Supporting Mature Entrepreneurs, Bringing Startups Together
on Tokyo’s East Side to Create Innovation
Marking the Full-Scale Launch of
“startup workspace THE E.A.S.T. ”, a New Workspace Brand
“THE E.A.S.T. Nihonbashi-Tomizawa-cho” the Project’s Flagship Site, Opened in April

April 27, 2021
Mitsui Fudosan Co., Ltd.

Tokyo, Japan, April 27, 2021 – Mitsui Fudosan Co., Ltd., a leading global real estate company headquartered in Tokyo, announced today the launch of startup workspace THE E.A.S.T. , a startup workspace brand designed to make Tokyo’s east side a major aggregating point for startups. This project is being offered as a solution by 31VENTURES, a venture collaboration business whose goal is to engage in co-creation with startups.
THE E.A.S.T. Nihonbashi-Tomizawa-cho opened in April as the project’s flagship site.

Through 31VENTURES, Mitsui Fudosan has worked with ProtoStar Inc. to aggregate startups in Tokyo’s east side, centered around the Nihonbashi district, and since 2018 has been developing the E.A.S.T. concept* to promote open innovation. To date, this has involved offering entrepreneurship development programs, sponsoring events and other activities, but startup workspace THE E.A.S.T. is a new initiative designed to allow startups to connect with one another and provide a central workspace that will enable their businesses to run smoothly.

• E.A.S.T. is an acronym for Empowering Ambitious Startups in Tokyo,and embodies Mitsui Fudosan’s desire to encourage ambitious startups in Tokyo’s east side area and enable them to fully demonstrate their capabilities.

startup workspace THE E.A.S.T. is a workspace brand that primarily targets mature entrepreneurs with business experience. Tokyo’s east side features a concentration of major firms, including companies listed on the First Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange, and brings together a great many businesspeople with extensive experience. startup workspace THE E.A.S.T. offers a variety of workspaces designed to accommodate the needs of organizations at various stages of growth, from those just preparing to launch to those already in the midst of expansion. As a means of attracting highly passionate individuals, entrepreneurs are also interviewed in advance to assess the nature of their businesses, their vision and their potential for collaborating with Mitsui Fudosan. Once they have signed up, full-time support staff will meet with them regularly one-on-one, offer introductions to business partners and support development of sales channels, and will be quick to respond in terms of reviewing collaboration and funding needs. To drive the growth of these startups, the space is also equipped with facilities where entrepreneurs can hold presentations covering their products and business strategies.

As a symbol of mature entrepreneurs working in Tokyo’s east side, the startup workspace THE E.A.S.T. brand has been aligned with the 31VENTURES brand, which already operates five other offices. With THE E.A.S.T. Nihonbashi-Tomizawa-cho, which opened in April, positioned as the flagship site, these six offices will accelerate the creation of innovation in Tokyo’s east side.

Reference Site：　https://www.31ventures.jp/theeast/

■Three key features of startup workspace THE E.A.S.T. that will accelerate startup growth

・A Quality Membership-based Community

Applications for startup workspace THE E.A.S.T will be screened. This is intended to accelerate business growth by forming a community of individuals who are serious about and bring great passion to their work, and who can then inspire one another.

・Professional Business Assistance

Support for member companies and the businesses of individual entrepreneurs will be provided by experienced professionals, including 31VENTURES, which has invested in numerous startups, and ProtoStar, which has worked to support entrepreneurs. These professionals will meet regularly one-on-one with member startups, offer introductions to business partners and will be quick to respond in terms of reviewing collaboration and funding needs.

・A Center for Fostering Culture and Communication

Mitsui Fudosan believes that in their earliest stages, startups need a real place where members can gather to develop their own culture as a company. startup workspace THE E.A.S.T. not only provides an attractive physical venue, but also offers equipment designed to accommodate online streaming, enabling the facility to serve as a center for member companies to communicate their culture to a broader audience.

■ THE E.A.S.T. Nihonbashi-Tomizawa-cho Flagship Site

THE E.A.S.T. Nihonbashi-Tomizawa-cho, which opened in April 2021 as the flagship site for startup workspace THE E.A.S.T., is located in a renovated 50-year-old building. The seven above-ground floors include coworking, shared and private spaces, as well as web conferencing booths ideal for online meetings. There is a wide range of other facilities that can be used in a variety of situations, including “noren” rooms that can be adjusted to accommodate groups of different sizes, and a “focus zone” designed to allow people to concentrate on their work.

・1st Floor: Coworking space, cafė and event space

The first floor comprises a coworking space, along with a café and event space. Full-time support staff are available in the coworking space for bouncing ideas off of and for other kinds of easily accessible support. The café is open to the community, and after hours can be used as an event space equipped for online streaming.

Coworking space

Cafė

・2nd Floor: Meeting rooms, noren rooms, web conferencing booths, focus zone

The second floor offers shared facilities for the optional use of tenant companies. They include meeting rooms, of course, but also seven web conferencing booths exclusively for online meetings. The noren rooms are a flexible discussion space that can be separated by noren curtains depending on the size of the group. The focus zone is ideally suited to individuals wishing to concentrate on their own work, offering individual booths for additional privacy. This combination of spaces allows the flexibility to adapt to different working situations.

Meeting rooms

Noren rooms

Focus zone

Focus zone

Web conferencing booths

・3rd-6th Floors: Private rooms

A variety of private rooms, ranging in size from approx. 161 ft² (15 m²) to approx. 1,614 ft² (150 m²), make it possible for startups to choose the space that is right for their phase of development and growth.

Private room (Approx. 161 ft²)

Private room (Approx. 889 ft²)

・7th Floor: Shared space (fixed seats)

The seventh floor offers shared space on a fixed seat contract basis, ideal for teams of two to six. These are recommended in cases where coworking space is inadequate for a company’s needs, or for small-scale startups.

Shared space

・Access Map

Comment from Tomohisa Shiohata, Project Leader, Venture Co-creation Department Business Group, Mitsui Fudosan Co., Ltd.

While Tokyo’s east side is home to many of Japan’s leading companies, the Nihonbashi area is ideally situated as a location for startups. startup workspace THE E.A.S.T. will become an aggregating point for startups, actively promoting collaboration between tenant startups and major firms. Mitsui Fudosan will be at the center of efforts to further develop the innovation ecosystem growing on Tokyo’s east side.

■ Venture Co-creation Department, Mitsui Fudosan Co., Ltd.

https://www.31ventures.jp/en/
Mitsui Fudosan launched its Venture Co-creation Department in 2015 with the goal of creating new industries to strengthen its core business and expand into new business domains. 31VENTURES, which sets up co-creation efforts with startups, has put together solutions designed to generate co-creation projects. Going forward, it will work to utilize the assets of the Mitsui Fudosan Group to approach co-creation from three angles: WORKSPACE, to propel business forward; FUND, to accelerate growth; and COMMUNITY, to enhance mutual encounters with new knowledge.

■ Mitsui Fudosan Group’s Contribution to SDGs

https://www.mitsuifudosan.co.jp/english/corporate/esg_csr/
The Mitsui Fudosan Group aims for a society that enriches both people and the planet under the principles of coexist in harmony with society, link diverse values and achieve a sustainable society, and advances business with an awareness of the environment (E), society (S) and governance (G), thus promoting ESG management. By further accelerating its ESG management, the Group will realize Society 5.0, which the Japanese government has been advocating, and contribute significantly to achieving the SDGs.