Clubhouse event for the Global Frontier Network held by JBMC finalists

Our students of the master’s degree programs in English were selected to participate in the Japan Business Model Competition (JMBC), the only official competition in Japan recognized by BMCG (Business Model Competition Global), the world's largest Lean Startup-style business plan competition. Forming “Team X,” the students developed a business model that was chosen at the JBMC pitch selection meeting by NUCB BS professors Dr. Yasutomi Kitahara, Dean of the NUCB Business School and Director of the NUCB Center for Entrepreneurs, and Dr. Yuriko Sawatani, who has wide expertise in the area of Service Design, Innovation Management, and Entrepreneurship.

In preparation for the finals, Team X hosted an event on the Clubhouse app for the Global Frontier Network, a section of the Student Representative Council (SRC) that focuses on fostering relationships between students of English and Japanese programs at NUCB Business School. Ms. Dhiviya Anbazhagan and Ms. Etsumi Sugeno, both MBA students, organized and acted as moderators for this event, which brought together participants from Japan and all over the world. Key speakers were academic experts, founders of various startups, and angel investors. The event was held in both English and Japanese, as participants engaged to talk about issues faced by women in business and entrepreneurship, especially in Japan.

Team  X introduced their FEMDP model (Female Entrepreneur Mobilisation and Development Platform) that would go on to be presented in the JBMC 2021 finals. The platform aims to mobilize the entrepreneurial spirit of the women to shift from the traditional “She for She” paradigm to include “He for She,” and to provide the resources required to support female entrepreneurs in their journeys. They agreed and believed that the growth of innovation driven by women is the key to the economic and sustainable societal growth of Japan, but that there are many challenges in terms of funding from angel investment firms, most of which are managed and run by male entrepreneurs and founders.