Activity Report
BAP 2023 Application Closed
After opening the call on July 4th, the secretariat closed application on August 22nd for the 9th business acceleration program, BAP 2023, The program received a total of 208 applications for business ideas to resolve societal issues. Applications were accepted in multiple areas, and the breakdown of applications by each area is as follows:
This year saw a record number of applications and more than 50 applications from overseas. As a result, there is an excitingly wide variety of applicant startups compared to previous years.
BAP 2023 website: https://eiicon.net/about/icf-acceleration2023/
To help ICF members engage with BAP applicants on co-creation, the ICF Secretariat will provide members with information on the BAP applicants and opportunities to network.
The Interim Meeting on October 20 will introduce a selection of the top BAP 2023 business ideas. If interested, please participate in the meeting. The ICF Secretariat can also introduce specific BAP2023 applicants to ICF members interested in startup co-creation, so please feel free to get in contact.
Upcoming events for ICF members
-Co-Creating Members only: the second round of the program (September 27 to 29)
-All members: final Pitch Contest and meetup (December 8)
-All members: MRI DEMODAY (early March)
-All members: Matching BAP 2023 applicants according to the needs of ICF members.
Note: Members who respond to the questionnaire about startup needs will have priority.
New Entrepreneurial Stories of Impactful ICF Members (#36, #37, and #38)
In order to tackle societal issues through business, entrepreneurs must have excellent interpersonal skills and strong organizational capabilities. What do they think and how are they trying to achieve the world they want? The ICF has published a series of articles that sheds light on the personalities of entrepreneurs who are striving to resolve societal issues. The goal of these articles is to share with readers the philosophies of and the issues being tackled by these business founders, which in turn should lead to accelerated social breakthroughs in the future. The list of Japanese articles is here.
The new articles cover Scene, Inc., which utilizes CAD data; ＆PUBLIC Inc., which works to visualize social value; and Next Relation, Inc., which engages in public affairs.
The list of English articles is available here.
Co-Creating Member Forum (only open to Co-Creating Members)
The second round of the Co-Creating Member Forum was held on September 7. Kotaro Nagasawa, a full-time advisor at Mitsubishi Research Institute and an author of a book that discusses through data the 40 years of life after the age of 60, explained and presented how people really live after retirement on an individual basis. Based on analysis from statistics and measured data, he shared unexpected information, like the fact that many seniors live to be over 90 and can even live independently until right before the end of their lives.
Participants actively asked questions and exchanged opinions, and there was a lot of excitement both in the forum and the social gathering that followed. The questions and opinions included the following:
– People are becoming healthier, and independent life expectancy is increasing. But there is still a difference in the degree of independence between large cities and rural areas, isn’t there?
– The social system that categorizes people according to their age should change, and it should become common that seniors work and support society, rather than simply be supported.
– Those who haven’t taken a dementia test are in a gray area, which is the most problematic strata as they may be unaware of their condition. Even when someone around them suspects that they have dementia, it is often difficult to recommend that they seek out a diagnosis.
Upcoming Activities (September – October)
Resolving Societal Issues Through Innovation – Listings of Societal Issues 2023 to be Released
At the end of September, the latest Listings of Societal Issues is planned for release in advance to ICF members. Its public release will be in the middle of October.
The Listings of Societal Issues analyzes and organizes various societal issues in Japan and overseas. Issues that are particularly expected to be resolved through innovation are identified and explained in the following six focus areas: Wellness, Water & Food, Energy and Environment, Mobility, Disaster Prevention & Infrastructure, and Education & Human Resource Development. Stay tuned for updates!
ICF Interim Meeting (October 20th)
The ICF Interim Meeting 2023 will be held on Friday, October 20.
In addition to providing information on the results of ICF activities in the first half of the year and the schedule of activities in the second half, the gathering will provide a panel discussion, based on ICF activity policy for this fiscal year, on how projects for resolving societal issues can create societal impact, how to evaluate and manage the impact, and how to appeal to the public. Also, ICF members who are supporting or working on societal implementation will give pitches. Your participation will be most welcome.
■Date: 3:30 pm to 5 pm on Friday, October 20, 2023
(A networking event will follow until around 6 pm.)
■ Venue: 4th floor large meeting room at Mitsubishi Research Institute (hybrid with online)
■ Program (tentative)
-ICF activity report and upcoming schedule
-Member pitches
Adacotech Incorporated; Carepro, Inc.; Next Relation, Inc.; HyperloopTT; and more
-Panel discussion
Please register from the following URL:
In-person https://mri.smartseminar.jp/public/seminar/view/5921
Online https://mri.smartseminar.jp/public/seminar/view/5954