Overcoming the 'First Wall' for Social Impact Entrepreneurs: WE AT, NINEJP, and SMRJ Launch Mentoring Program
WE AT, in collaboration with NINEJP and SMRJ, has launched a mentoring program for university-based teams and student entrepreneurs aiming to solve social issues. The program starts applications on April 27, 2026, focusing on pre-incorporation decision-making and business model redesign.
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- 📰 Published: April 27, 2026 at 18:00
- 🔍 Collected: April 27, 2026 at 09:31
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 28, 2026 at 03:10 (17h 38m after Collected)
WE AT (General Incorporated Association) announces the implementation of the 'Social Issue Solution Support Scheme Mentoring Program' in collaboration with NINEJP (National Innovation Network for Entrepreneur Japan) and the Organization for Small & Medium Enterprises and Regional Innovation, Japan (SMRJ). Applications will open on April 27, 2026.
This initiative aims to create and grow teams striving for sustainable business commercialization starting from university research seeds or student entrepreneurship. By integrating a nationwide ecosystem with practical hands-on support, the program seeks not only to provide individual startup support but also to form a market where social impact entrepreneurs are continuously generated.
### The Wall of Decision-Making Before Commercialization
Support for startups in Japan has expanded significantly in recent years. Under the government's 'Five-Year Startup Development Plan,' mechanisms to encourage the commercialization of research results are rapidly being established, such as gap funds at universities, increased acceleration programs, and expanded public and private investment in deep tech.
However, in the field of social impact startups, it is difficult to say these frameworks are functioning sufficiently. In particular, there is a lack of support for 'pre-commercialization decision-making,' such as how a concept based on research seeds or individual problem awareness can be established as a business model, or which funding method and growth strategy should be chosen. As a result, promising ideas and technologies often fail to reach social implementation in an appropriate form.
Consequently, although efforts to solve social issues exist, evaluation axes and capital flows for them to be born and grow continuously as businesses have not been established, and the market remains in a state where it does not function autonomously. In addition, the supporting ecosystem is still under development, and research, talent, capital, and support have not reached an organically connected structure.
### Supporting Diverse Options through Connection of Social Issues, Research Seeds, and Business Model Redesign
Unlike conventional development programs, this program is characterized by supporting decision-making that considers multiple options such as entrepreneurship, NPOs, or corporate collaborations by connecting social issues with research seeds and redesigning business models before the startup or fundraising stages.
Targeting university-related teams, the program combines lectures, mentoring, and industry-academia-government networking to teach key points of social-impact-oriented commercialization. Through approximately one month of hands-on support by mentors, social issues and research seeds are connected, and business models are redesigned. Furthermore, it supports decision-making based on multiple options and connects participants to the challenge of 'WE AT CHALLENGE.'
These efforts are realized through the complementary collaboration of three parties with different strengths: NINEJP, which has a network of over 160 universities nationwide and identifies/connects seeds; SMRJ, which has expertise in hands-on support and commercialization for startups; and WE AT, which provides the perspective of establishing social problem-solving as a business. Together, they have built a support system that integrates structure, execution, and meaning.
This program is an experimental effort toward transforming the structure itself that supports the creation of social-impact startups, going beyond individual startup support. By involving researchers and students from the conceptual stage, expanding the pool of projects reaching commercialization, and presenting support based on diverse funding and growth models, we aim to form a new flow of capital and support. Through this, we will establish creation paths connecting seed-oriented and social-issue-oriented approaches, aiming for the development of the entire ecosystem.
WE AT has previously identified and supported the growth of startups aiming to solve social issues through 'WE AT CHALLENGE' to create social innovation. This program serves as a precursor to that, responsible for creating challengers, and participants will be linked to continuous commercialization support through WE AT CHALLENGE. Through these series of efforts, we aim to build an ecosystem where entrepreneurs and startups aiming to solve social issues continue to be born.
### Program Overview
- Application Period: April 27, 2026 – June 21, 2026
- Implementation Period: July 2026 – August 2026
- Number of Selected Teams: 10
- Organizers: NINEJP / SMRJ / WE AT
- Application Link: https://forms.gle/cpVjgXhBenWfL2Zq5
This initiative aims to create and grow teams striving for sustainable business commercialization starting from university research seeds or student entrepreneurship. By integrating a nationwide ecosystem with practical hands-on support, the program seeks not only to provide individual startup support but also to form a market where social impact entrepreneurs are continuously generated.
### The Wall of Decision-Making Before Commercialization
Support for startups in Japan has expanded significantly in recent years. Under the government's 'Five-Year Startup Development Plan,' mechanisms to encourage the commercialization of research results are rapidly being established, such as gap funds at universities, increased acceleration programs, and expanded public and private investment in deep tech.
However, in the field of social impact startups, it is difficult to say these frameworks are functioning sufficiently. In particular, there is a lack of support for 'pre-commercialization decision-making,' such as how a concept based on research seeds or individual problem awareness can be established as a business model, or which funding method and growth strategy should be chosen. As a result, promising ideas and technologies often fail to reach social implementation in an appropriate form.
Consequently, although efforts to solve social issues exist, evaluation axes and capital flows for them to be born and grow continuously as businesses have not been established, and the market remains in a state where it does not function autonomously. In addition, the supporting ecosystem is still under development, and research, talent, capital, and support have not reached an organically connected structure.
### Supporting Diverse Options through Connection of Social Issues, Research Seeds, and Business Model Redesign
Unlike conventional development programs, this program is characterized by supporting decision-making that considers multiple options such as entrepreneurship, NPOs, or corporate collaborations by connecting social issues with research seeds and redesigning business models before the startup or fundraising stages.
Targeting university-related teams, the program combines lectures, mentoring, and industry-academia-government networking to teach key points of social-impact-oriented commercialization. Through approximately one month of hands-on support by mentors, social issues and research seeds are connected, and business models are redesigned. Furthermore, it supports decision-making based on multiple options and connects participants to the challenge of 'WE AT CHALLENGE.'
These efforts are realized through the complementary collaboration of three parties with different strengths: NINEJP, which has a network of over 160 universities nationwide and identifies/connects seeds; SMRJ, which has expertise in hands-on support and commercialization for startups; and WE AT, which provides the perspective of establishing social problem-solving as a business. Together, they have built a support system that integrates structure, execution, and meaning.
This program is an experimental effort toward transforming the structure itself that supports the creation of social-impact startups, going beyond individual startup support. By involving researchers and students from the conceptual stage, expanding the pool of projects reaching commercialization, and presenting support based on diverse funding and growth models, we aim to form a new flow of capital and support. Through this, we will establish creation paths connecting seed-oriented and social-issue-oriented approaches, aiming for the development of the entire ecosystem.
WE AT has previously identified and supported the growth of startups aiming to solve social issues through 'WE AT CHALLENGE' to create social innovation. This program serves as a precursor to that, responsible for creating challengers, and participants will be linked to continuous commercialization support through WE AT CHALLENGE. Through these series of efforts, we aim to build an ecosystem where entrepreneurs and startups aiming to solve social issues continue to be born.
### Program Overview
- Application Period: April 27, 2026 – June 21, 2026
- Implementation Period: July 2026 – August 2026
- Number of Selected Teams: 10
- Organizers: NINEJP / SMRJ / WE AT
- Application Link: https://forms.gle/cpVjgXhBenWfL2Zq5