Basic Policy for Promoting Business to Solve Local Challenges Formulated

1. Overview

Zebra companies, which aim to strike a balance between solving social challenges and achieving economic growth, are businesses that may become new leaders in the regional economy by transforming social challenges into growth engines.

The term "zebra companies" represents a concept proposed in the United States in 2017 that contrasts unicorn companies, which focus on market value, with companies that aim to strike a balance between solving social challenges and achieving economic growth, comparing such companies to zebras, which have black-and-white patterns and act in herds.

SMEA has positioned companies that [i] take on the role of solving local social challenges, [ii] solve local challenges through their business, and [iii] earn profits by collaborating with regional companies and by generating a social impact (social and environmental changes generated by business activities and investments) through creating new value and utilizing technologies as “local-zebra companies.” Along with this, SMEA has compiled some of the key points for such companies in promoting business that solves local challenges by taking advantage of support from and collaboration with various stakeholders.

Going forward, SMEA will work to promote this basic policy so that an ecosystem in which many zebra companies are created will be established in various regions.

2. Key points of the basic policy

Local-zebra companies are those take on the role of solving local social challenges. They strive to earn profits by collaborating with various stakeholders and by generating a social impact (social and environmental changes generated by business activities and investments) through creating new value and utilizing innovative technologies and services.

This basic policy organizes the importance and concepts of local-zebra companies and business that solve local social challenges and it provides a compilation of basic ideas to establish an ecosystem in which local-zebra companies collaborate with various stakeholders, funds and human resources flow to regional areas through making these companies’ social impacts visible, and further local-zebra companies are created and fostered.

Related Link

• Small and Medium Enterprise Agency Website (in Japanese)

Division in Charge

Startup and New Business Promotion Division, Small and Medium Enterprise Agency