Yusuke Mizuno (Founder, Impact Startup Association; CEO, Life is Tech!)

On January 22, Shizenkan’s Center for Impact Economy hosted its first “Impact Night,” a series of semi-open salon events to discuss social impact initiatives. Moderated by Prof. Masataka Uo, Vice President of Shizenkan and CEO of the Japan Fundraising Association, the event brought together leaders from government, finance, large corporations, startups, and foundations working to realize the impact economy. 

This time, we welcomed Yusuke Mizuno, founder of the Impact Startup Association and CEO of Life is Tech!, which offers one of the largest IT education programs in Japan for junior high and high school students. By learning the latest IT technologies in programming (iPhone apps, web, game development, etc.) and digital arts, they aim to help kids learn creative skills and also create a space for them to find and realize their aspirations and connect with peers. In his passionate talk, Yusuke Mizuno shared the story of his company, which started as a camp with only 3 participants in 2011, went through a social IPO in 2014, and has delivered digital innovation education to more than 1 million people to date. 

In the panel discussion that followed, Yusuke Mizuno was joined by Koji Isozumi from METI (Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry) and Chihiro Eikyu (Shizenkan Class of 2021) from the Japan Association of Corporate Executives (Keizai Doyukai) for a stimulating discussion on the future of education, start-ups, and how to keep the passion for social action ignited.

Attendees also had the opportunity to network in a casual setting over a glass of wine and snacks.