Call for Applications: NEC Innovation Challenge 2024

They are looking for International and Japanese start-ups to collaborate with them and the partners.

If you have a solution that is relevant to the 4 themes (Healthcare, Sustainability, Digital Operational Excellence, and Entertainment) and are keen to expand your business in Japan, don’t miss this opportunity. This is your golden ticket to unlock unprecedented opportunities in the Japanese market and win up to 2.2 million yen (around 15,000 USD) of funding available for PoC development.

About NEC Innovation Challenge

• NEC Innovation Challenge (NIC) was launched with the concept, “to create the innovative ideas of the future, they need to bring together the wisdom of the world”. The goal of this initiative is to create major joint ventures with promising startups from worldwide, by collaboration of the resources of NEC and sponsors.
• In addition to NEC, various other sponsors participate in the NIC every year. This year, DNP (Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd.) is the platinum partner, and the themes are based on areas where both NEC and DNP are exploring, in mind for collaborating with startups.
• The first event was held in 2022 and NEC Innovation Challenge 2024 is the third. They will focus on four themes: Healthcare, Sustainability, Digital Operational Excellence, and Media/Entertainment.
• They hope to create businesses together in collaboration with startups, DNP, and NEC.

Themes

• Healthcare
  • NEC has expanded its business domain by amending its Articles of Incorporation in 2019 to promote drug discovery and medical systems related business. The mission is to be “society’s solution” in the healthcare field, and they intend to make it one of the growth strategic areas for NEC. Under the key concept of “live as you, know you, and choose as you choose,” NEC aims to help each individual live as they choose, not only for the patient themselves, but also for their family and those involved in their healthcare. Based on this concept, DNP will focus on the three business domains of “Medical Care,” “Lifestyle Support,” and “Life Science,” and promote healthcare businesses such as electronic medical records and hospital DX, life science businesses such as AI drug discovery and Fones Visuas, and also enter into healthcare data solutions derived from these businesses.
  • By leveraging technologies cultivated in various business domains, DNP covers a wide range of business areas, from data management platforms for consumers’ healthcare data and other data, to the development of online healthcare services, dedicated applications and devices, and the manufacture of packaging and transportation materials and quarantine products. In all of these areas, they place the highest priority on user convenience, safety, and security, and provide products and services aimed at realizing quality of life.
• Sustainability
  • NIC considers sustainability to be an important opportunity for corporate growth and is pursuing business studies focusing on the following sub-themes. Through these initiatives, NIC aims to contribute to social development, economic development, and environmental preservation to realize a sustainable future.
• Digital Operational Excellence
  • In recent years, the efficiency and automation of field operations have been promoted worldwide. The development of AI and robotics has contributed to this trend. They would like to develop services and products that make use of these technologies.
  • They are looking for various solutions for workflow optimization, from workflow task maintenance to the use of robots.
  • In addition, in terms of traceability, they would like to create services and products that contribute to anti-counterfeiting.
• Media/Entertainment
  • NEC offers a variety of solutions to support and expand the businesses of companies in the media and entertainment domain (broadcasting stations, newspapers, advertising, etc.). In order to create new businesses and services in the media and entertainment field, NEC hopes to create services that meet market needs and market speed by combining NEC’s technology, industry know-how, and customer network with the strengths of the startup companies. DNP has a diverse and global network.
  • DNP has actualized “XR Communication,” which allows people of all ages, genders, languages, and other diverse backgrounds to move between the real and virtual worlds without being separated from each other. This creates new experiential value and economic spheres.
  • Both NEC and DNP are looking to collaborate with startup companies that have solutions for entertainment content distribution and XR advertising.

Award Information

• 3 different types of prize line up for the selected startups:
  • NEC Award
    • Choose from the following two options:
      • PoC funding of up to 2.2 million yen (Around 15,000 USD)
      • Business creation opportunities in Japan
        • Travel expenses for stay in Japan (up to amount stated in 1)
        • Arrangement of PoC discussions with business units and partners
        • Assistance in developing stakeholders and the Japanese market
  • NOFF Award: Discussions for funding with NOFF
  • DNP Award: Discussion for funding with DNP and/or Discussion for PoC implementation
• Note: Participants who did not win an award or did not make it to the final event also have the opportunity to work with the NEC Group and its sponsors.

What they are looking for?

• Healthcare
  • Challenge Statement: Bring your innovative ideas and solutions and let’s explore healthcare together!
    • Specifically with solutions which are one of the following:
      • Solutions that can help hospitals DX through the use of technology
      • Solutions that leverage healthcare data
      • Solutions that can contribute to drug discovery and development support/clinical trial efficiency/marketing support for pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers
• Sustainability
  • Challenge Statement: Bring your innovative ideas and solutions and explore sustainanability together!
    • Satellite data: satellite data utilization, satellite data security, satellite communication safety
    • Circular Economy: Development of processing technology, traceability, and new applications for recycled plastics, material MI
    • Nature Positive: Solutions for visualizing, analyzing, and evaluating the connection between business and biodiversity in response to the TNFD
    • Carbon neutral: CO2 emissions forecasting and reduction measures proposal, data linkage with other companies considering expansion of circular economy
    • Climate change adaptation measures: Visualization of the social, economic, and environmental value of climate change response measures
    • VPP: Utilization of renewable distributed power sources
• Digital Operational Excellence
  • Challenge Statement: Bring your innovative ideas and solutions and let’s explore field operations DX together!
    • They are looking to collaborate in the following areas:
      • Workflow optimization: Solutions that utilize AI and robotics to help optimize workflow
      • Traceability: Solutions that contribute to anti-counterfeiting using authenticity and forgery detection technology
• Media/Entertainment
  • Challenge Statement: bring your innovative ideas and solutions and explore media/entertainment together!
    • They are looking to collaborate in the following areas:
      • Entertainment content distribution: specific technologies for video content distribution (content processing, encoding, security, etc.)
      • Metaverse: marketing solutions in VR, AR and MR spaces (advertising, experiences, effect measurement, Braintech, Headmount display, etc.)

What they expect?

• You already have a service/product (MVP or above)
• Have a co-creation project with the NEC Group and sponsoring companies to create new value in the Japanese market and to expand overseas.
• Members who can communicate and collaborate with NEC Group and sponsoring companies in Japan (language barrier is not required!).
• Teams that enjoy creating business synergies with the NEC Group and sponsoring companies

Eligibility Criteria

• This Challenge is open and offered solely to:
  • Startups: A business entity, regardless of its business area. Startups may be required, in Sponsor’s sole discretion, to provide proof of (i) company registration by submitting a registration certificate issued within the last three (3) months, or ongoing company registration, or any trade registry and proof ensuring the registration of the entity in the relevant country, and (ii) a valid professional insurance policy subscription, or (iii) other documents which can verify your business entity.
• All the documents that may confirm the Participant’s eligibility may be required prior to awarding any prizes (e.g. identity document, registration certificate, student card etc.).
• This Challenge is not open to employees and representatives of the Agorize and the members of their families. On the other hand, this Challenge is open to employees of the Sponsor. Such employees may take part in the Challenge as a member of a group representing the Sponsor, or independently from the Sponsor.
• This Challenge is void in countries where it is prohibited or restricted by law.
• The Participant must not be an antisocial force and must not have any direct or indirect relationship with any antisocial force. If the Participant is found to be an antisocial force, the Sponsor will immediately disqualify such Participant without prior notice.

For more information, visit Agorize.