Osaka University Foresight

What Osaka University Foresight does

Osaka University Foresight Inc. (大阪大学フォーサイト株式会社) is a Suita, Japan-based consulting company founded in August 2022 as a 100% wholly-owned subsidiary of National University Corporation Osaka University. The company provides 'new value co-creation' services to enterprise clients, applying its proprietary 'Foresight Creation' methodology, which integrates behavioral field observation with academic knowledge drawn from Osaka University's 6,000+ faculty and researchers to generate hypotheses and prototypes for new products, services, and businesses. The methodology is structurally codified into eight core competencies and is delivered through three lines: direct enterprise co-creation consulting engagements, the Foresight Academy (multi-month Producer and Creator training tracks in Osaka and Tokyo), and shorter-format workshops such as the Ethnography Lab and Prototyping Lab priced at 80,000-100,000 JPY per participant.

The company operates from two locations: its original headquarters in the Techno Alliance Building on Osaka University's Suita campus and the new 'Camomile' co-creation space opened in April 2025 at Osaka University Nakanoshima Center. In November 2025, the company established a wholly-owned subsidiary, Osaka University Foresight Reframing Partners Inc., to operate the human resource and organizational development business. Named enterprise relationships include KOBELCO Future Research Institute (manufacturing transformation), NTT West Japan (co-developed the 'Rounchi' business creation board game), Okamura Corporation (Tokyo co-creation events), and Exa Wizards (AI versus human value creation seminars). GTM is sales-led direct consulting with event-driven mid-funnel engagement; pricing is per-seat for workshops and project-based for consulting. Revenue is not disclosed; no external institutional investors or funding rounds appear in the record.

The company is led by President Hirata Tomohiko (appointed October 9, 2025, succeeding founder Matsunami Haruto, who remains as Founder/Visionary) and COO Nagao Shino, with a team of approximately 10-15 members. In January 2025, the company introduced an Executive Officer system and positioned 2024-2025 as a 'run-up period for further growth', signaling a transition from founder-led build-out to scaled, formalized operations under its parent university's backing.

Name

Osaka University Foresight

Legal name

大阪大学フォーサイト株式会社

Website

https://ou-foresight.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Osaka University Foresight is a Japanese consulting subsidiary of Osaka University that helps enterprises co-create new products, services, and businesses using its proprietary 'Foresight Creation' methodology, combining field observation with academic expertise, delivered via consulting, academy, and workshop programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Innovation Consulting

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161), Professional and Management Development Training (61143)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Innovation & Design Thinking Programs (EDAMAHAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Interactive Practice & Skill-Building (Drills, Games, Mastery Practice) (EDAFACAC)

Keywords

• Innovation consulting
• New value creation
• Business co-creation
• Design anthropology training
• Corporate innovation programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Suita

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. New Value Co-creation Consulting: Consulting services for client companies to co-create new value including new services, products, and business development. Projects are conducted collaboratively with corporate clients.
2. Academy and Training Programs: Educational programs including the Osaka University Foresight Academy offering Producer and Creator tracks. Also includes workshops, seminars, and specialized training courses on ethnography, prototyping, and new value creation.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Osaka University Foresight provides new value co-creation consulting services, training programs (Foresight Academy), and hands-on workshops (Ethnography Lab, Prototyping Lab) that apply its proprietary 'Foresight Creation' methodology. The methodology integrates behavioral observation-based field information with academic knowledge from Osaka University's 6,000+ faculty and researchers to help enterprise clients develop new services, products, and businesses.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• 大阪大学フォーサイト・アカデミー (Osaka University Foresight Academy): 新価値創造の方法論「Foresight Creation」を使った人才养成プログラム。フォーサイト・プロデューサー専攻とフォーサイト・クリエイター専攻がある。
• 新規事業創出ボードゲーム『ロんチ』
• Ethnography Lab
• カモミール (Camomile)
• Foresight School

Products and services

• Foresight Creation Consulting Projects
• Foresight Academy
• Ethnography Lab
• Prototyping Lab
• New Business Creation Board Game 'Ronchi' (ロんチ)

Quantifiable outcome

• Multiple companies have adopted the Foresight Creation methodology with documented results in new value creation

Named customers4 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and supporting.

