Osaka, 23 June 2021 – Rainmaking Innovation Japan, who runs the Startupbootcamp Scale Osaka Market Entry program to connect Japanese corporates with international startups has opened their applications for the third cycle of the program. After completing two successful cycles over the past two years, and seeing over 1,000 startup companies applying to the program, 22 startups so far have successfully launched 31 PoC projects within Japan.
In the third year of Startupbootcamp Scale Osaka, applications are open to startups looking to enter the Japanese market in the nine key impact areas of 1. PropTech, 2. SportsTech, 3. FoodTech, 4. Urban Environment Development, 5. Health & Wellbeing, 6. HR & Workforce Management, 7. Circular Economy, 8. IT Solutions: Accessibility and 9. Transport & Mobility. These impact areas are key elements that our Japanese corporate Partners are actively working on to drive their own innovation and development.
Startupbootcamp Scale Osaka is supported by some of Japan’s, and the world’s, largest corporations, including Hankyu Corporation (Business agent: Hankyu Hanshin Properties Corp.), JR West INNOVATIONS, Dentsu, Sakura Internet, JT, The Yomiuri Shimbun, and SMBC. As well as focusing on sales, business development and running Proof-of-Concepts with Japanese corporates, Startupbootcamp Scale Osaka will connect, develop and mentor startups through a remote three-month program, helping them on their first steps into the Japanese market and potentially expanding to Japan in the future.
Many of the startups that joined the program’s first two cycles continued in commercial discussions with Japanese corporations after completing the Startupbootcamp Scale Osaka program, with two startups establishing a branch office in Japan, and more to follow. This impact is incredibly valuable to the local Osaka Startup Ecosystem as it is bringing new value to Osaka through the creation of new knowledge-based jobs and embedding the startup energy and culture into Osaka and the corporations working with them.
Chikara Takagishi, Senior General Manager of the Urban Management Division at Hankyu Hanshin Properties – Startupbootcamp Scale Osaka partner, said: “Startupbootcamp Scale Osaka, which started in 2019, overcame many difficulties caused by COVID- 19, and in the 2020 program, a large number of companies from all over the world participated, far exceeding our expectations and providing us with great experiences. I would like to express my gratitude to Rainmaking Innovation Japan for their efforts. We have experienced many collaborations with fascinating companies from all over the world in the past two years of the program and have achieved many results.”
Due to the impact caused by the pandemic, the world requires new solutions and approaches. Rainmaking Innovation Japan, the facilitator of Startupbootcamp Scale Osaka, has been working on new and alternative ways to drive innovation, not hibernation. Along with the Japanese
Government’s push in innovation and new projects, Startupbootcamp Scale Osaka has opened their applications for their third cycle, working to tackle the new challenges the world faces in its needs for Smart Cities and Living solutions in the everchanging world and the New Normal that will follow. Applications are open to all Smart Cities and Living startups around the world seeking to enter the Japanese market and will be held remotely from the end of November.
Applications for Startupbootcamp Scale Osaka are open now; interested startups can learn more and apply here: https://www.startupbootcamp.org/accelerator/scale-osaka/
Corporates interested in how they can find collaborative impact with startups can reach out to us here: https://www.japan.rainmaking.io/contact
FastTrack Webinars introducing the Startupbootcamp Scale Osaka program are available in the APAC, EU/MENA and NA/LATAM regions.
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Contact Meghan Bridges via [email protected] for more information on how to get involved with Startupbootcamp Scale Osaka.
