Innovation Challenge for Circular Economy | Startup Challenge

Create a better future for the next generations through the Circular Economy!

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This challenge is open to startups across the world

Application Phase

November 12, 2020 - January 8, 2021 [23:59 GMT+9]

Register on the platform and submit a presentation of about 10 slides in English (PPT or PDF format), addressing the following:
  • Issue addressed by your project and value of the solution
  • Overview of the project and technology used
  • Addressed market (target area, market size)
  • Business model
  • Obstacles to implementation and required resources
  • Nice to have: ecosystem and stakeholders involved in the project
 
Up to 30 startups will be selected for the next round and mentored by Hitachi professionals. The results will be announced on January 25 2021.

Mentoring Phase

January 25, 2021 - February 19, 2021

The selected participants will be mentored by Hitachi professionals to improve their innovative solution. For the second voting phase, Startups will be asked to submit a presentation of about 20 slides or less in English (PPT or PDF format). The submission should follow the same structure as the one for the application phase but go into more technical depth. It should also reflect the improvements and feedback provided during the mentoring phase.
 
Up to 20 Startups will be selected to pitch their solution in the Final Event. The results will be announced on March 8 2021.

Final Event

March 23 2021

The finalists will pitch their solution in front of top executives from the Water & Environment Business Unit and Corporate Venturing Office within Hitachi. Stay tuned for more information at a later date!

Selection Criteria

The projects will be assessed following the criteria below:

  • Value of the addressed issues:

    Is there a real need in the market to address this issue? How many people are impacted by it?

  • Potential to create a strong customer base:

    How big is the market you are targeting? Who (companies/individuals) make up the target segment?

  • Innovativeness of the technology and business model:

    How innovative is the technology used and the business model? How are they different from others?

  • Feasibility:

    How feasible is the solution to put into practice? Does the solution make sense financially? Will the solution be sustainable over the long term?

  • Impact:

    What is the scale of potential social impact? How broad is the impact? How many people will your solution reach? How significant is the impact?

  • Synergy with Hitachi (Mentoring phase only):

    To what extent is your solution in line with Hitachi’s values of social innovation?