The panel “Why Fukuoka?”

This panel brings together leaders who live and work in Fukuoka to share the city’s appeal, opportunities, and challenges from a private-sector perspective. Shun will highlight startup support programs, Pablo will contribute insights as a relocated tech community builder, Alice will reflect on her journey in shaping the ecosystem, and Erina will represent a proud local voice. Moderated by Ayano, the session blends insider knowledge with lived experience to envision Fukuoka’s future potential.

Shun Ono, born in Philadelphia to Swiss and Japanese parents, is trilingual in English, German, and Japanese. After starting his career in a trading firm managing projects in the automotive, aerospace, and construction industries, he went on to join a renewable energy startup and later a biotech venture, where he focused on business development. Following his move to Fukuoka, he founded and successfully exited an agritech startup, and now leads Fukuoka City’s Global Business Support program at Zero-Ten Park, helping international entrepreneurs establish themselves in the city. Outside of work, he is often found practicing Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu or surfing along the coast.

Pablo Riveros is a global tech leader with more than fifteen years of experience and a strong entrepreneurial track record, including his first exit at the age of twenty-four. A former Senior Tech Lead at UQ and author of several publications in AI and VR, he is now based in Fukuoka, where he founded the Startup Collective and mentors at Kyushu University’s QREC. He advises founders, companies, and governments across Taiwan and South Korea, and serves as city coordinator of JDNA Fukuoka, where he builds community through weekly lunch clubs and demo talks. Having lived on four continents, Pablo brings a deeply international outlook while enjoying design, architecture, cooking, running, Fukuoka’s café culture, and supporting cat adoption initiatives in the city.

Alice Ballé, originally from France, is a researcher and relationship designer whose career spans Japan, Brazil, and Poland. With academic backgrounds in mathematics, graphic design, and a Ph.D. in contemporary history focused on new technologies and cultural heritage, she has worked across education, entrepreneurship, and research in both public and private sectors. Today she serves as Scientific Director of Tsunagaru Inc. and co-founded the NOMADO Project, while pioneering the emerging discipline of Relationship Design, which develops frameworks and tools for intercultural collaboration and community building. She has been recognized with the Jean-Paul Hugo Prize from the Heritage Foundation in France and a Japonismes Fellowship from the Japan Foundation, and continues to dedicate her work to turning differences into meaningful dialogue.

Finally, Erina Nishi represents the local voice of Fukuoka. Born and raised in the city, she returned in 2021 after several years working in Tokyo. Alongside her full-time corporate role, she organizes weekly meetups for digital nomads and contributes to building bridges between local residents and international visitors. In 2024 she experienced nomadic living herself, spending three months abroad and two months traveling across Japan, which gave her new insights that she now shares to showcase Fukuoka’s strengths as a place to live, work, and connect.

Together, these four speakers illustrate the multiple layers of Fukuoka’s ecosystem—combining global experience, entrepreneurial drive, academic perspective, and local authenticity to highlight why the city is uniquely positioned for the future.

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