Japan: Accelerate Aichi by 500 Global Seed Bootcamp

The “Accelerate Aichi by 500 Global Seed Bootcamp” is a 5-day immersive program (in-person) followed by 7 weeks of post-program support (online), designed to help pre-seed / seed-stage startups in Japan get ready for global exposure.

Working directly with global mentors, each participating founder will have the opportunity to learn about sales and pitching and develop a tailored action plan through hands-on workshops and mentoring sessions.

Startups in Japan who want the opportunity to connect with 500 Global’s international and local communities of founders, investors, and mentors are encouraged to apply. These innovative thinkers are committed to shaping the future through technology and entrepreneurship.

Please note that this is a non-investment, equity-free, and free-of-charge program. For the transportation & accommodation fees etc., it will need to be covered by the startups.

This Program Aims to Help Founders

• Grow with Clarity: Take a step back in order to move forward. Re-evaluate your existing customer acquisition strategy through a robust curriculum, and personalized insights in an immersive environment.
• Turn Goals into Actions: Work directly with the global mentors to analyze your current sales challenges and opportunities, and develop an effective action plan to realize your strategic vision.
• Access a Curated Community: Meet in person with other founders to exchange ideas, share resources and experiences, and get direct feedback on your products and services.
• Expand Connections Globally: Participate in curated social events and connect with startup founders, venture capital industry stakeholders, corporates from various industries in Japan and across the globe.

Who Should Apply?

• This exciting and immersive program is built to support founders who want:
  • Actionable guidance to sharpen their core business foundations, and learn best practices in finding your customers, doing enterprise sales, pitching to clients and more.
  • To validate their existing customer acquisition strategy to either break through barriers or to prepare their business for anticipated challenges in a competitive landscape.
  • To gain fresh perspectives that may help them break established thinking patterns, and discover new growth opportunities.

Selection Criteria & Process

• 500 Global is looking for local startups that meet the following criteria:
  • Based in Aichi Prefecture or Japan
  • Interested in global exposure
  • Have an MVP and some traction
  • Who can join in-person in Aichi during the 5-day Seed Bootcamp
  • Who can be committed during the 7 weeks of post-program
  • Founders with scalable, technology-enabled businesses  (B2B preferred)
  • Startups with solutions that span across different industries and sectors or solutions that will help solve regional challenges in Aichi Prefecture
  • Startups that are interested in exploring collaboration opportunities with corporates
  • Preferably focused on sectors including: Smart Cities, Digital Transformation, Manufacturing, Automotive, Sustainability, and innovative and disruptive founders in other sectors.
• Scheduled Timeline until program:
  • Offer / Acceptance: Aug 7 –  Aug 10
  • Onboarding / Week 0: Aug 21 – Aug 25.

Details

• Seed Bootcamp (In-person in Aichi)
  • This in-person bootcamp will run for 5 days from Monday, August 28 through Friday, September 01. (co)Founders and/or participants are expected to attend the bootcamp in full in order to maximize their program experience and graduate.
• Showcase / Graduation Ceremony
  • Founders will have the opportunity to showcase startup solutions and growth potentials to 500 Global and a curated group of ecosystem stakeholders and partners on Friday, September 01, 2023.
• 7-Week Post-Program Support (Mainly Online)
  • May have some in-person events during the post-program period.

For more information, visit Accelerate Aichi by 500 Global Seed Bootcamp.