@Kamata Co., Ltd. and ASIBA General Incorporated Association are collaborating to build an ecosystem that fosters entrepreneurs in the fields of architecture, design, and art and accelerates their social implementation.
At Kamata Co., Ltd. Press release: October 1, 2025 To Members of the Press @Kamata Co., Ltd. and ASIBA General Incorporated Association have begun collaborating to develop an ecosystem that fosters entrepreneurs in the fields of architecture, design, and art and accelerates their social implementation. We are launching a
collaborative system to create a new manufacturing culture and business in Tokyo. We promote the development and support of “creative entrepreneurs” who design and realize environments for continuous creation.
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association that runs an incubation program for young people in the fields of architecture, design, and art, are collaborating today to develop an ecosystem that fosters creative entrepreneurs and accelerates social implementation. @Kamata and ASIBA both recognize the value in projects that originate from the creative perspectives of architecture, design, and art, and have acted as bridges to accelerate social practice, commercialization, and implementation. Through prototyping support and mentoring, we have focused on transforming initiatives that previously remained ideas into social implementation, creating an ecosystem where anyone can continue to create and engage in sustainable activities without giving up. Currently, the fields of architecture, design, and art lack the entrepreneurial spirit to turn one’s creative ideas into projects, realize and sustain them, and aim to intervene in society. We call this attitude of asking one’s own questions, building connections with society, and presenting new options to society through concrete action “Creative Entrepreneurship” (※1). We hope to create an ecosystem that further opens up the possibilities of the fields of architecture, design, and art to society. @Kamata and ASIBA believe that exploring and practicing these new fields should not be carried out solely by individual companies or universities, but rather that multiple entities should be involved in a multi-layered manner, sharing knowledge and practical wisdom with each other to create a rich ecosystem with a longer-term perspective. *What is “Creative Entrepreneurship”? At ASIBA, we call the attitude of asking one’s own questions, building connections with society, and presenting new options to society through concrete action “Creative Entrepreneurship.” Until now, architects, designers, artists, craftsmen, and engineers who have created new cultures have tackled previously unclear problems and brought about social change by giving shape to their own questions about society and their curiosity about creating things and continually presenting them to society. We believe that by increasing such action across society as a whole, we can solve today’s uncertain and complex social problems.
https://note.com/asiba_studio/n/n1fa623bd645b ■Cooperation details The two companies will implement the following as part of this
collaboration:
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/149514/4/149514-4-c7b2c85f6939b8c7504810fecdb457a1-1982×756.png 1. Fostering entrepreneurs in the fields of architecture, design, and art, and mutually sharing knowledge and networks to accelerate social implementation. @Kamata has supported over 70 entrepreneurs through the operation of KOCA, a Tokyo-certified incubation facility that has been in operation since 2019, accumulating know-how in supporting startups related to manufacturing. Taking advantage of the unique characteristics of Ota Ward, which has the largest number of small factories in Tokyo, we have also built a network for collaboration between creators and small factories. We will actively share these resources with ASIBA. The partner ecosystem developed by ASIBA, a general incorporated association, brings together over 10 major construction and real estate companies and startups, as well as local governments and universities in and around Tokyo, to build a platform that supports young people’s creative endeavors. In addition, by sharing @Kamata’s network of players who gather at ASIBA, including past program participants and connections with students and young people interested in entrepreneurship, new connections can be made and chemical reactions can be generated. 2. Co-hosting an event related to “Creative Entrepreneurship” Through this collaboration, we will develop and spread the concept of “Creative Entrepreneur” as an activity and profession that builds the very environment for “creation” and “artworks” through the power of business, even in the fields of architecture, design, and art, where entrepreneurial mindsets are low. To that end, as a kickoff event for this
collaboration, we will co-host a talk event to explore the
possibilities and methodologies for social implementation in creative fields such as architecture, design, and art. ＜Talk Event Overview＞ “What Do We Design? (tentative title)” This event explores the possibilities for social implementation in creative fields
(architecture, design, art, etc.) and the methodologies for doing so. In many creative fields, ideas often end at the proposal stage without ever being implemented in society. Even in business structures and models, a one-sided approach is often taken, leading to abandoning business design as a means to an end. However, actually putting ideas into society allows hypotheses to be verified and more concrete implementation becomes possible. This event will provide the methodologies and new perspectives for doing so. Date and time: November 21st (Friday) 13:00-20:40 Location: SHIBUYA QWS Details coming soon 3. Developing collaboration between programs run by both companies and providing opportunities As partner organizations of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government’s startup support program “TOKYO SUTEAM,” the two organizations will promote collaboration between FFF Tokyo (@Kamata) and “ASIBA Project Label” (ASIBA General Incorporated Association), which are being developed within the framework of this program. Specifically, the plan is to promote interaction between participants, jointly host related events and seminars, and share know-how and information related to startup support and manufacturing. ■FFF About Tokyo FFF Tokyo is an incubation program specializing in prototyping for designers, artists, and creators based in Tokyo. We provide comprehensive support from prototyping ideas to building business models, with the goal of creating new businesses in Tokyo. Based in Kamata and Omori, Ota Ward, the southernmost part of Tokyo, @Kamata Co., Ltd., which operates the Tokyo Metropolitan
Government-certified incubation facility “KOCA,” utilizes vacant houses, and develops the space under the elevated Keikyu Line tracks, has launched this unprecedented startup support program for people involved in manufacturing and design. Details: https://ffftokyo.com/ ■About ASIBA Project Label ASIBA Project Label aims to accelerate the activities of creative projects (※2) at the pre-seed and seed stages by forming unique partnerships and providing social implementation, commercialization, and management support. Rather than simply serving as a supporter or funder, we work alongside seed projects from the conception stage to the implementation stage as part of a team, aiming to maximize the project’s impact on society and bring about social change beyond that. For more information:
https://asiba.or.jp/news/20250707 ■Comment from Yuutaro Ren, @Kamata Co., Ltd. At @Kamata, we connect creators with local manufacturing resources in Ota Ward, Tokyo, an area of small factories. We have launched many projects into society from our base at KOCA. Through our collaboration with ASIBA, we hope to share the startup support and prototyping know-how we have cultivated on the ground, and support new challengers in the fields of architecture, design, and art together with ASIBA. Going forward, we hope to leverage each other’s assets to strongly support players working in society with the goals of “designing sustainable environments” and “creating social impact through design.” We look forward to a future in which this
collaboration will lead to the continued birth of new cultures and businesses in Tokyo. ■Comment from Yuta Nihei, ASIBA General Incorporated Association I’m very pleased to be able to collaborate in this way with Ren, who has been involved in ASIBA’s incubation program since its inception as a mentor, and the @Kamata team, who are at the forefront of business practice in the fields of architecture and design. I believe that if we can cherish the reflexive resistance we may have to the words “business” and “monetization,” and treat sales and funding as a means to get closer to the vision we want to see, rather than as an end in itself, we can transcend current social constraints and do more interesting things, and I want to further expand this circle of solidarity.