Waffle June 2026 Update
Thank you for your continued support of Waffle. May was an incredibly active month for us, packed with our 13th Waffle Club workshop and the highly anticipated national preliminary judging for Technovation Girls 2026. Additionally, Kumiko Morita, Director, Waffle has returned to Japan after completing the prestigious JWLI (Japanese Women’s Leadership Initiative) Fellowship in Boston, USA!
In this issue, we’re thrilled to share our latest activity reports alongside exciting details for the Technovation Girls 2026 Japan National Pitch Event, taking place on June 20th. We hope you enjoy this update and encourage you to share it with your community!
13th Waffle Club Report: Building Personalized Photo-Sharing Apps!
On Sunday, May 10th, we hosted our 13th online Waffle Club. Responding to high demand from our participants, this session focused entirely on app development. Using the no-code platform Thunkable, 16 middle and high school students from across Japan—stretching from the northern tip of Hokkaido to the southern islands of Okinawa—spent two hours building their very own photo-sharing apps.
The workshop kicked off with an interactive lecture, followed by creative hands-on time where students customized their designs alongside our mentors. The energy was palpable through the screens, with students sharing feedback like, “I loved being able to customize it myself!” and “I can’t wait to experiment more with Thunkable at home!”
- Next Session: Scheduled for Sunday, July 26th.
- [Register Here]
Waffle in the Spotlight: Forbes JAPAN Features Technovation Girls Team
We are incredibly proud to share that a team from Technovation Girls 2026 was featured in Forbes JAPAN! The article spotlights four middle and high school girls from Kanagawa, Gifu ,Tottori and Chiba who are developing an innovative app that combines music and AI to support teens dealing with nighttime loneliness.
The piece beautifully captures their AI-native development process and their inspiring next-gen entrepreneurial spirit. We highly recommend giving it a read!
- Article Title: “Using Music and AI to Tackle Teenage Nighttime Loneliness: The Young Women Leading the Charge at ‘Technovation Girls'”
- Read the Full Forbes JAPAN Article Here
[June 20] Technovation Girls 2026 Japan National Pitch Event
The wait is almost over! The Technovation Girls 2026 Japan National Pitch Event will take place live in Tokyo on Saturday, June 20th, and will be broadcast nationwide via YouTube Live.
This year marks a momentous milestone: the 10th anniversary of Technovation Girls in Japan. Out of 78 teams and 408 participants who entered the 2026 cohort nationwide, 11 finalist teams have been selected to pitch their apps and business plans live in front of a panel of industry judges. Anyone can tune in online—please join us to cheer on these bright minds!
- When: Saturday, June 20, 2026
- Where: Tokyo & Live on YouTube (Registration required)
- Get Your Free Virtual Ticket on Peatix
Alumni Spotlight: Sayaka Ishikawa
Sayaka Ishikawa, Alum, Waffle is making waves as a professional engineer! Her recent impact was highlighted on her company’s blog. Sayaka works right at the frontline of tech and healthcare—visiting hospitals to guide patients through app interfaces and joining clients in the field to gather direct user feedback. Always a vibrant mood-maker in the Waffle community, her career growth is truly inspiring to watch.
Volunteer Spotlight: Deep Gratitude to Our National Preliminary Judges
On Sunday, May 17th, we held the national preliminary judging for Technovation Girls 2026. To determine the 10 teams advancing to the Final Stage and the 10 teams advancing to the Challenge Stage seven esteemed judges dedicated their Sunday afternoon to evaluating these visionary projects.
We would like to express our deepest gratitude to our panel for their expertise, meticulous feedback, and warm encouragement:
- Midori Kawamukai,Long-time program supporter
- Yuichiro Masui, Long-time program supporter
- Fumi Sawa, The University of Tokyo
- Yusuke Ando, Minna no Code / Business Breakthrough University / Seisen University
- Yuia Tanaka, Waffle Alum
- Takehiro Hagiwara, Arc & Beyond
- Naho Kawashima, ETIC.
Our programs simply could not exist without the dedication of such exceptional volunteers. Thank you for investing your time in the next generation.
News & Announcements
Support Our Journey to Certified NPO Status
Waffle is currently working toward becoming a Certified NPO, which will make your future donations tax-deductible. To qualify, we need 100+ individual supporters to give 3,000 JPY or more annually. Help us sustain Waffle’s long-term impact.
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A Message from Waffle Leadership
Kumiko Morita, Director of Waffle
“I am incredibly grateful to the Fish Family Foundation for selecting me as a 2026 JWLI Fellow, allowing me to spend the month of May training in Boston.
During my time in the US, I visited ten prominent non-profits and foundations, attended intensive leadership lectures at Babson College, and studied fundraising and organizational strategy with industry experts. These insights will directly strengthen Waffle’s operational management.
Boston is a spectacular city where history and culture intertwine. On my days off, I walked the historic Freedom Trail, visited the Museum of Fine Arts, and explored the MIT Museum—where an exhibition addressing the societal challenges of AI particularly caught my attention.
Thank you for being an essential part of the Waffle journey!
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