1 Million Yen Grant Awarded to Winners: Call for Entries for the 13th Maruwa Social Business Award!

The Maruwa Ikushikai Foundation (Suginami-ku, Tokyo; Chairman: Tadao Hashimoto) will be accepting applications for the "13th Maruwa Social Business Award" from Wednesday, April 1, 2026, to Sunday, May 31, 2026. The Maruwa Social Business Award aims to support and nurture entrepreneurs who strive to achieve a "balance between ambition and wealth," meaning the pursuit of social contribution and the necessary profit to sustain it. The foundation provides intellectual support for business plan development to applicants and awards a grant of 1 million yen each to five winners. Application guidelines can be found here: https://maruwa-ikushi.org/socialbusiness/recruitment-requirements/ ◆ About the Maruwa Social Business Award Maruwa Ikushikai promotes its social business support program based on the following policies: 1) To provide intellectual and financial support to individuals who plan and conceive social businesses that contribute to society, and who aim for sustainable growth through impactful entrepreneurship and management, as well as the strengthening and development of their own ambitions. 2) To deepen the understanding of the relationships between individuals, organizations, society, and the world through the actions of thinking for oneself, building a network of peers, and putting ideas into practice, while deepening personal and organizational connections centered on "practical wisdom," "comprehensive wisdom," and "human capability." Launched in 2014, the Maruwa Social Business Award has been presented to 60 ambitious entrepreneurs over the past 12 years. In line with Maruwa Ikushikai's guiding principle of "think for yourself, build a network of peers, and put ideas into practice," we look forward to applications from those who wish to actively utilize opportunities such as individual consultations with intellectual mentors to re-examine their new projects and refine them with bold concepts. [Eligibility Requirements] Applicants must meet all of the following conditions: - Individuals who agree with the purpose of the call for entries, the philosophy of Maruwa Ikushikai, and the concept of social business, and who intend to actually launch a new project. Maruwa Ikushikai Philosophy: https://maruwa-ikushi.org/profile/philosophy/ Social Business Concept: https://maruwa-ikushi.org/socialbusiness/concept/ - ELPASO members (membership and annual fees are free) About the ELPASO Association: https://maruwa-ikushi.org/elpaso/outline/ Membership procedures: https://maruwa-ikushi.org/elpaso/membership/ [Application Overview] Application Period: April 1, 2026 (Wed) to May 31, 2026 (Sun) at 17:00 Number of Recipients: 5 individuals Grant Amount: 1 million yen per person Selection Criteria: Ambition, intelligence, and human capability; originality, persuasiveness, and concreteness Schedule: First round of selection on June 13, 2026 (Sat) online; Final selection on October 17, 2026 (Sat) online Award Ceremony: Scheduled for December 5, 2026 (Sat) from 13:00 at a hotel in Tokyo Application Guidelines: https://maruwa-ikushi.org/socialbusiness/recruitment-requirements/ <13th Maruwa Social Business Award Winners (Fiscal Year 2025)> - Junya Sano: Realizing connected healthcare through an MRI sharing service (Seamr Inc., https://www.seamr.co.jp/) - Yu Shinagawa: Practical D&I talent development program "Cross-Cultural Mentoring MILE" (An-Nahal Inc., https://an-nahal.com/mile) - Yoko Takasaki: "Doboku Sensei" (Civil Engineering Teacher), a new mechanism for infrastructure maintenance and management (Co-Creative Inc., https://www.co-creative.co.jp/services-2) - Kenshin Nakano: Historical audio content map "GURURI" (Gururi Inc., https://www.gururi-inc.com/) - Ryuichi Nishikawa: Cancer treatment diary sharing app "ribbons" (Ribbons Base Inc., https://ribbonsbase.com/) - Koichiro Miyake: Cultivating the culture of "Jochu," a third type of Japanese sake aimed at revitalizing sake breweries (Naorai Inc., https://naorai.co/) A list of past Maruwa Social Business Award winners can be viewed here: https://maruwa-ikushi.org/socialbusiness/award-winners/ Social business is defined as "business aimed at solving social issues." When people hear about businesses that solve social issues such as "environmental problems," "discrimination," or "poverty," they often think of non-profit organizations like NPOs or NGOs. However, the social business we support is significantly different from these. It is an absolute requirement that the business generates its own revenue rather than relying on donations. In other words, it is defined as "a business that contributes continuously to the resolution of social issues while earning money as a business." Is such a thing possible? At Maruwa Ikushikai, we are exploring the answer to that question together with you through our social business support program. We introduce our definition of social business, including videos, here: https://maruwa-ikushi.org/socialbusiness/concept/ ◆ About the Maruwa Ikushikai Foundation Maruwa Ikushikai is a public interest incorporated foundation that began its scholarship grant program in 1975. Later, it added a social business support program, and we plan to continue both of these programs in the future. The ultimate goal of both programs is for everyone to strive for self-growth throughout their lives, centered on intelligence and human capability, to get social business projects on track, and to realize a rich life and a rich society. We celebrated our 50th anniversary in 2025. The ELPASO Association is a free individual membership organization that supports these activities. Please visit our website for our two basic business policies. About Maruwa Ikushikai: https://maruwa-ikushi.org/about/ Guiding Principle: Think for yourself, build a network of peers, and put ideas into practice. Address: Naito Building 202, 3-33-18 Hamadayama, Suginami-ku, Tokyo Chairman: Tadao Hashimoto Established: December 1974 Website: https://maruwa-ikushi.org/ [Inquiries regarding this matter] Maruwa Ikushikai Foundation Secretariat e-mail: info@elpaso.or.jp