24 technology startups from Asian countries and regions to compete for the 11th AEA 2022 Innovation Award

Chiba, Japan –(Business Wire–The Asian Entrepreneurship Awards Steering Committee has announced that the Asia Entrepreneurship Awards 2022 event (AEA 2022) will be held online from Wednesday, October 26 to Thursday, October 27. Now in their eleventh year, the Asia Entrepreneurship Awards recognize and reward innovation among innovative entrepreneurs and technology startups across Asia.

AEA 2022 selected 24 startups from across Asia that provide solutions in the areas of healthcare, work and lifestyle and sustainability, all of which have become key issues globally. At the event, startups present business presentations showcasing their services and products, and winners are selected based on various criteria. These include innovations, the social and economic impact of their products and services, their commercial viability, the possibility of cooperation with Japanese companies, and the possibility of business expansion in Japan. In addition, a social business session will be held at the same time, where startups who follow the seven principles of social business proposed by Dr. Muhammad Yunus will effectively exchange business ideas to solve social problems.

In addition, Iwao Yoshino, CEO of Microwave Chemical Co., which will be listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Growth Market in June 2022, will give a special speech on the 27th.

Please visit https://aea2022online.peatix.com/ for event details

Expertly approved tech startups receive 1.5 months of mentoring sessions to accelerate their entry into the Japanese market

In the year Since its inception in 2012, AAA has provided a platform for promising innovators and startups from rapidly developing countries and Asia to showcase business ideas and technologies aimed at solving social issues.

To date, a total of 247 technology startups from 16 countries and regions in Greater Asia have participated in AEA events. All applicants are selected by key institutions such as the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) and the University of Tokyo, as well as incubators, accelerators, universities and other institutions that support start-up companies in their respective countries and regions.

Requiring participants to be willing to enter the Japanese market or cooperate with Japanese companies, AEA also provides close support by matching participating startups with Japanese companies. The AEA 2022 event will feature several initiatives to further accelerate collaboration between Japanese companies and participating startups.

One such initiative is to provide mentoring sessions from a group of venture capital firms and accelerator mentors in Japan in the 1.5 months prior to the event. This is expected to give participants a better understanding of the market and enhance their cooperation with Japanese partners.

Also, as AEA 2021 participants did, matchmaking and online interviews will be introduced among participating startups and Japanese companies in various ways, such as by encouraging participating companies, sponsors, candidates and others to connect with each other using the Slack communication platform.

In addition, the capital limit, one of the entry requirements, has been increased from $1 million to $3 million. This reflects the high level of investment in seed and early-stage startups in recent years, and the EEA is expected to attract companies with better governance structures, leading to more realistic business partnerships with Japanese companies.

New this year: a social business session on solving social problems in business

The social business session based on the seven principles of social business proposed by Dr. Muhammad Yunus is being held and 4 companies have been selected in this category. Dr. Muhammad Yunus was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006 for his contribution to poverty alleviation and peace in Bangladesh by establishing the Grameen Bank and providing microcredit for the poor to become self-sufficient. Today, he continues to promote social business by working with many organizations to solve social issues in business. AEA, in partnership with Yunus Japan, will also judge startups’ business ideas based on the seven principles of social business.

The participating companies of the EEA are invited to the online event of the Innovation Leaders Summit

The Innovation Summit (ILS), initiated by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, aims to create global innovation by matching the assets of large companies with the ideas and technology of startups, and is one of the largest open innovation. A conference in Asia attended by 700 startups and over 100 major Japanese companies. Starting this year, 247 companies that have previously participated in the AEA have been invited to participate in the ILS Online Match Event, which will continue to support startups entering the Japanese market.