AEA2020: October 27th to 29th Online
30 Tech startups from 13 countries and regions in Asia register to
seek collaboration opportunities with Japanese companies

September 29, 2020
Asian Entrepreneurship Award Steering Committee

(Chiba, September 29, 2020) The Asian Entrepreneurship Award (AEA) Steering Committee announced today that it will hold the Asian Entrepreneurship Award 2020 event (AEA 2020) from October 27th to 29th. AEA, which is held 8 times since 2012, is an innovation award where young entrepreneurs and tech startups from Asia compete to change the world. Pioneering a new approach reflecting the “new normal” working styles driven by the pandemic, this year’s AEA2020 will take place completely online, connecting 30 progressive tech startups from 13 countries and regions in Asia.

Given the growing demand for new technologies aimed at facilitating new normal lifestyles, AEA2020 will showcase emerging Asian tech startups offering solutions in the areas of Healthcare, Communication, Work style reform, and Quality of Life; four key themes that are particularly prominent today.

AEA2020 will take full advantage of this first-ever online format to further enrich the event contents. Startup entrants will be invited to make presentations from their own home countries and regions, allowing them to customize the style and content of their presentations, such as adding live streaming from their local offices or inviting local staff to participate in the presentations. This will allow the audience to learn more about the startups and get to know the unique features of each.

The AEA2020 business-matching sessions between Japanese companies and startup entrants will also go fully online. This format will allow the tech companies to showcase large or sensitive prototypes which might otherwise have been difficult to deliver in Japan; it will also allow potential Japanese partner companies to learn more about their technologies and working culture. These matching sessions are designed to create opportunities for the presented solutions to be commercialized in Japan.

Since its launch in 2012, AEA has provided a stage for promising entrepreneurs and startups from rapidly growing countries and regions in Asia on which to showcase their business ideas and technologies addressing social issues. All the startup entrants for AEA 2020 were nominated by incubators, accelerators, universities or other institutions supporting start-up companies in their respective countries and regions.

During the event, the startups will compete in business presentations showcasing their services and products, with the winners being selected on the basis of a wide range of criteria. These will include innovativeness, the social impact of their products and services, their commercial viability, the potential for collaboration with Japanese companies and the opportunity for business expansion in Japan.

AEA expects for Asian technology startups seeking to develop business in Japan through live demonstrations in “Kashiwa-no-ha Smart City”- the “ the City of the Future “ tackling themes:” environmental coexistence”, “health and longevity” and “creation of new industries”- and working together with Japanese companies.

■ AEA2020 Entrants