"DigiTech Quest 2026" Kicks Off — Our CEO Joins as a Team Mentor for the First Two Days
奥村 魁斗
"DigiTech Quest 2026 in Gifu," the hands-on DX contest we sponsor, opened at Gifu University on Saturday, August 8, 2026. With the first two days now complete through Sunday, August 9, the teams have moved into the extended development period that makes up the rest of the contest.
The contest is hosted by Gifu University's Social System Management Program together with Regional Lab Nakatsugawa & Gifu, and operated by Walker, Inc. For this third edition, the Gifu Convention & Visitors Bureau has provided a real-world challenge — solving Gifu City's tourism problems — and participating students are building business proposals while working with NTT DOCOMO's "Mobile Spatial Statistics®" population-flow data.
The First Two Days
Day 1, Saturday, August 8, opened with an overview from the organizers and an icebreaker, followed by input talks in the morning and, in the afternoon, the challenge briefing from the challenge provider and an ideation session. Students formed teams with people they had just met and moved from understanding the challenge to generating ideas within a single day.
Day 2, Sunday, August 9, continued the ideation work around a sales training session, and closed with mid-term presentations from each team in the late afternoon. Just two days in, every team was already standing up and pitching its proposal in front of an audience.
From Monday, August 10 through Friday, August 28, the teams work independently — conducting field interviews, testing and refining their ideas, and preparing their materials. The final presentations and awards ceremony are scheduled for Saturday, August 29.
Our Involvement
Alongside our role as a sponsor, our CEO, Kaito Okumura, is participating as a mentor and supporter for the team "Synapse Jumpers," working closely with the students throughout the contest.
What stood out most on site was how readily the students approached the adults in the room. They asked mentors and sponsoring professionals direct questions without hesitation and actively sought feedback. Over these two days alone, each round of questions sharpened the teams' proposals noticeably.
Kaito Okumura took part in the 2nd DigiTech Quest in 2025, leading team "Open World" to the Grand Prize. That award-winning idea — a school signage system called "Kimiterasu" — was carried directly into the founding of Rebounder, Inc. in February 2026. This year he is on the supporting side, and working closely with his team's discussions has left him genuinely invested in their success.
Over the remaining three weeks, we will do everything we can — for our own team and for every student taking part — to help them reach a proposal they can be proud of.
Related Links
- Official site: https://www.digitech.quest/events/2026-gifu
- Sponsorship announcement: Sponsoring "DigiTech Quest 2026"