Stayway and Hiroshima Shinkin Bank Commence Business Partnership to Enhance Grant Utilization Support through Grant Cloud, Boosting Sustainable Growth for Hiroshima Prefecture Businesses

Stayway Inc. (Headquarters: Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture, CEO: Jun Sato, hereinafter "Stayway"), the operator of Grant Cloud, has initiated a business partnership with Hiroshima Shinkin Bank (Headquarters: Hiroshima City, Hiroshima Prefecture, Chairman: Takeshi Kawakami) with the aim of strengthening support for grant utilization among regional small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). This partnership will combine the extensive network of Hiroshima Shinkin Bank within the region with Stayway's expertise in grant utilization support, aiming to build a support system that maximizes the use of grants as a means for growth investment, thereby fostering the sustainable growth and enhanced competitiveness of SMEs in Hiroshima Prefecture. Background of the Business Partnership While Hiroshima Prefecture is home to many SMEs possessing high technological capabilities, particularly in the automotive and manufacturing industries, they face increasingly complex management challenges such as the sophistication of capital investment, venturing into new business areas, and addressing labor shortages. Furthermore, amidst rising raw material prices and the demands for decarbonization and DX promotion, the need to strategically utilize grants for growth investment is growing year by year. To meet these needs, it is becoming increasingly important to provide not just information on systems and application support, but also comprehensive, hands-on support that leverages external advanced expertise, extending to the formulation of business plans.

Under its mission to "unleash the potential of SMEs and regions," Stayway has been strengthening grant utilization support for regional businesses by promoting collaboration with regional financial institutions, local governments, and tax accountants through Grant Cloud. Additionally, Stayway was selected for the "Hiroshima Unicorn 10" acceleration program hosted by the Hiroshima Prefectural Government, and has been building its business foundation and expanding its support system in Hiroshima Prefecture through collaborative projects and demonstration initiatives with companies within the prefecture.

It was determined that by combining these achievements and know-how from Grant Cloud with the broad network that Hiroshima Shinkin Bank possesses with regional businesses, a more effective support system could be established, leading to this partnership. Overview of the Business Partnership Through this partnership, a system will be established where Stayway will provide grant utilization support to Hiroshima Shinkin Bank's customers using Grant Cloud, in response to grant-related consultations received by the bank. This will enable customers to receive not only information on grant systems but also hands-on support that extends to business plan formulation and system selection. Future Outlook Moving forward, both companies will support Hiroshima Prefecture's SMEs in formulating growth strategies, creating new businesses, and strengthening their sustainable management foundations, starting with grant utilization support. By combining Hiroshima Shinkin Bank's strong relationships with regional businesses and Stayway's advanced expertise in grant application support, the aim is to establish a support model that connects grants to the long-term growth of companies, rather than treating them as one-off measures. Comments on this Partnership ■Jun Sato, CEO of Stayway <figcaption class="pr-img__i