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- Commendation Ceremony Held for the Nippon Startup Awards 2023
Commendation Ceremony Held for the Nippon Startup Awards 2023
- SmartNews, Inc. Wins the Prime Minister's Award -
June 9, 2023
On June 9, 2023, a commendation ceremony for the Nippon Startup Awards 2023 was held at the Prime Minister’s Office. Through this awards program the Government of Japan honors outstanding startups for their development of new, positive-impact businesses that may provide role models for young people and others. In the awards program 2023, SmartNews Inc., a startup undertaking global business growth while upholding the mission of “delivering the world’s quality information to the people who need it,” was recognized as the winner of the Prime Minister’s Award. In the METI Minister’s Awards category Gojo & Company, Inc. was recognized for its provision of inexpensive, high-quality financial services in emerging countries worldwide as the winner of the Global Award. In the same category, MeetsMore Inc. was recognized for its provision of a platform that helps users to access automatic calculation of estimates with priority on further diversity in their management as the winner of the Diversity Award.
1. Details of the commendation ceremony
At the commendation ceremony, Mr. Kishida Fumio, Prime Minister, stated that the Government of Japan will strongly support startups. Together with Mr. Nishimura Yasutoshi, Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, and other related ministers, he listened to an explanation of each winner’s product or service, including SmartNews, Inc., winner of the Prime Minister’s Award, and Gojo & Company, Inc. and MeetsMore Inc., both winners of the METI Minister’s Awards. Following this, he offered his praise and encouragement to the winning business owners.
2. Winners of the Nippon Startup Awards
The committee of experts examined promising startups and selected the winners of the awards as below.
| Nippon Startup Award (Prime Minister’s Award) |
SmartNews, Inc. |
| Global Award (METI Minister’s Awards) |
Gojo & Company, Inc. |
| Diversity Award (METI Minister’s Awards) |
MeetsMore Inc. |
| Agriculture Startup Award (MAFF Minister’s Award) |
vivid garden Inc. |
| University-Oriented Startup Award (MEXT Minister’s Award) |
Microwave Chemical Co., Ltd. |
| Health and Welfare Award (MHLW Minister’s Award) |
Mirairo Inc. |
| Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Startup Award(MLIT Minister’s Award) | ANDPAD Inc. |
| Special Jury Award | ispace, Inc. |
| Special Jury Award | CureApp, Inc. |
| Special Jury Award | Tsubota Laboratory Incorporated |
Note: For details of the efforts made by the winners, see the attached brochure.
3. Outline of the awards program
This awards program aims to honor outstanding startups for their creation of new business with a socially positive impact that may provide role models for young people and entrepreneurs who will play key roles in the next generation. By doing this it raises public awareness of the importance of proactively taking on challenges and disseminates evaluation results about entrepreneurs. Launched in 2015 as the Nippon Venture Awards, this awards program was renamed in 2022.
Related Material
Division in Charge
Startup and New Business Promotion Office, Economic and Industrial Policy Bureau
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