[Japan's First] HR Tech and Global Research Firms Launch an Open Innovation Platform: ZenX and Frost & Sullivan Jointly Establish the Future Vision Consortium

ZenX Inc. (Headquarters: Shibuya, Tokyo; CEO: Masahiro Goto; hereinafter, ZenX) has partnered with Frost & Sullivan, a US-headquartered research and consulting firm (Japan entity: Frost & Sullivan Japan K.K.), to establish the Future Vision Consortium (the "Consortium"), Japan's first (*) open innovation platform created by an HR tech company and a global research firm.

To mark the launch, the Consortium is recruiting 10 large companies seeking collaboration with startups and university research seeds.

*1 Futurecasting is a method of forecasting and analyzing the future as an extension of the present and past. Backcasting is a way of thinking that sets an ideal future state and works backward from it to determine what to do now

*2 According to ZenX research. The first case in Japan of an HR tech company and a global research firm jointly creating a consortium (as of December 2025)

The Consortium is a framework providing end-to-end support — from concept development through matching and hands-on execution — grounded in megatrend and technology trend analysis and futurecasting/backcasting, and begins operations with a view to matching around 150 startups per year. By drawing on Frost & Sullivan's knowledge and network spanning more than 40 offices worldwide, it will accelerate co-creation among leading startups in Japan and abroad, large companies, and universities and research institutions.

■ Background: Changing the Structure That Keeps Large Companies and Startups from Connecting

In new business development at large companies,

• It is hard to tell which technologies are promising

• It is hard to find external partners

• Internal coordination up to verification takes time

For these reasons, initiatives struggle to move forward (*3).

Startups, meanwhile, face their own challenges:

• They have technology and strengths, yet few venues to meet large companies

• Even when they want to collaborate, companies' scouting processes are hard to see into

• Mismatched speed and timing on both sides keep discussions from progressing

These are the challenges they carry.

This difficulty in connecting is stalling innovation on both sides. The Consortium was therefore established as a mechanism that lets large companies meet the technologies and startups they need by the shortest path.

*3 PwC Japan, "Survey on New Business Development Initiatives 2025": only about 20% of companies are "successful companies" with at least one new business that has reached investment recovery (https://www.pwc.com/jp/ja/knowledge/thoughtleadership/new-business-development-survey-2025.html)

■ Consortium Overview

The Consortium is a co-creation platform rarely seen in Japan, integrating Frost & Sullivan's world-leading megatrend analysis, technology trend analysis, and futurecasting/backcasting with ZenX's startup research and collaboration execution capabilities.

Starting from next-generation themes such as generative AI, GX, smart mobility, supply chain restructuring, and the well-being economy, it formulates future scenario planning and provides everything through implementation, end to end.

Integrating future insight based on Frost & Sullivan's latest global reports with ZenX's startup support and hands-on capabilities, the Consortium aims to be a platform that "moves businesses forward" — going beyond the conventional study-group community.

■ Support Provided

The Consortium supports members from concept to execution across the following four activity areas.

1. Technology Trend / Megatrend Study Sessions

Centered on technology angles such as generative AI and GX and industry angles such as mobility, energy, and healthcare, these sessions provide industry insight based on Frost & Sullivan's latest reports and international regulatory trends, bringing together multiple companies, researchers, and VCs to discuss the themes that will define the agenda over the next 10 to 30 years.

<Example themes>

・Generative AI × management transformation

・Green transformation (GX)

・Smart mobility & energy

・Supply chain restructuring

・The well-being economy

2. Startup Research & Introductions

On behalf of member companies, ZenX interviews roughly 150 startups and university laboratories per year on the items needed to evaluate collaboration — strengths and technology, assets held, desired collaboration areas, interest in receiving investment, patent and regulatory considerations, and the scalability of the business model. Collaboration candidates are compiled into a proprietary database, and the best-fit candidates are recommended to match each company's needs.

Where needed, it also covers DD (due diligence) support required for investment consideration. After matching, it works alongside members through PoC design and business planning to deliver results.

<Details>

・Startup reports based on proprietary evaluation criteria

ZenX interviews approximately 150 startups and university laboratories per year (planned) and provides a database of the best-fit collaboration candidates.

・Individual matching support

ZenX hears each member company's needs and introduces suitable startups and university laboratories. It provides hands-on support for PoC design and business planning, staying with members until collaboration projects are realized.

3. Needs Assessment / Co-Creation Theme Design / Co-Creation Project Support

Through individual meetings with member companies, the Consortium organizes their background, organizational state, future goals, and internal assets in interview form. It then narrows down which themes to focus on and formulates backcasting-based co-creation scenarios rooted in each company's challenges.

Once themes are set, the Consortium works alongside members into the execution phase. A distinctive feature is the use of future scenario planning to map out an implementation plan calculated backward from the ideal state 10 years out.

■ Plans

■ Outlook

The Consortium aims to create co-creation projects with 500 large companies and 2,000 startups going forward, accelerating cross-industry new business creation and technology implementation.

From theme creation grounded in megatrends and futurecasting/backcasting through PoC and commercialization, it will provide end-to-end support and scale its matching results to more than 10,000 per year.

■ Comments from Leadership

Masahiro Goto, CEO, ZenX Inc.

"Japan is home to a wealth of research and technology that has yet to reach the world. Our role is to shine a light on that potential and build the stage for its real-world implementation. And no matter how much talent or technology exists, innovation cannot move forward unless the structure of encounters changes. We will not merely talk about the future — we will walk alongside our partners end to end, from future insight through business design and implementation, and unlock the world's possibilities together with talented challengers."

Hiroshi Yamamura, Representative Director, Frost & Sullivan Japan K.K.

"With the megatrend analysis and global network we have cultivated across 40 offices worldwide, we will connect Japan-born co-creation with the world. We will visualize the path to winning from three angles — markets, regulation, and technology — and stay alongside our partners through implementation."

■ How to Apply

Please let us know via the form below if you wish to participate.

Form: https://bit.ly/4rzGjQL

[ZenX Inc. Company Overview]

ZenX is a company offering BPaaS (Business Process as a Service) that combines AI with human expertise. Across the three domains of HR, Finance, and Global, it comprehensively supports the management challenges of startups, growth companies, and large enterprises.

Representative: Masahiro Goto

Established: 2019

Address: Cerulean Tower 15F, 26-1 Sakuragaokacho, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo

Corporate site: https://www.zenx.jp/

Business: ZenTest, an AI-powered talent assessment; ZenStrategy, an HR BPaaS, Finance BPaaS, and strategy and organizational support service; and ZenMatch Agent, a recruiting and career-change support service that delivers optimal matching based on company requirements, organizational culture, candidate preferences, behavioral traits, soft skills, and EQ (emotional intelligence quotient)

[Frost & Sullivan Japan K.K. Company Overview]

Frost & Sullivan, the growth pipeline company, enables clients to accelerate growth and achieve best-in-class positions in growth, innovation, and leadership.

The company's Growth Pipeline as a Service provides transformational strategies and best-practice models to CEOs and their growth teams, driving the generation, evaluation, and implementation of powerful growth initiatives. Frost & Sullivan leverages more than 60 years of experience partnering with Global 1000 companies, emerging businesses, and the investment community from more than 40 offices on six continents.

Representative: Hiroshi Yamamura

Established: 2014

Address: Akasaka Park Building 23F, 5-2-20 Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo

URL: https://frost.co.jp/

Email: info.japan@frost.com