ABS 30TH ANNIVERSARY · AOBA-BBT GROUP
ABS Business Open 2027 / Global Pitch Contest
Challengers from four Asia-Pacific countries gather in Tokyo. Across three divisions—high schoolers, university students, and professionals—take your startup idea to the world stage.
Judges
Investors, executives, and educators. Judges who make real decisions at the front line will evaluate your pitch.
VENTURE CAPITAL
Mr. Joon Sung Park
Legend Capital
VENTURE CAPITAL
Mr. Akihiko Asami
UTokyo Innovation Platform
ORGANIZER
Mr. Iwao Shibata
Aoba-BBT Inc.Judges will be announced in stages. Check this site for the latest updates.
Joon Sung Park is Co-CIO of Legend Capital, leading cross-border investments across Korea, Japan, and the Middle East. He is widely known for leading a USD 6 million investment in HYBE (formerly Big Hit Entertainment) in early 2016; the company later surpassed USD 10 billion in market capitalization.
In Japan, he led the investment in ANYCOLOR, which Nikkei ranked as the top venture capital investment return in the Japanese stock market in 2022. Other notable investments include Lunit, Zinus, Dexter Studios, C Channel, L&P Cosmetics, Bespin Global, Mathpresso, Healing Paper, PPB Studio, Saige Research, Qlub, and Vedantu.
He graduated from the School of Business at Yonsei University, studied at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania as an exchange student, and earned an MBA from the Graduate School of Business Administration at Keio University. He has been selected as an Aspen Finance Leaders Fellow and a Kauffman Fellow. He also serves as an industry mentor for the Schwarzman Scholars program and as an advisor to the Taejae Foundation. He is fluent in Korean, Chinese, Japanese, and English.
Master's degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
From 1995, he spent approximately 15 years at Goldman Sachs Japan as a Managing Director, primarily heading the Technology, Media and Telecommunications (TMT) group, where he handled numerous financings, investments, and M&A transactions. He subsequently served as Head of Investment Banking at Deutsche Securities and as Vice Chairman at Barclays Securities, covering all industries.
He has held his current position since 2018, during which he also served as COO of HAPSMobile and as Special Advisor to the CEO Office of SoftBank Corp.
Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Engineering from Kyoto University. MSc from the London School of Economics and Political Science, and MBA from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management, Northwestern University.
After building his career in IT and strategy consulting, he co-founded an online supermarket business with Kenichi Ohmae in 1998.
As President and CEO of Aoba-BBT Inc., he has grown Aoba-Japan International School into one of Japan's largest integrated IB schools and advances recurrent education centered on online undergraduate and graduate (MBA) programs. He leads the realization of Lifetime Empowerment—an environment for lifelong learning spanning early childhood through working professionals and executives.
Divisions & Prizes
Choose the division that fits you best and seize a prestigious prize and a global opportunity.
* Prizes and investment are awarded in USD (JPY shown at approx. ¥150/USD). The total pool is ¥5M across all three divisions—each award may be granted to more than one winner, so the total differs from a simple sum of single awards.
For under-18s—competing with free thinking and passion.
For university and graduate students 18+—competing on academic and entrepreneurial excellence.
For professionals and entrepreneurs with hands-on experience and market insight.
More than prize money
This is more than a prize contest. For months leading up to the finals, world-class support accelerates your venture.
Practical training to sharpen pitch skills
1-on-1 guidance from industry leaders
Personalized coaching for early entrants
Connect with challengers and investors worldwide
Aoba-BBT covers part of your flights + accommodation (up to a cap).
We cover part of your transport to Tokyo + accommodation (up to a cap).
* All support covers part of the cost, up to a cap. It is not full coverage. Details provided by the secretariat.
Choose Your Route
Your application method depends on your school. Answer the question to find your route.
Partner universities: BBT University / Bond University / CTBC Business School / University of the Philippines
Apply through your university's office. Internal selection → Regional Round → Tokyo Final.
Open to everyone not affiliated with a partner university. Apply directly via the form below. No nationality or residency restrictions (U-18 division: Japan residents only).
How to Apply
Flow for the Open Entry track. First-screening timing for the partner-university track varies by region.
What You Submit
No more "what do I submit?" Only items 01 and 02 are required at entry. You do not need to submit everything at once. Item 03 is optional. The pitch video (04) is submitted only by applicants who pass the First Round.
Your business deck (1 cover slide + 8 content slides).
