Kobe Institute of Computing / Graduate School of Information Technology

What Kobe Institute of Computing / Graduate School of Information Technology does

Kobe Institute of Computing (KIC), legally Kobe Institute of Computing / Graduate School of Information Technology (神戸情報大学院大学), is a private professional graduate school headquartered at 2-2-7 Kano-cho, Chuo-ku, Kobe, Japan. The institution traces its lineage to Kobe Electronic School, founded in 1958 by Tomio Fukuoka — author of Japan's first textbook on computer hardware and software — and was reorganized as a graduate school in April 2005. KIC offers a Master of Science in Information Systems through two core programs: the Japanese-language ICT Professional Course (April intake) and the English-language ICT Innovator Course (October intake), with annual admission capped at 55 students and a 100% online degree completion option.

The school's pedagogical architecture is built around 'TANKYU Practice' (探究実践), an original problem-solving methodology derived from consulting-firm approaches that combines inquiry-based learning with ICT skills to address social issues, visualized through the proprietary TANKYU Chart framework. This methodology is increasingly integrated with AI through the 'AI×TANKYU' (AI×探究) approach, supported by KIC-authored teaching materials covering AI fundamental principles, generative AI applications, computer vision, and process automation. The institution's broader ecosystem includes the Kobe Electronics Vocational School (Kobe Denshi) with 17 specialized departments, a Japanese Language Department for international students, and a joint-venture interest in Swift-Xi Inc. (autonomous VTOL drone technology).

KIC generates revenue primarily through graduate school tuition paid by domestic and international students, supplemented by vocational school tuition at Kobe Denshi, JICA-commissioned training programs in Rwanda and Bangladesh, and project-based training contracts. The institution has produced 17,700 alumni across 100+ countries and is one of only 35 universities worldwide approved for the Japan/World Bank Joint Graduate Scholarship Program (JJ/WBGSP) alongside Harvard, MIT, and Stanford. Recruitment flows through three primary channels: direct application for Japanese students, JICA scholarship pipelines (notably the ABE Initiative) for international students from developing countries, and on-site JICA training programs in Kigali and Dhaka. Faculty includes practitioners from JICA, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Sony, and Panasonic, with President Toshiki Sumitani teaching the required first-year TANKYU Practice course personally.

Name

Kobe Institute of Computing / Graduate School of Information Technology

Legal name

Kobe Institute of Computing / Graduate School of Information Technology

Website

https://kic.ac.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

1958

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Kobe Institute of Computing is a private professional graduate school in Kobe, Japan, offering a Master of Science in Information Systems through Japanese and English programs built on its proprietary TANKYU Practice methodology, serving domestic students and JICA-sponsored international students from 100+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Kobe

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Graduate School Tuition: Professional graduate school offering Master of Science in Information Systems degree. Revenue generated from tuition fees paid by domestic and international students enrolled in ICT Professional Course (Japanese language instruction, April start) and ICT Innovator Course (English instruction, October start).

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Kobe Institute of Computing is a private professional graduate school in Kobe, Japan, that offers a Master of Science in Information Systems through two flagship programs: the Japanese-language ICT Professional Course (April intake) and the English-language ICT Innovator Course (October intake) for international students. Teaching is centered on the school's proprietary TANKYU Practice hands-on, project-based methodology, supported by a Japanese Language Department and a full online enrollment system.

Product overview

Kobe Institute of Computing (KIC) is a professional graduate school offering a Master of Science in Information Systems degree through two main programs: the Japanese-language ICT Professional Course (starting April) and the English-language ICT Innovator Course (starting October). Both programs are built on KIC's proprietary 'TANKYU Practice' problem-solving methodology and the 'AI×探究' (AI×Inquiry) approach. Students can earn their degree 100% online. The institution also includes Kobe Electronics Vocational School (Kobe Denshi) for vocational training and a Japanese Language Department for international students. Through subsidiary Swift-Xi Inc., KIC participates in autonomous drone technology development for social innovation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ICT Professional Course

