TechGALA
TechGALA is an annual technology festival in Nagoya, Japan, organized by the Central Japan Startup Ecosystem Consortium. It convenes global startups, corporations, and investors across mobility, materials, life sciences, and advanced technology via conferences, pitch contests, and business matching.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2020
- HeadquartersNagoya, Japan
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What TechGALA does
TechGALA is a multi-day technology festival organized by the Central Japan Startup Ecosystem Consortium — a coalition comprising the Chubu Economic Federation, Nagoya University, Aichi Prefecture, Nagoya City, and Hamamatsu City. Held annually in Nagoya's Sakae and Tsurumai districts, the event convenes global technology professionals, startups, corporations, and investors across five content verticals: Mobility, Sustainable Environment/Earth Environment, Material, Life Science/Well-being, and Advanced Technology. The platform's product surface spans a main conference program, the Grand Pitch startup competition (¥1M first-place prize), Speed Business Meetings for facilitated startup-to-corporate introductions, hackathons, exhibitions, side events, and supporting services including AI-powered Japanese-English translation, on-site childcare, and art and music programming.
The underlying technology is primarily an event operations and community orchestration stack rather than a software product; the platform is delivered as an in-person annual gathering with digital marketing and registration layers. Business model mechanics rest on two pillars: tiered ticket sales (six tiers ranging from free City Passes to ¥150,000-200,000 Executive Passes) and multi-tier corporate sponsorship (Diamond, Platinum, Gold, Silver), with the 2026 edition anchored by Mitsubishi UFJ Bank at Diamond and Google Cloud, Salesforce Japan, FPT Consulting, Chubu Electric Power, and Sansan at Platinum. Special partners JETRO and STATION Ai provide international reach and physical venue infrastructure.
After the inaugural February 2025 edition drew 5,000+ visitors from 20+ countries, the January 2026 edition scaled to 5,500+ visitors, 420+ speakers, 250+ exhibitors, 1,050+ business matching sessions, and 120+ side events across 39 countries. The third edition, TechGALA Japan 2026: BEYOND, is scheduled for December 15-17, 2026, under the theme of transcending existing industry boundaries to position Central Japan as a globally connected innovation platform. General Producer Hiromi Okuda, founder of Wiz. Group, leads the event.
TechGALA firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- TechGALA
- Legal name
- Central Japan Startup Ecosystem Consortium
- Website
- https://techgala.jp
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2020
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- TechGALA is an annual technology festival in Nagoya, Japan, organized by the Central Japan Startup Ecosystem Consortium. It convenes global startups, corporations, and investors across mobility, materials, life sciences, and advanced technology via conferences, pitch contests, and business matching.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
TechGALA industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Technology Conferences and Events
- NAICS
- Convention and Trade Show Organizers (561920)
- SIC
- Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Technology & Innovation Expos Organizers (THAHABAE)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Technology & Developer Conferences (MPAGAGAE), Industry Trade Shows & Expos (MPAGAGAA)
Keywords
Where TechGALA is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Nagoya
- HQ country
- Japan
- HQ region
- Asia
Offices1 record
Markets served
TechGALA business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Ticket Sales: Revenue generated from multi-tiered ticket sales for event attendance, with varying access levels from free City passes to premium Executive passes priced up to ¥200,000.
- Sponsorship Revenue: Revenue from corporate sponsors at various tiers (Diamond, Platinum, Gold, Silver) and special partners for event branding and visibility.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | One-time | Executive Pass - Premium networking with speakers and exclusive access |
| Subscription | One-time | Business Pass - Full conference and exhibition access with meeting rooms |
| Subscription | One-time | Startup Pass - Entry-level paid ticket for startups |
| Subscription | One-time | Visitor Pass - General admission to TechGALA |
| Subscription | One-time | Student Pass - Discounted student ticket |
| Freemium | One-time | City Pass - Free tier for side event access only |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels7 records
TechGALA product offering
Product offeringCore offering
TechGALA is an annual technology festival held in Nagoya, Japan, featuring multi-day conferences, startup pitch contests, business matching sessions, corporate exhibitions, networking events, and side events. The event brings together global technology professionals, startups, corporations, and investors to foster cross-border innovation in mobility, materials, life sciences, and advanced technology sectors.
