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Leading Startup Square Membership Terms

Article 1 (Purpose)

These Leading Startup Square Membership Terms ("these Terms") set out the terms of use for "Leading Startup Square" ("LSS"), the membership organisation operated by Leading Startup Square, Inc. ("the Company").

Article 2 (Activities)

LSS carries out the following activities for its members.
(i) Holding events for member interaction and promotion
(ii) Providing information through seminars, study sessions and similar
(iii) Interaction and business matching between members
(iv) Other activities necessary to achieve the purposes of LSS

Article 2-2 (Introductions and connections between members)

1. With the member’s prior consent, LSS may facilitate introductions and connections with other members ("Connections"). Members are under no obligation to accept a Connection.
2. Members may register or change, at their discretion and by the method prescribed by LSS, their willingness to receive approaches for introductions ("Introduction Preference"). Members who set their Introduction Preference to "not interested" will not, as a rule, be presented to other members as candidates for introduction.
3. A Connection is established only where both the member seeking the introduction and the member receiving it have given their consent by the method prescribed by LSS. If either party does not consent, no contact details or other information about that member will be disclosed to the other party.
4. Members are not obliged to give reasons for accepting or declining a Connection, and will not be treated unfavourably by LSS or by other members for having declined one.
5. Details of the Introduction Preference, the method of consent and other aspects of how Connections operate are set out in the member guidebook and similar documents issued separately by LSS.

Article 3 (Members)

1. In these Terms, "member" means a corporate entity that has accepted these Terms, completed the membership registration procedure prescribed by the Company, and been admitted by LSS. Members shall ensure that their officers, employees and other individuals belonging to the entity comply with these Terms, and shall be responsible for the acts of those individuals.
2. Membership types and the rights attaching to them are as separately determined by LSS.

Article 4 (Fees and payment)

Members shall pay the separately determined enrollment fee and membership fee (excluding tax) by the prescribed method.

Article 5 (Term)

1. Membership runs for one year from the date of joining.
2. Unless the member gives notice of cancellation at least one month before the end of the term, membership renews automatically for a further year on the same terms.

Article 6 (Cancellation)

1. Members may cancel their membership by the prescribed procedure. Enrollment fees and annual fees already paid are not refunded, even where cancellation takes effect during the term.
2. Where fees remain unpaid, members remain liable to LSS for those amounts after cancellation.

Article 7 (Rejoining)

A member who has cancelled their LSS membership may not rejoin for one year from the date of cancellation. On rejoining, the separately determined enrollment fee is payable again by the prescribed method. This does not apply where LSS grants a specific exception.

Article 8 (Revocation of membership)

LSS may revoke membership and expel a member where it judges that any of the following applies.
(i) The member has seriously damaged the reputation of LSS
(ii) The member has acted in a manner unbecoming of a member
(iii) The member has made a false declaration
(iv) The member has breached a provision of these Terms
(v) There is other reasonable cause to consider the member unsuitable

Article 9 (Exclusion of anti-social forces)

1. Members represent and warrant, on joining and thereafter, that each of the following is true.
(i) Neither the member, nor its officers, nor any person holding effective control of its management, is an organised crime group, a member or quasi-member of such a group, a person connected to such a group, a corporate racketeer, a person purporting to conduct social campaigns, a group engaged in intellectual crime, or any equivalent party (collectively, "anti-social forces").
(ii) It has no relationship in which anti-social forces are recognised as controlling, or materially involved in, its management.
(iii) It has no relationship in which it is recognised as making use of anti-social forces.
(iv) It has no relationship in which it is recognised as providing funds or other benefits to anti-social forces, or otherwise engaging with them, for the purpose of unjust gain for itself or a third party, or of causing harm to a third party.
(v) It has no relationship with anti-social forces that would warrant social censure.
2. Members undertake not to engage, whether directly or through a third party, in any of the following acts against LSS, other members or their related parties.
(i) Acts involving deception, violence or threatening language
(ii) Making unreasonable demands beyond legal obligation
(iii) Spreading rumours, or using deceptive or forceful means, to damage the other party’s credit or obstruct its business
(iv) Other acts equivalent to the foregoing
3. Where a member breaches the representations or undertakings in the preceding two paragraphs, LSS may, for whatever reason and without notice, immediately revoke that member’s membership and terminate any contract between that member and LSS or the Company. LSS may also claim compensation from that member for all resulting loss, including legal fees and special damages.
4. LSS bears no liability to compensate a member for any loss arising from termination under paragraph 3.

Article 10 (Changes to member details)

Members shall promptly notify LSS of any change to the member information they have registered with LSS.

