Forget the classic tech conference model of awkward panels and forgotten business cards. SusHi Tech Tokyo 2026, running April 27 - 29 at Tokyo Big Sight for 60,000 attendees, has been deliberately designed as its antithesis: a massive, facilitated deal room.
The headline stats are 750 startup exhibitors and 151 sessions, but the telling number is 10,000. That's how many business meetings are being brokered, booked, and tracked via the event's official app before most people even land. The app acts as an AI matchmaking engine, letting attendees register profiles, get recommendations, open direct message channels, and pre-book meeting spaces. On the floor, QR code exchanges replace the traditional card fumble, in a clear philosophy of removing friction between people who should be talking.
This deal-making focus extends to the startup pitch competition. TechCrunch’s Startup Battlefield program manager, Isabelle Johannessen, will select one standout startup suited for the North American market from the semifinalists to advance directly to the TechCrunch Disrupt Startup Battlefield 200.
A more interesting structural choice is the reverse pitch format. Instead of startups pitching to corporates, entities like Moreton Bay and Rome are taking the stage to present their unsolved challenges, issuing public RFPs to the global startup audience. On the corporate side, 62 partner companies - including Sony, Google, Microsoft, and Mizuho - are hosting Open Innovation exhibits, actively hunting for collaborators. Twelve new domain-specific clusters in areas like logistics, life sciences, railways, and climate tech are also exhibiting, looking to co-create.
Of the 750 exhibitors, 400 are from outside Japan. City partners from 25 countries and regions are bringing cohorts to connect startups to Japanese partners and capital. A new group of 45 “SusHi Tech Global Startups” - growth-stage Japanese companies backed by Tokyo Metropolitan Government - are making their global debut in a dedicated pavilion.
For international observers, SusHi Tech is pitched as the most efficient entry point into the Japanese market ever offered. And if you can't attend, you don't have to miss out. Remote participants can have on-site staff walk the floor with a device displaying their face for real-time interaction. Ticket holders can also stream sessions online, though some may not be available. Business days are April 27 - 28, with a free Public Day on April 29.