SEAJ Global Startup Ecosystem Meeting 2026 in Spring: Sharing Overseas Startup Ecosystem Trends

The spring installment of a quarterly meeting that examines startup ecosystems around the world. This session covers two cities, Boston and Chicago, introducing government-linked mechanisms for fostering innovation, startup hubs that draw on each city's strengths, and approaches to global collaboration. The goal is to help energize Japan's own startup ecosystem. Boston is presented as a hub where research institutions such as Harvard and MIT cluster, with CIC Boston at the center connecting startups, investors, and researchers. Chicago is featured for its strengths as a manufacturing and distribution center, along with a large quantum-focused facility slated to open in 2030, positioning it as a model for hardware startup support that fuses manufacturing depth with advanced technology. Speakers are Ayumi Fujimoto, representative director, and Masaru Nagura, vice representative director, of the Startup Ecosystem Association Japan. The program runs from 12:00 to 13:30 with presentations, a Q&A, and networking, held on-site only at Tokyo Innovation Base.