Don’t Just “Listen” to Young People’s Proposals: A CFO Program That Turns the Future into Business A 16-Year-Old CFO’s Idea Will Be Implemented as a “After-School Hotel” in One Year Holonic—Which “Truly Turns Young People’s Proposals into Business”—Is Recruiting Its 4th Cohort of CFOs The Next Theme Is “Not just chosen by AI. A hotel that’s ‘recommended’ by people.”

Holonic Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Higashinada Ward, Kobe; Representative Director: Ichiro Nagata), which operates the community-based hotel chain “SETRE” primarily in the Kansai region, has begun accepting applications for the fourth cohort of its “CFO(Chief Futureship Organizer / Chief Future Creation Officer)—a program where young people living in the future participate in management and work with the company to create the future society they envision—on Thursday, October 1, 2026.

Holonic URL: https://www.hol-onic.co.jp/

CFO 4th Cohort Application Site URL: https://www.hol-onic.co.jp/PDF/cfo_4th.pdf?v=20261005

However, for those aged 20 or younger: 2026 Fiscal Year—4th Cohort Chief Future Creation Officer Recruitment—Future Yoshi Business Contest

Since 2022, Holonic has welcomed young people aged 20 and under onto its executive board as CFOs, transforming their proposals for the future society into actual business ventures and initiatives.

One of the most symbolic of these initiatives is the “After-School Hotel,” currently operating out of “Hotel Setre Kobe-Maiko.”

The catalyst for this was a proposal by the 3rd-term CFO, En Tamesaku (then 16 years old), who asked, “Can we utilize the hotel’s underutilized space and time to bridge the experiential gap among children?”The concept, which began with an idea from a high school student, took about a year to take shape and was implemented as a social initiative to provide children with “authentic experiences” they couldn’t encounter through school or at home alone.

Now, we are recruiting the 4th-term CFO to carry on this legacy.The theme is “More than just being chosen by AI: Let’s create a hotel that people ‘recommend.’” The winner will serve as the 4th-term CFO and Head of the “Attachment Division (tentative name),” where they will not only propose their own ideas but also take on the challenge of bringing them to life.

Details and Application Guidelines: https://www.hol-onic.co.jp/PDF/cfo_4th.pdf?v=20261005

<1. What is a CFO? — Those living in the future make proposals to the executive board>

An abbreviation for “CHIEF FUTURESHIP ORGANIZER,” this role is Holonic Inc.’s “Chief Future Creation Officer.”

Their role is to create the society they envision, along with the ideal company (organizational model) that belongs within it, and to submit proposals and recommendations to the executive board.

It doesn’t end with “proposals.” We turn young people’s ideas into company actions and societal change.

■ Changes Resulting from Past CFO Proposals

The first CFO made forward-looking proposals, such as adding plant-based meat alternatives to hotel meals and pursuing a “zero-waste” policy. These proposals have been translated into concrete initiatives, such as the development of a soy-based keema curry and the replacement of trash cans in guest rooms with “recycling bins.”

First-Term CFO

Trash Can

Plant-Based Curry

<The 2.16-Year-Old CFO Asked, “Can We Eliminate the Experience Gap?”>

3rd-Term CFO Ms. Tamesumi

3rd-Term CFO: Yuzuru Tamesumi

In 2024, Yuzumi Tamesumi—then a 16-year-old high school sophomore—was selected as the 3rd-term CFO. While studying regional revitalization and a sustainable future, she strongly identified with the social issue of “experiential inequality” and applied for the CFO position driven by a desire to tackle regional challenges.

Ms. Tamesaku proposed utilizing the underutilized spaces and time at “Setre,” the hotel that serves as Holonic’s management resource, to provide experiential opportunities for children. Her proposal—which combined social issues with the hotel’s resources—was highly praised, and she was selected as the 3rd-term CFO.

A high school student’s vision of “the kind of future I’d like to see” inspired the company to take action.

<3. The “After-School Hotel” Born from a CFO’s Proposal>

After-School Hotel Main Image

CFO Certification Ceremony

Inspired by Ms. Tamesumi’s proposal, Holonic brought the concept to life. The “After-School Hotel” was born—a program that opens the hotel as a “third place” for children, offering career experiences led by hotel staff and providing “authentic experiences” that cannot be found in schools or at home alone, through collaborations with local businesses, producers, and experts.

The After-School Hotel aims to eliminate, even if only slightly, the “experience gap” created by differences in home environments. It also aims to help children encounter a variety of people, jobs, and communities, discover what they “like,” “are good at,” and “want to try,” and broaden their future options.

Bed-Making Experience

Musical Instrument Experience

[Career Experience: Getting a Glimpse into Hotel Work—Bed Making]

〈CFO’s Proposal〉

Can We Eliminate the “Experience Gap” by Utilizing the Hotel’s Idle Time and Space?

