AGRI TECH

Agritech Grand Prix 2021

Standing up for solutions to society's problems
Food, agriculture, environment, water resources, biomass, etc.
We implement the technologies and thoughts of entrepreneurs and researchers in the agri-tech field into society together.

NEWS

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2023/06/13 Agritech Grand Prix 2023 Entry Seminar was held.

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ABOUT

Outline of the event

point (e.g. of a statement)

Scientific and technological "seeds" are being created in universities, research institutes, and corporate laboratories, but it takes a lot of effort before they sprout into practical applications. The "Tech Planter," organized by LIVERNESS and its partners, is an ecosystem that aims to serve as a planter to discover these seeds and help them sprout into business. The Agri-Tech Grand Prix 2021 is a program aimed at discovering and fostering technological seeds and entrepreneurs in the real tech field (food, agriculture, environment, water resources, biomass, etc.).

Related Grand Prix :. Agritech Grand Prix List

subject (of taxation, etc.)

Those who have a vision to change the world or improve the world based on the technological seeds in the real tech field and have a will to establish or develop a new business.
Individuals and teams are both welcome to participate, even before incorporation.
No limitation on the number of years of establishment, even if you are already a corporation. Even if you are close to mass production or PMF establishment, if you are planning to collaborate with partner companies, etc., it is acceptable.

Application Theme

Food production for 5 billion people in Asia

Application period

Monday, March 1, 2021 - Friday, July 9, 2021

Screening Criteria

A panel of judges composed of LIVERNESS and its partners will review the following items

01novelty (patentability)
02feasibility
03Are you going to change the world?
04passion

commendation

Grand Prize: (300,000 yen cash prize + right to receive 5 million yen business investment) 1
Corporate Prize: (200,000 yen) Approximately 10 prizes will be awarded.

SCHEDULE

Schedule

3/1[MON]: Entry Start

this way (direction close to the speaker or towards the speaker)Please register as a member and fill out the web form to apply. We also hold information sessions at universities and on an individual basis to encourage determination to enter and to teach tips on how to prepare documents. Please feel free to contact us for more information.

6/26[SAT]: kickoff

RIVANES and its partners, as well as entered teams, will meet and mingle.
Business consultation and partnership development with each other will be available. Participation or lack of participation on the day of the event will not be considered.

7/12[MON]: 1st round: Application Screening

A panel of judges composed of LIVERNESS and its partners will review the documents.
You will be asked to submit information about your team, skills, passions, and vision for the future via web form and video.
All applicants will be notified of the screening results and provided with feedback on their applications.
In addition, individual interviews (also online) for presentation review will be conducted for those who wish to participate.

8monthfirst 10 days of month: Finalists determined

Interviews will be held for applicants who pass the document screening to brush up their presentations for the final round.
In addition, meetings can be set up with partner companies for the purpose of business consultation and developing partnerships.

9/18[SAT]: Agritech Grand Prix

The 12 finalist teams that pass the document screening will be screened for presentation.

10Month～: Matching Support Period

After the Demo Day, the contact point between the venture and LIBANES will continue to be open for discussions on commercialization.
We handle a wide range of start-up issues, from incorporation to prototype development, financing, R&D, and more.
In addition, collaborative matching between ventures and partner companies has become more active to support business development.

PARTNER

ASSET

asset

ASSET01Riverness Communicator
ASSET02Partners
ASSET03Professional Supporter
ASSET04superfactory group

SUPPORT

Support

SUPPORT01Organize the purpose and vision of starting a business
SUPPORT02Brush up on your presentation
SUPPORT03Providing opportunities for business company collaboration
SUPPORT04Support for R&D and prototype development
SUPPORT05Support for knowledge and IP strategies
SUPPORT06finance

DEMO DAY

Grand Prix Outline

Grand Prix Name

Agritech Grand Prix 2021

Location

Center of Garage (1-16-3 Yokogawa, Sumida-ku, Tokyo)

Date & Time

Saturday, September 18, 2021, 13:00-19:00

Application period

Monday, March 1, 2021 - Friday, July 9, 2021

Participation Target

Held on a closed, pre-registration basis (finalists, partner companies, professional supporters, Super Factory Group)

organizing

LIVERNESS Corporation

timeline

12:30-13:00: inauguration
13:00-13:30: Greetings from the Organizer
13:30～16:50: Final Selection Presentations (Presenter①~⑫)
16:50-17:50: Review Time
17:50-19:00: Announcement of Judging Results and Award Ceremony

JUDGE

judge

head judge
Representative Director, President and COO, Liverness, Inc.
Shuichiro Takahashi

He joined RIVANES from the time of its establishment and launched the educational material development business and the agri-business. After completing graduate school, while continuing his research activities as a faculty member at the University of Tokyo, he established a research institute at RIVANESS and built the foundation of the R&D business. In 2010, he became Representative Director of RIVANESS.
General Manager, Business Incubation Department, Innovation Center, Kubota Corporation
Katsushi Tsujimura

Born in Hyogo Prefecture, he joined Sharp Corporation in 1993, where he was engaged in overseas business, business planning, marketing, etc. He joined Kubota Corporation in 2013. He joined Sharp Corporation in 1993, where he was engaged in overseas business, business planning, marketing, etc. He joined Kubota Corporation in 2013, where he worked in new business planning and business management. After working in new business planning and business management, he joined the newly established Innovation Center in June 2019 to engage in open innovation activities in the areas of food, water, and the environment.
Specialist, Manufacturing Support Department, KOBASHI ROBOTICS Co.

