01Booster to Operate Hyogo Prefecture’s “Hyogo Open Innovation X” in Partnership with Minato Bank

Zero One Booster Inc. (headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director: George Goda; “01Booster”) announced that it will operate the “Hyogo Open Innovation Promotion Project (Hyogo Open Innovation X)” commissioned by Hyogo Prefecture (Kobe City, Hyogo; Governor: Motohiko Saito) in partnership with Minato Bank, Ltd. (head office: Kobe City, Hyogo; President and Representative Director: Hideki Mochimaru). “Hyogo Open Innovation X” is a program for companies in Hyogo Prefecture that provides integrated support from setting new business themes to collaboration with startups and proof-of-concept initiatives, leading to concrete business creation. It is designed for companies seeking to create new businesses and those aiming to transform through external collaboration. Through cooperation with support organizations across the prefecture, the program also aims to build a regional innovation ecosystem where new businesses can be generated continuously. The program will begin with “New Business and Open Innovation Entry Seminars” held in three locations in Hyogo Prefecture: Kobe, Amagasaki, and Himeji. Applications for each seminar are now open. “Hyogo Open Innovation X” aims to support new business creation among companies in Hyogo and promote open innovation as one strategic option. The program offers end-to-end support for organizing business strategies and challenges, designing business models and building hypotheses, matching with startups, and providing hands-on support toward PoC implementation. Rather than merely offering matching opportunities, it is a practical program focused on business creation and aims to build ongoing co-creation relationships between local companies and startups. The entry seminars are intended for companies interested in new business development or startup collaboration. They will cover the fundamentals of new business creation for corporate growth, why open innovation is needed now, how to create businesses through startup collaboration, and practical and failure cases from companies. The seminars will also include simple workshops and discussion opportunities among participants, helping companies clarify their own challenges and gain new perspectives. Participation is recommended for those considering the subsequent “New Business and Open Innovation Strategy Development Program” or “Commercialization and Open Innovation Hands-on Support Program.” The Kobe and Amagasaki sessions will have the same basic entry-seminar content, while the Himeji session will include slightly more practical content compared with the Kobe and Amagasaki sessions. Kobe: July 3, 2026, 15:00-17:00, at Startup Plaza Hyogo (2F, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation Kobe Headquarters Building, 56 Naniwamachi, Chuo-ku, Kobe, Hyogo). Registration: https://hyogox-kobe.peatix.com. Amagasaki: June 19, 2026, 15:00-17:00, at the open innovation hub ARKade (2-27 Kandanakadori, Amagasaki, Hyogo). Registration: https://hyogox-amagasaki.peatix.com. Himeji: Participation on both days is recommended, but attending only one day is also possible. Day 1 will be held on June 16, 2026, 15:00-17:00, and Day 2 on July 6, 2026, 15:00-17:00, at Startup Plaza Hyogo Himeji (3F, Otemae Dainen BLD.II, 127 Honmachi, Himeji, Hyogo). Registration: https://hyogox-himeji.peatix.com. The overall program integrates seminars, lectures, workshops, and individualized hands-on support to help companies gradually develop new businesses and practice open innovation. Participation in all programs is not mandatory; companies may join from the middle depending on their circumstances. The first stage, the entry seminars from June to July 2026, introduces basic concepts and practical cases of new business creation and open innovation, helping companies organize their challenges and direction as a first step toward considering participation in later programs. The second stage, the “New Business and Open Innovation Strategy Development Program,” will run from July to August 2026 at Startup Plaza Hyogo across four sessions. Through lectures and workshops, companies will clarify business themes, design business models, and build collaboration hypotheses with startups. It is a practical program for developing concrete commercialization strategies, not just acquiring knowledge. The third stage, the “Commercialization and Open Innovation Hands-on Support Program,” will run from September 2026 to March 2027, with around 10 companies expected to be selected. It will be conducted primarily online, with in-person meetings and lectures held as needed, approximately once every two weeks. Based on business themes organized in the strategy development program, it will provide individualized support for startup matching, collaboration discussions, and PoC implementation. In addition to new business creation, the program will cover themes such as operational efficiency and digital transformation, aiming to realize co-creation that solves corporate challenges and creates value. 01Booster operates under the corporate philosophy of “changing the world through the power of business creation.” It develops open innovation programs that promote collaboration between large corporations and venture companies, systems and public-call programs that foster internal new business creation, secondment-based business development programs, and more. It also operates Yurakucho “SAAI” Wonder Working Community, a working community that turns individual ideas into reality; 01Booster Studio, which supports entrepreneurship from zero; and InnoScouter, a cloud service for managing startup collaboration. Through its group company 01Booster Capital, it also makes venture investments and supports business creation from multiple angles.