AICHI NEXT UNICORN LEAGUE (Season 2) Program Information Session will be held on August 30. Season 1 "Industrial Innovation" Final Judging Session on September 26th is now open for participants.
- The following is content from the press release -
(Headquarters: Koraku, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo; President: Ayuko Nakamura; hereinafter "eicon"), operator of one of Japan's largest open innovation platforms, AUBA, has announced that starting August 19, 2024, eicon, together with Aichi Prefecture, will host Season 2 of the AICHI NEXT UNICORN LEAGUE (hosted by Aichi Prefecture and operated by eicon; hereinafter "the contest"), a business plan contest aimed at creating the Next Unicorn in Aichi Prefecture. The AICHI NEXT UNICORN LEAGUE (hosted by Aichi Prefecture and operated by eiicon, hereafter "the contest"), a business plan contest that aims to create the Next Unicorn from Aichi Prefecture, began accepting business plans from all over Japan to solve "social innovation" issues on August 19, 2024 as the second season of the contest.
https://aichi.eiicon.net/aichi-n-unicorn2024
AICHI NEXT UNICORN LEAGUE" Season 2
Application Theme
Social Innovation."
Disaster Prevention and Community Development # Disaster Prevention Tech # Tourism #GovTech
Health Care and Wellbeing # Data Health # Frail Prevention # Social Capital
Child Care and Education #EdTech #ICT Utilization # Individual Optimization Industry, etc.
We are also looking for other ideas that will revolutionize the way society works.
Season 2 Prize Money
First place: 5 million yen / Second place: 3 million yen / Third place: 2 million yen
*The prize money will be used to fund activities aimed at implementation in the prefecture.
Schedule for this contest [Season 2
August 19, 2024Call for Business Ideas Begins (this press release)
August 30, 2024Program Information Session (online)
At the briefing session, the details of the contest will be explained in detail, and a question-and-answer session will be widely open to the public.
If you are interested, please feel free to apply.
Season 2 Program Information Session
Friday, August 30, 2024, 5:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. (Online)
Application URL: https://peatix.com/event/4094180
*Explanatory meeting application deadline: August 29, 2024 (Thursday), 23:59
September 13, 2024Early application deadline
Up to three finalists will be selected.
If you are not selected as a finalist, you can still receive feedback and reapply.
Feedback will be sent to early applicants upon request.
October 4, 2024Final Application Deadline
Mid-October 2024Notification of Preliminary Screening Results
Late October - Late November 2024Brush-up phase for those who pass the screening
Mentoring of pitches for the final round of judging
Develop specific details and plans for businesses to be developed in Aichi Prefecture, etc.
Late Nov. 2024Season 2 Final Round (Pitch Contest)
Business plans are presented to the judges. The winner/second/third place will be decided.
Venue: "STATION Ai" (Japan's largest start-up base to open in October 2024)
From December 2024Award winners and projects for full-scale local implementation.
*Schedule is subject to change.
The winner of Season 1 will be determined!
Aichi Prefecture × eiicon "AICHI NEXT UNICORN LEAGUE" Season 1 Final Judging
Call for Spectators
In the final jury,Aichi Prefecture's "Industrial InnovationThe contest will present business ideas that have passed the document screening and have been brushed up from the business ideas that were solicited from June to August of this year as part of Season 1 of the contest, under the theme of "Business Ideas for the Future.Winners will be selected by a jury of judges based on their pitches: first place 5 million yen, second place 3 million yen, and third place 2 million yen.The following is a list of the most common problems with theThe moment of the birth of a new business in Aichi. Please come and witness the birth of a new business in Aichi!
Aichi Prefecture × eiicon "AICHI NEXT UNICORN LEAGUE
Season 1 Final Round (Pitch Contest)
Date: Thursday, September 26, 2024, 13:00-17:00 *Reception 12:30
Venue: Nagoya International Legend Hall
(Approximately a 3-minute walk from Osu Kannon Station on the Subway Tsurumai Line, Exit 4, 1-7-26 Osu, Naka-ku, Nagoya City, Aichi Prefecture)
*Simultaneous online distribution on the day of the event.
Click here for event details and spectator application page: https://peatix.com/event/4053087
About "AICHI NEXT UNICORN LEAGUE" by Aichi Prefecture x eicon
Aichi Prefecture established the "Aichi-Startup Strategy" in October 2018 (revised in March 2023), believing that innovation creation using startups as a catalyst is an urgent issue to maintain and develop the competitiveness of its industries.
STATION Ai, Japan's largest startup support center, the core facility for strategic planning, will open in 2024.
The "AICHI NEXT UNICORN LEAGUE" will be held with the aim of involving the local community and creating a NEXT unicorn that will serve as a model for startups.
The contest is held three times a year in a program format, with a different theme for each season. Each season, the application screening will be conducted, and those business ideas that pass the screening will be brushed up for the final judging session together with Aichi Prefecture, external mentors, and the secretariat.
