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In Kyoto, Digital Garage/Onlab Features OpenAI to Ask: “What Should Startups Build in a World Where AGI Becomes Reality?” Registration Open for “Series T – Post AGI from Kyoto”
Up to 1 Million USD in Total OpenAI API Credits Available at the Event
Credits Equivalent to 100,000 USD for the Winner; Credits Also Provided to Pitch Contestants, and Accepted Startups
- Open Network Lab (Onlab), Japan’s first seed accelerator, operated by Digital Garage, Inc. (TSE Prime section: 4819; HQ: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director, President Executive Officer and Group CEO: Kaoru Hayashi; “Digital Garage”) has decided to hold “Series T – Post AGI from Kyoto” (July 1, 2026; Kyoto City KYOCERA Museum of Art), a pitch event for AI-native startups and solo founders, with the support of OpenAI OpCo, LLC (HQ: San Francisco, California, USA; “OpenAI”) .
To be held at the Kyocera Museum of Art, Kyoto, on 1 July the first day of the IVS2026（IVS KYOTO） event.
Seeking Founders to Shape the Future / Seeking an Audience to Witness It
The evolution of generative AI has dramatically accelerated the pace of product development. As conventional approaches to team-based development evolve, a growing number of players are choosing a new entrepreneurial style in which they build a business with a single person or the smallest possible team.
Onlab has supported more than 160 startups active in Japan and abroad, including SmartHR, giftee, and WHILL. Furthermore, In March 2026, it invited Peter Steinberger, the developer of the AI agent framework OpenClaw, and held ClawCon Tokyo, which drew more than 1,000 registrations.
Through events like these, Onlab has engaged in extensive discussions with many developers and entrepreneurs about how AI is changing product development and the nature of organizations. Onlab is now updating its incubation expertise and global network, cultivated over the past 15 years and among the most respected in Japan, for the AI-native era.
Now, featuring OpenAI, Onlab is seeking founders, teams, and startups that place AI at the core of their business and take on the challenge of creating new value. During IVS2026 KYOTO, one of Japan’s largest startup conferences, selected finalists will present at a pitch event held at the Kyoto City KYOCERA Museum of Art, adjacent to the conference’s main venue.
Application URL
Pitch Presenters Application Form https://forms.gle/C5JXdU7TxssaqMWv5 (Google Forms)
Event Audience Registration Form https://luma.com/wdfs5azz （By Invitation and Selection Only）
Eligibility Requirements
・Challenging unique value creation by incorporating AI into the business or product.
・If selected as a finalist, being able to physically participate in this event held in Kyoto on July 1, 2026.
・Regardless of being a startup, sole proprietor, student, or researcher, engaged in the launch of a business or product.
・Within three years of company founding or product launch
・Have a product at the MVP stage or beyond, or a prototype or business concept that demonstrates feasibility
・Operating business within Japan, or seriously considering future expansion into the Japanese market.
Application Deadline
Friday, June 26, 2026
Before Series A, Series T: A New Round to Accelerate Development and Validation, Where What You Raise Is Tokens (Development Credits)
This event was conceived as a new kind of round that comes before a startup’s full-scale fundraising round, giving participants a way to secure the tokens (development credits) essential to building a business in the AI era and to accelerate product development and hypothesis testing.
As generative AI advances, access to the latest models and the management of inference costs are becoming critical management challenges that can make or break a startup’s growth.
As an initiative that symbolizes this change of era, Series T offers AI-native entrepreneurs an opportunity to obtain the resources they need for their next stage of growth.
On the day of the event, up to 12 teams that have passed the selection process will take to the stage to deliver pitches to investors and corporate partners from both Japan and overseas. The event will also provide opportunities for participants to network and connect with one another. The judging panel is expected to include representatives from OpenAI and Onlab, as well as prominent venture capital firms and angel investors from Japan and abroad.
This event offers benefits including up to 1 million USD in total OpenAI API credits, an exceptional scale for a standalone event. In addition, development-infrastructure companies that share the event’s aims, including AWS and Notion, plan to provide various credit benefits to the Prize-winning teams.
Benefits: Up to 1 Million USD in Total Value (OpenAI Credits and ChatGPT Pro Subscriptions)
Prizes (Top Winners)
・ 1st Place: USD 100,000 in API credits
・ 2nd Place: USD 50,000 in API credits
・ 3rd Place: USD 25,000 in API credits
・ Audience Award: USD 50,000 in API credits in total
Participation Benefits
・ Finalists who pitch at the event will be provided with OpenAI API credits equivalent to 10,000 USD and ChatGPT Pro subscriptions per team.
・ Teams, individuals, and startups that pass the document screening will be provided with OpenAI API credits and ChatGPT Plus subscriptions.
*Please note that the various benefits announced at this event are based on current plans and may be subject to change, adjustment or cancellation without prior notice, at the discretion of providers or due to other circumstances.
Partner Benefits
・ Partner Award: Custom credits and infrastructure support from ecosystem partners (AWS, Notion, etc., planned)
*Note: Benefit details are subject to adjustment depending on circumstances.
Event Overview
Event name: Series T – Post AGI from Kyoto
Date and time: Wednesday, July 1, 2026, 1:30 p.m.–5:30 p.m.
Venue: Atrium, Kyoto City KYOCERA Museum of Art
Scale: Approx. 100 attendees (Invitation-only / Selection-based)
Organizers: Open Network Lab (Digital Garage, Inc.)
Cooperation by: OpenAI OpCo, LLC
Contact: info@onlab.jp
■About Onlab
Onlab began in 2010 as a pioneer of the seed accelerator program in Japan. Since then, it has selected and developed teams with good technological skills and promising business plans from Japan, the United States, and other countries. Participating startups have received proactive support to grow their businesses, including mentoring, technical support, funding, and office spaces via the DG Group’s network of experienced entrepreneurs and investors.
Website: https://onlab.jp/en/
X（formerly Twitter）: https://x.com/OpenNetwork_Lab
Facebook：https://www.facebook.com/OpenNetworkLab/
■ About Digital Garage
Name : Digital Garage, Inc.
Representative : Kaoru Hayashi, Representative Director, President Executive Officer and Group CEO
Head office : Digital Gate Bldg., 3-5-7 Ebisu Minami, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
Shibuya PARCO DG Bldg., 15-1 Udagawa-cho, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
Date founded : August 1995
Digital Garage, Inc. is the leading payment service provider in Japan. With the corporate purpose of “Designing ‘New Context’ for a sustainable society with technology,” Digital Garage operates payment business services for various comprehensive payment platforms in Japan. Digital Garage also runs a marketing business providing one-stop solutions in both the digital and real worlds, as well as a startup investment and development business for approaching promising startups and technologies in Japan and overseas. Digital Garage is listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Prime Market (TSE Prime: 4819). For more on Digital Garage, visit garage.co.jp/en