Osaka’s Deep Tech Startups Prepare For The Global Stage Ahead Of GSE 2026

Global Startup EXPO 2026 (GSE 2026) will bring together startups, investors, business leaders and innovators from Japan and around the world when it takes place in Osaka from October 5 to 7.

The three-day event will focus on six deep tech fields: Bio/Healthcare, AI/Advanced Robotics, Fusion Energy, Quantum, Semiconductors/Communications and Space.

Tickets are available, with international visitors offered a chance to connect with Japan’s startup ecosystem.

Osaka and the wider Kansai region have become a base for deep tech development, supported by a concentration of academic and industrial infrastructure.

The Kansai region has an economy of approximately US$970 billion, making it one of Japan’s major economic centres. It is home to more than 150 universities and research institutions, including Osaka University, Kyoto University and Kobe University.

The scientific expertise spread across these institutions has helped produce startups in fields where commercialisation can require years of research, specialist talent and sustained collaboration between academia and industry.

That foundation is relevant in areas such as biotechnology, advanced materials, robotics, quantum technologies and energy, where technical advances can open up new markets.

Beyond its academic base, the region holds another card: a long-established industrial presence.

Osaka and Kansai have historically been home to companies operating in manufacturing, chemicals, electronics, pharmaceuticals and medical technologies.

For deep tech startups, proximity to potential corporate partners can create pathways to joint development, testing, manufacturing and commercialisation.

That combination of scientific research and industrial capability is now visible in a new generation of university-linked startups emerging from the region.

GSE 2026 has highlighted five Kansai-based startups working across the event’s key technology fields.

In AI and advanced robotics, Osaka University spinout, Thinker, is developing intelligent robotic fingers that combine proprietary proximity sensors with AI. The technology is designed to allow robots to perform delicate and stable tasks that have traditionally been difficult to automate.

In next-generation semiconductors, Kyoto University startup, FLOSFIA, is working toward the commercialisation of α-Ga₂O₃ power devices under its GaO technology, with the aim of improving efficiency in power conversion.

Osaka University spinout, EX-Fusion, is developing technologies for commercial laser fusion, including fusion reactor components and related technologies with potential applications beyond the energy sector.

In quantum computing, Osaka University startup, QuEL, builds control systems used to send and receive microwave signals for controlling qubits and related devices. These systems form a core part of quantum computing hardware.

On the bio and healthcare front, Kyoto University startup, RegeNephro, is applying proprietary iPS cell technology to kidney disease treatment, developing both regenerative medicine approaches and small-molecule drugs.

For international companies, investors and research organisations, the Kansai region offers more than a pipeline of early-stage companies.

The region presents opportunities to explore joint research, technology partnerships, corporate-startup collaboration, investment and entry into the Japanese market.

GSE 2026 is positioned as a starting point for international visitors looking to explore the universities, companies and partnerships that make up the region’s wider deep tech ecosystem.

The event takes place in Osaka from October 5 to 7. Tickets are available now.

Last Updated on August 30, 2026 by Nick Ross