Article 11 (Confidentiality)

1. Members shall not, without the prior consent of the disclosing party, disclose to any third party any non-public information of the Company or of other members that they learn through LSS activities (including LSS Bridge, events, one-on-one sessions and the online community) — including management issues, business, financial and technical information, and the challenge information disclosed through LSS Bridge (together, "Confidential Information").
2. The obligation in the preceding paragraph does not apply to information falling under any of the following.
(i) Information already in the public domain at the time of disclosure, or which enters the public domain after disclosure through no fault of the member
(ii) Information the member already lawfully held at the time of disclosure
(iii) Information lawfully obtained from a third party without any obligation of confidentiality
(iv) Information independently developed by the member without reference to the disclosed information
(v) Information whose disclosure is required by law or by order of a court or administrative authority (in which case the member shall, so far as possible, notify the disclosing party in advance)
3. The Company shall not disclose or leak to any third party (including other members), without that member’s consent, non-public information disclosed to the Company by a member through LSS activities — including management issues, business, financial and technical information, information learned in one-on-one sessions, and LSS Bridge challenge information — and shall use it only for the purpose of providing LSS services (such as matching).
4. Members consent in advance to the Company presenting their information (excluding information the member has designated as confidential) to other members in matching recommendations and reports, to the extent necessary for the recommendation and in accordance with the Company’s drafting standards: no verbatim quotation, no attribution of sources, and figures limited to what the member has self-reported.
5. The obligations under this Article survive for three years after loss of membership (and, for the Company, for as long as it holds Confidential Information).

Article 12 (Handling of personal information)

LSS shall handle personal information provided by members in accordance with the LSS privacy policy, and members consent to this.

Article 13 (Changes to these Terms)

1. LSS may amend these Terms from time to time, having first notified members by the prescribed method of the amended content and the date it takes effect.
2. Where any of the following applies, LSS may amend these Terms at any time pursuant to Article 548-4 of the Civil Code, and members are deemed to have agreed to the amendment.
(i) The amendment is in the general interest of members.
(ii) The amendment does not conflict with the purpose of the contract and is reasonable in light of the need for the amendment, the appropriateness of the amended content, and the circumstances of the amendment.
3. Where a member takes part in LSS activities after notice of an amendment, or does not follow the prescribed procedure within the prescribed period, that member is deemed to have agreed to the amendment.

Article 14 (Outsourcing)

The Company may outsource part of the operation of LSS to Raise Capital Japan, Inc., to the extent necessary to achieve the purposes of these Terms.

Article 15 (Governing law and jurisdiction)

These Terms are governed by Japanese law. Where litigation between a member and LSS becomes necessary in connection with these Terms, the Tokyo Summary Court or the Tokyo District Court shall have exclusive jurisdiction in the first instance, depending on the amount in dispute.

Revised April 1, 2025
Revised September 1, 2026 (Article 11, Confidentiality, added)

Privacy Policy

Leading Startup Square, Inc. ("the Company") has established the following privacy policy regarding the handling of personal information of those who use its services ("Users"), and complies with the Act on the Protection of Personal Information and other applicable laws and regulations.

1. Personal information

"Personal information" means personal information as defined in the Act on the Protection of Personal Information: information about a living individual that can identify a specific individual by name, date of birth or other description, or that contains an individual identification code.

2. Purposes of use

The Company acquires and uses personal information only to the extent necessary to achieve its purposes of use — providing and improving services, sharing information, correspondence, arranging business discussions, surveys, research and analysis, and recruitment — and does not use it for any other purpose.

3. Security measures

The Company manages personal information with care and takes preventive and corrective measures against risks such as unauthorised access, loss, destruction, alteration and leakage.

4. Provision to third parties

Except where permitted by law, the Company does not provide personal data to third parties without the User’s consent.

5. Outsourcing the handling of personal data

The Company may outsource all or part of the handling of personal data to the extent necessary to achieve its purposes of use.

6. Joint use of personal information

The Company may use personal information jointly to the extent necessary to achieve its purposes of use. Scope of joint users: Raise Capital Japan, Inc. / ZeLo, Foreign Law Joint Enterprise / LegalOn Technologies, Inc. / Project Holdings, Inc. Person responsible for management: Yuki Mihata, Representative Director, Leading Startup Square, Inc.

7–9. Disclosure, correction and suspension of use of retained personal data

Users may request disclosure, correction or suspension of use of the personal data retained by the Company. (Full text available in the PDF.)

10. Contact for enquiries

Leading Startup Square, Inc. — Personal Information Enquiries. Toyosu Foresia 10F, 3-2-24 Toyosu, Koto-ku, Tokyo. Email: info@lss.events

Revised May 17, 2024