Introducing: EO Ibaraki

Ibaraki, Japan, joins the Entrepreneurs’ Organization as its 15th chapter in Japan for entrepreneurs and business owners, and 220th chapter worldwide

31 July 2023(Alexandria, VA, USA / Mito, Ibaraki, Japan) - With consistently strong recruiting, growth in membership, and soaring interest in its regional and global community, the Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO) is proud to announce the launch of its 15th chapter in Japan and 220th chapter worldwide: EO Ibaraki. Located on Japan's eastern Pacific coast, to the northeast of Tokyo in the Kantō region, the Ibaraki Prefecture is among Japan’s highest producing agricultural regions, with a thriving economy also driven by fishing, livestock, tourism, and energy production. The new chapter will primarily hold member gatherings in the city of Mito, in Ibaraki.

The newest EO chapter begins with 25 active members – qualifying entrepreneurs whose businesses achieve annual revenues of more than US$1 million. In March of this year, EO’s 14 chapters in Japan surpassed a milestone target of 1,000 members, which marked a doubling of membership since 2019 and was a result of a nearly 21% annualized growth.

Yoshito Hori, a 28-year member of EO’s Tokyo Central Chapter and founding President of EO Ibaraki, will lead the new chapter, along with eight other successful, local business owners who will serve on the new chapter’s first board of directors: Forum Chair Ri Chungryol, Membership Chair Fuyumi Onose, Co-Learning chairs Yukinori Nemoto and Toru Kaneko, Member Engagement Chair Fuyumi Onose, Governance Chair Shiro Matsumaru, and Finance Chair Takuji Toda.

Describing his motivations for creating the new chapter, Hori-san said, “The purpose of launching EO Ibaraki after my 28 years of EO membership, is to give leaders in my homeland of Ibaraki opportunities to learn, connect and grow. The founding board and I aspire to enhance the start-up ecosystem within Ibaraki, so that more entrepreneurs can access the supportive peer learning and resources that will help them become successful contributors to our region’s economy.”

Outside of EO, Hori-san is the founder of GLOBIS Capital and the GLOBIS Corporation, where he also serves as President of the GLOBIS Graduate School of Management, EO Ibaraki is the second local chapter the entrepreneur has established during his long tenure as a member of EO. His first was the launch of EO Tokyo Central Chapter in 1995, when EO was called YEO (Young Entrepreneurs’ Organization). As the first EO chapter to gain a foothold in North Asia, EO Tokyo Central’s chapter paved the way for the membership network’s thriving presence in Japan today. Since then, Hori-san has supported the development and launch of 10 other EO chapters throughout the Asia Pacific region.

“Our Japanese chapters have been growing at an exponential rate during the past few years,” said EO’s Growth Director, Claire Lim. “The launch of Ibaraki as our 15th chapter in Japan further signifies our Japanese members’ determination to share the gift of EO with as many other entrepreneurs in Japan as they can.”

The launch event of EO Ibaraki was held on 14 July at Mito Plaza Hotel, followed by a social gathering at the Lucky music festival, in nearby Hitachi Seaside Park. The Honorable Yasushi Takahashi, Governor of Ibaraki, was invited as a special guest to inaugurate the EO event with a speech. Members then participated in a panel discussion led by the chapter's founder, Hori San.

EO Hong Kong member and North Asia Regional Chair, Alan Cheung praised the enterprising spirit of the new chapter’s founding board, saying: “We congratulate the establishment of EO Ibaraki chapter as a continuation of EO’s efforts to expand our leading entrepreneur network across various industries and geographies in Japan. This has only been made possible with the strong leadership and vision of our EO member leaders in Japan.”

The EO Ibaraki Board of Directors will continue to welcome membership applications from local business founders and owners who share EO’s values and have achieved a level of revenue that meets or exceeds US$1 million annually. For information, visit the new chapter’s Facebook page.

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NOTES TO EDITORS:

Additional quotes about EO Ibaraki from regional leaders:

Founding member of EO Ibaraki and past member of EO Kyoto, Jun Tarikino, who also serves as Growth Director for EO in North Asia, said: “Up until now, our growth strategy in Japan has been to target and launch new chapters in large cities with populations of more than one million people; or, by combining multiple prefectures. The launch of EO Ibaraki will be our first challenge to prove that we can grow an EO chapter in a relatively small city with fewer than one million people. We will show that local revitalization in small cities will happen when entrepreneurs grow together in this community, and the result will bring more sustainable growth to the whole of Japan.”

Kimitaka Yoshimura, a 14-year member of EO with the Setouchi chapter and Area Director for EO in Japan said: “As of this month, EO has grown to 15 chapters with 1,062 members across Japan. By FY2027, we aim to have 2,000 members with 20 chapters. Together with our ambitious vision, the establishment of the Ibaraki chapter has become a major driving force in motivating our members across the country to pursue launching new chapters in their local cities.”

For media inquiries or more information, please contact:

press@eonetwork.org (English language)

yfujimaki@eonetwork.org Yuka Fujimaki (Japanese)

Entrepreneurs' Organization (EO) is a diverse, professional, and high-quality network of more than 18,000 business founders and owners in 220 chapters across 75+ countries worldwide. Its purpose is to move the world forward by unlocking entrepreneurs' full potential, and it does this through the power of life-enhancing connections, shared experiences, and collaborative learning. Launched in 1987, EO has been helping entrepreneurs find community and achieve transformational growth together, guided by its core values of Trust and Respect, Thirst for Learning, Think Big be Bold, and Together we Grow. For more information or to get involved, follow us on Linkedin, Twitter, Instagram or Facebook and visit our website: www.eonetwork.org