Kansai University Umeda Campus and TSUTAYA jointly develop an entrepreneurial development and support project
2016.07.21
Press Releases
Kansai University / TSUTAYA Co., Ltd.
-Startup cafe "TSUTAYA BOOK STORE" opens for the first time on a university campus-
Kansai University Educational Corporation (Suita City, Osaka Prefecture; Chairman of the Board of Trustees: Keizo Ikeuchi; President: Harushige Kusumi; hereinafter referred to as "Kansai University") and TSUTAYA Co., Ltd. (Head office: Shibuya Ward, Tokyo; President and CEO: Kazuo Nakanishi; hereinafter referred to as "TSUTAYA") have concluded a "Service Agreement for Startup Support Project" to undertake a new industry-academia collaboration project to "develop and support entrepreneurs" at "KANDAI Me RISE," Kansai University's Umeda Campus, which will open in October this year.
Kansai University's Umeda Campus will be home to the TSUTAYA BOOK STORE, the first of its kind in Japan to be located on a university campus, as well as a Starbucks Coffee store, creating a space for many people to gather and socialize both inside and outside the university. The campus will also offer a variety of support measures to inspire the mindset and actions of young people who will lead the next generation to start their own businesses and start their own businesses, with the aim of revitalizing Osaka and the Kansai region.
Details of the "Startup Support Project"
(1) Building an entrepreneurial ecosystem through the formation of entrepreneurial networks
The startup support project at the Umeda Campus will gradually expand to include providing entrepreneurial experience programs to primary and secondary educational institutions, including affiliated schools, and holding events in collaboration with government and companies, in order to make entrepreneurship more accessible to students. One distinctive initiative is to form a network of alumni entrepreneurs active in a wide range of fields, and through interactions and mentoring with our students, gradually build a system of professional and financial support for those who wish to actually start their own businesses. We aim to build an ecosystem in which entrepreneurs who start businesses through this support can support the next generation of entrepreneurs.
(2) Startup Cafe
A "Startup Cafe" will be opened in a space adjacent to the "TSUTAYA BOOK STORE" on the second floor (out of eight floors) of the campus as a base for supporting entrepreneurship in the city center of the university. The Startup Cafe is characterized by its openness and low barrier to entry, allowing anyone, including students of the university, to easily and free of charge consult with the on-site coordinators (entrepreneurship support counselors) about starting a business. In addition, the Startup Cafe will hold a variety of events, including skill-up seminars and self-development seminars, as well as networking events where you can meet fellow aspiring entrepreneurs and business contests, in order to provide a support system for those hoping to start their own businesses. There are other universities that have cafe facilities on campus, but it is precisely because this is a closer industry-academia collaboration that it is possible to go beyond simply setting up a store and develop it into a multi-functional facility like this.
Background of the collaboration
(1) Kansai University
The Umeda Campus will not house any specific faculties or graduate schools, but will instead be a new "hub of knowledge" that will provide educational content that meets the needs of the times in an open and free atmosphere, and that will be available to a wide range of people, not just those affiliated with the university.
TSUTAYA not only sells books, but also continues to promote new lifestyles and work styles that respond to the culture and needs of the times, and we believe that this will allow us to express the results of research and education at the university and new connections with society. They are already running a startup cafe in Fukuoka City, which has embodied a new form of support for entrepreneurship. We believe that they will be a good partner as we develop a new startup support business at our Umeda campus as an extension of career and work style choices.
(1) TSUTAYA
The CCC Group, including TSUTAYA, has supported the founding of many startups and engaged in business collaborations through the operation of the Startup Cafe, a startup support center developed by Fukuoka City, and the T-VENTURE PROGRAM, a business support program for venture companies. This time, we resonated with the facility concept of Kansai University's Umeda Campus, which is "to develop people who can lead, connect, initiate and create - creating a place to put 'thinking and acting' into practice." We decided to collaborate with Kansai University, leveraging the know-how we have cultivated to date, in order to create the human resources that will lead the future through the "TSUTAYA BOOK STORE" and "Startup Cafe."
In the future, TSUTAYA will also consider collaborating with the T-CARD and T-POINT services operated by the CCC Group, aiming to improve convenience and business support for those aspiring to start their own businesses and entrepreneurs.
Upcoming events at the Umeda Campus
The Umeda Campus will be hosting a variety of events after its opening in October this year, including seminars at the Startup Cafe. Details of event plans and on-campus activities will be announced in press releases and other means.
Materials related to this matter
Umeda Campus x TSUTAYA develops entrepreneurial training and support project
Inquiries regarding this matter
TSUTAYA Co., Ltd. Public Relations Tel: 03-6800-4764
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