BBA2026 Official Nominees | SME / Entrepreneur of the Year

Among 54 shortlisted applications to the British Business Awards 2026 - The Nineteenth Evening, the British Chamber of Commerce in Japan is delighted to introduce the fourteen (14) nominees for this year's Entrepreneur / SME of the Year Award.

The Entrepreneur or SME of the Year Award recognises an organisation that has combined entrepreneurial leadership, innovation and resilience with clear commercial success, customer impact and strong potential for future growth in Japan.

Here, we introduce each nominee's executive summary (reason for applying), in alphabetical order below. 

To learn more about the British Business Awards 2026, visit our navigation page here.

SME / ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR

BRITISH BUSINESS AWARDS 2026 NOMINEES

Nominees for the Entrepreneur / SME of the Year Award must be individuals or companies who exemplify entrepreneurial spirit and have achieved commercial success in Japan over the past 12 months. Nominees will typically be leading non-listed organisations in Japan with 25 employees or fewer.

Artyz Inc. | 株式会社アーティーズ

Artyz Inc.,'s TryTryJapan connects independent Japanese lifestyle and craft brands with global customers through a fully managed, bilingual platform. Its online store and sister art platform support 50+ companies and artists, many lacking dedicated English-language sales channels. With 50K+ social media followers and 10M+ organic views across its website and social media, the UK ranks among its top 10 markets by user numbers.

Camino Co., Ltd. | 株式会社カミーノ

Camino is turning sustainable materials innovation into a scalable global business. PAPLUS® is already used by leading companies including SoftBank, Suzuki and Takenaka in Japan. With international sales underway and a licensing model enabling manufacturers to produce bio-based plastic products using existing equipment, we are now taking this Japanese innovation to global markets.

Coaching Leaders Japan LLC | Coaching Leaders Japan合同会社

Coaching Leaders Japan, the first firm to bring Ontological Coaching to Japanese companies, transforms not only what leaders do but who they are. This year we surpassed 500 client companies and 900 leaders, grew operating profit 54.4%, and formed a capital partnership with a Dutch company with UK presence.

Custom Media | カスタムメディア

Custom Media aims to show Japan’s top bilateral business awards event how it boldly expanded its established B2B brand in the region. To address surging demand from global firms hoping to leverage proven entrepreneurship and leadership in Japan, Custom Media is successfully serving new major clients in three APAC offices.

Expat UK Tax

Founder and female-led, Expat UK Tax built its Japan presence through specialist UK tax expertise and education. We helped Japan-based expatriates identify overlooked UK tax exposure, become compliant and save thousands of pounds. Our Japan client base grew by 48%, and we now support firms with mobile individuals connected to the UK.

Global Perspectives K.K. | 株式会社Global Perspectives

Global Perspectives celebrated 10 years in business at the end of 2025 - a milestone that in the midst of Covid, as our income dropped to zero, seemed impossible. Since then, we have grown our core team from 2 to 6 people, and have expanded our organisational transformation business beyond Japan to deliver projects in the UK, Germany, Portugal, & South Africa.

HD Coaching / Heather Dobbin

HD Coaching connects people in Tokyo who wouldn't otherwise meet, then coaches them as they grow. This year, combining coaching with community grew revenue by 43% and brought 420 founders, investors, corporates and government partners together at The Living Ecosystem, a bilingual Women's Theme Night at Venture Café Tokyo.

Jennifer Shinkai。Atelier Shinkai | 新開ジェニファー　・アトリエ新開

Marking 10 years of business in 2026, Jennifer Shinkai focuses on holistic systems coaching, DEI, and an artistic practice. Through the unique combination Atelier Shinkai (launched 2024), strategic co-coaching partnerships, and leadership in Sumida’s sustainable art collectives, she supports APAC-based clients to foster ikigai, inclusion and creativity.

Keechdesign UK Ltd.

Over the past year, major Japanese companies have increasingly trusted Keechdesign, a dynamic, independent UK agency, with strategic work to help globalise their businesses. Across manufacturing, transport, technology, consumer goods and food and drink, our research, design and communications are helping shape how they engage with the world.

NEO Search Partners

NEO Search Partners is reshaping executive search in Japan through a relationship-led model built on long-term partnerships, not transactional hiring. Over the past year, NEO grew revenue 85%, increased searches 40%, reached its USD 1M target, and expanded into Europe while retaining 100% of its team and investing 10% of 2025 profit into CSR.

Sakana AI | さかなAI

Founded in Tokyo just three years ago, Sakana AI became Japan's fastest unicorn within a year and one of the world's best-funded AI labs. This past year we turned our research into commercial products, launching Sakana Chat and Fugu, proving that frontier AI can be built in Japan. Llion Jones is British and one of the co-founders.

Sayuri ＆Co. | サユリアンドカンパニー

In 2026, SAYURI completed a bespoke 500-tin Haru matcha collaboration with EVISU Japan, valued at ¥1.4 million before tax. The 30g tins, with original labelling, formed part of a gift set for important customers during the Tsukimi season, showing how Japanese tea can be adapted for partner-specific customer gifting.

Shanu Agarwal Japan | シャヌアガルワルジャパン

After 35 years in jewellery, Shanu launched Shanu Agarwal Japan in 2023, achieving 25% revenue growth since launch, 30+ exhibitions annually and a growing D2C business. With bespoke designs from Dubai and Italy and manufacturing in Japan, the brand blends global creativity with natural diamonds crafted sustainably while creating opportunities for women.

Wild Tame Co., Ltd. | Wild Tame株式会社

From a spare room in 2011 to a 30-person creative agency trusted by Google, Netflix, Honda and Eli Lilly, Tokyo-based Wild Tame has grown entirely through referrals. We help international companies win in Japan, and Japanese companies compete globally. In July 2026, we chose Sogo & Seibu, backed by Fortress Investment Group, as our strategic partner, keeping our independence while shaping the future of its brand.

In great thanks to our BBA Partners

This year's British Business Awards has been cherished and elevated by the below Partners. We are delighted to have their support for The Nineteenth Evening.