[New Student Welcome] What kind of circle is KBC? What is the atmosphere like?

Hello everyone! Congratulations to all the new students on your enrollment! Today, I would like to introduce what kind of activities the organization called KBC usually does.

What is KBC?

KBC stands for Keio Business Community, and it is a Keio University business student organization that is celebrating its 16th anniversary this year.

Activities

Regular Meetings

At KBC, we hold regular meetings once a week. In addition to conveying announcements, these meetings include study sessions where members share knowledge and experience. KBC has many members engaged in various activities, such as students interning at companies, students who have started their own businesses, and students who are planning businesses and preparing to launch them. We mobilize the collective strength of these members to help community members acquire the skills to actually create businesses and lead them to success. We also hold study sessions by inviting KBC alumni who are active in society as guest speakers.

Last year, we invited Fuma Higashide, a 14th-generation KBC member who is the Representative Director of Yoki Inc., to a regular meeting to talk about what he learned from starting a business and his experience in company management.

In addition to regular meetings, we also held an internal business contest as a circle event. Each team discussed 'what kind of business you would create using Doraemon's secret gadgets,' created business ideas in a short time, and gave pitches (presentations). It was a lot of fun and helped deepen our bonds with other community members.

SAP & SUMMIT

KBC plans and executes non-profit projects as a team in the startup industry. The two major events of KBC are SAP and SUMMIT.

SAP stands for Students Accelerator Program, which is an entrepreneurship support program for students, by students. We refine the business plans of student teams that have passed the selection process to an investable level over three months. In the past, it has actually produced many entrepreneurs.

SUMMIT is the culmination of KBC's activities. Last year, we invited four guests—Masahiro Kotosaka, Anri Samata, Shinichi Saijo, and Rina Akimoto—to hold a talk session. Also, the five finalists who passed the final SAP selection gave presentations on the day of SUMMIT.

Atmosphere of Activities

Slack

We basically use Slack for announcements. While coordinating projects through channels for sharing business information and department-specific channels, we also deepen our bonds with members through chat channels and recommended movie channels.

zoom

Since it was difficult to gather on campus last year, we held regular meetings using Zoom. In the breakout rooms after the meetings, some members would talk late into the night about their future plans and current interests!

Conclusion

KBC brings together a diverse range of members, including not only students who have already started businesses or are aiming to do so, but also students who are good at programming, design, and more. Also, since KBC is adopting a departmental system this year, you can engage in activities in your area of expertise. If you are interested, please join us and work together at KBC!

(Article edited by: Ayaka Kawai, KBC 16th Generation)