Regarding Startups and Entrepreneurship

APU supports students who aspire to start their own businesses or social enterprises. In addition to the entrepreneurial education through courses, the Career Office also provides support for these students.

Entrepreneurship is not only for starting a business. It is also necessary when inheriting a family business or working for a company. In a society becoming increasingly complex, companies seek employees with the skills and mindset to develop a business.

For the College of International Management, “Entrepreneurship and Operations Management” is available as a Major Education Subject. For the Graduate School of Management, there is also the specialization “Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Operations Management.”

College of International Management page:

• JP https://www.apu.ac.jp/som/apm_top/
• EN https://en.apu.ac.jp/som/apm_top/

Graduate School of Management page:

• JP https://www.apu.ac.jp/som/gsm_basic/#degree
• EN https://en.apu.ac.jp/som/gsm_basic/#degree

The College of Sustainability and Tourism will have “Social Entrepreneurship” as a Major Education Subject as well.

College of Sustainability and Tourism Curriculum page:

• JP https://www.apu.ac.jp/st/st_curriculum/
• EN https://en.apu.ac.jp/st/st_curriculum/

APU also created the “Startup Program” in 2018 for students with plans to start businesses in the future. The program introduces students to startup support organizations and helps them improve their business plans, as well as inviting entrepreneurs to give lectures where students can learn more about entrepreneurship.

For information about the Startup Program:

• JP https://www.apu.ac.jp/apu-startup/
• EN https://en.apu.ac.jp/apu-startup/

Startup Program News:

• https://en.apu.ac.jp/home/news/article/?storyid=3387
• https://en.apu.ac.jp/home/news/article/?storyid=3123
• https://en.apu.ac.jp/home/news/article/?storyid=3000

There are many paths leading to entrepreneurship. Some start a business while still a student, or upon graduating. Others start a business after working and gaining experience while some inherit a family business or develop a spinoff of that business. And still, others will pursue intrapreneurship and start venture initiatives within a company.

We encourage all students to not think of entrepreneurship as something unrelated to them but rather as one of the options for their careers. We also recommend beginning to develop an “entrepreneurial mindset” while they are still students.

For students interested in entrepreneurship, please consult with the support staff at the Career Office.
Contact: career2@apu.ac.jp

For companies and organizations interested in startup support, our contact information is written below. Please feel free to reach out to us.
Contact: career1@apu.ac.jp

*APU is a participating organization in the Platform for All Regions of Kyushu & Okinawa for Startup-ecosystem (PARKS), and receives support from the Japan Science and Technology Agency’s Program for Creating Start-ups from Advanced Research and Technology (START).
PARKS: https://www.parks-startup.jp/