SUNDRED and Sumitomo Mitsui Marine Form Business Alliance

SUNDRED Inc. ("SUNDRED"), an "Ecosystem Builder for New Industries" aiming to co-create 100 new industries (※1), and Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Co., Ltd. ("MSI"), a non-life insurance company promoting regional issue resolution and the realization of a sustainable society, have entered into a business alliance agreement on February 27, 2026, with the objective of resolving regional issues and creating new industries.

This alliance aims not merely at information sharing, but at establishing a new co-creation model that, starting from regional challenges, will launch co-creation projects and drive them through demonstration to business implementation and delivery as actual services to society (hereinafter referred to as "social implementation"). The two companies aim to foster sustainable regional industries and build a self-sustaining co-creation ecosystem through collaboration with diverse entities such as local governments, companies, and startups.

※1 Ecosystem Builder: A role that connects diverse entities like companies, local governments, and startups, creating a mechanism for new industries to continuously emerge.

## Business Alliance to Implement Regional Issues as Business
Through this alliance, both companies will collaborate to create new businesses addressing regional issues that are difficult for a single company to solve, such as stagnation of regional economies, population decline, industrial decay, and biodiversity response.

By combining SUNDRED's co-creation design capabilities and project promotion expertise with Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance's extensive network with local governments and companies nationwide, as well as its knowledge of regional issues, they will achieve execution-oriented co-creation that goes beyond mere conceptualization.

The two companies plan to jointly promote the following initiatives:
- Extraction of regional issues and co-creation theme design
- Establishment of co-creation partners involving local governments, companies, startups, etc.
- Demonstration experiments using Living Labs (※2)
- Support for social implementation and business commercialization
- Joint proposals to local governments and corporations

※2 Living Lab: A mechanism to revitalize regions and society by bringing together diverse stakeholders to collectively promote the conception, demonstration, and implementation of solutions for social issues.

This will drive the creation of businesses that are continuously operated as actual services and businesses, rather than initiatives that end at the demonstration experiment stage.

## Execution Framework Combining Strengths of Both Companies
SUNDRED is responsible for the design and promotion of co-creation projects involving multiple companies, local governments, and startups, leading the construction of an ecosystem for new industry creation.

On the other hand, Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance leverages its strong points: its touchpoints with local governments and companies nationwide, regional risk data, and its ability to secure demonstration fields and provide project execution platforms based on its track record in public-private partnerships.

Through the collaboration of both companies, a framework will be established to jointly promote everything from the extraction of regional issues and co-creation theme design to the execution of demonstration experiments, social implementation, and business commercialization support. Furthermore, initiatives for administrative-private sector collaboration and joint new business development with external parties, which have been carried out individually to date, can be developed into projects that lead to continuous business creation.

## New Implementation Model Through Co-creation x Living Lab
The sustainability of regional economies is a major challenge due to population decline and changes in industrial structure. Furthermore, addressing biodiversity and decarbonization, balancing environment and economy, are also urgent tasks. However, traditional public-private partnership projects often end at the demonstration experiment stage and fail to reach continuous commercialization, becoming a factor hindering the resolution of regional issues.

In this alliance, a "Living Lab," which integrates demonstration and implementation, will be the core, allowing new businesses to be tested within the region and advanced to full-scale adoption.

By involving diverse stakeholders such as companies, local governments, and regional residents, and conducting verification within the actual regional environment, they aim to build highly reproducible business models. Simultaneously, they will work towards creating sustainable regional industries that incorporate environmental and social values, such as biodiversity, which cannot be measured by numbers alone.

## Company Introduction
Company Name: SUNDRED Inc.
Established: March 2017
Representative: Masanobu Tomedome, CEO & GM
Head Office: Ebisu Garden Place Tower, 4-20-3 Ebisu, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
Office: Aoyama Palacio Tower 11F, 3-6-7 Kita-Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo
Business Description: "Ecosystem Builder for New Industries" aiming to co-create 100 new industries.
Operates the "New Industry Co-creation Studio," aggregating resources in growth areas based on ecosystem design to co-create new industries.
URL: https://sundred.co.jp

Keywords: SUNDRED, Regional Issues, New Industry Co-creation, Co-creation Model, Living Lab