• Okamura Corporation (株式会社オカムラ)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 June 2026Co-hosting events at Okamura's co-creation space 'Open Innovation Biotope Sea' in Tokyo. Partnership for innovation-focused events combining workspace design expertise with new value creation methodology.
• NTT West Japan (NTT西斯)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 April 2026Joint development of board game 'Rounchi (ロんチ)' for experiential learning of new business creation. Co-hosting events at NTT West Japan's QUINTBRIDGE innovation facility. NTT West Japan's Open Innovation Producer Kyabe Iori (及部一堯) serves as evangelist for Osaka University Foresight.
• Art and Logic Inc. (アート・アンド・ロジック株式会社)supportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 April 2025Workshop facilitator at Camomile opening event, providing artistic perspective on observation skills and creativity enhancement.
• KOBELCO Future Research Institute (コベルコ未来協働研究所)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 December 2024Co-hosted symposium on manufacturing transformation exploring how social sciences and human sciences can drive innovation in manufacturing. Joint events with researchers from Osaka University and industry partners.
• hyphenate Inc. (hyphenate株式会社)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 September 2024Co-facilitation of Prototyping Lab workshops. Company's President Tomohiko Hirata (平田智彦), also Fellow at Osaka University Foresight, leads prototyping workshops combining design and new value creation.
• QuINTBRIDGE (クイントブリッジ)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 September 2024Venue partner for co-creation events and workshops. NTT West Japan's open innovation facility hosting joint events and programs.
• Exa Wizards (株式会社エクサウィザーズ)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 January 2024Joint seminar exploring AI vs human capabilities in new value creation. Guest speaker from Exa Wizards executive team for thought leadership events.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Bounstep Inc. Japan-based design and innovation consultancy that helps corporates develop new value through design methods. Comparable as a Japanese domestic peer operating in the same innovation consulting space.

Broad incumbents

• Accenture Japan: Global consulting firm with deep Japan presence and a strong innovation/design practice (Accenture Song). Provides overlapping enterprise innovation, training, and transformation capabilities at much larger scale.
• McKinsey & Company (Japan): Global strategy consulting leader with significant Japan practice and dedicated innovation/design capabilities. Competes for the same enterprise innovation consulting engagements in Japan.
• Deloitte Tohmatsu Consulting: Major Japanese management consulting firm with an innovation and human capital practice. Broader incumbent offering overlapping innovation strategy, organizational design, and transformation services.

Direct peers

• Doblin (Deloitte Innovation): Innovation strategy consultancy (now part of Deloitte) focused on helping corporates build innovation capabilities. Comparable in co-creation project work and enterprise innovation methodology.
• frog (formerly frog design): Design and innovation consultancy (now part of Capgemini Invent) with similar co-creation, design research, and prototyping offerings to Osaka University Foresight's Foresight Creation methodology.
• IDEO U: Online learning arm of IDEO offering design thinking and innovation courses. Directly comparable to Osaka University Foresight Academy's cohort-based Producer and Creator tracks.
• Ziba Design: US-based design strategy consultancy. Highly comparable given that Osaka University Foresight's new President Tomohiko Hirata founded Ziba Tokyo, the Japanese arm of Ziba, indicating direct lineage in approach and craft.
• IDEO: Global pioneer of design thinking and innovation consulting. Closely comparable to Osaka University Foresight in core methodology (observation-based value creation), client base (large corporates), and academy-style training programs (IDEO U).

Others

• Stanford d.school: Stanford University's design thinking institute that pioneered the academic design thinking framework Osaka University Foresight's methodology draws from. Thematically aligned as an academic-industry bridge for innovation methodology.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCD6pShTLKdHSWSUIN5xY3PQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/OsakaUniversityForesight

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Osaka University Foresight