The Grand Award for “GRIC PITCH” is LogoMix Co., Ltd.
Four Startups Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo, President and CEO: Yuichiro Shimizu, hereafter, Four Startups) and CIC Japan LLC (Minato-ku, Tokyo, executive officer: Timothy Rowe, hereafter, CIC Japan), which promotes growth industry support projects, co-hosted the “Growth Industry Conference 2023 (English notation: GROWTH INDUSTRY CONFERENCE 2023) We will deliver the event report for “, commonly known as GRIC 2023)”.
“GRIC 2023” is Japan's largest hybrid global conference specializing in growing industries, and is a place where top tier ecosystem builders from home and abroad gather under the theme of “Bringing the Japanese Startup Ecosystem to Global Standards.”
VCs, startup CEOs, CVC, etc. gathered from Japan and abroad, and there were approximately 140 judges and 150 speakers for “GRIC PITCH,” where all 31 startups took the stage. The total number of visitors was 2,500, and the total number of registrants was 8,000, and the curtain came to an end with great success. Here's a recap of what happened at the venue on the day.
OPENING
Mr. Ken Hasebe, Mayor of Shibuya Ward, Mr. Takaaki Umezawa, Chairman of CIC Japan/A.T. Kearney Japan Corporation/Outside Director of Four Startups Co., Ltd., and President and CEO of Four Startups Co., Ltd. Yuichiro Shimizu took the stage at the opening. Shimizu said, “GRIC was also in its 4th year, and this was the first time it was held in Shibuya with the aim of globalization. I want to work with all of you to create the best startup conference.” In response to that, Mr. Umezawa said, “According to the government's '5-Year Startup Development Plan', the investment amount in startups is multiplied by 10 in 5 years, but I want to aim for the world with the three axes of 'market', 'human resources', and “the world's monster.” Speaking with enthusiasm, Mr. Hasebe said, “Shibuya Ward is new as a city, and when people gather from all over Tokyo, they gather and mix to live in this area, and a value culture is formed by mixing and harmonizing with each other. Now, my perspective is expanding around the world, and the number of people visiting for business is increasing, and I think startups are one of the major engines, so I want to firmly support them.” I was talking about it.
GRIC PITCH
This is a global pitch stage that aims to “become a bridge between startups that challenge major business growth and the world.” More than 140 judges from Japan and abroad judged startups that have the potential to succeed on the global stage. Startup companies selected for 4 themes, “GREEN,” “HEALTHCARE & WELLNESS,” “NEW LIFESTYLE,” and “UPRISING DIGITAL,” made pitches.
As a result of careful selection, the grand prize “GRAND AWARD,” which was given to the company that received the highest praise based on screening criteria common to all themes, is Logomix Co., Ltd. and the “THEME AWARD” selected by 1 company from each theme. “GREEN” was selected for Sagri Co., Ltd., “HEALTHCARE & WELLNESS” was selected by Logomix Co., Ltd., “NEW LIFESTYLE” was selected by Heralboney Co., Ltd., and “UPRISING DIGITAL.”
Read the full GRIC PITCH report here:http://journal.startup-db.com/articles/gricpitch2023
SPEED DATING
The high speed pitch “SPEED DATING” was held for the first time. It was divided into 5 booths, and participating startups made business presentations to investors and business companies active in Japan and overseas from all 25 companies.
FIRESIDE CHAT
“FIRESIDE CHAT” is a casual session held with a sense of distance as if you were surrounding a bonfire. A total of dozens of domestic and international investors, entrepreneurs, and ecosystem builders presented talks that can only be heard here.
ONLINE STAGES
As pitches and various contents were progressing at offline venues, approximately 40 sessions with a total of 127 domestic and international speakers were simultaneously shown online. Participants also interacted with each other through the event platform “EventHub.”
CLOSING REMARK
Finally, Shimizu said, “We will further sublimate it next year and produce a place to talk about the future of Japan and the future of the world.” I concluded the conference.
The “Growth Industry Conference” is scheduled to be held next year and beyond. We will continue to increase domestic and international points of contact in a multifaceted manner, such as increasing the number of players involved in growing industries and creating points of contact with overseas investors, with startups as the core.
[Growth Industry Conference 2023 Event Overview]
Date: 2023/11/16 (Thu) 9:00-20:00
Venue: Hybrid event (offline: Shibuya Hikarie Hikarie Hall, online: EventHub)
Participation fee: free
Co-organizers: Four Startups Co., Ltd., CIC Tokyo
SNS hashtag: #GRIC2023
Special site:https://growth.forstartups.com
[CIC Japan LLC Overview]
Company name: CIC Japan LLC
Representative: Timothy Lowe
Established: 2018
Location: Toranomon Hills Business Tower 15th Floor, 1-17-1 Toranomon, Minato-ku, Tokyo
CIC Japan is a global leader in building and operating innovation campuses to support the growth of entrepreneurs and startup companies. The company, which was first established in 1999 in Kendall Square, currently operates a total of over 90,000 square meters of shared workspaces, wet labs, and event spaces in the US, Europe, and Asia. By providing the best environment that contributes to startup growth, CIC around the world has contributed to the business growth of over 9,000 diverse startups, regardless of whether they are for-profit or non-profit, from entrepreneurs seeking to solve issues in each region to entrepreneurs tackling issues at a global level.
CIC Tokyo opened in the Toranomon Hills Business Tower in October 2020 as CIC's newest innovation campus. Currently, it is one of the largest innovation campuses in Japan, with over 250 companies, mainly startups, living in a 6,000 square meter space spanning 2 floors.
[Overview of Four Startups Co., Ltd.]
Company name: Four Startups Co., Ltd.
Representative: President and CEO Yuichiro Shimizu
Established: 2016/9/1
Business description: Growth industry support business
Securities code: 7089 (listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Growth Market)
Location: 36F Izumi Garden Tower, 1-6-1 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo
Four Startups has set a mission to “go to the center of evolution (together),” and under the vision of “for Startups,” it is developing a growth industry support business as a hybrid capital that also provides strategic financial support, centering on entrepreneurship support through collaboration with leading domestic VCs and human resource support including organization building for startup companies. We are also working on building a startup ecosystem based on an industry-government-academia co-creation model centered on the “STARTUP DB,” an information platform specialized in growing industries.
【[Inquiries about coverage etc. relating to this matter]
Four Startups Co., Ltd. PR Staff: Sakuma, Hori
[TEL: (Representative) 03-6893-0650/ FAX: 03-6893-0651/MAIL:pr@forstartups.com]
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