WHAT’S NEW

EVENT OVERVIEW

4F is an annual event of financial innovation stakeholders to discuss current issues, recognize best practices, and take actions for the future.
This year’s event will include the Japan Financial Innovation Award (JFIA), which is to recognize innovative initiatives from the press releases in the financial sector during 2024, FINOPITCH, a global pitch contest for FinTech startups, and international gatherings and lab crawl, etc.

This year’s theme is “Recharge,” with the hope for “recharging financial innovation”. We hope that you will find hints for accelerating innovation in the global environment with rapid changes. We sincerely hope to stimulate international discussions within the new framework of “JAPAN FINTECH WEEK” and to promote collaboration between startups and financial institutions both in Japan and abroad.

Title

4F(Future Frontier Fes by FINOLAB) 2024 – Revitalization –

Date and Time

Mar.4th,2024 (Mon) – Mar.8th,2024 (Fri)
(JFIA will be held on Mar.4th and FINOPITCH will be on Mar.7th)

Venue

JFIA：OCA TOKYO / FINOPITCH：Kanze Noh Theater　*To be announced for others.

Organizer/Supported by

FINOLAB Inc./FINOVATORS

Contents

JFIA Award Ceremony / FINOPITCH / Speech / Meetup / Reception, etc.

Distribution Channel

YouTube FINOLAB CHANNEL ( https://www.youtube.com/c/finolabchannel )

Language

JFIA: Japanese / FINOPITCH: English / *Other: Bilingual

Japan Financial Innovation Award（JFIA）

JFIA is to recognize innovative initiatives in financial services by adopting information technology and share best practices in the industry and expects to further expand open innovation beyond corporate group and business sector.

JFIA
4(Mon) 5(Tue) 6(Wed) 7(Thu) 8(Fri)
All Day WiFi & Refreshment
9:30-17:00
AM 10:30-12:00
13:30-15:00 		11:30-13:00

GitHub CTO Circle
16:30-17:30

 11:00-13:00 10:00-12:30 10:00-13:00
PM 13:00-19:00
Evening 18:00-20:00 18:00-20:00 Welcome Reception
19:00-20:00		 Reception
19:00-20:00		 20:00-22:00

PROGRAM

Details and latest information will be updated as needed.
Please note that the program may change for any reason.

March 3, to March 7, 2025

FINOLAB Lounge

@FINOLAB
Open Space provided at FINOLAB with WiFi and refreshment to rest or work.

Registration Open Soon

March 3, 2025

Lab Crawl

Visits to innovative laboratory facilities in the Otemachi Building, including FINOLAB.

Registration Open Soon

JFIA

@OCA TOKYO
Japan Financial Innovation Award (JFIA) is to recognize innovative initiatives in financial services. We will announce the grand prize and the category excellence in the awards ceremony.【By invitation only】

Click here for details

March 4, 2025

FINOLAB Lunch

(11:30~13:00) @FINOLAB
Lunch provided at FINOLAB

Registration Open Soon

GitHub CTO Circle

(16:30~17:30) @FINOLAB
An exclusive initiative created to cultivate a tight-knit community of startup CTOs and technology leaders.
（Closed Seminar）

Registration Open Soon

Tokyo Rooftop Night

 @SKY LAB
A reception will be held for participants of Japan FinTech Week at the rooftop “SKY LAB” of the Otemachi Building.

Registration Open Soon

March 5, 2025

UK FINOLAB PITCH N’ LUNCH

(11:00~13:00) @FINOLAB
British Embassy Tokyo will host a pitch and networking lunch at FINOLAB with UK FinTech companies, and we welcome those who are interested in discussing opportunities in future collaboration and interested in learning about the present and future of UK/Japan FinTech.

FINOPITCH Closed Meetup

Meetup will be held for FINOPITCH finalists and invited guests.

March 6, 2025

CC PITCH

@KANZE Noh Theater (GINZA SIX B3)
"CC- Pitch (ChaosCanvas Pitch)“ is a pitch contest for under 25 youth to challenge the future.

FINOPITCH

@KANZE Noh Theater (GINZA SIX B3)
“FINOPITCH'' is a global pitch contest for FinTech startups. Startups from Japan and overseas will give pitches in English. In addition to the grand prize decided by the judges, we will also announce the supporter awards and the audience award in the award ceremony.

March 7, 2025

FINOLAB Pitch Day

Many FinTech and InsurTech startups will be making pitches.

Registration Open Soon

APAC FINOLAB  PANEL PITCH & LUNCH

(10:00~13:00) @FINOLAB
Mainly, not limited, for APAC participants.
10:00-11:00　Panel on APAC Trend
11:00-12:00　Pitch by APAC Startups
12:00-13:00　Networking Lunch

Registration Open Soon

Late Night Party

@FINOLAB
To close all the event, we will hold a networking reception.

