Innovation Showcase
2021 Innovation Showcase
About akippa
“akippa” is a C2C marketplace where users can reserve available spaces in monthly parking lots and parking lots of private residences and commercial complexes on a 15-minute or daily and parking space owners can also rent out them. As of May 2021, a cumulated total of more than 2.2 million users and 45,000 parking sites have been registered.
未契約の月極駐車場や自宅車庫・商業施設などの遊休地を15分単位で利用できる駐車場予約アプリ「akippa」を提供。2021年5月現在、累計220万人の会員、駐車場数は累計45,000箇所を突破。
About Bespoke
Bespoke is a global leader in providing AI-powered chatbots that help customer support organizations answer questions more quickly, accurately, and efficiently than traditional call centers. More than 100 of the world’s largest travel companies and government organizations benefit from Bespoke’s frictionless and privacy compliant AI-based solutions to engage with travelers on location.
2015年の創業以来、人工知能（自然言語処理）を活用した多言語チャットボットを国内外の政府機関へ提供中。世界トップレベルの開発者が、 独自のAIエンジンを全て自社開発。（東京・サンフランシスコ）
導入実績：経産省、東京メトロ、成田空港、米国タンパ空港、スターアライアンス他多数。年間約1200万人以上が利用。
About bitBiome
bitBiome, Inc. has been busy sequencing genomic data of all microorganisms on the planet at the highest resolution to ‘renovate’ every industry. Using our unique single-cell genome analysis technology, bit-MAP®, we are capable of efficiently acquiring complete genome sequences of microorganisms that were previously impossible with existing technologies. We build a microbial genetic database that surpasses others in both quality and quantity to create an innovative data-driven bio-production platform in collaboration with industrial partners.
bitBiome株式会社は、地球上のあらゆる微生物の設計図=ゲノムデータを最高解像度で蓄積し、あらゆる産業をupdateします。
独自のシングルセルゲノム解析技術bit-MAP®により、これまで培養・解析が極めて難しかった微生物から高効率で全ゲノム配列を取得し、質・量ともに他を凌駕する微生物遺伝子データベースを構築します。これを起点とし、産業パートナーと協調してデータからモノを創り出す革新的バイオ生産プラットフォームを展開します。
About Idein Inc.
Idein is a startup with high technological capabilities for accelerating Deep learning Inference on the Raspberry Pi, an inexpensive general-purpose device. With its technology, Idein has developed Actcast(https://actcast.io/), the edge AI/IoT platform that makes it possible to easily collect and utilize data on a large scale that has been difficult to obtain in the past analysis technology for images, voice, etc.
Idein株式会社は、安価な汎用デバイス上での深層学習推論の高速化を実現した、世界にも類を見ない高い技術力を有するスタートアップであり、当該技術を用いて、画像や音声などの解析技術を用いてこれまで取得が難しかったデータを簡単に大規模に収集・活用することを可能にするエッジAI/IoTプラットフォーム「Actcast」を開発しました。
About LUCA Science Inc.
LUCA Science is a preclinical stage biopharmaceutical company pioneering a new modality of organelle therapy using mitochondria to restore cellular bioenergetics. Mitochondria are the power plants in our cells that produce energy for our bodies. Dysfunctions in mitochondria from genetic mutation, ischemic reperfusion injury, environmental stress, or aging are associated with a variety of diseases. Recent research has shown that functional mitochondria can stimulate cell activation and restore normal functions in dysfunctional or damaged tissues and organs. LUCA Science has developed a novel method to isolate proprietary functional mitochondria which can then be stored and delivered as a biopharmaceutical agent.
ミトコンドリアは、私たちの体のエネルギーを作り出す「細胞内の発電所」です。ルカ・サイエンスは、ミトコンドリア自体を医薬品にする新領域を開拓する前臨床段階のバイオ製薬企業です。革新的なミトコンドリア製剤を製造、保存、送達するプラットフォーム技術を構築し、幅広い疾患領域において、これまで有効な治療法がなかったアンメットメディカルニーズに対する治療薬の開発を進めます。
Overview
The Japan – U.S. Innovation Awards program will select up to five exciting Japanese start-up companies that are incubating innovations with especially noteworthy potential, but that may not yet be well known in the Silicon Valley or U.S. business communities. These companies will be recognized as Innovation Showcase Companies.
The Innovation Showcase is a separate and different recognition program than the Emerging Leader Award competition. The Emerging Leader Award is a competition to select one winning company each from the U.S. and from Japan that have already demonstrated concrete evidence that their innovations are beginning to have a major, transformative impact on a market or industry. In contrast, the Innovation Showcase recognizes exciting start-up companies at earlier stages of development. Innovation Showcase Companies are incubating innovations that have the potential to be disruptive or transformational, but the companies need not have already demonstrated significant market success.
Benefits
All of the Innovation Showcase Companies will participate in the Japan – U.S. Innovation Awards Symposium at Stanford University. Each Showcase Company will send at least one representative to the Symposium to receive the Showcase recognition as part of the Symposium agenda. That representative may further appear as a panelist or speaker on the program (subject to satisfactory English ability as well as possible topical programming constraints). Each Showcase Company will display their poster and other publicity materials at a booth or table at the Symposium venue. Leaders of the Innovation Awards Program will further engage in close communication with each Showcase Company’s representative to tailor some benefit especially for that Company, e.g. introductions or mentoring through the Program’s extensive network of Silicon Valley contacts, as mutually agreed on a case-by-case basis.
Selection Process
The Innovation Awards Steering Committee will select the Innovation Showcase Companies through a separate nomination and evaluation process than the Emerging Leader Award.
Nominations for the Innovation Showcase are invited from the public at large as well as from leading venture focused individuals and organizations in the U.S. and Japan. The Innovation Advisory Council of the Awards Program will continue to play an active role in identifying and recommending likely candidates. If the nomination comes from the company itself (i.e. from a founder, executive, or other employee), the company must also provide at least one independent letter of recommendation from someone who is not in the management of the company that states why the writer thinks the company’s innovation is particularly noteworthy, potentially disruptive, or transformative. Possible writers of such an endorsement letter include an investor, outside director, advisor, or someone else (not an employee) who is familiar with the company.
Nominations will be reviewed by the Steering Committee of the Innovation Awards program. The Steering Committee may direct requests for further information to the nominated company or nomination writer. The Steering Committee may also engage the Innovation Advisory Council in closed discussion of the nominees. But, this is a recognition program and not a competition, and so the Steering Committee will retain primary responsibility for selecting an exciting, diverse set of companies.
Selection Criteria
- Potential impact of the company’s innovation. To be highlighted as an Innovation Showcase Company, a start-up company must be incubating an innovation that is potentially disruptive or transformative. It must have an exciting idea, not just a good idea for doing profitable business.
- Quality of the company team: Backgrounds and track records of founders, employees, advisors, and investors. Does the team include interesting or exceptional people who will be great to highlight in the Innovation Awards Symposium?
- Likelihood of success. This criterion includes the quality of the company’s business plan and factors, such as whether the team has worked together in the past.
- Potential relevance to Silicon Valley / U.S. business. Will the company’s innovation likely lead to closer U.S. – Japan business ties? How and why will attendees at the Japan – U.S. Innovation Awards Symposium be interested to learn about this company?
- Degree to which company has already received recognition in the U.S. This is usually a negative factor. The Innovation Showcase aims to recognize innovative Japanese start-up companies that are not yet very well-known in the general Silicon Valley / U.S. business communities. Close ties with the Japanese community of Silicon Valley are not necessarily a disadvantage.
