Ota City Start-up Practical Off-Campus Project

Academic unit or major

Graduate major in Super Smart Society

Instructor(s)

Satoru Sota / Yuki Yonekura / Takeshi Hatanaka

Class Format

Lecture/Experiment

Media-enhanced courses

-

Day of week/Period
(Classrooms)

Class

-

Course Code

SMT.B635

Number of credits

0.501.5

Course offered

2026

Offered quarter

3Q

Syllabus updated

Mar 10, 2026

Language

Japanese

Syllabus

Course overview and goals

To transform one's dreams into a viable business, various pathways exist—such as intrapreneurship (business development within an existing corporation), strategic partnerships, or launching startups and ventures. This project provides a practical curriculum aimed at business realization for students interested in "Entrepreneurship" as a key career option. Through the formulation of concrete business plans, students will acquire fundamental knowledge of entrepreneurship and gain hands-on experience in developing their own business proposals.

Course Overview
This program is composed of three core pillars: fieldwork in collaboration with Ota City, talk sessions featuring CEOs of Institute of Science Tokyo startups, and the actual drafting of business plans. Moving beyond the traditional classroom, sessions will take place at cutting-edge incubation facilities, local factories, Ota City venture support centers, and the Institute of Science Tokyo Hospital. These site visits offer a highly stimulating environment, featuring direct business briefings and behind-the-scenes tours. To assist in creating professional business plans, students will receive direct guidance from dedicated mentors.

Instructors are scheduled to be finalized by August. The current plan includes:

Mentoring: Guidance from a unique group of mentors representing their respective industries (e.g., Sigma Energy, Prototype, Institute of Medical and Dental Science Tokyo, Mirai Relations, C2D, Sustainable Resilience Institute, Il Mondo Japan).

Guest Lectures: Intensive experience-sharing sessions from a diverse lineup (e.g., Bocek, Wavelogy, Nomura Co., Ltd., physicians from Institute of Science Tokyo Hospital, Craftworks, Kajima Corporation, Tokyo Stock Exchange, Johnan Shinkin Bank, Mirai Creation Organization, Sophia Communications, INDEST, etc.).

Site Visits: Tours of the Yushima Campus (Hospital), Haneda Innovation City (HIC), and multi-tenant factory buildings ("Factory Apartments").

Registration & Selection
If the number of applicants exceeds 10, a selection process will be conducted based on interviews regarding proposed entrepreneurial themes. Undergraduate or Master's students who already have a specific business theme may be permitted to enroll upon prior consultation with the faculty in charge. (Note: This is a 600-level course; credit accreditation is subject to the official Study Guide).

Course description and aims

Through this curriculum, students will acquire practical entrepreneurial know-how and direct experience in the knowledge and skills required

Student learning outcomes

実務経験と講義内容との関連 (又は実践的教育内容)

The external lecturers and guest speakers assigned to the program have started their businesses or supported other entrepreneurs. They will guide the creation of business plans based on their experiences and offer consultation on the content.

Keywords

Internship, entrepreneur, entrepreneurship, venture, startup, Ota City, small factories in town

Competencies

• Specialist skills
• Intercultural skills
• Communication skills
• Critical thinking skills
• Practical and/or problem-solving skills

Class flow

Lectures, exercises, practices (business plan　writing) and fieldwork (facility tours, etc.) will be held at the Ookayama Campus, Yushima Campus, and various locations in Ota City. The starting time may be earlier or the ending time may be later depending on the facilities. Detail time and place will be announced at the first day.

Course schedule/Objectives

Study advice (preparation and review)

To enhance effective learning, students are encouraged to spend a certain length of time outside of class on preparation and review (including for assignments), as specified by the Tokyo Institute of Technology Rules on Undergraduate Learning (東京科学大学学修規程) and the Tokyo Institute of Technology Rules on Graduate Learning (東京科学大学大学院学修規程), for each class.
They should do so by referring to textbooks and other course material.

Textbook(s)

None

Reference books, course materials, etc.

None (Distributed as appropriate)

Evaluation methods and criteria

Discussion and assignments

Related courses

• XEG.S435 ： Ota City Start-up Experience Off-Campus Project

Prerequisites

None