Toyohashi City to Support Innovative Startups with Grants Awarded to Five Companies
Toyohashi City, Aichi Prefecture, has decided to award the 'Startup Challenge Grant' to five startups aiming for rapid growth in the city. The city will support them with up to 2.5 million yen per company to foster new business creation and revitalization in the region.
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- 📰 Published: May 14, 2026 at 03:00
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Toyohashi City, Aichi Prefecture, has selected the recipients of its 'Startup Challenge Grant,' designed to actively support early-stage startups aiming for rapid growth with a base of operations in the city. From ten applicants from both within and outside the city, five companies were chosen to receive support for their future business growth.
Toyohashi City is promoting an environment where new businesses can emerge by increasing the number of active startups within the city. Accordingly, to generate startups from the region aiming to create businesses in the Toyohashi field and to attract them from all over the country, a grant system was established in fiscal year 2022 to provide financial support in the early stages of entrepreneurship.
The program provides a grant of up to 2.5 million yen per company, open to applicants from anywhere as long as they plan to establish a base in Toyohashi.
In this fourth year, a panel of investors and experienced entrepreneurs rigorously reviewed the 10 applicant companies and selected five as grant recipients.
The five recipient companies and their business outlines are as follows:
**GIVELOVE Inc. (Nagoya City)**
CEO: Aiko Kitagawa
Having won an award in the student division of last year's AgriTech contest, this project will utilize non-standard agricultural products and collaborate with welfare facilities to launch a new food brand.
**CrossMedicine Inc. (Tokushima City)**
CEO: Koga Nakai
Using AI that analyzes the reasons for a baby's cry from its sound, the company will proceed with a demonstration to help prevent postpartum depression and combat isolation.
**PictorLab Inc. (Tokyo)**
CEO: Takuma Okada
The company will conduct a demonstration of a system that non-destructively evaluates the quality of gift fruits like melons and peaches, using a scent sensor and proprietary AI.
**PLANT CASE Inc. (Toyohashi City)**
CEO: Kazue Inaba
A venture originating from the local Toyohashi University of Technology.
The company will develop a next-generation horticulture model business utilizing a 'semi-closed greenhouse' designed to maximize the profitability of CO2 utilization through environmental control based on photosynthesis data.
**Floatmeal Inc. (Sapporo City)**
CEO: Moana Kitamura
Using functional bacterial symbiosis technology, the company will establish a mass production base for the high-protein plant 'duckweed' and build a new business model in collaboration with the local food industry. The company has already established a new base with R&D and production functions in the city, and two employees are scheduled to relocate, indicating their plan to develop their business based in Toyohashi.
The recipient startups are as follows (in alphabetical order).
Toyohashi City is promoting an environment where new businesses can emerge by increasing the number of active startups within the city. Accordingly, to generate startups from the region aiming to create businesses in the Toyohashi field and to attract them from all over the country, a grant system was established in fiscal year 2022 to provide financial support in the early stages of entrepreneurship.
The program provides a grant of up to 2.5 million yen per company, open to applicants from anywhere as long as they plan to establish a base in Toyohashi.
In this fourth year, a panel of investors and experienced entrepreneurs rigorously reviewed the 10 applicant companies and selected five as grant recipients.
The five recipient companies and their business outlines are as follows:
**GIVELOVE Inc. (Nagoya City)**
CEO: Aiko Kitagawa
Having won an award in the student division of last year's AgriTech contest, this project will utilize non-standard agricultural products and collaborate with welfare facilities to launch a new food brand.
**CrossMedicine Inc. (Tokushima City)**
CEO: Koga Nakai
Using AI that analyzes the reasons for a baby's cry from its sound, the company will proceed with a demonstration to help prevent postpartum depression and combat isolation.
**PictorLab Inc. (Tokyo)**
CEO: Takuma Okada
The company will conduct a demonstration of a system that non-destructively evaluates the quality of gift fruits like melons and peaches, using a scent sensor and proprietary AI.
**PLANT CASE Inc. (Toyohashi City)**
CEO: Kazue Inaba
A venture originating from the local Toyohashi University of Technology.
The company will develop a next-generation horticulture model business utilizing a 'semi-closed greenhouse' designed to maximize the profitability of CO2 utilization through environmental control based on photosynthesis data.
**Floatmeal Inc. (Sapporo City)**
CEO: Moana Kitamura
Using functional bacterial symbiosis technology, the company will establish a mass production base for the high-protein plant 'duckweed' and build a new business model in collaboration with the local food industry. The company has already established a new base with R&D and production functions in the city, and two employees are scheduled to relocate, indicating their plan to develop their business based in Toyohashi.
The recipient startups are as follows (in alphabetical order).