{"id":21798,"date":"2026-01-24T16:55:04","date_gmt":"2026-01-24T07:55:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.total.titech.ac.jp\/?p=21798"},"modified":"2026-01-26T10:34:09","modified_gmt":"2026-01-26T01:34:09","slug":"report_20260124","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.total.titech.ac.jp\/en\/report_20260124\/","title":{"rendered":"[Class report] Thinking about Entrepreneurship with DNX Ventures (Entrepreneurship-deemed Course)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This is a report on the Entrepreneurship (Leadership, Value Creation) course held over seven sessions, nearly every week starting October 30, 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thinking about Entrepreneurship with DNX Ventures<\/span><\/i><\/div><\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Relevant Entrepreneurship (Leadership, Value Creation) Courses<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

\u25cfCourse for undergraduate students:
-ENT.V202 Bachelor\u2019s Fundamental Group Work for Value Creation B (0-1-0)
\u25cfCourses for graduate students:
-TAL.S503 Professionals and Value Creation B (0-1-0, GA0M)
-TAL.S508 Professionals and Value Creation D (0-1-0, GA0M)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Number of students enrolled or participated<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Total of 86 students
\u25cfUndergraduate students:
\u30fb24B\uff1a18 students
\u30fb25B\uff1a10 students
\u30fbOther undergraduates: 4 students
\u25cfGraduate students:
\u30fbMaster’s students: 44 students
\u30fbDoctoral students: 10 students<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Program Schedule and Topic<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

[Class 1] Thursday, October 30, 2025: Capitalism and purpose management
[Class 2] Thursday, November 6, 2025: Lecture and discussion with a guest entrepreneur speaker (1)
\u3000\u3000\u3000\u3000Guest speaker: Takeo Inada, Representative Director and CEO, Andpad
[Class 3] Thursday, November 13, 2025: Methodology for starting a business (DNX Studio)
[Class 4] Thursday, November 20, 2025: Startup funding and VC evaluation
[Class 5] Thursday, December 4, 2025: Lecture and discussion with a guest entrepreneur speaker (2)
\u3000\u3000\u3000\u3000Guest speaker: Takashi Nakagawa, Representative Director and CEO, Kakehashi Inc.
[Class 6] Thursday, December 11, 2025: Collaboration between startups and large corporations (Open Innovation)
[Class 7] Thursday, December 18, 2025: Governance Theory<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Time and Venue<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

17:30-19:10 @ Lecture Theater (WL1-301, West Lecture Building 1), Ookayama Campus (for all classes)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lecturers<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
\n

Akira Kurabayashi (PhD)
Managing Partner\/Head of Japan of DNX Ventures\u3000
Part-time lecturer at Science Tokyo<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n

Yoshiki Shiraishi
Partner of DNX Ventures
Part-time lecturer at Science Tokyo<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Overview of each class<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Please see the following link. (In Japanese)
https:\/\/note.com\/dnx_vc\/n\/na90614862986<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/i>

Comments from participants (Undergraduate students) <\/h4><\/div>
\n

\u30fbThis is a great opportunity to learn about societal structures I hadn’t known before. (22B)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u30fbWhen it comes to entrepreneurship, you might feel it’s not entirely uninteresting, but it seems difficult to even imagine and feels like something unrelated to you. However, through this program, it covers not only basic entrepreneurship theory but also practical and concrete aspects, making it accessible even for B1 students. (24B)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u30fbIf you want to understand what entrepreneurship truly entails and what specific steps are required, this program is extremely valuable. This course offers a top-tier environment where venture capitalists and actual entrepreneurs speak, allowing you to realistically consider entrepreneurship from a field perspective. It was this course that made me start seriously considering starting my own business. At the time of writing this, I’m merely a second-year undergraduate. From the perspective that it enables you to realistically think about entrepreneurship even as an undergraduate student, I recommend this course on an Avogadro constant scale. (24B)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u30fbI believe this lecture is beneficial even if you’re not aiming to start a business (24B)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u30fbIt’s absolutely worthwhile. Every class offers exciting, new learning experiences. I wasn’t interested in entrepreneurship myself, but it still provided invaluable hints for what I’m currently working on and what I want to pursue next. I strongly encourage you to take it. (24B)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u30fbIt’s incredibly enjoyable and equips you with knowledge for the future, not just for those interested in entrepreneurship! If you have even a slight interest, I recommend it! (25B)<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/i>

Comments from participants (Graduate students) <\/h4><\/div>
\n

\u30fbThis course primarily covers startups, but it goes beyond that to provide deep insights into the structures of Japanese and American companies and societies, the mindsets of executives and shareholders, and the challenges executives face. I find it extremely valuable. Understanding corporate perspectives will help with industry and company research during job hunting, and concepts like market-in and PMF will be useful when creating products! (24M)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u30fbThis lecture offers a valuable opportunity to deeply explore the economic mechanisms and essence of corporate governance underlying the practical theme of launching a venture. It goes beyond mere startup know-how; by gaining \u201ceconomic insights\u201d into how business functions within society, you acquire a perspective useful not only for entrepreneurship but also for excelling as an organizational member. I strongly recommend this course to anyone wanting to broaden their future options and develop critical thinking skills as a career asset. (24M)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u30fbRegardless of whether you’re interested in entrepreneurship, you’ll learn knowledge that will undoubtedly be useful in your future life. (25M)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u30fbEntrepreneurship, which once felt distant, now feels much closer. I’m very glad I took this course. (25M)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u30fbI gained detailed, fundamental knowledge about finance within startups, which was extremely educational. Especially valuable was the entrepreneur talk session, which let me experience firsthand what kind of entrepreneurs VCs are looking for from their perspective. (25M)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u30fbHaving venture capitalists come and speak allows you to learn about the current startup scenes in Japan and the US in a surprisingly real and concrete way. It’s all information you simply wouldn’t hear elsewhere. (25D)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u30fbWant to start a business but don’t know where to begin? How do you even start a business in the first place? If you have even the slightest interest in entrepreneurship, I strongly recommend taking this class to peek into the world of startups. (25D)<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Faculty comments<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Faculty in charge:
Keisuke Yamada
Specially Appointed Professor at Center for Entrepreneurship Education (CEE) and Academy for Leadership (ToTAL)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u3000This program is a groundbreaking course that develops an \u201cEntrepreneurship Theory\u201d based on the frontline experience and information of DNX Ventures, a top-tier venture fund in Japan, with the full cooperation of the company. We welcome DNX Ventures’ Managing Director, Mr. Kurabayashi, and Partner, Mr. Shiraishi, as part-time lecturers at our university. We also involve successful startup executives to create a dynamic learning environment.
\u3000Furthermore, this program uniquely allows undergraduate and graduate students to learn together, regardless of their major. During the program, two networking events were held between instructors and participants to strengthen their connections.
\u3000We hope this program provides fresh, real-world insights\u2014from societal demands and expectations for startups, approaches to business creation, and the role of venture capital, to the philosophy of entrepreneurs\u2014encouraging participants to interpret and consider the meaning of \u201centrepreneurship\u201d from various angles. More than just understanding entrepreneurship, we aim for it to spark action to pioneer and define new value by putting entrepreneurship into practice.
\u3000The Center for Entrepreneurship Education offers courses that train the mindset and various skills needed to demonstrate new value, as well as train for the social implementation of such new value. We strongly encourage you to take these courses.
\u3000For the 2026 academic year, we plan to launch the program with updated content and a fresh new look. Please look forward to it! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Contact<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Leadership and Innovation Section, Center for Entpreneurship Education
e-mail: lead.innov_edu@cee.isct.ac.jp<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n