↓

〈Company Implementation〉

Turning Hotels into a “Third Place” for Children

↓

[Diverse Experiences Connecting with the Community and Experts: Musical Instrument Workshops]

〈The Birth of the After-School Hotel〉

Continuously Delivering “Authentic Experiences”

↓

〈Expanding into the Community〉

Learning Created Together with Companies, Producers, and Experts

■The Goals of the CFO Program

What Holonic expects from CFOs is not to force young people to conform to existing corporate frameworks.

Rather, it is for the young people—who will live in the future—to think from the perspective of “what kind of future society we want,” and to propose how today’s companies and businesses should change to realize that future. The After-School Hotel is one example of how such proposals have led to actual business ventures.

<4. Next, Bring Your Ideas to Society: Call for Applications for the 4th Term CFOs>

It’s not just about being chosen by AI. Let’s create a hotel that people “recommend.”

We live in an era where AI selects, compares, and recommends places to stay. Holonic’s goal is not simply to be a “hotel you’d like to visit again.” What kind of hotel inspires such “affection”—one that makes people think, “I want to recommend this to others,” “I want someone to know about this,” “I want to support this,” or “I hope it gets even better”?

For the 4th-Term CFO position, we ask you to propose what you would do—and how you would do it—if you were the business leader, with an eye toward establishing the “Affection Division” (tentative name). The top candidate will serve as the 4th-Term CFO and Head of the “Affection Division” (tentative name), participating in a project to bring their idea to life.

■ 4th Term CFO Application Guidelines

● Application Theme

It’s not just about being chosen by AI. Let’s create a hotel that people “recommend.”

With an eye toward the establishment of the “Affection Division (tentative name),” please freely describe on one A4-sized sheet what you would do and how you would approach it as the division head.

● Eligibility

・Students currently enrolled in high school or college anywhere in Japan, aged 16 to 20 inclusive

・Individuals or groups (up to 3 members)

・Candidates who pass the preliminary screening must be able to participate in the final selection round

・Must be able to participate as the 4th-term CFO and Head of the Affection Business Division (tentative name)

● Selection Process

Application: https://forms.gle/7zJXTpjNipUDbKPg7

Preliminary Screening: Document review / Submit a one-page (A4 size) summary of your idea

Final Round: Presentation and Q&A / Available both in-person and online

　　　　　　 Venue: Garden City Club Osaka

　　　　　　 (6F, Herbis Osaka, 2-5-25 Umeda, Kita-ku, Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture)

● Key Evaluation Criteria

(1) Future Prospects (2) Originality and Competitive Advantage (3) Necessity and Social Impact

(4) Feasibility (5) Final Round Presentation and Q&A

●Prize Money

Grand Prize (1 team): 200,000 yen

Excellence Award (1 team): 50,000 yen

Judges’ Encouragement Award: Hotel Setre accommodation voucher for two

● Terms of Participation

Term: From the date of notification of the Grand Prize award for up to 2 years

　　　　　　　　 Must participate in the project to implement the submitted idea at least once a month

Compensation: 30,000 yen per month

Activity Expenses: Full reimbursement of actual expenses

Upon Idea Implementation: 100,000 yen incentive, separate from the prize money

● 2026 Event Schedule

Entry Opens: Thursday, October 1

First Entry Deadline: Friday, October 16

Second Entry Deadline: October 30 (Fri) at 11:00 a.m.

Notification of First-Round Results: Sunday, November 8

Final Round: Friday, November 27, starting at 2:00 PM

Notification of Results: Monday, November 30

● Judges

Organizing Company: Holonic Co., Ltd. – Representative Director Ichiro Nagata and one other judge

External Judges: Toho Leo Co., Ltd., President and CEO / Minoru Yoshikawa

New Business Development Advisor: Kentaro Fukui

Doshisha University, Faculty of Economics, Alumni Association, Planning and External Affairs Committee, Vice Chair: Tetsuo Numai　

Japan Research Institute, Ltd., Center for Emergent Strategy, Chief Specialist / Mr. Gakuichi Inoue

Unithos Co., Ltd., Representative Director / Junji Nakahara

3rd Cohort CFO / En Tamesaku

[Company Overview]

Company Name: Holonic Co., Ltd.

Representative: Ichiro Nagata, Representative Director

Address: 658-0032

　　　　　 10th Floor, Kobe Fashion Mart, 6-9 Mukaiyocho-naka, Higashinada-ku, Kobe

Established: December 1998

Business Activities: ・Hotel planning, development, and management

　　　　　 ・Retail operations

　　　　　 ・Consulting and contract services

Capital: 50 million yen

URL: https://www.hol-onic.co.jp/

Setre Logo