Product overview
TechGALA is a multi-day technology festival and event platform organized by the Central Japan Startup Ecosystem Consortium. The core offering consists of the annual TechGALA Japan conference event featuring conference sessions, the Grand Pitch startup competition, Speed Business Meetings for networking, exhibitions, and side events. Supporting services include AI-powered Japanese-English translation, childcare facilities, and Art & Music programming. The platform brings together global professionals across mobility, materials, life sciences, and advanced technology sectors to foster innovation, business partnerships, and open innovation between startups and established companies.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Grand Pitch: TechGALA's startup pitch contest where innovative startups compete. The Grand Pitch 2026: BEYOND awards 1 million yen to the winner and provides mentoring, matching support, and demo table exhibition rights to finalists.
Products and services
- TechGALA Japan Conference Annual multi-day technology festival featuring conference sessions with speakers from around the world discussing innovative technologies across mobility, materials, life sciences, and advanced technology sectors. Held in Nagoya, Japan with tiered ticketing (Executive, Business, Startup, Visitor, Student, City passes).
- Grand Pitch Startup pitch competition where entrepreneurs present innovative projects and ideas to a panel of investment professionals and corporate judges. Focuses on Mobility, Sustainable Environment, Material, Life Science/Well-being, and Advanced Technology themes. Open to startups within 20 years of founding with MVP or above.
- Speed Business Meetings Business matching program enabling startups to engage in casual dialogue with representatives from established companies, venture capital firms, corporate venture capital, and financial institutions for partnership opportunities. Speed business meeting format with 1,050+ matchings at TechGALA 2026.
- Hackathon (Hack GALA) Program where participants develop transformative ideas, collaborate with peers to shape concepts, and prepare team presentations for competition. Held as part of the annual TechGALA festival.
- Corporate Exhibition Corporate exhibition booths where companies from around the world purchase space to showcase cutting-edge technologies, ideas, and services aimed at open innovation and business expansion. Includes 250+ exhibitors at TechGALA 2026 across mobility, materials, life sciences, and advanced technology sectors.
Quantifiable outcome
- 5,500+ attendees, 39 countries, 1,050+ business matchings at TechGALA 2026
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use TechGALA
Customer profileNamed customers10 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
TechGALA technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
TechGALA partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.
- Musashi Seimitsu IndustrycoreJudge in Grand Pitch 2026, evaluating startups for mobility and manufacturing innovation potential.
- FPT ConsultingcorePlatinum sponsor providing technology consulting services and supporting cross-border innovation between Japan and Vietnam.
- Google CloudcorePlatinum sponsor offering up to $350,000 in Google Cloud credits for startups through Google for Startups Cloud Program.
- Salesforce JapancorePlatinum sponsor providing CRM platform support and digital transformation expertise for event participants.
- Chubu Electric PowercorePlatinum sponsor supporting energy and sustainability-focused innovation in the Central Japan region.
- SansancorePlatinum sponsor providing business card management and名片왕 (Eight) platform for networking optimization.
- Sumitomo ShojicoreGold sponsor supporting startup ecosystem and international business matching activities.
- JETRO (Japan External Trade Organization)flagshipSpecial partner supporting international startup attraction and cross-border business development for TechGALA.
- STATION AiflagshipSpecial partner providing innovation hub venue in Tsurumai district for startup ecosystem activities.
- Central Japan Startup Ecosystem ConsortiumflagshipMain organizing body consisting of Chubu Economic Federation, Nagoya University, Aichi Prefecture, Nagoya City, and Hamamatsu City.