1–2 days See the structure & guidelineSupporting documents (PDF, up to 2). Optional.
As needed See the conditionsApprox. 5 minutes (max 10). Submitted only by applicants who pass Round 1.
After Round 1 · half a day See the requirementsAll submissions must be in English. The General Division must include detailed financial analysis (P&L plan, market size). Only items 01 and 02 are required at entry; the pitch video comes after the First Round.The finalists are selected from the videos submitted by those who pass the First Round. Passing the First Round does not itself confirm a place in the Global Final.
How to Win
Master these criteria to improve your odds. We have added tips, too.
Convention-breaking ideas and sharp problem framing. We assess clear differentiation from existing solutions.
Backed resources and an executable plan. We assess the specificity to finish within constraints.
We assess the potential for positive change in society and industry.
We assess a sustainable model based on market, profitability, and competitive edge.
We assess strong ownership, indomitable spirit, and the human ability to rally others.
A Quarter-Century Legacy ／ ALUMNI STORY
This contest traces its origin to the "1st Business Japan Open," produced by Kenichi Ohmae in 2000. The challenger awarded a special prize by SoftBank's Masayoshi Son went on to found Optim (TSE Prime-listed, ~1,000 patents)—Shunji Sugaya. From challenger to listed-company CEO. A special dialogue on the philosophy of decision-making and a vision for the AI/IoT era.
Entrepreneur Evangelist Voices
Evangelists will be appointed in stages (Brazil and others). Use the slider to switch.
Partner Schools
🇯🇵 Japan
🇦🇺 Australia
🇹🇼 Taiwan
🇵🇭 Philippines
Current students should apply through their school's contest office. Teams that win the regional round advance to the Tokyo Global Final.
Worried about English?
Submissions are in English only—your first step toward a global standard. We value conveyed passion over perfect English. Early entrants are offered English-pitch brush-up seminars.
This site and secretariat support are available in Japanese, so you can prepare with confidence.
Early entrants are offered English-pitch brush-up sessions.
Be an "attacker" who questions convention, confronts challenges across borders, and creates new answers through the power of business. Even if you are not confident in your English, there is no need to give up the challenge. If you have an idea you want to put to the world, this is your turn at bat.
ABS 30TH ANNIVERSARY PROJECT
Attackers Business School (ABS) is one of Japan's largest entrepreneur-training schools, founded in 1996 by world-renowned management consultant Kenichi Ohmae. Its roots trace to the 2000 "Business Japan Open," where Masayoshi Son awarded a special prize to Shunji Sugaya—who later founded Optim—symbolizing the dawn of Japan's venture ecosystem.
The philosophy of "sending the next generation of challengers into the world" remains unchanged, but the stage now expands from Japan to the world. This contest is the "seeding for the future" within the anniversary project "Lifetime Empowerment in the Invisible Continent."
FAQ
Take on the world with your idea.
Create the world's rules from Tokyo.
Free entry · individuals & teams · entry form in English
The First Round is judged on this deck alone. Judges have no opportunity to ask questions, so your slides and speaker notes must stand entirely on their own.
| Slides | 1 cover slide + 8 content slides |
|---|---|
| Language | English only |
| File format | PDF, exported in “Notes Pages” layout so speaker notes are visible |
| Speaker notes | Required on every slide |
| File name | [Division]_BusinessSummary_[YourName].pdf |
| File size | Up to 100 MB per file (20 MB or less recommended) |
The standard expected differs by division. The General Division requires a five-year financial plan, unit economics, and an exit scenario. For the University and Under 18 Divisions, the specificity of the problem and your own experience of it matter more than the precision of a financial model. Full detail is in the guideline.
Download the Business Summary Guideline (PDF)You may optionally attach supporting evidence that does not fit within the eight slides. This is not required, and omitting it does not affect your assessment.
| Number | Up to 2 files (zero is acceptable) |
|---|---|
| Format | PDF only. Combine multiple documents into a single file |
| Language | English |
| Please note | Judging is based solely on the contents of the files submitted. External links placed inside a document will not be reviewed. |
| Duration | Approximately 5 minutes (maximum 10) |
|---|---|
| Language | English only |
| Format | A shared URL — YouTube (Unlisted) or Google Drive. Raw video files cannot be accepted |
| When | After passing the First Round |
The above is a summary of the requirements. A full guide covering structure and filming is sent to you when we confirm that you have passed the First Round.
