AEA 2019 Innovation Awards Staged in the Kashiwa-no-ha Area
Pre-Event Held with Speakers from the Frontlines of Cutting-Edge Technology
— Latest Trends of Startups in Asia and Collaboration Expertise —
Date and venue: 13:00, Tuesday, July 30, 2019 at Tokyo Midtown Hibiya BaseQ

July 10, 2019
Asian Entrepreneurship Award Steering Committee
Mitsui Fudosan Co., Ltd.
The University of Tokyo
TX Entrepreneur Partners General Incorporated Association
The Japan Academic Society for Ventures and Entrepreneurs

Tokyo, Japan, July 10, 2019 - Mitsui Fudosan Co., Ltd., a leading global real estate company headquartered in Tokyo, announced today that the Asian Entrepreneurship Award (AEA) Steering Committee decided to hold the Innovation Awards event AEA 2019 from Wednesday, October 30 to Friday, November 1, 2019 in the Kashiwa-no-ha area of Kashiwa, Chiba Prefecture. Before the awards, a pre-event will be held at Tokyo Midtown Hibiya BaseQ on Tuesday, July 30, 2019, providing an overview of AEA, latest trends of startups in Asia, and collaboration expertise.

AEA2019 will bring entrepreneurs and cutting-edge technologies from all over Asia to the Kashiwa-no-ha area and further accelerate the creation of an ecosystem for innovation and creativity in Asia that engages major corporations, entrepreneurs and their supporters in a collaboration between the public and private sectors and academia.

AEA 2019 to Build an Ecosystem for Technology Startups

AEA is an innovation award program that attracts young entrepreneurs harnessing knowledge and technologies to take on new challenges from all over fast-growing Asia, with the goal of forming an ecosystem for generating innovation in Asia through collaboration between the public and private sectors and academia, from major corporations to supporters of entrepreneurs. AEA was first held in 2012 and in the seven events since then, 154 technology startups from 15 countries or territories in Asia have taken part. Participating companies have used AEA as a springboard for growth and global expansion by collaborating with Japanese companies and opening up new markets.

The Kashiwa-no-ha area focuses on utilizing local assets to attract field testing projects of new products and services in the social implementation stage supplied by private-sector companies and other organizations. AEA 2019 will provide test fields for startups taking part and further strengthen business support to accelerate the formation of an ecosystem in the Kashiwa-no-ha area for startups that create new industries and technologies. The event will showcase innovation originating in Asia to the world.

A social event Kashiwa-no-ha Innovation Fest (tentative name) will also be held in conjunction with AEA 2019, with the full backing of Mitsui Fudosan and other organizations driving the Kashiwa-no-ha Smart City project. Details will be announced once they are confirmed.

Applications Open for Startups Taking Part in AEA 2019

Companies participating in AEA will not only build connections with other technology startups and become part of a global accelerator network, but also receive business and field-testing support in the Kashiwa-no-ha area. Startups wishing to take part can apply if they fulfill the following conditions.

Conditions for AEA 2019 Participants

1. Technology companies that provide products or services
2. Early stage startups having completed proof of concept (POC) and able to communicate with a specific customer profile using prototypes, product samples, mockups, etc.
   • No restrictions on number of years since establishment or amount of capital
   • Venture-backed companies and those with VC involvement are eligible, but not listed companies.
   • Subsidiaries and affiliates of major companies are not eligible.
3. Companies with a specific interest in the Japanese market, such as tie-ups with major Japanese companies or VC
4. Companies recommended by venture business incubation managers of universities, research institutes, incubators, or accelerators
5. Companies able to take part in the entire program from October 30 – November 1, 2019

Outline of award

First prize: ¥3 million
Second prize: ¥1 million
Third prize: ¥500,000

※All award winners will also receive the 31 VENTURES Award.
※31 VENTURES Award: Two years of free use of 31 VENTURES Office coworking space operated by Mitsui Fudosan (three people per company)

How to Apply

Click here to apply: https://aea.events/e/20190701news/
Or email AEA Steering Committee at info@aea.events

Pre-Event Held on Tuesday, July 30, 2019

At the pre-event, a specialist working with startups will provide an overview of AEA, latest trends of startups in Asia, and collaboration expertise. AEA alumni will also speak about their experience of participating in AEA. The pre-event is especially useful to Japanese companies with an interest in Asian startups and startups thinking about taking part in AEA.

