METI Minister Nishimura Attends the Conference on Public-Private Collaboration for Encouraging Startups to Expand Business Overseas

1. Overview

• Startups that utilize their businesses to solve a variety of challenges facing society through technology, new ideas and other initiatives are the embodiment of a new form of capitalism. Other countries also have high expectations for outstanding Japanese startups.
• Meanwhile, there are many difficult challenges in startups’ efforts to expand their businesses overseas. One of the challenges is that they are to cooperate with a variety of organizations and partners in their business.
• To facilitate collaboration between startups and organizations, METI and Keidanren jointly held a conference on public-private collaboration, bringing together the representatives of about 50 startups that are making progress in overseas business expansion, the leading companies that are expected to become business collaboration partners for the startups, and executives and young staffs from administrative organizations that support startups in overseas business expansion.
• During Part 1 of the conference, focusing on the subject of “Facilitating Collaboration between Startups and Leading Companies,” presentations were delivered by participants from startups that are making progress in overseas business expansion, selected startups under the fourth round of the J-Startup program and Keidanren member companies. Participants from administrative organizations also delivered presentations on their support measures.
• During Part 2 of the conference, Minister Nishimura delivered a speech and expressed his high expectations for the collaboration between the participants from these organizations in accelerating startups’ overseas business expansion and in promoting open innovation. Following this, a networking event was held where all the participants from startups, Keidanren member companies, and administrative organizations were free to speak openly each other in an informal setting.

2. Program of the conference

Part 1: Facilitating Collaboration between Startups and Leading Companies

1. Opening remarks
2. Presentations by startups making progress in overseas business expansion
3. Pitches by selected startups under the fourth round of the J-Startup program
4. Presentations by Keidanren member companies
5. Presentations by administrative organizations

Part 2: Networking for Encouraging Startups to Expand Business Overseas

1. Opening remarks
2. Networking between startups, leading companies and administrative organizations
3. Closing remarks

Division in Charge

• Startup and New Business Promotion Office, Economic and Industrial Policy Bureau
• Asia and Pacific Division, Trade Policy Bureau