Hiroaki Kurihara

After working for a domestic home appliance manufacturer (vacuum cleaners, new business manager, etc.) and an overseas electronics manufacturer (commercial air conditioners), he worked for a drone venture. After working on a prototype at a venture company, he joined KOBASHI in 2020. He has been a mechanical engineer for his entire career, from planning to mass production, and since joining KOBASHI, he has supported several manufacturing ventures.
Suntory Global Innovation Center LimitedDirector of Research Promotion Dept.
Koichi Nakahara

In 1988, he completed a master's degree in fermentation science at the Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyushu University, and joined Suntory Ltd. in the same year. He has been engaged mainly in new technology development work, from basic research on polyphenols and material development to the development of new technologies and raw materials that form the basis of alcoholic beverage products and beverage products. D. in Agriculture, and received the Society of Chemical Engineers of Japan Award for Technology in 2004. Visiting professor at Tokyo University of Agriculture.
Managing Executive Officer, Sigmaxis Inc.
Smart Kitchen Summit Japan Organizer
Director, General Incorporated Association SPACE FOODSPHERE
Hirotaka Tanaka

After working for Panasonic, he worked for McKinsey & Company for 8 years, mainly in the high-tech and telecommunications industries, where he was involved in growth strategy planning and execution, M&A, new business development, and venture collaboration. In 2005, he joined Sigmaxyz and in the same year, he launched Smart Kitchen Summit Japan, aiming to create a new industry through the formation of a food-based business co-creation ecosystem. He has given numerous lectures in Japan and abroad, including at the Smart Kitchen Summit (SKS) in the U.S., and is actively involved in disseminating information through the media. He is the editor of "The Future of Food Tech" (Nikkei BP Research Institute, Inc., 2006) and co-author of "Food Tech Revolution" (Nikkei BP, Inc., 2008).
Special Manager, Business Design Strategy Department, Sompo Japan Insurance Inc.
Yusuke Shigesumi

After joining the company in 1996, mainly engaged in the start-up and development of overseas business. He has been stationed in Russia, Indonesia, Germany, and Singapore. The last two years he was stationed in Israel, where he was engaged in scouting and business matching for startups with cutting-edge technology. He is working on launching a new business that will be the next pillar of revenue after the insurance business, nursing care business, and overseas business.
President and Representative Director, Focus Systems, Inc.
Keiichi Mori

After graduating from the Faculty of Commerce at Keio University in 1989, he joined Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Co. After working at a tax accounting firm, he joined Focus Systems Inc. in 1998. He utilized his previous experience to support the company from the accounting side, and was appointed as a director in 2006 and as a managing director in 2009. He served as Managing Director, General Manager of the Administration Division and General Manager of the Corporate Planning Office, and was appointed President and Representative Director of the Company in April 2011.
Managing Executive Officer, General Manager of Marketing Division, Mitsui Chemicals Agro Inc.
Yosuke Azuma

He joined Mitsui Petrochemical Industries, Ltd. (now Mitsui Chemicals, Inc.) in 1991, where he was involved in plant biotechnology research and then in the agrochemical business from 2005. After working in the agrochemical business since 2005, he joined Mitsui Chemicals Agro Inc. in 2009, where he worked in the R&D, Corporate, and Overseas Sales Divisions before assuming his current position in 2020. He is responsible for the search and development of new businesses following the agrochemical business. During his four years in the Overseas Sales Division, he was stationed in Thailand for two and a half years.
Chief, NV & Technology Strategy Management Department, Technology & Research Division, Yamaha Motor Co.
Jun Daito

Worked in new product planning/development, new business planning/development, and business restructuring operations at Mitsubishi Motors Corporation, Nikon Corporation, and Nikon Metrology UK, and joined Yamaha Motor Corporation in April 2021.
Executive Officer CTO, Euglena Co.
Kengo Suzuki

Born in 1979, he founded Euglena in 2005 while studying for a master's degree at the Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, University of Tokyo, and was appointed as a director of the company. He is a team leader of the Microalgae Production Control Technology Research Team at RIKEN, a visiting professor at the Malaysian-Japanese International Institute of Technology, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, and a visiting professor at Tohoku University's Graduate Program of Excellence in Future Medical Care. He is the author of "Dr. Green Beetle's Super Entrepreneurial Thinking" (Nikkei BP).

