KiAI Delivers Guest Lecture at Kanazawa University and SME Support, Japan "Startup Creation Exchange Meeting in Hokuriku Region" — Presenting on Transforming SME Manufacturing Global Expansion Through AI
~From Individual-Dependent Sales to Systematic Approach — Introducing an AI-Driven International Expansion Support Model for SME Manufacturers~
KiAI Inc. (Headquarters: Hitachi, Ibaraki; CEO: Kazumasa Oba) announced that CEO Kazumasa Oba delivered a guest lecture on July 29, 2026 (Wednesday) at the “Startup Creation Exchange Meeting in Hokuriku Region” held at WEST Building in Kanazawa City.
The event was organized by Kanazawa University’s Institute for Frontier Science Initiative and the Organization for Small & Medium Enterprises and Regional Innovation, JAPAN (SME Support, Japan), with the aim of fostering a startup ecosystem in the Hokuriku region and revitalizing local industries. Guest lectures were delivered by Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (JAIST), SaR Co., Ltd., and DERTA Co., Ltd., with each speaker allocated 20 minutes. Mr. Oba presented on the theme “Transforming SME Manufacturing Global Expansion Through AI — From Individual-Dependent to Systematic Approach.”
During the lecture, Mr. Oba highlighted three key challenges faced by SME manufacturers in global expansion: “information asymmetry,” “lack of local trust verification,” and “individual-dependent sales structures.” He introduced KiAI’s AI-powered global expansion platform “Trst,” which provides end-to-end support including self-analysis, target discovery, company intelligence, monitoring, and outreach. He also explained KiAI’s unique model that combines AI-driven analysis with on-the-ground trust verification through travel operator networks, presenting an approach to move away from individual-dependent sales toward a systematic framework for global expansion.
Following the lectures, event announcements and activity reports from various support organizations were shared, along with discussions on the future direction of the exchange meetings, strengthening collaboration for startup support in the Hokuriku region. A networking session was also held after the event, facilitating active exchanges among participants.
KiAI will continue to support SME manufacturers in their global expansion efforts by collaborating with regional stakeholders, accelerating initiatives to bring Japan’s world-class technologies to global markets.