Open Network Lab FUKUOKA 4th Batch – Applications Closed.

Thank you for your applications.

The overview of Open Network Lab FUKUOKA 4th Batch

Program Overview

Vision

Designing our New Context

Open Network Lab FUKUOKA (hereinafter referred to as “Onlab FUKUOKA”) collaborates with a variety of companies including Fukuoka-based companies as partners, and together with startups, aims to form businesses that will realize the smart city and smart life required in the New Context.

Value

OPEN INNOVATION

Opportunities for business creation in the New Normal with Digital Garage and partner companies from various industries.

FUNDING

Providing financing opportunities for program participants.
*Funding is not guaranteed

GLOBAL NETWORK

Access to a support system that utilizes DG’s Internet business, expertise supporting startups, and vast network in Japan and overseas.

LOCALIZATION

Providing support for various PoC implementation and opportunities for network construction that will trigger domestic expansion in Fukuoka.
*We may suggest other cities (such as Tokyo), depending on the resources of Fukuoka city and partner companies.

START UP ECOSYSTEM

With the help of Fukuoka Growth Next, located at the heart of the city, Fukuoka is well equipped to support startups looking to expand—with various initiatives to support startups and plenty of partner resources for PoCs.

Theme

Main Onlab FUKUOKA 4th themes

At Onlab FUKUOKA, through open innovation with various companies,
we aim to create a wide range of businesses in the smart city domain.

Real Estate

  • Creation of next-generation real estate business
  • Services that make use of customer contact
  • Services that improve the satisfaction of residents
  • Housing that accommodates diverse lifestyles
  • Real estate contract transaction business・Efficiency of management work・DX
  • Technologies that enable smart buildings
  • New sales promotion and sales methods using technology
  • Creating new value for commercial facilities by utilizing digital tools
  • Creation of new value by utilizing real estate and digital technology

etc

Urban Development / Smart City

  • Healthy, safe, and secure cities
  • Disaster-resilient cities
  • smart wellness cities
  • creative urban development
  • Services related to stations, railways and railway lines
  • Urban development that will become a hub in Asia
  • New entertainment in town
  • Empty house measures

etc

Healthcare / Life Science

  • Utilization of personal health records
  • Nursing care / life support
  • Disease prediction / prevention
  • Early Screening / Early Testing
  • wellbeing / wellness
  • Creating a society where the elderly can play an active role / Building housing for the elderly
  • Utilization of robotics

etc

Fintech

  • Crypto・Crypto assets
  • Embedded finance
  • Transaction lending
  • Payment for the elderly / Payment for medical institutions
  • Next-generation retail payment
  • Realization of a cashless society
  • BtoB payment
  • Fintech for employees(BtoE)

etc

ESG

  • Climate Tech realizing carbon offset / carbon neutral
  • Utilization of renewable energy
  • Popularization of EV charging facilities
  • Effective use of surplus electricity
  • Circular economy/recycling society
  • Food tech
  • Sustainable and comfortable living, housing
  • Realization of biodiversity
  • 3R (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle)
  • Environmental impact of real estate assets / Lower energy costs
  • Regenerative Architecture

etc

web3 / Metaverse

  • Digital twin
  • Buying and selling real estate on the metaverse
  • Community management in virtual space
  • Social implementation of the metaverse
  • XR x Regional revitalization / Tourism content development
  • Community formation using DAO
  • NFT x Next generation retail payment
  • Creating a sustainable society using ReFi (regenerative finance)

etc

Work・Lifestyle

  • Improving the QOL of residents in collective housing
  • Realization of work-life balance
  • Education/EdTech
  • Watching and experiencing next-generation sports
  • CS improvement for office workers and tenants
  • Local community formation
  • Single support
  • Support for dual-income couples and families
  • Wealthy business

etc

Industry DX

  • Improving the efficiency of the quotation and ordering system
  • Legal compliance and legal tech
  • Labor saving and work efficiency improvement
  • Digitalization of operations
  • Vertical SaaS
  • Cost down
  • SMB/SME support
  • Traceability
  • Quality control and efficiency
  • Matching between vendors
  • Sales promotion support
  • BtoB commercial transaction support

etc

Universe

  • Satellite service
  • Satellite manufacturing
  • Ground equipment
  • Rocket
  • Space exploration and utilization

etc

Regional Revitalization

  • Tourism / Travel
  • Community
  • Promotion of moving to a local area
  • Local business
  • Inbound
  • Local industry creation
  • Local economic contribution

etc

Retail

  • Retail media
  • Dynamic pricing
  • Sustainability x Retail
  • Retail tech
  • Optimization of recommendation logic
  • Shopping app
  • Self checkout
  • Retail DX

etc

Data Utilization

  • Data driven marketing
  • Area data platform
  • Settlement data x carbon offset
  • Utilization of own company data and external data linkage

etc

* These are just examples. We are looking for a wide range of products, services,
and business modelsthat can help solve social issues and create new value.

