2026 Japan Startup Award Winners Announced

The Japan Startup Award recognizes entrepreneurs and startups that create impactful new businesses serving as role models for the next generation. Its purpose is to encourage people aspiring to start businesses and society at large to embrace the importance of taking on challenges, promote social recognition of entrepreneurs in general, and raise awareness of entrepreneurship throughout society.

Following review by the selection committee, Sakana AI Co., Ltd. was selected to receive the Information and Communications Startup Award (Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications Award).

The open call ran from December 23, 2025, to January 23, 2026. The selection committee was chaired by Michi Fukushima, president of the Japan Academic Association for Ventures and Entrepreneurs and professor at the Graduate School of Economics, Tohoku University.

Sakana AI Co., Ltd.'s co-founder and representative director and CEO is Ren Ito, and the company was established in 2023.

The company develops technologies including evolutionary model merging, which combines multiple AI models evolutionarily to generate new AI models, and the AI Scientist, which handles tasks from generating research ideas through experimentation and paper writing to peer review. It is working to put these technologies into practical use across various fields.

Recipients of the other award categories are listed in the attached document.