From one idea to one exit.
Echo AI Incubator is an incubator for small companies working on AI businesses and for people who want to become FDEs. Cohort 1 has 30 places, and applications are open from September 25 to October 31, 2026.
Applications 2026.9.25 – 10.31
For: small companies running an AI business, and people who want to become FDEs
01/07
Echo AI Incubator Cohort 1
Echo does not take any equity when you join.
Contracts run one year at a time, and you can leave at any point.
It is run by founders who have AI companies of their own. People who have been down the road show newcomers where the pitfalls are.
2026.9.25 – 10.31
Submit it through the application form. The deadline is Sat, October 31, 23:59 JST.
[Date]
We review your application form.
[Date]
We interview applicants who pass the application review.
[Date]
We'll let you know by email. You can also check it on My page.
[Date]
Sign a one-year contract and join the Incubator.
02/07
Use of the shared office, a free model Token allowance, monthly closed-door meetups with AI company founders and investors, a network of mentors, training, and priority access to company projects.
What you get when you join.
Central Tokyo, near a station, open 24 hours.
Use multiple models through Echo Token Station.
Pass the completion exam to get certified and become eligible to take on projects and move up in rank.
Projects with requirements and acceptance criteria already defined go to teams in the community first.
Small, closed-door groups. One-on-one mentoring supports you from product to fundraising.
Select a sentence to highlight the matching card.
Central Tokyo, near a station, open 24 hours.
Echo Token Station
Residents get a free model Token allowance and can use multiple models through Echo Token Station.
Echo University
A structured curriculum from Echo University. You learn step by step, from using models and building agents to deploying AI in companies, and you are certified only once you pass the completion exam. Those who pass become full members, eligible to take on projects and move up in rank.
Echo takes on AI projects from Japanese companies, sets out the requirements and acceptance criteria, then offers them to teams in the community first. Residents get real projects and revenue without doing any sales, and their track record counts toward moving up in rank.
Monthly closed-door meetups in small groups, where you can ask directly about both your business and fundraising. One-on-one mentoring also supports you from product to fundraising.
03/07
Monthly closed-door meetups and one-on-one mentoring support you from product to fundraising.
04/07
With AI you can build many MVPs in a short time, so validation and fundraising move faster too. You build the team once you have funding and a way to make money.
Idea1–2 weeks
Team formation3–4 weeks
Building the MVP2–3 months
Market validation (GTM)2–3 months
Fundraising2–3 months
Many ideas + building MVPs1 month
Building with AI makes it possible to create many MVPs
Small-scale market validation1 month
Test CPA and ROI with ads, social media and more
Fundraising1 month
With the product and ROI already clear, you can raise money quickly
Team formationOngoing
With funding and a way to make money, you can attract strong team members
After thatPMFFurther funding roundsExit (M&A, IPO)
Shortest estimateUp to the longestAI-era routeOngoing
* Durations are estimates. “Time to fundraising” is the sum of the estimated durations of each stage.
05/07
What makes each stage hard, and how Echo helps.
01 / 06
Find a direction worth pursuing
02 / 06
Turn the idea into something that works
03 / 06
Find your first users
04 / 06
Raise the money to scale
05 / 06
From being used to growing
06 / 06
Pass the baton to the next runner
06/07
The day resident teams present their businesses to investors.
At the fundraising stage, we help you refine your business plan, get direct feedback from investors who mentor you, and present to investors at Demo Day. Number of presenting teams: [N teams].
About Demo DayWhat we offer at the fundraising stage
Echo's role is limited to running Demo Day. We do not solicit investment, and we take no part in investment negotiations, contracts or transfers of funds. Each investor makes their own investment decisions.
Echo's role07/07
Small companies running an AI business, and people who want to become FDEs.
No. We take no equity when you join.
Yes. Contracts run one year at a time, and you can leave anytime.
While you are a resident, you pay [Price] per month (tax included) as a Premium member.
Cohort 1 has 30 places, and the incubation period is 1–2 years.
We'll email you by [Date]. You can also check your selection status on My page.
Yes. What you enter is saved automatically as a draft, and you can pick up where you left off from My page.
[Answer in preparation]
Apply by October 31.
We have 30 places, for small companies running an AI business and for people who want to become FDEs.