- 01BoostercoreParty sponsor and startup accelerator providing ecosystem support and corporate innovation programs.
- CybozucoreCooperation partner providing meeting rooms and lounges at Chunichi Building for workspace support.
- KOKUYOcoreCooperation partner providing meeting room facilities for business discussions during events.
- Meiji Yasuda Life InsurancecoreCooperation partner providing official workspace venue Meijiyasuda Village for event attendees.
- OICX (Nagoya University Open Innovation Center)coreCommunity supporter and workspace provider supporting university-enterprise collaboration initiatives.
Scale indicators17 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
TechGALA competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Japan IT Week: Large multi-trade-show format covering software, AI, IoT, and startup ecosystems in Japan; comparable in exhibitor scale, tiered sponsorship, and B2B tech audience overlap.
- TechCrunch Disrupt: Global tech conference featuring a prominent startup pitch competition (Startup Battlefield), tiered tickets, and major sponsors; comparable startup pitch and conference product mix.
- Slush: Helsinki-based annual startup and tech conference with global ambitions, pitch contests, and heavy corporate sponsorship; directly comparable event-driven GTM motion and target audience of founders, investors, and corporates.
- VivaTech: Annual European startup and tech event with global corporate sponsors and a startup pitch competition; comparable in international ambition, multi-tier sponsorship, and conference-plus-pitch format.
- Web Summit: One of the world's largest tech conferences with tiered ticket pricing, multi-track conferences, startup programs (PITCH), and major corporate sponsorships; closely mirrors TechGALA's event format and monetization structure.
- CEATEC: Japan's flagship combined exhibition for electronics, IT, and advanced technology, held annually with corporate exhibitors and conference programming; directly competes for Japanese tech-event sponsorship and attendance.
- Tech in Asia: Asia-focused tech media and conference company hosting startup conferences with pitch contests and corporate sponsorships; strong comparable for startup-pitch and corporate-innovation event model in Asia.
Emerging players
- SusHi Tech Tokyo: Tokyo Metropolitan Government-led global startup conference aimed at urban innovation; comparable government-backed innovation event model targeting startups and corporates.
- 01Booster: Japan-based startup accelerator and corporate innovation program operator; already a TechGALA party sponsor, making it both a comparable and an existing ecosystem partner in the Japanese startup space.
Broad incumbents
- CES (Consumer Technology Association): The largest global consumer electronics and technology trade show with extensive corporate sponsorship, exhibition floors, and conference programming; broad incumbent that competes for international tech-event sponsorship.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
TechGALA social profiles
Digital presenceTechGALA financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
TechGALA leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
TechGALA funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
TechGALA M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about TechGALA
What does TechGALA do?
TechGALA is an annual technology festival held in Nagoya, Japan, featuring multi-day conferences, startup pitch contests, business matching sessions, corporate exhibitions, networking events, and side events. The event brings together global technology professionals, startups, corporations, and investors to foster cross-border innovation in mobility, materials, life sciences, and advanced technology sectors.
Is TechGALA a public or private company?
TechGALA is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was TechGALA founded?
TechGALA was founded in 2020. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is TechGALA based?
TechGALA is headquartered in Nagoya, Japan, in the Asia region.
How does TechGALA make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Ticket Sales are the primary driver. The others are sponsorship Revenue.
Who are TechGALA's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Japan IT Week, TechCrunch Disrupt, Slush, VivaTech, Web Summit, CEATEC and Tech in Asia. Emerging players are SusHi Tech Tokyo and 01Booster. CES (Consumer Technology Association) is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does TechGALA have an API?
No public API is recorded for TechGALA.
What industry is TechGALA in?
TechGALA's product category is Technology Conferences and Events. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAHABAE, Technology & Innovation Expos Organizers, with a secondary code of MPAGAGAE, Technology & Developer Conferences. Its NAICS code is 561920 and its SIC code is 7900.