Since FY2024, Naruto City has been implementing initiatives aimed at becoming the best "town where startups gather and are born" in Shikoku. As the first such event, a matching event was held on the theme of child-rearing and education.
- The following is content from the press release -
Naruto City held "NARUTO CONNECT Vol. 1 EdTech/Baby Tech," an acceleration program for early-stage startups that aims to create growth opportunities in Naruto, at the Naruto City Hall on July 24, 2024, An online matching event between the city and startups was held at Naruto City Hall on July 24, 2024.
At this event, six startups in the childcare and education fields took the stage to make pitches to Mayor Izumi and city officials, with the aim of upgrading the "Narutto Marugoto Childcare Support Package" and "Narutto Uzukko Academic Achievement Improvement Package" that the city is focusing on.
Event Summary
At the beginning of the event, Mayor Izumi explained the challenges facing the city under the title "The Current State of Child Rearing in Naruto City.
He explained the challenges of the declining population of young people and the number of births, and provided startups with the background behind the creation of the "Narutogo-Marugoto Child Rearing Support Package" and the "Naruto-Uzukko Academic Achievement Improvement Package" as a solution to these problems.
Six startups in the childcare and education fields then took the stage in turn to make pitches about their products and demonstration ideas with Naruto City.
In response, the mayor and city staff questioned the details of the project scheme and the feasibility of the proposed demonstration.
Naruto City's Approach to Childcare and Education
Naruto-Marugoto Child Rearing Support Package / Naruto-Uzukko Academic Achievement Improvement Package
https://www.city.naruto.tokushima.jp/_files/00564694/oamphret_r6.pdf
Naruto City has designated the four-year period from FY2022 to FY2025 as a "period of intensive implementation of measures to promote the settlement of families raising children," and is implementing the "Naruto Marugoto Child Rearing Support Package Project" to provide comprehensive support for the child-rearing generation at every stage of their lives: dating, marriage, new life, pregnancy, delivery, pre-school through high school, and housing acquisition. The project is designed to provide comprehensive support to the child-rearing generation at each stage of their lives.
In 2023, the "Naruto Uzukko Academic Achievement Improvement Package" was also launched to implement "Naruto City's own distinctive education" and further enhance the educational environment.
Naruto City is being strongly promoted as a trump card to transform itself into the best child-rearing supportive city in the prefecture and to secure a permanent population of child-rearing generation.
Participant's Voice
Event participants commented that they got hints for new businesses, and that it was good to talk directly with entrepreneurs with a variety of knowledge. Another commented, "The sensitivities and perspectives of the startups were fresh and interesting," and some were stimulated by their very involvement with startups, with whom they had had few opportunities to come into contact.
Furthermore, some participants commented that they felt the time was too short and that they would like more time for Q&A, indicating that the startups' pitches attracted many participants.
For the future
Through this event, Naruto City aims to provide a place for startups to conduct demonstration experiments to promote their growth and improve the child-rearing environment in the city. Taking the opportunity of this matching event, Naruto City will work toward the "realization of a children-first future" through "startups x Naruto City" by conducting demonstration experiments through online business meetings and site visits, etc.
We encourage you to take on the challenge in Naruto City!
Naruto City is widely accepting proposals from startups who were unable to attend this event or learned about the event later. We are looking forward to hearing from startups who are interested in doing business in Naruto City in various business fields, including childcare and education, which we introduced this time.
contact information (for inquiries) (e.g. corporate phone number)
Commerce and Industry Policy Division, Industry Promotion Department, Naruto City Hall
TEL: 088-684-1213
E-Mail: shokoseisaku@city.naruto.i-tokushima.jp
