Plug and Play Kyoto held its first online EXPO with 1,270 attendees

KYOTO, Japan, May 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Plug and Play Japan KK (Japan office: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, Representative: Phillip Vincent, Hereinafter called; Plug and Play Japan) held its first online EXPO on May 26th for Plug and Play Kyoto's Batch 1 program. Due to the spread of COVID-19, this EXPO was held online where 15 domestic and overseas startups pitched to 1,270 viewers.

This first batch ran from December 2019 to February 2020 and was the first accelerator program of Plug and Play Kyoto, focusing on Hardtech & Health. Together with six corporate partners, this office accepted 15 startups participate. 

The event kicked off with video messages from Governor Nishiwaki of Kyoto Prefecture and Mayor Kadokawa of Kyoto City. In addition, there was a keynote by Mr. Nomoto of GLOBIS CAPITAL PARTNERS, a panel discussion featuring their corporate partners, and virtual startup pitches.

At the end of EXPO, one startup received the "Best Startup Award" (one domestic and one overseas) after receiving votes from the audience throughout the event. Winners will be given exclusive pitching opportunities to select VCs and partners from Plug and Play's Silicon Valley headquarters. One corporation was also given the "Startup Friendly Award" for their dedication to meet with many of the startups during the program.

The award-winning startups were:

"Best domestic startup award"
Company: Atomis Inc.
URL: http://www.atomis.co.jp/
HQ: Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture
Representative: Daisuke Asari
Comment from Representative:
"I was surprised at the sudden award. There were many companies targeting health care, so I thought that everyone would be interested in it. Since we are a material-based startup, it is essential to work with many partners in the future. We would appreciate your help."

"Best overseas startup award"
Company: HoloAsh, Inc. 
URL: https://holoash.com/ 
HQ: California,United States
Representative: Yoshua Kishi
Comment from Representative:
"Thank you for the opportunity this time and for giving me such an honor. We will continue to challenge the development of next-generation artificial intelligence, aiming for a society where people with differences can live in comfort. Thank you for your support!"

"Startup Friendly Award"
Awarded to the corporate partner who received the most votes as "the company that was the easiest to talk with" by the startups in Plug and Play Kyoto Batch 1.
Winner: Dentsu Inc.

About Plug and Play Kyoto
Plug and Play Kyoto is Plug and Play Japan's second base in Japan, and was opened on July 22, 2019 with the founding partner companies (Shimadzu, Kyocera, Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Dentsu).

Plug and Play Kyoto carried out its first acceleration program featuring hard tech/healthcare based on manufacturing and healthcare, which is the strength of Kyoto, in Kyoto Economic Center where supporting organizations including Kyoto Prefecture, Kyoto City, and four business associations, engawa KYOTO which established at Shijo Karasuma, and Kyoto Research Park, which has a track record of supporting businesses. The office of Plug and Play Kyoto is located at engawa KYOTO.

About Plug and Play
Plug and Play is an innovation platform that connects the most innovative startups with the largest corporations in the world. Plug and Play is a world-class global venture capital firm and accelerator that partners with leading companies to support startups with innovative technologies and ideas. It carries out over 60 acceleration programs annually, providing more than 400+ companies with solutions to drive innovations. In addition, it has accelerated 2,000+ startups since inception in 2006. Plug and Play supported more than 500 startups in its US Headquarters and 1,450 startups around the world in 2019. Currently, Plug and Play is active in 16 countries with more than 30 bases. Plug and Play established its Japanese branch in July 2017, with its Tokyo-office.

Corporate Overview
Name    Plug and Play Japan KK
Address    〒150-0043 3F Shibuya Center Place, 1-16-3 Dogenzaka, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
Representative Phillip Vincent
URL        http://japan.plugandplaytechcenter.com/ 
Establishment July 14th, 2017

[ Inquiry regarding this Press Release ]
Plug and Play Japan KK
Person in charge: Ho
TEL : 080-4667-1988 / Mail : [email protected] 

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SOURCE Plug and Play