#Japan #FANY:D #Sumida, Tokyo #iU University #FANY:L

Overview of the Event

On May 24, 2025, iU University held its impressive Saturday Ideathon event, designed to foster creativity among its students. This year’s theme revolved around enhancing the business aspects of the innovative short drama application FANY:D, operated by Minto Co. The event took place at Hall, with renowned mediator Kana Hatsuma from Yoshimoto Kogyo leading the discussions.

Focus of the Ideathon

This Ideathon marked a pivotal opportunity for students to conceive business plans aimed at expanding FANY:D over the next five years. Inviting Genta Nakagawa, a director at Minto Co., as a guest, the participants focused on understanding and addressing challenges within the growing short drama market. With a format that encompassed active learning and practical application, the event proved incredibly beneficial for all involved.

The Saturday Ideathon involved teams formed from various classes, participating effectively to present their unique strategies aimed at enhancing FANY:D’s growth. In total, five teams delivered their final presentations, demonstrating creativity and sound logical reasoning that significantly impressed the judges.

Winning Proposal

The top proposal was titled "FANY:L" and was collectively developed by an outstanding team consisting of Yuki Sasaki, Hikaru Kato, Kei Kojima, Kurumi Kamiyama, Hitomi Itai, and Daichi Hirayama.

Yuki Sasaki expressed that their initiative, FANY:L, utilizes the existing strengths of FANY:D to create a service that integrates entertainment with education, encapsulated in the tagline "Learning within Entertainment." This service concept aims to support users in taking their first steps toward acquiring qualifications.

The proposal involved extensive consultations with Nakagawa, ensuring that the business plan was grounded in real-world insights. The team focused on strategic ethical considerations, developing a comprehensive sales simulation and market analysis, positing the feasibility of a 3 billion yen revenue target within five years.

About FANY:D

FANY:D is designed as a vertical application offering short dramas that last between one to three minutes each. The initial episodes are available for free viewing, after which users can expect a pay-per-view model. This application aims to embody the concept of "liberating human desires through short dramas," thereby establishing its niche in the entertainment industry.

Insights from Minto Co.

Following the presentations, Nakagawa commented on the high caliber of creativity and logical reasoning displayed by the students. He noted, "The presentations delivered by the winning team, along with others, were of such quality that one would not expect from students. This has provided us with a learning opportunity in our operations at FANY:D, especially from the ideas generated by the FANY:L team."

Further Information

For more insight into the competition and details about iU's innovative projects, visit the iU Innovation website. Stay updated by following iU University on Instagram and discover more exciting endeavors.

In just a few minutes, the iU Saturday Ideathon proved to be an excellent example of how educational institutions can engage students in real-world business scenarios, nurturing the next generation of innovative thinkers. With collaborations like these, the future of entertainment and learning intertwines more dynamically than ever before.