[Pitch Applicants / Audience Wanted] TIB SANDBOX (Pitch Event) / For Idea-Stage to Early-Stage Startups

TIB SANDBOX is a pitch event for startups anywhere from the idea stage to early launch. For this first edition, five teams selected through an open call and pre-screening each give a three-minute pitch followed by five minutes of questions and feedback. No sector restrictions apply, and ideas that are still taking shape are explicitly welcome. Two commentators give feedback on the spot: Yuji Hara, partner and director at Apollo Capital, the CVC of listed company Ceres, and Hajime Iwata, who heads a seed and early-stage venture capital fund at Kiraboshi Bank. Founders get an investor-side read on their idea before they raise, and one recognized team is featured in a TIB newsroom article. The 90-minute program starts at 18:30 with pitches and two partner-company slots, then runs to 20:00 as open networking. The venue is Tokyo Innovation Base 1F Living in Marunouchi and attendance is free. Tickets on this page cover audience seats only; pitching requires a separate application form (deadline 23:59 on 17 August 2026). Entry requires registering in the TIB app and showing a QR code.