Hiranuma

And in 2001, the Hiranuma Plan — named after the former minister for economy, trade and industry, Takeo Hiranuma — set a goal of creating 1,000 university-led start-ups within three years.

“I want to meet like-minded people — basically, people who get the Internet,” said Shingo Hiranuma, 29, a former smartphone engineer at Toshiba who recently introduced a new map application, Sanpo.

As the drinks flowed, Mr. Hiranuma, the former Toshiba engineer, moved around the room on a recent Wednesday with his MacBook Air, pitching his Sanpo app.

“It helps people take fun detours, and try something new,” Mr. Hiranuma said.

"I expect very speedy development as people become aware of the need and benefits of these new technologies," Hiranuma said.