“The OKAYAMA STARTUP AWARD 2025 - 4th MOMOSTA Business Plan Contest” was held on March 29 at the MOMOTARO STARTUP CAFE (MOMOSTA) in Okayama City. HORIUCHI Ryotaro (Master's Course, Graduate School of Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering in Health Systems) was awarded the Grand Prize in the Student Category.

The OKAYAMA STARTUP AWARD is a business plan competition aimed at fostering entrepreneurial spirit rooted in the region and nurturing new business ventures from Okayama. It is held annually and targets entrepreneurs and students with innovative ideas that have the potential to address future social challenges and contribute to the revitalization of the regional economy. The judging criteria include novelty, social impact, profitability, future potential, and performance, and outstanding plans in each category are recognized.

The platform "Aqzoo," developed by Mr. Horiuchi, allows people who find it difficult to visit aquariums to enjoy live aquarium footage and commentary online. Designed with the elderly and people in welfare facilities in mind, the platform creates an environment where everyone can easily experience the wonders of aquariums. Additionally, part of the revenue generated is used to support aquariums, making it a highly socially impactful initiative that has garnered attention.

Mr. Horiuchi shared his excitement and reflections on the award: "In this pitch, we deliberately emphasized our worldview and the reasons behind why we are pursuing this project. Honestly, I was uncertain whether such a unique concept would resonate, but we conveyed the future we believe in without compromise and head-on."

From Okayama University, Assistant Professor HIRAYAMA Takahiro of the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences and SASAKI Kento (Applied Chemistry and Biotechnology Program, School of Engineering) also participated. Although they did not win, they had a fruitful opportunity to engage in discussions about their business ideas with the audience.

At Okayama University, Office for Startup Incubation provides multi-faceted support for faculty, staff, and students aspiring to start their own businesses, including advice on commercializing technology seeds and business plans, as well as introducing management consultation resources. If you are interested in starting a venture company, please feel free to contact us.

For more information on our Venture Support, please visit [Okayama University Venture Support Portal].

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