PROGRAM

The program that aims to implement latest technologies into society through co-creation.

During the program period, we will verify the business idea that combines the service/products you applied for and the resources of our partner, and verify the hypothesis through PoC, aiming for joint commercialization, business alliance, investment, etc.

MENTORING

MENTORING

Experienced professionals in open innovation management will work closely with participating teams to support open innovation management, hypothesis validation, product brush-ups, and pitch practice.

COMMUNITY

COMMUNITY

Through the program, we will provide connections with startups that challenge at the same stage and partner companies including ones in Fukuoka.

SUPPORT

SUPPORT

This program supports the business by forming a business ecosystem with large enterprises, which is difficult for startups to reach. In addition, we will cooperate in various aspects such as PoC and business alliances to create businesses.

BENEFITS

BENEFITS

Many partner companies are cooperating to provide an environment where startups can speed up their business. We offer various benefits such as infrastructure, back office, analysis and recruiting tools.

Funding

FUNDING

Funding for participating startups will be considered in certain cases.
*Funding is not guaranteed. It will only be provided in cases with agreement from both parties.

SCHEDULE

*Schedules may change due to social conditions such as the epidemic of COVID-19 and natural disasters.
*As soon as the consideration of implementation details is completed, co-creation will be carried out for each project.
*The application deadline has been extended from March 31 to April 21.

PARTNERS

PARTNERS

  • SBプレイヤーズ株式会社
  • 東芝テック株式会社
  • 福岡地所株式会社

Supporting Organizations

Global Incubation Stream

We will make the best use of the global network that Digital Garage has built so far to discover and incubate startups that can compete on the global stage from Fukuoka.

Main Office

Fukuoka Growth Next is a public-private joint facility in Fukuoka City that supports startups with ideas to create a prosperous future.

We aim to develop the world into something more hopeful and promising by exchanging various ideas and implement it in an environment specializing in founding support.

