Where It All Started
Tech for Impact Summit 2024
Our inaugural summit brought together leaders across technology, social innovation, and policy in Tokyo — sparking cross-sector collaborations and long-term partnerships that continue today.
500+
Attendees
30+
Speakers & Mentors
50+
Startups
10+
Countries
20
Partner Orgs
2024 Aftermovie
2024 Speakers & Mentors
30+ Speakers & Mentors
Leaders across technology, social innovation, and policy who shaped our inaugural summit.
Charles Hoskinson
CEO and co-founder of Input Output Global (formerly IOHK)
Takuya Hirai
Member of the House of Representatives, Head of Public Relations for the Liberal Democratic Party, First Minister for Digital Affairs
Chiara Lepora
Director of the Manson Unit / Deputy medical director of OCA at Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF: Doctors Without Borders)
Sonja Haut
Head Impact Valuation, IMD Business School at Novartis; First Mover Fellow at The Aspen Institute. Author of "The Case for Impact"
Ryohei Yanagi
Visiting Professor, Waseda University Graduate School of Accountancy
David Freiberg
Impact Investing and Accounting Lead, Climate Change and Sustainability Solutions, EY
Shoko Hanzawa
Head of Delegation at International Committee of the Red Cross - ICRC
Ken Kodama
Founder & CEO at EMURGO
Seira Yun
Founder & CEO of Socious / Impact Angel Investor
Katsuji Imata
President, Social Impact Management Initiative Japan (SIMI), Co-CEO, Blue Marble Japan
Takeshi Nakamura
Shibuya Ward Assembly Member
Yoshiaki Ishii
Counselor of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and Director General, SME Support Japan
Mayumi Wakebe
Investment Director at Shizen Capital
Ian Huang
General Partner at Good People Ventures
Kohei Nishiwada
Founder and CEO of Asuene
Glen Jordan
Co-founder & CEO at Empowa
Daniel Friedman
Founder & CEO of zenGate Global
Shiho Watabe
CEO of Shibuya Startups KK
Shunsuke Murasaki
Chief of Staff at EMURGO
Christelle Ciari
Voice Actress and Television Host
Robin Takashi Lewis
Co-Founder of mymizu and Social Innovation Japan
Alex Zapesochny
CEO of Clerio Vision
Patrick Yuji Wakabayashi
Managing Partner at RiskTaker Ventures
Donald Eubank
Co-founder of Read the Air, the sustainable business advisory firm, and co-author of "Leading Sustainably-The path to sustainable business and how the SDGs changed everything"
Yuriy Humber
President of Yuri Group and founder of Japan NRG
Sebastien Guillemot
Co-founder of dcSpark, Paima Studios and Shinkai Network
John O'Connor
CEO at RealFi
Raphael Hodé
Founder and CEO of nowthen
Kotaro Motoshima
Founder of RULEMAKERS DAO / Attorney at Mori Hamada & Matsumoto
Sho Okiyama
CEO and Founder of Aillis Inc.
Amar Singh
EMURGO Director (BD & Governance)
Kozo Takei
Management Thinker, Social Activist, Social Systems Designer
John Kojiro Moriwaka
CEO, Silicon Valley Ventures
Jeff Matsuda
Japan Program Director of 500 Global
Hata Masahiro
Co-Founder & General Partner of GLIN Impact Capital
Chiemi Kamakura
CEO at Agatha Inc.
Takashi Azuma
CTO at Lily MedTech
Heather Prosser
Managing Director at Morrow Sodali
Noritaka Okabe
Founder and CEO of JPYC
Taj Campbell
CEO of tonari, Inc.
2024 Schedule
Program
09:00 –
Arrival and Registration
09:15 – 10:00
Opening Ceremony
10:00 – 10:45
Keynote: "Blockchain, Impact and Empowerment: A Decade After ‘The Future Will Be Decentralized’ TEDx Talk"
11:00 – 11:45
Health Equity: Addressing AI Bias Now or Trusting Trickle-Down Effects?
12:00 – 12:45
Impact Transparency Dilemma: Balancing Disclosure and Communication in the Age of Accountability
12:45 – 14:00
Networking Lunch
13:00 – 13:45
Achieving Diversity in Tech: Quotas vs. Minimizing Unconscious Bias
14:00 – 14:45
Bridging the Digital Divide: Ensuring Equitable Access to Technology
15:00 – 15:45
Sustainable Innovation: Mitigating Unintended Environmental and Social Consequences of Technological Advancements
15:00 – 15:45
Digital Divide and Equity in Education
15:45 – 16:00
How can industry, academia, and government collaborate to nurture globally impactful technology companies originating from Japan?
16:00 – 16:45
Leveraging Technology for Humanitarian Action: Balancing Innovation with Ethical Responsibility
16:50 – 17:00
Impact Startups and Web3.0: Current State and Future Prospects
17:00 – 17:35
Pitch Contest "Pitch for Change" (Pitch Presenters)
17:00 – 17:35
Pitch Contest "Pitch for Change" (Pitch Judges)
17:35 – 17:45
What are 8 Japanese Startup Ecosystems?
17:45 – 18:15
Closing Ceremony
18:15 –
Networking
2024 Sponsors
Partners & Sponsors
Official Partner
Co-Host
Gold
Silver
Bronze
VC Partners
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Government & University Partners
Media Partners
Community & Student Partners
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Sponsors
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Partners
See How We Grew
From 500+ attendees in 2024 to 2,910 in 2025. The third Tech for Impact Summit returns to Tokyo on April 26, 2026.