities, and other educational institutions interested in participating in this program. Applications may be submitted not only by educational institutions as a whole but also by individual seminars, research labs, or student clubs.

These materials are available for you to use freely as supplementary resources for lectures and seminars, so please feel free to contact the administrative office. We will be happy to explain this initiative and the program to you.

■ Call for Sponsors

We are seeking companies to support this initiative. Please feel free to contact our office for more information.

■Supervision

Akihiro Ichimura: Visiting Professor at iU, Former Executive Officer at DMM, Corporate Planning Office

Yuki Ikemori: Representative Director, tsam, Inc.