Registration Open Soon

FINOPITCH pre-consultation meeting

FINOLAB supports the growth of startups in a variety of ways.

We will hold a pre-consultation meeting for those who are unsure about applying to FINOPITCH, those who would like to make clear their pitch content, and those who would like mentoring. FINOLAB Fund members will have a direct interview with you, so it is a chance to casually discuss not only the content of your pitch, but also everything from capital policy to business planning.

Those who are thinking about starting a business or those who are thinking of applying to FINOPITCH next year or later are also very welcome.

・Method of interview: Online or face-to-face *Face-to-face interviews will be held at FINOLAB.

https://finolab.tokyo/jp

・Application deadline: End of December *Depending on the timing of your application, interviews may be held in the new year.

・Required time: About one hour

・Advisor: FINOLAB fund member

・Contact: investment@finolab.co.jp

*Details and latest information will be updated as needed.
*Please note that the program may change for any reason.

FINOPITCH 2024

AWARD WINNER

OVERVIEW

FINOPITCH is an international pitch contest presented in English, with 4 judging criteria, 1) Impact on Financial Industry, 2) Innovative Business Model, 3) Growth Potential, 4) Global Reach.

FINALIST from outside of Japan

FINALIST from Japan

*alphabetical order

JUDGES

Masakazu MASUJIMA
Masakazu MASUJIMA
FINOVATORS Founder & President
The chairman
Tetsuo IIDA
Tetsuo IIDA
FINOVATORS Founder
Takahisa OHIRA
Takahisa OHIRA
FINOVATORS Member
Hisanori OGAWA
Hisanori OGAWA
FINOVATORS Founder
Mio TAKAOKA
Mio TAKAOKA
FINOVATORS Founder

*The order of the Japanese syllabary after the chairman.

Entry is closed. Thank you very much for many entries.

FinTech Startup Pitch Contest “FINOPITCH 2023” Begins!

OVERVIEW

We are excited to announce that the 5th Future Frontier Fes by FINOLAB (4F) will be held from Monday, March 3, 2025.

※ Please check out the past events here.

As part of the event, we will once again be hosting one of the main programs, the pitch contest  “FINOPITCH” on Thursday, March 6. FINOPITCH (formerly known as FIBC) has been held since 2012 to showcase the technological innovations and business models of FinTech startups and to expand opportunities for international and domestic collaboration, contributing to the creation of Japan’s financial innovation history.

Since the FIBC era, over 200 startups have participated in FINOPITCH, including prominent domestic and international FinTech companies such as AI inside, ConsenSys, Finatext Holdings, FOLIO, freee, Hottlink, Kyash, Loadstar Capital, Money Forward, Moneytree, Paidy, Revolut, and Zuu.

■ Reference
FINOPITCH 2024　 https://4f-otmcbldg.tokyo/finopitch2024-award-winner/
FIBC＆FINOPITCH 10th Anniversary Movie　https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNwzpY0XUAM&t=4s

FINOPITCH Application Guidelines

◆ Application Process
Application Deadline : Jan. 5th,2025 (Sun)
Finalist Announcement : Feb. 5th,2025 (Wed)
FINOPITCH / Award Ceremony : Mar. 6th,2025 (Thu)

※ Meeting with supporting companies will be scheduled for the finalists from March 5 to 7 in 2025.
※ The event organizer will contact you if an online interview is required.

◆ Eligibility Requirements
・Must be a FinTech startup.
・Must have a product/service available for demonstration.
・Must agree to the contents of the entry form.

Company Establishment/Service Launch
・Japan companies: Established within the past 5 years and service launched within the past 2 years.
・Overseas companies: Established within the past 7 years and service launched within the past 3 years (considering entering the Japanese market).

◆ Pitch Format
Up to 7 minutes presentation and demonstration in English.

◆ Judging Criteria
Impact | Impact on the Financial Industry
Creativity | Innovative Business Model
Growth | Business Growth Potential
Expansion | Global Market Expansion

◆ Awards
Grand Prize / Audience Awards / Supporter Awards

If you have any questions, please contact us at the email address below.
Hello+FINOPITCH＠finolab.co.jp

Protection of Personal Information
– All the personal information will be protected with our Privacy Policy.