At the final judging, the winner, second place, and third place will be selected, and the three winning companies will receive cash prizes and access to the regional network of the Secretariat, which is united in the region, to implement and commercialize their products within Aichi Prefecture.
Screening Criteria
The judging criteria are set with the aim of social implementation, and business plans are evaluated from six perspectives.
- Targets/Issues Are there clear targets and issues to be addressed?
- solution (esp. to a problem) Does the solution have novelty and unique value to the issue?
- business modelIs the business expected to be profitable?
- marketabilityIs there a market for growth as a start-up?
- regional affinityCan the project contribute to regional revitalization in Aichi Prefecture?
- feasibilityIs the system capable of committing to the realization of the project?
Eligibility for Application
All of the following conditions must be met
- The company must be registered as a legal entity.
- The company must be a corporate entity within 5 years of its establishment or succession.
- The applicant must be a small or medium-sized enterprise as defined in Article 2, Paragraph 1 of the Small and Medium-sized Enterprise Basic Act, excluding deemed large enterprises.
- Have specific ideas/services/products that will lead to solutions to issues in Aichi Prefecture.
precautions
- Applicants must not be antisocial forces. Applicants must not have any relationship with antisocial forces.
- The contents of the application must not offend public order and morals.
- The applicant is responsible for taking measures to protect the contents of the application from patents and other legal protection, and the contents should be acceptable to the general public.
- You may reapply or apply for another plan within the application period.
- Please note that companies that have passed the first round of Season 1 of this competition are not eligible to apply for the Season 2 theme.
- All expenses incurred in participating in this contest are the responsibility of the entrant.
- Individual inquiries regarding the results of the selection process or the reasons for not receiving an award will not be responded to.
- Applicants who pass the document screening in this program may have their award revoked if they are deemed ineligible for the award.
- The awarding of prize money in this contest is contingent upon becoming a STATION Ai office member* by March 14, 2025.
*Office members can choose from four plans: Private Room, Fixed Seating, TechLab Fixed Seating, and Coworking.
However, this project does not guarantee the plan of your choice.
In addition, registration is not required for occupancy.
What is STATION Ai?
- The largest incubation facility in Japan, which will open in October 2024 on the south side of Tsurumai Park in Nagoya City.
- To promote the creation and nurturing of startups and open innovation, we provide various support services and promote open innovation through collaboration with domestic and international startup support organizations and universities.
- For other up-to-date information on STATION Ai and its membership plans, please visit the STATION Ai (Web page) below.https://stationai.co.jp/
Inquiries about this contest
aichi-nextunicorn[@]eiicon.net (Secretariat: eiicon Inc.)
*Convert [@] to @ and send us an email.
We are also looking for sponsors and supporters for the program.
Aichi Prefecture x eicon "AICHI NEXT UNICORN LEAGUE" Entry Page
https://forms.gle/WnVEyguogvjdga9E9
eiicon Company Profile
Company name: eiicon, Inc.
Head Office: Sumitomo Fudosan Iidabashi Bldg. 2, 3F, 2-2-23 Koraku, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo
Representative: Ayuko Nakamura, President and Representative Director
Date of establishment: April 3, 2023
Business activities: Operation of open innovation platform "AUBA," consulting support for new business creation, event planning and management, sourcing services, etc.
eicon Inc. is one of Japan's largest open innovation platforms and hands-on consulting firm specializing in open innovation, supporting commercialization through business creation support and OI support tailored to a company's business phase.
What is Open Innovation?
2003 (U.S.) Henry W. Chesbrough proposed an innovation methodology that "creates innovative new value by combining internal company and external media and technology. It is a method that argues that companies should not only rely on internal resources, but also actively incorporate collaboration with external parties.
Services deployed by eiicon
AUBA, Japan's largest open innovation platform
One of Japan's largest web platforms specializing in open innovation, with a cumulative total of over 32,000 registered companies. AUBA is a service to intentionally create innovation.
AUBA Enterprise, a fully-accompanied support service
Our consultants, who have abundant experience in business creation support, including internal new business and open innovation projects, design fully customized support according to the concerns and needs of each company. We support commercialization by providing support tailored to each company's phase, from business strategy support to the creation of specific meeting places for actual partner co-creation, team-up support, and new business creation support.
https://corp.eiicon.net/service/enterprise
TOMORUBA, a media to revitalize business
A "business activation media" for businesspersons who create businesses. It provides a variety of information on funding, funding, joint research, etc., and know-how for creating businesses from startups, small and medium-sized enterprises, major corporations, local governments, and universities in all industries throughout Japan.
Major Awards
In December 2022, the company received the Excellence Award at the 4th Japan Service Awards for its innovative and outstanding service.
https://service-award.jp/result04.html
In February 2023, received the Commissioner of the Sports Agency Prize at the 5th Japan Open Innovation Awards for a series of open innovation initiatives, including the matching and co-creation of partnerships between sports teams/organizations nationwide and partner companies through the Acceleration Program.
https://www8.cao.go.jp/cstp/stmain/20230120oip.html
The information is current as of the date of the announcement. Please note that the information is subject to change without notice.