FINALIST

finalist

SIGMAXIS Award

TOWING Co.

Representative] Kohei Nishida

Development of "Space Farm," a circular veggie production center
Highly functional soil that can artificially reproduce soil functionality to achieve highly efficient and sustainable agriculture. This soil provides organic precision cultivation, high disease resistance, and improved functionality of the crops produced, and the use of plant charcoal provides a carbon negative effect.
Mitsui Chemicals Award

JTF Farms, Inc.

Representative] Taku Furukawahara

Small weeding drone frees farmers from the hard work of weeding.
Small land-based drones capable of unmanned autonomous travel will be used to improve the efficiency of weeding, a burdensome task in field crop agriculture. By making good use of robots, farmers will be able to realize a world in which sustainable agriculture is possible.
Yamaha Motor Award

NEXTAGE Corporation

Representative] Takuya Nakamura

Wasabi cultivation in a plant factory using remote cultivation management technology
The company will commercialize wasabi cultivation in a plant factory using remote cultivation management and growth promotion methods that utilize environmental sensors and image recognition technology. The digital management technology developed for wasabi cultivation will be applied to other plant cultivation, with the aim of realizing mobile agriculture.
Kiryu Electronic Development LLC

Representative] Kazuya Kogure

Development of non-destructive plant biosensor
Developed a sensor that uses near-infrared light to detect displacement of plant organisms non-destructively and in real time. The number of new farmers entering the farming industry will be improved by quantifying the intuition and experience of farming techniques, solving the problem of succession through the clarification of farming techniques, and lowering the entry barrier for new farmers.
Focus Systems Award

KAWAMURA &Co.,LTD.

Representative] Yoichiro Kawamura

Development of antibiotic-free feed using plant-derived tannins
Antibiotics are constantly added to livestock feed, causing a problem of resistant bacteria. In the course of our integrated business from leather to meat, we developed a feed additive made from plant-derived tannin as an alternative to antibiotics.
Kubota Award / Sompo Japan Award

FeelSensing

Representative] Kensuke Kageyama

Monitoring of plant and other activities by ultrasonic AE sensing
It captures sounds (AE) generated by the flow of water inside plant stems and respiration of microorganisms, and reads the responses of organisms to human management such as watering and temperature control. This technology will contribute to optimal, energy- and labor-saving plant cultivation and fermentation management.
Mucola

Representative] Kosuke Amma

Development of non-destructive instrument for analyzing tea leaf constituents
Determining the best time to pick tea leaves is difficult and relies on intuition and experience. We aim to solve the problems of the tea industry and also to expand the use of this technology to agriculture as a whole by developing an inexpensive, hand-held device that can be used at production sites, specifying analysis items such as fiber content, moisture, amino acids, etc.
Grand Prize / KOBASHI Award / Euglena Award

Pollen Factory

Representative] Yoshihiro Takemura

Aiming to establish a new industry called "pollen business
Artificial pollination is necessary for many types of fruit tree production, but collecting pollen for pollination is labor-intensive and relies heavily on imports. By developing a new tree shape and a large-size pollen-collection machine, the company aims to establish a new industry, the domestic pollen business.
ReSep.

Representative] Takeshi Sato

Recovery of Useful Components from Unused Resources by Environmentally Harmonious Solvents
Using high-pressure carbon dioxide and water, which are environmentally friendly solvents, useful components are extracted from various natural products. Using the same technology, they have recovered useful components from strawberry leaves and saucers, green coffee beans, and bean curd, and are also attempting to mass-produce useful components using moss.
TSBS: Total Soil Boundary Solution

Representative] Tomoyoshi Nishimura

The Challenge of Seeding Soil Diagnostic Technology
Apply originally developed measuring equipment and measuring technology to measure, diagnose, and classify moisture content, air pressure, shape, permeability, humidity, etc. Challenge to build a proposal-based soil database to meet the needs of agriculture, construction, and other fields.
Suntory Prize

Polymer Laboratory

Representative] Takeshi Namikoshi

Polymer coating of seeds to reduce the burden of agricultural work
A seed coating that enables seeding during the winter off-season is under development. This coating will not germinate during winter, but the coating will be removed in spring and germinate at the same time as conventional seeding, aiming to reduce the manpower and workload of farmers during the busy farming season.
Real Tech Fund Award

cyanology

Representative] Takashi Osanai

Development of Cyanobacteria de-fossil fuel technology
The goal is to produce succinic acid using cyanobacteria. Succinic acid, a raw material for food and bioplastics, is currently produced from petroleum. By using cyanobacteria, we aim to establish a production system for succinic acid that does not rely on fossil fuels, thereby solving the resource problem.