※photo by ikunori yamamoto

Application

Take on the challenge with Onlab FUKUOKA

Program Open Network Lab Open FUKUOKA
Deadline 2023/4/21 Fri, Noon (JST)
Participation Requirements
  • The applicant (the “Applicant”) should be a corporation.
  • If research results, patents or other intellectual property rights (the “IPs”) are to be used in the business of the Applicant, the Applicant shall have the rights to use the IPs in its business and shall not infringe the rights of any third party by such use of the IPs.
  • The Applicant is required to participate both of Open Network Lab Open Innovation Program and Open Network Lab FUKUOKA Program (collectively the “Programs”) and shall have skills to plan the validation of the marketability for the creation of new value and/or the exploitation of new market through co-creation with partners of the Programs during the period of the Programs which is approximately six months and to demonstrate the results of such co-creation.
  • If the Applicant has received investment by third party(ies), the Applicant shall have obtained prior consent from such investor(s) to the Applicant’s participation in the Programs.
  • The Applicant’s business shall not violate public policy.
  • The Applicant, or any of its directors, officers, employees or stakeholders shall not be a part of anti-social forces, and shall not have any relationship with anti-social forces.
  • Although the Applicant may apply to the Programs regardless of nationality, age or gender, an Applicant who has nationality other than that of Japan and live in Japan need to be legally qualified to stay in Japan during the period designated by Digital Garage, Inc.(“DG”) and any of their group companies (collectively “DG Group”) in the Programs period.
  • The Applicant who is minor shall have the written consent of their parent or legal guardian.
Terms of Participation
  • The Applicant shall participate both of Open Network Lab Open Innovation Program and Open Network Lab FUKUOKA Program.
    (As Open Network Lab Open Innovation Program 1st batch and Open Network Lab FUKUOKA Program 4th batch are held simultaneously, the Applicant shall not participate only one of such programs. Application for either of the Programs shall be deemed that the Applicant has applied for both Programs.)
  • During the period of the Programs (the “Program Period”), the Applicant shall attend events including online relating to the Programs held by DG.
  • The Applicant shall agree that the result of the coordination for use the assets of the partners of the Programs with DG Group and the partners of the Programs will be taken into consideration through the process of screening.
  • If the Applicant cannot conduct the final report of the result of the proof of concept or the co-creation of the Programs during the Program Period, the Applicant shall agree that the Applicant should conduct such final report in a manner specified by DG even after the Program Period upon DG’s request.
  • The Applicant shall agree that its activities may be posted on the websites or other media designated by DG and DG Group in addition to the official website of Open Network Lab.
  • The Applicant shall appoint the project manager (the “PM”) for participating the Programs. During the Program Period, the Applicant shall ensure that the PM shall concentrate on the business that they have undertaken to conduct in the application for the Programs.
  • When DG Group would like to invest in the Applicant, the Applicant shall agree to have a discussion with DG Group.
  • During the Program Period, if the Applicant are considering a business alliance with or receive investments from a third party, the information shall be shared in advance with DG to enable appropriate support under the Programs, and if DG deems necessary, the Applicant shall have discussions with DG.
  • The Applicant shall submit additional documents for screening or investing by DG and/or DG Group, if requested by DG and/or DG Group.
  • In addition, the Applicant shall comply with other obligations including those regarding the application procedures. Furthermore, the Applicant shall agree to the terms and conditions of participation to be separately designated by DG.
Application Steps
  1. Apply via entry form
  2. Entry Form Screening: Application is evaluated from the perspective of your product, solution, technology, target market and team.
  3. 1st Interview- There will be an online interview with our staff. (We may ask you to have multiple interviews.)
    After passing the interview, mentoring will be conducted before the final interview.
  4. Final Interview Presentation is conducted online to partners of the Programs.
  5. Programs start: The Programs start after matching with the enterprise partners.

Apply

* The application form is common to Onlab Open Innovation.

FAQ

Please go through the FAQ before contacting us

Application-Related Questions

May students/minors be eligible to apply?
You may apply, but once you are confirmed to participate in the program, you will need to establish a company. If you are a minor, you must have the written consent of a parent or guardian.
May one team apply for multiple services?
You may apply for multiple services. However, if you are selected for the first round of interviews, you will be asked to explain multiple services in an interview.
Are there any language specifications for attachments?
You can speak in either English or Japanese
I do not speak Japanese, can I participate in the program?
Japanese is not required as long as you speak English
Can I apply multiple times with the same business idea during the period?
Yes, you can apply multiple times during the period
I applied for the previous program, can I apply again this time?
Yes, you can.
Can I apply even if I am funded by another company?
Yes, you can only if you have the approval of investors.
Are there any restrictions on participation based on funding stage?
There are no restrictions on the amount of raised funds in the past.
Are there any stage restrictions on the startups that are eligible to apply?
There are no restrictions. Regardless of the stage, we welcome any submissions as long as your application aligns with the theme of the call.

About the Interview Process

Are there any language specifications for attachments?
The interview will be conducted in either English or Japanese
Do all members need to attend the interview?
It is not necessary as long as a company representative and those who can explain the services and answer the questions are present.
Can I receive the feedback regarding the screening results?
Unfortunately, we do not give out feedback on application results due to a large number of applications.
How will the interview be conducted?
Interviews are generally conducted online.

Program-Related Questions

Is there a fee to participate in the program?
Participation in the program is free of charge. However, the cost of demonstrations and other experiments conducted during the program will be discussed separately along with the content.
Is it mandatory to accept an investment to participate in the program?
It is not mandatory. There is a case when an agreement is met between the selected startup and Digital Garage Inc., DG group or partner companies based on the request.
If I am selected, will I always be able to execute an experimental demonstration?
We will support as much as we can toward the execution by arranging assets of DG group and partner companies, but there is a case when a consensus cannot be reached.
How do you handle an IP generated by the collaboration during the program?
The ownership of rights such as intellectual property, copyrights (including the rights stipulated in Articles 27 and 28 of the Copyright Act), patent rights, and utility model rights, resulted during the program need to be discussed and decided separately after consultation with Digital Garage Inc., partner companies, and startups.

For other enquiries please contact us through the Contact Form

Apply

* The application form is common to Onlab Open Innovation.

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