Social Entrepreneurship Empowerment Development Program (SEED)
Empower Our Youth to Empower Japan
The SEED program offers programs on social entrepreneurship, including business development, cross-cultural communication, and SDGs. The curriculum consists of online classes and study tours. Through the program, participating students propose business plans specific to social entrepreneurship.
Online Lectures
A specialized curriculum covering social entrepreneurship, business development, cross-cultural communication, and SDGs. Students conduct research and develop a business proposal addressing social and economic issues for local industries in Japan.
Study Tour
An immersive opportunity to visit embassies, international organizations, universities, and companies. Students meet local business owners and community leaders to develop more informed, targeted business proposals.
Business Proposal
Teams present innovative proposals that address real social and economic challenges, combining design thinking and entrepreneurship to strengthen the global presence of local Japanese industries.
What is Social Entrepreneurship?
In short, Social Entrepreneurship means doing business for a social cause.
Social entrepreneurs combine commerce and social issues in a way that improves the lives of people connected to the cause. They do not usually measure their success in terms of profit alone — success means they have improved the world.
Engaging with the target community is crucial to understand their needs, allowing entrepreneurs to innovate and address negative conditions. Their solutions also consider market demand, finances, and resources based on the restrictions and opportunities in their community and country.
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Mission Reports
All details and activities of previous SEED Program editions are viewable in the reports below.
2025 Themes & Participants
The 2025 SEED Program focuses on revitalizing the regional culture and economy of Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan. While Yamanashi is home to world-famous Mount Fuji and a rich cultural heritage, many of its small towns face challenges from population decline and limited international visibility.
The program continues to support local producers through multicultural collaboration, concentrating on traditional industries such as sake, wine, tourism, and jewelry. Through a six-month hybrid format, 38 students from Colombia, Brazil, Argentina, Japan, and for the first time the United States, will work in multicultural teams applying design thinking and entrepreneurship.
2024 Themes & Participants
The 2024 SEED Program focuses on revitalizing the regional culture and economy of Yamanashi. Despite having rich tourism resources, Yamanashi is not well-known overseas. It is a region famous for its traditional crafts and local industries, making it an ideal base for the SEED Program. In 2024, we continue to focus on Yamanashi’s traditional industries, including wine, sake, jewelry, and textiles.
2023 Themes & Participants
The 2023 SEED Program is centered around the revitalization of regional culture and economy of rural Japan, specifically Yamanashi. The themes for the 2023 SEED Program were selected based on an abundance of high-quality luxury goods and tourist destinations: Sake, Wine, Jewelry, and Textiles.
2022 Testimonials
“It was such an amazing and enriching experience. We are helping to strengthen the relationships between countries that are far from one another but have a lot of potential to work together.”Daniela Montoya Wine Team · EAFIT University, Colombia
“Due to each student having a different background, nationality, and way of working, the online meeting dynamic can be a challenge, but a bond was created during the times we were together.”Gabriel Lehwing Food Culture Team · ESPM College, Brazil
“If I could have joined this program earlier, I would have developed an interest in Latin America much sooner. It was a very good experience to become friends with Latin American students.”Suzuka Morita Jewelry Team · Sophia University, Japan
“I really wanted to develop an international perspective on business and organizations. I think that the SEED Program was one of the most impactful experiences I’ve had in this sense.”Matías Agudo Sake Team · Austral University, Argentina
Partner University Advisors
EAFIT University, Colombia
ESPM, Brazil
Austral University, Argentina
Los Andes University, Colombia
FAAP, Brazil
FAAP, Brazil
Austral University, Argentina
Los Andes University, Colombia
ESPM, Brazil
Universidad del Rosario, Colombia
