#Japan #AI Hackathon #Microsoft AI #Kobe #Circlace

Circlace's Role in AI Hackathon 2025 Spring

Circlace Inc., headquartered in Chuo-ku, Tokyo, played a vital role in the AI co-creation event, AI Hackathon 2025 Spring, held in Kobe from February 26 to 28, 2025. This innovative event, focusing on the integration of government, academia, and industry sectors, saw students collaborating with corporate mentors to tackle real-world challenges using AI technology. Through this initiative, Circlace aimed at nurturing future talents and sharing valuable practical insights to enhance social implementation.

Event Overview

The exciting hackathon, themed “Towards a Future Created by AI, from Kobe to the World,” took place at the Microsoft AI Co-Innovation Lab Kobe, within the Kobe Commerce and Trade Center. Renowned companies including Microsoft Japan, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Benick Solutions, PwC Consulting, Fujitsu, and Circlace collaborated with various universities like Kobe University, Kwansei Gakuin University, Ritsumeikan University, Kyoto Sangyo University, Kyoto Women's University, Osaka Institute of Technology, and Osaka University of Arts. This event's primary goals included demonstrating AI utilization and fostering new solution development via the engagement of young talent.

Keynotes and Development Sessions

The first day featured keynote speeches and panel discussions by industry leaders such as Kazuhiro Okuno from PwC Consulting and Hikaru Yabusaki, a specialist in innovation from Kobe City. They discussed the implications of AI on business and society, covering diverse challenges related to its implementation. Following these sessions, 25 students were divided into five teams, addressing social issues through the use of generative AI, autonomous AI agents, and Microsoft Power Platform. Circlace's Global Business Division Head, Hosokawa, and AI Specialist Nakazawa participated as mentors, providing expert advice on problem setting, architectural design, and UI/UX considerations.

Project Presentations and Highlights

On the final day, each team showcased their projects, demonstrating everything from problem identification to product demonstrations and future prospects. Despite the short duration of the event, each presentation reflected exceptional creativity and innovation. Judges, including Circlace's CRO, Osaki, evaluated the projects based on technical feasibility, alignment with social issues, completion of UX/UI, and commercialization potential.

During the Q&A session, teams faced pointed questions regarding their technical choices, implementation challenges, and potential cross-sector applications. The students effectively articulated their project backgrounds and intentions, exhibiting a logical and persuasive manner. Their ability to systematically demonstrate a cohesive thought process from hypothesis building to validation was highly praised by industry representatives.

Particular interest was drawn to three standout projects that demonstrated a deep understanding of societal needs and creative solutions:

• - Fridge Snap (Team A): Composed of students from Kwansei Gakuin University, Kobe University, and Osaka Institute of Technology, this project uses AI to automatically recognize food items in refrigerators and suggest recipes that consider nutritional balance. Development is in collaboration with industry players, aiming for future commercialization.
• - OshiMone (Team D): This team, formed by students from Kyoto Sangyo University, Ritsumeikan University, and Osaka University of Arts, created an AI to analyze sentiments of fans through social media posts, suggesting optimal events and merchandise while ensuring user privacy through careful data handling and user consent.
• - Harmony AI (Team C): Comprising students from Kobe University, Osaka Institute of Technology, Osaka University of Arts, and Ritsumeikan University, this project supports seamless communication within teams and organizations by using user attributes like values and personalities. It also proposes an evolving system through collaborative learning among AIs.

Future Prospects

Circlace intends to leverage the insights gained and experiences shared during this event to enhance its AI and data utilization support services and workforce development initiatives. The company is committed to fostering collaborative innovation among industry, government, and academic segments to continuously nurture the next generation's technological talents and implementation capabilities, contributing to a sustainable society.

About Circlace

Founded as a joint venture named Pasona Tequila in November 2012 between Pasona Group and Tquila Ltd., based in London, Circlace officially rebranded in July 2020. The company was listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange's Growth Market in April 2022. Circlace continues to deliver innovative and effective solutions aimed at achieving customer success and digital transformation (DX), utilizing proprietary SaaS products and key cloud solutions, including Salesforce.

Company Name: Circlace Inc.
Location: Urban Net Nihonbashi 2-chome Building 6F, 2-1-3 Nihonbashi, Chuo-ku, Tokyo
Established: November 1, 2012
Capital: 400 million 803 thousand yen (as of March 31, 2025)
Representative: Scott Sato, Chairman and President
Business Activities:

• - Consulting on DX (Digital Transformation)
• - ERP to improve business operations
• - Development and sale of proprietary SaaS products (AGAVE)
• - One-stop service for cloud solution implementations, from design to maintenance and support

Note: This news release reflects information available as of the date issued and is subject to change without notice.