Toyohashi City Supports Startups Developing Innovative Businesses, Grants Awarded to 5 Companies

Toyohashi City, Aichi Prefecture, has decided on the recipients of its "Startup Challenge Grant," which actively supports early-stage startups aiming for rapid growth with a base of operations within the city. Five companies were selected from 10 applicants from both within and outside the city, and their future business growth will be supported.

Toyohashi City is promoting the creation of an environment where new businesses can emerge by increasing the number of active startups within the city. To this end, a grant system was established in fiscal year 2022 to financially support early-stage startups, aiming to foster local startups that seek to create businesses in Toyohashi and attract them from across the country.

The program offers a maximum of 2.5 million yen per company, regardless of whether they are currently located within or outside the city, provided they plan to establish a base in Toyohashi City.

For this, the fourth year, investors and experienced entrepreneurs rigorously screened the 10 applicant companies, and 5 were selected as grant recipients.

The 5 grant recipients and an overview of their businesses are as follows:

GIVELOVE Inc. (Nagoya City) Representative Director: Aiko Kitagawa Last year, the company won an award in the student division of the Agri-tech Contest. In this project, they will utilize off-spec agricultural products and collaborate with welfare facilities to launch a new food brand.

Crossmedicine Inc. (Tokushima City) Representative Director: Koga Nakai They will conduct a demonstration project using AI to analyze baby cries to determine the reason for crying, aiming to prevent postpartum depression and address isolation.

PictorLab Inc. (Tokyo) Representative Director: Takuma Okada They will demonstrate a non-destructive quality evaluation system for gift fruits such as melons and peaches, using scent sensors and proprietary AI.

PLANT CASE Inc. (Toyohashi City) Representative Director: Kazue Inaba A venture originating from Toyohashi University of Technology, located in Toyohashi. They will develop a next-generation protected horticulture model utilizing "semi-closed greenhouses" designed to maximize the profitability of CO2 utilization based on photosynthesis data.

Floatmeal Inc. (Sapporo City) Representative Director: Moana Kitamura They will establish a mass production base for the high-protein aquatic plant "duckweed" using functional bacteria symbiosis technology, and further build new business models in collaboration with the local food industry. They have already opened a new research and development and production base in Toyohashi City, and two employees are scheduled to relocate, indicating their intention to develop their business from Toyohashi.

The grant recipients are listed below (in Japanese alphabetical order).