News

Equmenopolis Inc. (CEO: Yoichi Matsuyama), a startup that originated at Waseda and develops conversational diagnostic and learning-support AI agent technologies has been selected for Forbes JAPAN’s January 2026 issue, “100 Next Generation Leaders: 100 Noteworthy Japanese Startups to Watch in 2026.” The company is also a member of the Waseda University Center for Entrepreneurship.

This marks the first-ever selection of a research and development–driven startup originating from Waseda University.

What is Forbes JAPAN’s ‘100 NEXT GENERATION LEADERS’?

The “100 NEXT GENERATION LEADERS” is a list curated by Forbes JAPAN that highlights 100 Japan-based, unlisted startup companies founded in 2021 or later. The selection is based on factors such as fundraising achievements—over 100 million yen in the past year and over 500 million yen in total—along with the novelty of their business and their social impact. These companies are expected to achieve significant growth and make notable contributions from 2026 onward. The list has also drawn strong interest from the investment community, including venture capital firms, as well as from the broader business world.

The Selection of Equmenopolis and the Future of Startups Emerging from Waseda University

Equmenopolis has developed the conversational AI agent platform “EQU AI Platform”, based on interactive AI technology researched at our university. As an applied service built on this platform, the company has rolled out “LANGX Speaking”, a language communication learning support service, nationwide, bringing innovation to English education in schools.

In March 2025, the company completed its Pre-A funding round, achieving its target of 250 million yen, and has steadily advanced both business expansion and the acceleration of research and development. This rapid growth and its commitment to implementing its innovations in society were likely key factors in its selection as one of the 100 Next Generation Leaders.

For Waseda, this recognition also demonstrates that the capabilities of university-launched startups—those that pursue the challenge of applying research achievements to real-world needs while accelerating research and development—are now being widely acknowledged.

Waseda University will continue to strongly support the commercialization of research achievements that bring innovation to everyday life, as Equmenopolis is currently demonstrating. We remain committed to fostering startups that will lead the society of the future.

Comment from Yoichi Matsuyama, President & CEO, Equmenopolis Inc.

“The conversational diagnostic AI agent technology developed by Equmenopolis aims to provide precise and highly valid assessments and to establish new learning frameworks in fields where dialogue is essential, such as education, healthcare, and employment. We see it as our mission to give back to society the advanced interdisciplinary research cultivated at Waseda University and to bring Japan-originated technology to the world. Moving forward, we will continue to deepen our collaboration with the university while working to realize a next-generation society where humans and AI co-evolve.”

About Equmenopolis Inc.

The research and development startup, Equmenopolis Incaims to create a society where humans and AI collaborate and grow together. To achieve this, the company develops “Deep Human Technology”, a technology that enhances human qualities, and deploys conversational AI agents in educational and workplace settings to boost overall societal creativity and productivity.

Notable awards include: the 10th JEITA Venture Award (2025), the Award for Academic Startups – JST Director Prize (2024), ACL/ISCA Special Interest Group on Discourse and Dialogue (SIGDIAL) Best Paper Award (2024), SXSW EDU Finalist (2023), and Toyo Keizai’s “100 Amazing Ventures” (2023).

Company Name: Equmenopolis Inc.
CEO: Yoichi Matsuyama (Guest Researcher (Guest Associate Professor), Perceptual Computing Laboratory, Waseda University Green Computing Systems Research Organization)
Founded: May 2022
Business: Development of conversational AI agent platforms and applications
Website: https://www.equ.ai/en

A video introducing Professor Matsuyama’s research and Equmenopolis’ initiatives (from 4:26): The Challenges of Waseda’s Startups #2