Quantifiable outcome

• Ranked No. 1 out of 580 private universities in '全国私立サバイバル能力ランキング' by Asahi Shimbun AERA
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability8 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• Rwanda Polytechnic - Integrated Polytechnic College TumbacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 May 2018MoU signed for institutional collaboration in training, applied research, consultancy and community outreach activities between KIC and the Rwandan polytechnic institution.
• Swift Engineering Inc.flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2018Aerospace company based in California, USA partnered with KIC to establish Swift-Xi Inc. joint venture. Fusion of Swift Engineering's aerospace technology with KIC's ICT human resource development. Targets 'Social Innovation in the Sky Field' using autonomous drones.
• Rwanda Ministry of ICTcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 March 2018MoU signed for creating cooperative relationship in development of human resources and industries. First time a MoU was officially exchanged with a Ministry - described as revolutionary for KIC.
• Studio Canbe Corp.minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018ICT professional group partnered with KIC graduate James Mmari for development and release of 'Bongo Faster' app for Tanzania's BRT public transportation system. Collaboration between Rwanda student, Japanese startup, and development of practical solution.
• Otowa Electric Co., Ltd.minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Japanese lightning protection manufacturer partnered with KIC for business expansion and human resources development for African countries. Rwanda specifically benefits from lightning protection technology. KIC Rwandan graduates facilitate business connections.
• Rwanda ICT ChambercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 June 2014MoU signed for partnership in software development, game software development, animation and digital content production, ICT human resources development and industry promotion in Rwanda.
• JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerMultiple partnership programs including ABE Initiative (African Business Education) for scholarship students, ICT training programs for African countries, Bangladesh technical aid project, Rwanda human resource development project, and JICA Knowledge Creation programs. KIC has received JICA President Award Commendation and JICA Chairman's Award for contributions to international cooperation.
• Kobe CitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Kobe City on Rwanda projects including 'ICT Human Resource Development Project in Kigali, Rwanda' funded by JICA. City of Kobe has partnership with City of Kigali.
• Panasonic CorporationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKIC students visited Panasonic's CTO office in Osaka for research on IoT, AI, future product development, and business planning. Part of efforts to broaden student horizons before master's research.
• Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKIC collaborated on 'Leadership Innovation Program' for young staff training in Tokyo. KIC international students and Chugai young staff jointly discussed challenges like Malaria, HIV/AIDS, energy supply, and health issues.
• Kobe Electronics Vocational School (Kobe Denshi)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSister school part of KIC educational organization. Offers job-ready ICT and graphic design skills at vocational level, Japanese language courses for international students, and 17 specialized departments. Nearly 400 companies participate in enterprise seminars annually.
• World BankcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKIC is one of only 35 approved universities worldwide for the Japan/World Bank Joint Graduate Scholarship Program (JJ/WBGSP), alongside Harvard, MIT, and Stanford. Scholarship has been operated by World Bank since 1987 using Japanese government contributions.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Temple University Japan: American university's Japan campus offering graduate programs in business and IT to international and Japanese students in English. Comparable to KIC's English-language ICT Innovator Course in serving internationally-mobile students seeking Western-style credentials in Japan.
• BBT University (Business Breakthrough University): Japan's first fully online university offering graduate programs in business and IT, founded by Globis. Directly comparable to KIC given its 100% online professional graduate school model, English-friendly programs, and focus on working professionals seeking advanced credentials.
• Digital Hollywood University: Japanese private professional graduate school specializing in digital content, ICT, and creative industries. Closely comparable to KIC as a similarly-sized private Japanese professional graduate school focused on a specialized ICT/digital curriculum with practitioner faculty.
• Globis University (Graduate School of Management): Private professional graduate school in Japan offering MBA-equivalent programs in Japanese and English with a strong practitioner faculty and international focus. Directly comparable to KIC as a Japanese private professional graduate school competing for international, working-professional, and career-pivot students.

Broad incumbents

• The University of Aizu: Japanese public university dedicated exclusively to computer science and engineering, with English-track graduate programs attracting international students. Comparable to KIC in ICT specialization and international student focus, though larger and publicly funded.
• Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (JAIST): Public Japanese graduate university exclusively for master's and doctoral students, with strong ICT and information science programs. Comparable to KIC as a Japan-based, ICT-focused graduate institution, but larger scale and public-sector funding model.

Emerging players

• African Leadership University: Pan-African higher education institution with campuses in Mauritius and Rwanda offering ICT and business degrees. Directly comparable to KIC in serving African students with ICT-focused graduate education, and notably overlaps geographically with KIC's JICA-sponsored Rwanda pipeline.
• Akita International University: Japanese public university offering all-English undergraduate and graduate programs targeting international students. Comparable to KIC in serving international students with English-language programs in Japan, though with a liberal arts rather than ICT focus.

Others

• World Bank JJ/WBGSP Partner Universities (Harvard, MIT, Stanford): The same 35-university global cohort that includes KIC within the JJ/WBGSP framework. Comparable as peer institutions competing for the same scholarship-funded developing-country graduate talent pool, though at vastly larger scale and broader program scope.

Regional players

• Strathmore University (Kenya): Private Kenyan university with strong ICT, business, and development-focused graduate programs serving East African students. Comparable to KIC's ICT4D graduate training focus and serves an overlapping African student demographic.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/kic_twit
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCr-r8S-DOgwPSNziPVojzGw
• Facebookfacebook.com/kic.gsit
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kobe-institute-of-computing
• Instagraminstagram.com/kic_kobe

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Kobe Institute of Computing / Graduate School of Information Technology