Activity Report
BAP 2022: Results of Second Round
Seven finalists were selected for their excellent ideas from a total of 34 companies through the second round (an online pitch contest) of the ICF’s 8th business acceleration program, BAP 2022.
Note: The BAP is a program that aims to resolve societal issues through co-creation with startups.
Finalists: UPWARD, Inc., Anzaikantetsu Co., Ltd., UNTRACKED LLC, Study Valley Inc., Tailor Works Inc., New Ordinary K.K. , and Ninpath Inc.
URL: https://icf.mri.co.jp/activities/activities-9254/ (Japanese only)
This year, the ICF Secretariat hopes to see continued co-creation between members and applicants. Please look forward to the ICF 2022 Interim Meeting, where the finalists’ business ideas will be showcased. The ICF Secretariat can also introduce members interested in collaboration to startups, so please feel free to contact the secretariat for more information.
[Schedule]
Following a period of mentoring, the final Pitch Contest will be held on December 9. After that, there will be a co-creation project review period between MRI/ICF members and the applicant companies, followed by DEMODAY (results presentation) in early March 2023.
Priority Theme Projects Kicked off
Future Co-creation Projects (FCPs) kicked off in September with three ICF priority themes: Wellness, Dietary Innovation, and Climate Change Measures.
Note: An FCP is a project to clarify and establish a theme for societal issues that need to be resolved and to create a societal impact through regular workshop activities.
1. Wellness
The first round of this FCP was held on September 28. Based on the societal issues workshop held in June, the ICF Secretariat presented three issues related to wellness, after which participants discussed the issues in small groups. As a result, the discussions with the most follow-through separated into two main themes: (1) offering health programs that will help motivate people to continue utilizing them and (2) business ideas utilizing social health, which is an indicator consisting of criteria such as the status of health behaviors and contribution activities, the willingness to engage in these behaviors and activities, and the maintenance of mental health. The second round will be held from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm on Wednesday, October 26. Those who did not participate in the first round are still also welcomed to join the second round, so please consider participating!
2. Dietary Innovation
The first round of this FCP was held on September 28. The ICF Secretariat shared examples of businesses that can resolve societal issues in dietary fields, including the utilization of sensors and robots, and what an ideal supermarket would look like. Following the presentation, in-person and online participants were separately divided into small groups to discuss topics including the food technologies and legal systems needed to achieve ideal diets. The second round is scheduled to be held from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm on Tuesday, October 25 with a lecture by Nahoko Kusaka, a professor at the Doshisha Women’s College of Liberal Arts, who studies Shared Dining. Those who did not participate in the first round are still also welcomed to join the second round, so please consider participating!
3. Climate Change Measures
The first round of this FCP was held on September 21. The ICF Secretariat began by talking about the necessity for and background of consumer behavior change to achieve carbon neutrality and shared relevant examples. Participants were then divided into small groups to discuss consumer behaviors that would need to be changed to achieve carbon neutrality as well as possible bottlenecks. The participants had a vigorous exchange of views, discussed visualization of individuals’ greenhouse gas emissions, behaviors to reduce them, opportunities for adults to develop environmental awareness. The second round is scheduled to be held from 3:00 pm to 5:15 pm on Friday, October 21. The Secretariat will provide topics based on the results of the first round of discussion, and then participants will discuss specific service proposals. Those who did not participate in the first round are still also welcomed to join the second round, so please consider participating!
Release of Entrepreneurial Stories #21, #22, and #23 of Impactful ICF Members
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 articles is here. (23 articles have been released.)
New articles in Japanese on APTO, Inc., PIAZZA, Inc., and Ridilover Inc. have been released. In English, articles on Aidemy Inc. and Sustainable Lab Inc. have been released. Please take a look!
Upcoming Activities (November)
ICF 2022 Interim Meeting (November 17th)
ICF members are invited to participate in the ICF 2022 Interim Meeting. This meeting will introduce the activities of the ICF Secretariat and members, emphasizing the concept of putting more focus on active co-creation activities.
■Date: 3:00 pm – 4:30 pm on Thursday, November 11, 2022
Note: The ending time is subject to slight change.
■Meeting type: Hybrid (Members can participate online or in person.)
■Agenda (outline)
1. Greetings
2. Keynote speech: Shinichi Kamei, a Research Director at Mitsubishi Research Institute
3. Activity Report for the first half of FY 2022: ICF Secretariat
4. Introduction of BAP 2022 finalists: ICF Secretariat
5. Member pitches (co-creating, corporate, local government, and supporting members)
6. Closing
Note: Participants are welcome to network after the closing remarks.