TBC Group Sponsors Student Business Contest 'CAREER ROOKIES GP 2025'

TBC Group Sponsors 'CAREER ROOKIES GP 2025'

TBC Group, headquartered in Shinjuku, Tokyo, has officially sponsored the student business contest 'CAREER ROOKIES GP 2025', organized by Strobolights, based in Machida, Tokyo. As a part of this initiative, TBC supported the Kanto individual qualifying event that took place on September 18.

Introduced Theme and Its Goals

During the qualifying event, TBC proposed the presentation theme: “What new business can we create to convey the appeal of aesthetics to those who are not yet familiar with TBC?” TBC has been dedicated to illustrating the allure of aesthetics through various ventures since its inception. However, there exist individuals who are not acquainted with TBC or feel hesitant to visit an aesthetic salon despite their interest. This theme was thus crafted out of a desire to approach this challenge and reach those who remain unaware of the charm of aesthetics.

On the day of the event, 27 university students from eight different teams aiming to become future business leaders participated. Each team was composed of students meeting for the first time. With mentoring from TBC employees incorporated, the students immersed themselves in devising new business ideas over an extended work period of approximately four and a half hours. During a five-minute presentation in front of a panel of TBC executives who served as judges, each team delivered high-quality proposals that defied the brief preparation time, resulting in a heated presentation battle.

Event Schedule

Initial Competitions (11:00 - 11:30)

The event kicked off with preliminary competitions including general knowledge, numerical skills, and English, conducted through quick-answer quizzes. Students stood in a line, hands poised over buzzers, focusing intently on the question screens. The energy and concentration uniquely characteristic of quick-answer quizzes filled the room.

Final Presentation (11:30 - 11:55)

Each team engaged vigorously in discussions around the theme, “Propose an image character for TBC”. Representatives presented their ideas in quick one-minute segments, with suggested characters ranging from Naomi Watanabe to singer Fujii Kaze and baseball star Shohei Ohtani, highlighting fresh and unique perspectives reflective of Generation Z.

Team Work Session (12:10 - 16:30)

Across the four-and-a-half-hour work forum, students debated and prepared presentations based on TBC’s defined theme about showcasing the appeal of aesthetics to those who don’t yet know it. They proactively queried TBC employees on vital topics such as customer demographics, sales breakdowns, and the company’s strengths to fend off stiff competition and come up with business proposals marked by specificity and commercial viability. The passionate and earnest approach of the students left a strong impression on the attending employees.

Business Presentations (16:30 - 17:30)

All team members had the opportunity to deliver their five-minute presentations. Despite differing levels of business contest experience, each member conveyed their ideas confidently in front of a judging panel consisting of four TBC executives. Teams showcased varied approaches—some collaborated flawlessly, some engaged directly with audiences, while others passionately maximized their presentation time. The serious resolve demonstrated by these students throughout the presentations created one of the most electrifying moments of the qualifiers.

Judging Results

As a result of careful scrutiny, four teams proposing innovative and profitable new business ideas successfully advanced past the qualifiers. Some notable new business concepts included:

- A global strategy to penetrate overseas markets
- A beauty subscription synced with a matching app

Organizer Comments

The event, spanning an entire day, left an indelible mark with all participants vigorously vying for a place in the next stage of the competition. The originality and uniqueness of the students' new business proposals added to the challenge faced by the judges. Our employees derived great motivation from the experience, and we collectively hope to see a team emerge as a champion from this qualifying round!