Pitch & Connect: 2026 Finale
Pitch & Connect | Final Pitch Night of 2026
Let's close out the year with good pitches, honest feedback, and meaningful connections.
For our final Pitch & Connect event of 2026, we're welcoming 6 founders to pitch their startups, get feedback, and connect with like-minded people building ambitious things.
We're keeping this one intentionally small. The goal is to create space for more thoughtful conversations, useful feedback, and connections that go beyond exchanging business cards.
What to expect
6 founder pitches: Hear from founders building across different industries and stages.
Constructive feedback: Get fresh perspectives, questions, and insights from fellow founders and our guest judges.
New Guest Judge! - Max Hodges - Founder, CEO of White Rabbit Japan
Max is the founder and CEO of White Rabbit Japan, a Yokohama-based cross-border e-commerce company that helps customers worldwide buy and ship from Japan through its Japan Rabbit and Blackship services. He built the company from a small publishing venture into a team of 50 people serving international shoppers. He is also the author of the Japanese Kanji Flashcards series, published under his own imprint, White Rabbit Press, and the producer of Tokyo Realtime, an audio experience that was an Audie Award finalist. He brings a hands-on operator's view of building and scaling a business in Japan as a foreign founder.
Colin Magne - Founder of Japan Angels
Lee Jean - Founder, CEO of Pulsar Innovations
Conscious connections: Meet other founders and startup enthusiasts in a smaller, more personal setting.
A path to the next stage: The standout startup from this event will be selected to pitch at our next Japan Angels × Pitch & Connect event in January 2027.
Event details
Drinks: BYOB
Snacks: Light snacks provided
Format: 5 min pitch - 5 min Q&A + feedback (audience first, then judges)
Our partners
Venue Partner: SEKAIA Inc.
6F Hulic Shibuya Mitake-dori Bldg., 1-11-1 Shibuya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-0002, Japan
Technology Partner: PitchVault.ai
Stay connected
Join the Pitch & Connect Skool Community to keep the conversations going, get feedback, and stay connected with the startup community.
Come for the pitches. Stay for the people.