*About the Kashiwa-no-ha area

The Kashiwa-no-ha area centered on Kashiwa-no-ha Campus Station aspires to be Kashiwa-no-ha Smart City, which solves urban issues. Its three main themes are “an environmentally symbiotic city,” “a city of health and longevity” and “a city of new industry creation,” and made possible through collaboration between the public and private sectors and academia. Kashiwa-no-ha IoT Business Co-Creation Lab was established in June 2018 to further the spread and use of IoT and create business opportunities for IoT-related businesses. The Lab has opened its doors to field testing projects in Kashiwa-no-ha for products and services of private-sector companies and others at the social implementation stage. This is part of Innovation Field Kashiwa-no-ha, a program to accelerate the creation of new industries. So far, more than 10 field tests are planned or have been performed. By making the entire city a platform for field testing, Kashiwa-no-ha Smart City will become an engine for new industries and innovation.
Led by Mitsui Fudosan and the Kashiwa municipal government, Kashiwa-no-ha Smart City Consortium was formed and designated a Smart City Model Project by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, which promotes the creation of smart cities that incorporate new technologies such as AI and IoT and data held by the public and private sectors in neighborhood creation. Kashiwa-no-ha Smart City Consortium aims to form a data-driven, smart and compact city built around a rail station by building a data platform linking held by the public and private sectors.
Relevant news release: https://www.mitsuifudosan.co.jp/corporate/news/2019/0605_02/

AEA hosts (companies and organizations)

< Mitsui Fudosan Co., Ltd.>
Website: Kashiwa-no-ha Smart City https://www.kashiwanoha-smartcity.com/

Mitsui Fudosan is developing the Kashiwa-no-ha Smart City project in the Kashiwa-no-ha Campus Station area of Kashiwa, Chiba Prefecture. The project’s three main themes are “an environmentally symbiotic city,” “a city of health and longevity” and “a city of new industry creation.” For the third theme, Mitsui Fudosan aims to create new industries that connect people of all ages, business sectors, and nationalities in the city using venture co-creation business 31 VENTURES as a hub, and taking advantage of its extensive trade area and diverse businesses. Mitsui Fudosan and Kashiwa-no-ha Smart City have supported AEA from its launch in 2012, and will continue to build an ecosystem for generating innovation in the Kashiwa-no-ha area by bringing together startups, their supporters, and major corporations in Asia.

< The Division of University Corporate Relations, University of Tokyo>
Website:https://www.ducr.u-tokyo.ac.jp/

The Division of University Corporate Relations at the University of Tokyo provides support for licensing of intellectual property, management and utilization, as well as entrepreneurship and commercialization to realize innovation that has an impact. Specifically, it provides consulting services to researchers and students seeking to start a business, runs and manages incubation facilities for startups, and provides funding to university startups through UTokyo Innovation Platform Co., Ltd. and The University of Tokyo Edge Capital Co., Ltd. It also operates incubation facilities such as The University of Tokyo Entrepreneur Plaza and the University of Tokyo Entrepreneur Lab as well as entrepreneur training and education programs such as Tokyo Entrepreneur Dojo, Edge-Next, Hongo Tech Garage, and FoundX. By taking part in AEA, the Division of University Corporate Relations, University of Tokyo aims to foster a culture of entrepreneurship with a global perspective.

Contact: Shigeo Kagami, Professor, General Manager, Division of University Corporate Relations, University of Tokyo
Tel: 03-5841-1482

< TX Entrepreneur Partners >
Website: https://www.tepweb.jp/english/

TX Entrepreneur Partners is an organization that supports entrepreneurs and startups based in areas served by the Tsukuba Express railway line. Local universities, research institutes, municipalities, private-sector companies, and individual supporters collaborate to form a sustainable support network for startups. By helping to host AEA, it seeks to further the development of the entrepreneurial environment in Asia, including Japan, to provide opportunities for entrepreneurs to expand their horizons beyond their own countries and regions to all of Asia and the world.

< The Japan Academic Society for Ventures and Entrepreneurs >
Website: http://www.venture-ac.ne.jp/

The Japan Academic Society for Ventures and Entrepreneurs (JASVE) provides training programs on the theory, testing, and practice of activities by startups and business corporations for creating new industries. It also seeks to assist collaboration between industry and academia and support entrepreneurial activity. JASVE is not merely a group of researchers, but forms a diverse network of people employed by major corporations, startups, and government. It is not only a society of thinkers, but is strengthening its function as a society of doers as well to serve as a social platform that engages with entrepreneurial activity that drives innovation and startups.