Kauche Inc. (Headquarters: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo) is pleased to announce that it has been selected as one of the top 10 finalists out of approximately 250 applicants in the Tokyo preliminary round of the "Startup World Cup 2026," one of the world's largest pitch contests. Kauche will present at the Tokyo preliminary round, held on July 17, 2026 (Fri) at the Grand Hyatt Tokyo, to compete for the right to advance to the world finals held in San Francisco, USA. About Startup World Cup Startup World Cup is one of the world's largest business pitch contests, organized by Pegasus Tech Ventures, a venture capital firm in Silicon Valley, USA. Regional preliminary rounds are held in over 130 countries and regions worldwide, with representative companies that win each preliminary round competing for a grand prize of 1 million US dollars (approximately 150 million yen) in investment. Approximately 250 companies applied for the 2026 Tokyo preliminary round, and 10 finalists were selected after a rigorous screening process. On the day of the Tokyo preliminary round, each company will give a presentation to an audience of approximately 4,000 people, both in person and online, with one representative company advancing to the world finals to be held in San Francisco in November 2026. Regarding the Presentation at the Tokyo Preliminary Round Since its founding in 2020, Kauche has operated the shopping app "Kauche" with the mission of "bringing fun to everyday life." At the core of Kauche is the shopping experience of "discovery-based e-commerce." Unlike traditional e-commerce where users search for and buy what they want, users can encounter unexpected products while browsing the timeline and receive desired items at their desired prices. It is also characterized by natural interaction, where customers evaluate products for each other through SNS-style review posts. Complementing this discovery-based e-commerce is "Kauche Farm," a farming game released in October 2023, which operates in