SPEAKER

Miki Tsusaka

Microsoft Japan
Representative Director and President

Tatsushi Iwano

Loadstar Capital K.K.
President

Ryota Hayashi

Finatext Holdings Ltd.
CEO / Co-Founder

Wataru Yamaki

Kanmu, Inc.
CEO

Atsushi Kitagawa

FINOVATORS

Masashi Yokobori

AVILEN Co., Ltd.
Executive Officer, Director of DX Talent Design Department

Chris Skinner

The Finanser
CEO
11:FS
Director

Masako Wakamiya

Mellow Club
Vice president

Mayumi Sakai

Nonfiction Writer

Noriko Sanada

GRANDCELL Inc.
Co-Founder & CEO

Maki Shinada

freee K.K.
Public Relations

Ayaka Mizuno

Funds, inc.
Marketing and PR Team

Chika Tachibana

FINOLAB Inc.
Manager of Community Success

Masaya Kubota

WiL, LLC
Partner

Kenichi Saito

Sozo Ventures
Senior Director

Takuro Okada

Financial Data Utilizing Association
Representative Director

TIMETABLE

DAY1 | Reconsideration | 2023-03-06 18：00 ～ 20：30　[JP]

"Changing Cources"

Pivot History of Kanmu and How to Transform in FinTech Business.

Wataru Yamaki　CEO, Kanmu, Inc.

Transformation of ｍortgage comparison service ”Mogecheck.”

Takashi Shiozawa　Chief Operating Officer, MFS, Inc.

New Challenge of GFIT for FX-Tech.
History of Business Transformation.

Shin Sakane (Ph.D.)　co-CEO & CSMO, GFIT Inc.

DAY2 | Reorganization | 2023-03-07  18：00 ～ 20：30　[JP]

"DX and Beyond"

Logics of Digital Transformation (DX)

Keita Nishiyama　Visiting Professor, The University of Tokyo Institute for Future Initiatives

DX and FinTech

Chris Skinner　CEO, The Finanser　/　Director, 11:FS

［Session & Discussion］
Re-Skilling Strategy in the Age of DX

Yasuhisa Iida　CEO and Representative Director, JP DIGITAL Co., Ltd.
Masashi Yokobori　Executive Officer, Director of DX Talent Design Department, AVILEN Co., Ltd.

Future has already started.

Masako Wakamiya　Vice president, Mellow Club

DAY3 | Recharge | 2023-03-08  18：00 ～ 20：30　[JP]

"For the Future Development"

Fund Raising in Recession Period

Masaya Kubota　Partner, WiL, LLC

［Panel Discussion］
PR Strategy for FinTech Startups

Mayumi Sakai　Nonfiction Writer
Noriko Sanada　Co-Founder & CEO, GRANDCELL Inc.
Maki Shinada　Public Relations, freee K.K.
Ayaka Mizuno　Marketing and PR Team, Funds, inc.
Chika Tachibana　Manager of Community Success, FINOLAB Inc.

Startup and VC Trend in the US and Corporate Alliance

Kenichi Saito　Senior Director, Sozo Ventures

DAY4 | Finalist Welcome Reception（by Invitation Only)

CC PITCH ＆ FINOPITCH  |  2024-03-07   10：00 ～ 19：00

10:00~12:00　CC PITCH
　　　　　*Business pitch by students (Click here for more details.)
13:00　International Startup Pitch　　　　　
15:00　Japanese Startup Pitch
16:45　Fireside Chat
　　　　Special Guest：Miki Tsusaka, Microsoft Japan, Representative Director & President
　　　　Moderator：Chie Ito, FINOLAB Inc. CEO
17:05　Alumni Panel
　　　　Panelist：Wataru Yamaki, Kanmu Inc. CEO（Finalist 2013）
　　　　　　　　 Ryota Hayashi, Finatext Holdings Ltd. CEO  (2015・16）
　　　　　　　　 Tatsushi Iwano, Loadstar Capital K.K. CEO（2016）
　　　　Moderator：Atsushi Kitagawa, FINOVATORS
17:35　Noh Performance "Takasago"　Mr. Kanze Saburota
18:00　Award Ceremony
19:00　Networking Reception

JP：Japanese　EN：English

* In Japan time.
*The plans are subject to change.

TICKET

If you wish to participate, please do so by booking a ticket in advance.

The registration for each event will open from Jan. 2024 at this site.

SUPPORTERS

PLATINUM SUPPORTERS

GOLD SUPPORTERS

SILVER SUPPORTERS

BRONZE SUPPORTERS

PUBLIC SUPPORTERS

OFFICIAL SUPPORTERS

VENUE

PARTNERS

*The order of the Japanese syllabary

MOVIE

FiresideChat - FINOPITCH2024 - | 4F2024
PlayPlay
舞囃子「高砂」 - FINOPITCH2024 - | 4F2024
PlayPlay
FINOPITCH2024 | 4F2024
PlayPlay
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FiresideChat - FINOPITCH2024 - | 4F2024
舞囃子「高砂」 - FINOPITCH2024 - | 4F2024
FINOPITCH2024 | 4F2024
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