[Deadline: April 12, 2026] Seeking Entrepreneurs to Build the Future of Water: ARUN Seed Hosts Social Investment Competition '7th CSI Challenge'

The non-profit organization ARUN Seed (Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo; Representative: Satoko Kono; hereinafter "ARUN") is hosting the "7th CSI Challenge," a social investment business competition aimed at realizing a nature-positive society starting from water, and is accepting applications from domestic and international entrepreneurs until Sunday, April 12, 2026.

This challenge utilizes ARUN's unique mechanism of raising funds through crowdfunding to provide investment and ongoing support to selected entrepreneurs. To date, ARUN has conducted CSI Challenges focused on social issues such as gender equality and biodiversity. In total, approximately 464 social entrepreneurs from 40 countries have participated.

This Year's Theme: [New Prosperity Created by Nature's Regeneration: Passing on the Blessings of Water to the Next Generation]

We have received the abundant "blessings of water" from previous generations. While water is the foundation of our "prosperity"—including our physical health, culture, and society—these blessings are now facing a crisis due to depletion and pollution.

In response to these challenges, businesses practiced on the ground by entrepreneurs with innovative ideas centered on water have the potential to simultaneously realize physical health, mental well-being, community self-reliance, and the recovery and regeneration of nature. We believe that passing on the blessings of water to the next generation will lead to the realization of a sustainable society.

In this year's CSI Challenge, we are seeking diverse entrepreneurial ideas across seven industrial sectors starting from "water," including water resource conservation and regeneration, water and health, water and food, water and local communities, and water and livelihoods.

<CSI Challenge 7 Implementation Overview>

Business Competition - Theme: "New Prosperity Created by Nature's Regeneration: Passing on the Blessings of Water to the Next Generation" - Application Deadline: April 12, 2026, at 23:59 (Japan Standard Time) - Eligibility: Applicants must be business entities with legal status, domestic or international, working to solve social issues related to biodiversity and nature regeneration starting from water. Please check the application guidelines for detailed requirements. - Selection Criteria: Effectiveness in solving problems, social impact, sustainability, innovation, etc. - How to Apply: Please check the application guidelines on the official page and apply. CSI Challenge 7 | NPO ARUN Seed (https://www.arunseed.jp/csichallenge7) - Sponsors/Supporters: - Deloitte Tohmatsu Group (Main Sponsor) - MS&AD Unison Smile Club - Mizuho Securities Co., Ltd. - Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)

Through this challenge, ARUN will support entrepreneurs who are taking on the challenge of solving social issues starting from water.

We will continue to expand our support for businesses that balance the regeneration of nature with the resolution of social issues, aiming to create new businesses for the realization of a sustainable society.