What StartUp University does

StartUp University合同会社 (Start up Univ. LLC) is a Japanese education company founded on June 10, 2022, and headquartered in Fukuoka, Japan (812-0022, 福岡市博多区神屋町5-5 カナエ福岡第2ビル 5F). The company targets university students in Japan, offering entrepreneurship and career-readiness programming framed around the idea that traditional career "correct answers" no longer apply in an era of 100-year lifespans, globalization, and post-pandemic uncertainty. It operates as a Godo Kaisha (合同会社 / LLC), is led by Representative Director and CEO Sawada Seiji (澤田 聖士), banks with Nishi-Nippon City Bank, and has a headcount of 1–10 employees.

The company's offerings are organized into three integrated service lines. The StartUp Universal Education Program (質の高い教育プログラム) delivers a curriculum combining input (motivation and learning), output (action-oriented exercises), and internship experiences intended to improve students' non-cognitive abilities. The Start up Univ. Online Community hosts weekly online meetings with remote-accessible curricula that enable peer learning across Japan. Career Education Seminars (職業教育セミナー) are delivered in partnership with universities and other educational institutions to support students' professional development, accompanied by program effectiveness measurement and research. Underlying technology is not disclosed; the offering is a content- and community-led service rather than a technology platform, with no API, SDK, or app surface.

StartUp University generates revenue through community operations and seminar implementation, classified as professional services. Distribution occurs through two channels: direct institutional sales (field/enterprise) to universities and educational institutions for seminars, and a self-serve online community channel accessible to individual students across Japan. Pricing is not publicly disclosed. The company is privately held, founder-owned, and bootstrapped, with no disclosed external institutional investment, parent company, subsidiaries, or M&A activity in the available source material.

Name

StartUp University

Legal name

スタートアップ UNIVERSITY合同会社

Website

https://startup-uni.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

StartUp University is a Fukuoka-based Japanese education company founded in 2022 that delivers entrepreneurship curricula, an online learning community, and career seminars to university students in partnership with educational institutions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Career Education Services

NAICS

Business Schools and Computer and Management Training (6114), Professional and Management Development Training (61143)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Entrepreneurship Foundations & Startup Basics (EDAMAHAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Entrepreneurship, Startup Incubation & Pitch Programs (EDAMAKAK), Career Exploration & Industry Exposure (Guest Speakers, Company Visits) (EDAMAHAJ)

Keywords

• Career education programs
• Entrepreneurship training services
• Online learning community
• Student internship programs
• Vocational education seminars

Headquarters

HQ city

Fukuoka

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Community Operations and Seminar Implementation: The company generates revenue through community membership and career education seminars implemented in partnership with educational institutions. Programs include entrepreneurial spirit cultivation, internship opportunities, and career education for university students.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

StartUp University delivers entrepreneurship and career education services for university students in Japan, centered on three integrated offerings: a structured Startup Universal Education Program combining motivating input, action-oriented output, and internship experiences to improve non-cognitive abilities; an Online Community that hosts weekly online meetings and peer learning for students nationwide; and Career Education Seminars co-delivered with universities and schools. Programs are paired with effectiveness measurement and research, and the company explicitly targets students facing career and life decisions in an era of uncertainty.

Product overview

StartUp University operates as a unified educational platform offering three integrated services: (1) the Startup University Education Program that nurtures entrepreneurship through input, output, and internship components; (2) the Start up Univ. Online Community providing weekly online meetings and peer learning; and (3) Career/Vocational Education Seminars delivered in partnership with educational institutions. The company also conducts program effectiveness measurement and research to continuously improve its offerings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Startup Universal Education Program (質の高い教育プログラム / High-Quality Education Program) Structured entrepreneurship education program for university students that combines motivating learning input, action-oriented output, and internship experiences to improve non-cognitive abilities and self-directed career and life choices.
• Start up Univ. Online Community (オンラインコミュニティ) Online peer-learning community for university students featuring weekly online meetings and remote-accessible curriculum that supports ongoing career development and mutual learning among members.
• Career Education Seminar (職業教育セミナー) Career education seminars delivered in partnership with universities and schools to support students' professional development and self-directed career planning.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Educational Institutions (Universities and Schools)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStartUp University partners with educational institutions to implement career education programs and seminars. The company works with university faculty and staff to conduct program effectiveness measurements, research, and educational support activities aimed at enabling students to make self-directed career and life choices.

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Wantedly: Japanese career platform that operates a community-driven model connecting students and young professionals with employers and mission-driven companies. Comparable in its focus on early-career talent and community-led engagement, though it primarily serves hiring rather than education delivery.
• unistyle: Career education provider for Japanese university students focused on foreign financial and consulting firms. Comparable in delivering career-planning content and seminars to university students through institutional channels.
• Schoo: Online learning community in Japan offering live and on-demand video courses with an engaged user community. Comparable in the community-led learning model and remote-access curriculum delivery, though the audience spans working adults rather than university students specifically.
• Another Eight: Japanese leadership and career education provider focused on university students and young professionals, offering programs and workshops. Highly comparable in target audience, skill-development focus, and institutional partnership distribution model.
• Goodfind: Career education platform offering seminars and mentorship to Japanese university students seeking careers at startups and growth-stage companies. Comparable in targeting entrepreneurial-minded students and providing career discovery services.
• Studyplus: Japanese study-support community app serving students with peer learning and motivation features. Comparable in community-led engagement model and student focus, though centered on study rather than career education.

Broad incumbents

• BizReach: One of Japan's largest career platforms operating hiring services across white-collar segments. Comparable customer base in early-career talent, though it focuses on job placement rather than educational programming.
• doda campus (Persol): Persol's campus-focused career platform connecting university students with internship and job opportunities. Comparable in target audience and career-development focus, backed by a large HR conglomerate.
• en-japan: Major Japanese HR services company with multiple hiring and career-education brands including campus recruitment services. Comparable in serving university students and offering career education, but at much greater scale and scope.

Regional players

• innovate locally: Please ignore this - placeholder to be removed

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/StartUpUniIBU
• Facebookfacebook.com/StartupUniversityIbu
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/startup-university-ibu

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 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 StartUp University