From the Greetings from the President of the Jury, Deep Tech Grand Prix 2023
Jyo Inoue, President and CCO, Liverness, Inc.
The space industry is becoming more accessible.
Hello everyone.
Each year, we conduct the Tech Planter in seven different areas. Since we start with Deep Tech, I am always the first to address the jury as the head of the jury in this way, but I believe this will be the last time I will do so. Next year, I am planning to launch a new area. Therefore, as the head of the jury for the deep tech area, I would like to talk about what I would like to tell you to the fullest extent today.
What I would like to share with you, is the "Universe". It may sound abrupt. Why space? How do you view the field of space? Twenty-one years ago, when we launched Liverace, space was a frontier area, and there was a lot of talk about going to space with a dream.
But now, what we call the space industry or the space tech industry is already coming closer to us. For example, a space venture called ispace Inc. went public the other day. The market capitalization of 130 billion yen shows the high expectations for space. In other words, even space is now becoming deep tech for solving problems for the earth and humanity. Such an era has arrived.
Accelerate "Knowledge Manufacturing" with Question and Passion
We are always thinking about what we must do in this new era, and RIVANES is always thinking about that. In this context, RIVANES has updated its corporate brand this year.
So far we have built a "knowledge platform": we founded LIVERNESS in 2002 with the idea of building a group of friends 10 years from now, and to convey the fun of research to them. Since then, we have been working harder than anyone else to build this platform by bringing together colleagues who work together, colleagues who do research, and colleagues from various companies that are involved in the project. We are still expanding.
On this platform that we have built, we will now gather knowledge, connect knowledge with knowledge, and create new knowledge. We will then use this knowledge to solve unsolved problems. This is what we intend to do. We call this "knowledge manufacturing," and in June 2023, RIVERNESS changed its corporate brand from "RIVERNESS, the knowledge platform" to "RIVERNESS, the knowledge manufacturing company.
What we need to do in the new era is to manufacture knowledge. We are determined to make knowledge manufacturing our livelihood and grow in the coming years. Knowledge manufacturing" is a term we coined. We want to turn this into a business and make it sustainable. That is why we are gathering our friends in this Tech Planter. Our partners, our supporters, and the finalists we are presenting today.
As you know, there are still many unresolved issues in the world. I am sure that all of the finalists will be presenting their big challenges and the ways to solve them. On the other hand, these unsolved issues cannot be easily solved with a single technology. Therefore, unsolved issues, or "deep issues," are to be solved by "deep tech," a collection of science and technology. The place to realize this is Tech Planter.
Tech Planter is not a business contest. We want to solve unsolved problems. We hope that the finalists will also create a collective body of science and technology here and push forward to solve the issues. The members of RIVANESS want to work with the finalists to manufacture knowledge, and we are here today with that determination.
More than 2,000 teams have already entered the Tech Planter in Japan alone, and more than 1,300 teams from Southeast Asia. The scale of the program is getting bigger and bigger as the funds that move around are getting bigger and bigger, and what we can do with them is getting bigger and bigger. Let's create a scientific and technological collective here and go out to solve deep issues.
So, what do you, the participants, need to solve problems and change the world? It is a "Quesution" and "Passion". The sense of urgency, or "Quesution," that you have discovered by seriously confronting the world, and the passion, or "Passion," that you are the ones who will solve the problems. These two are extremely important when starting out, and they will guide our actions.
Dear finalists. Today, we invite you to share your thoughts, why you started your company, what you want to solve, and your passion for what you are going to do!
Judges. Please trust your instincts and dive into this knowledge manufacturing site. We are part of the team. We are not here to evaluate the finalists' presentations, but to seriously consider what we can do in response.
And all the communicators at Liberace. We are the leaders in knowledge manufacturing to change the world. Let's take leadership and give birth to world-changing projects from here.
A new era is finally here. I am convinced that we can really create a new deep tech from here. The 7 areas of tech planters starting with this deep tech today. We will continue to advance knowledge manufacturing here. Thank you all for your cooperation today.
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