SHAPE Partners has entered into a partnership agreement with the NB.ACADEMY, a general incorporated association engaged in promoting baseball development across Asia

NB.ACADEMY is an organization dedicated to expanding the baseball market in Asia, primarily in Southeast Asia, through the organization of the Asia Koshien Tournament. Through this initiative, NB.ACADEMY aims to contribute to the growth of Japanese baseball and the professional baseball market.

The organization is led by Shogo Shibata, who himself qualified for the Koshien tournament while battling a serious illness. Driven by the belief that he wants to deliver the excitement and inspiration of Japan’s iconic summer baseball tradition to countries across Asia where baseball is not yet widely established, Shibata continues to pursue this unprecedented challenge.

https://nbacademy.jp/

Background of the Partnership

During his time in the Tokyo Big6 Baseball League, Komamiya, COO of SHAPE Partners, played in the same league as Shogo Shibata, who was one year senior at another university. SHAPE Partners was deeply impressed by NB.ACADEMY’s initiatives and, through Komamiya’s connections from his university baseball days, reached out to Shibata. This connection ultimately led to the formation of the partnership.

Under this partnership, SHAPE Partners will provide hands-on support, primarily in areas such as business strategy development for the realization of the Asia Koshien Tournament, as well as communication and coordination with sponsors and various stakeholders.

Comment from Shogo Shibata, Representative of NB.ACADEMY

We are very pleased that this partnership has enabled us to further strengthen our organizational structure. The Asia Koshien Tournament will be its inaugural edition and represents a highly challenging initiative, but one that holds significant untapped potential.

It took nearly a year to gain understanding and support from the many stakeholders involved in Koshien in Japan, including conducting formal introductions and discussions, and we continue to make steady preparations toward hosting the tournament. By carefully examining the history and structure of Koshien, and by considering how Koshien culture can be brought to Asia, including mid- to long-term strategy development, we look forward to continuing this journey together with the SHAPE Partners team, without ever stopping our thinking.