Startup Aquarium 2026
Overview
Japan's largest startup career fair, hosted by Coral Capital. The event connects talent interested in startup careers and career changes with hiring-focused startups. Featuring sessions by prominent founders and CxOs, 1-on-1 meeting functionality, and company booths, attendees can explore startup careers from every angle. Growing in scale each year since its 2020 debut, the fifth edition in 2026 expects over 3,000 participants.
Foundation
- Founded
- 2020
- Founder
- Coral Capital
Launched by Coral Capital in 2020 as Japan's first large-scale startup career fair. Over 1,000 attendees, 50+ speakers, and 31 companies participated in the inaugural edition. The event aims to lower the psychological barriers to joining startups and increase talent mobility across the ecosystem.
Transition
- 2020 First edition held with over 1,000 attendees and 31 exhibiting companies
- 2023 Second edition held in February at Toranomon Hills Forum
- 2024 Third edition held, growing to 2,500 attendees
- 2025 Fourth edition held with over 50 exhibiting companies and about 3,000 attendees
- 2026 Fifth edition held on March 14, expected to be the largest so far
Voices
I had vaguely considered joining a startup, but hearing from people who actually work there gave me a concrete picture. A 1-on-1 meeting on-site led directly to an interview process.
Sessions by prominent CEOs are inspiring. You get to hear real stories about startup management challenges and career paths.
At just 1,000 JPY for the super early bird, the quality is exceptional. If you're interested in startups, there's no reason not to attend.
Attended with both recruiting and personal career lenses, picking up a self-management mindset for the AI era (from Ara's report, in Japanese)
Learned how startups hire and why career moves come down to timing multiplied by open roles (from Megumi Kimura's report, in Japanese)
Praised the ocean-like venue design and traffic flow that sparks conversations, and valued reuniting with founders for impromptu strategy chats, 'grateful this place exists' (from Naotake Hibiya's report, in Japanese)
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