Masaki Ishibashi

Masaki Ishibashi

Masaki Ishibashi is the Co-founder and CEO of TOY EIGHT Holdings Inc., a Japan-founded AI edtech startup dedicated to ensuring no child is left behind in their critical early years.

Driven by the conviction that advanced technology can bridge the resource gap in education, Masaki established TOY8’s operational headquarters in Malaysia from day one, bringing Japan’s technological strengths and decades-long tradition of developmental screening to regions where such infrastructure has yet to exist, while building a local team of developmental paediatricians and researchers to address the social challenges of Southeast Asia from within. TOY8 empowers teachers to screen children for early signs of developmental delays and delivers intervention plans, enhancing school readiness and advancing inclusive education across the region.

Masaki graduated from the University of Tsukuba, whose roots trace back to Japan’s first teacher training institution. Recognised as a thought leader in inclusive education and AI, he has participated in the Japan-ASEAN Economic Forum 2024 AI Session and the OECD-ERIA Roundtable 2024, and led TOY8 to the One ASEAN Startup Award 2024 Grand Prize.

As a co-author of an official research report by the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA) on advancing inclusive education across the region through AI, and with TOY8 selected for India’s official AI Impact Casebook in 2026, Masaki brings both field-level impact and institutional credibility to the global stage.

As a child, Masaki was the “problem kid” in class. He believes no child’s talent is ever wasted, and that belief drives everything TOY8 does.

Share this speaker
Share This Speaker
  • Organization
    TOY EIGHT Holdings Inc.
  • Profession
    Co-founder and CEO
Related sessions
Innovation Factory
In person
9 July 2026
11:00 - 12:30
EST - New York
CST - Beijing
PST - Los Angeles
AWST - Perth, Australia

Are you sure you want to remove this speaker?