From Sister Cities to Startup Cities: Fukuoka City × GBS at Auckland Startup Week 2025

In October 2025, Global Business Support (GBS) joined Fukuoka City government officials in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland for Auckland Startup Week 2025—a city-wide festival that marked Auckland’s inaugural “Startup Week” and brought fresh momentum to the local ecosystem.

Auckland’s “Year One” moment—and the buzz was real

Auckland Startup Week ran 20–24 October 2025, turning the city into a five-day collision of founders, investors, corporates, and ecosystem builders.

The program blended keynotes, workshops, pitch sessions, and networking, structured around tracks that speak to the full startup journey:

・Starting out (validate → launch)
・Scaling up (export + market entry)
・Adopt (corporate innovation + collaboration)
・Ignite (high-growth innovation + investment)

Our contribution: pitching Fukuoka as Japan’s startup city

As part of the week, Fukuoka City hosted a session to share why Fukuoka is one of Japan’s most startup-forward cities—followed by an engaging Q&A that quickly moved from “tell us about Fukuoka” to “how do we build practical bridges between our ecosystems?”

And yes—we made it memorable.

During the city pitch, GBS intentionally included te reo Māori, and emphasized a shared truth: even if we’re both often described through the lens of being “from islands,” no man is an island—startup ecosystems grow through exchange, collaboration, and the willingness to co-build across borders.

Why this matters now: the road to July 2026

Fukuoka City and Auckland City are sister cities, and 2026 marks the 40th anniversary of that relationship.

With Auckland’s first Startup Week now launched and a milestone year ahead, this is a timely platform to move beyond goodwill into tangible founder and ecosystem outcomes.

Looking ahead: linking October-to-October in 2026

Auckland Startup Week has already announced its next edition for 12–16 October 2026.

Fukuoka City also hosts its own flagship startup event every October (including international programming), which creates a natural opportunity for an “October corridor”—aligning Auckland and Fukuoka as connected stages for startups, investors, and partners to share dealflow, stories, and market pathways across the Asia–Pacific.

There is no I in Fukuoka but there is a U!

Feel free to drop by anytime or shoot us a message. We look forward to hearing from you and supporting you on this exciting and wonderful journey.

Global Business Support

Opening hours: Monday to Saturday 10:00-17:00 (Days closed : Sundays and Holidays)

Location:

Fukuoka Growth Next (FGN)

Fukuoka Growth Next 1F, 2 Chome-6-11 Daimyo, Chuo Ward, Fukuoka 810-0041

As there is no on-site parking or bicycle parking available, we kindly ask that you utilize nearby parking facilities or bicycle parking areas.

Cambridge Innovation Center（CIC）

ONE FUKUOKA BLDG. 7F, 1-11-1 Tenjin, Chuo-ku, Fukuoka 810-0001

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