As we wrap up another monumental year, we want to extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone in our community—our members, partners, visiting founders, and global followers.
Your ideas, energy, and collaboration have made 2025 a year of explosive growth, innovation, and cross-border connection. Every workshop, pitch night, bento lunch, and late-night conversation has helped strengthen the innovation ecosystem we're building together here in Fukuoka and across Asia.
We are incredibly grateful for your support and for the role you play in making Fukuoka Startup Collective a vibrant launchpad for global innovators and entrepreneurs.
Here's to a well-earned break, a strong finish to the year, and an even more exciting 2026! We can't wait to continue creating, learning, and pushing boundaries with you in the new year. Learn more in our TechMas Recap Presentation
Warm wishes,
The Manabu Hubs Team
🇦🇺 Australia’s Social Media Ban & The Japanese Example
Australia's new law banning children under 16 from major social media platforms is a powerful precedent being watched globally. It's a bold move to protect young people's mental health and force accountability onto Big Tech.
Dual-City Demo Day: Pitch in Fukuoka (Japan) and Hualien (Taiwan) (Oct 26).
The Package: 12 weeks of cohort +4 online mentoring sessions, get over 9months exclusive Discord access to follow up and connect with our hubs, and $30k+ USD in perks (Co-working, 6 months free Notion AI, NordVPN, e-Sims, and more).
Status: Applications are quietly opening now. Get ahead of the crowd!
Join our last Bento Lunch Club of the Year
Join us for our last tech gathering with local founders, startups, tech nomads, if it raining we are meeting at Excelsior cafe for last casual gathering.
LAST YEAR SPECIAL CHRISTMAS OFFERING
🇦🇺🇯🇵 Global Tech & Fundraising Update: A Fortnight of High-Value Deals
👋 Check latest funding highlights from Australia and Japan.
The second week was anchored by massive rounds:
💳 Airwallex: A$475M Series G, valuing the company at $\approx$A$12B.
🧠 SHARON AI: A$150M Pre-IPO for GPU infrastructure.
🔐 Kasada: A$30M for bot-mitigation cybersecurity.
🗞️ Top AU Headlines
The conversation was dominated by AI governance, the closure of LaunchVic, OpenAI’s new Sydney presence, and ongoing debates over R&D tax reform.
💥 Japan: Deep Tech & Industrial Innovation Leads
Japan continued its robust pace, raising over ¥63.8 billion (or $\approx$A$638M / US$427M) with a strong focus on next-generation tech.
Date Range | Total Raised | Key Sector Focus |
Dec 1–6 | ¥44.9B | Industrial Automation, Renewables, Construction Tech |
Dec 7–14 | ¥18.9B | AI, Deep Tech, Digital Infrastructure |
The largest rounds focused on industrial scalability:
🤖 Mujin: Landed a significant ¥36.4B for industrial robotics and automation.
☀️ Clean Energy Connect: Raised ¥3.67B for a 25MW solar project.
🌊 FullDepth: Secured ¥9.5B for developing underwater drones.
🗞️ Japan Headlines
Key news included significant partnerships in AI and robotics (e.g., Nvidia, Fanuc, SoftBank), expansion in defense tech, and new investment into chip R&D and humanoid robot innovation.
We're excited to announce that our LinkedIn newsletter has a new name and overpass 920 subscribers! Thank you very much!
It's now the APAC Founder's Collective. This rebranding reflects our commitment to bringing you the latest firsthand insights, exclusive opportunities, and actionable tips for founders across Japan, Australia, Taiwan, and beyond.
Get the inside track on building a global business, directly from founders, for founders.
Stay connected and join our community!
Have a great week! The Manabu Hubs Team