Generating Innovation with Japan (GIJ) Series: GIJ Canada: Net Zero 2023

A Unique Opportunity for Canadian Start-ups to Meet Potential Japanese Partners

Major Japanese firms, from manufacturing to finance to services in a whole variety of sectors, are increasingly looking to identify new innovation from Canadian start-ups in order to improve their business practices and to introduce new ideas and technology into the Japanese market and to their network of global clients.

For start-ups, the Japanese market (GDP: approx US$5 trillion; Pop.: 125 million) can be daunting but potentially hugely rewarding. One of the best ways to enter that market is through partnering with Japanese firms.

This GIJ Canada: Net Zero event will provide a unique opportunity for Canadian start-ups and major Japanese firms to connect and share information. Through profiles and reverse-pitch presentations, Japanese firms will explain about their technology needs and, on the B2B platform we are providing, start-ups can post their company information and request meetings to explain about their technology solutions.

Through this series of partnering sessions across Canada, and other programmes such as J-Bridge, JETRO aims to generate new innovation through partnerships between leading Japanese firms and innovative Canadian start-ups.

*Resulting co-innovation projects with Japanese partners may be eligible for funding support from The National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC IRAP). Please contact your IRAP Advisor for details.

https://nrc.canada.ca/en/irap/about/international/?action=view&id=141

Organizer	Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO Toronto)
Co-Organizers	Global Affairs Canada – Trade Commissioner Service The National Research Council Canada (NRC) Government of Alberta Government of British Columbia Invest Nova Scotia Government of Ontario Investissement Québec Government of Saskatchewan (Others TBC)
Supporting Organizers	The Accelerator Centre Alberta Innovates DMZ Edmonton Unlimited Foresight Canada Le Camp MaRS Montréal International Quebec International Sherbrooke Innopole Startup Montreal YSpace Entrepreneurship Hub (Others TBC)
Programs	Reverse-Pitch by Japanese Companies (On-demand Video) B2B Meeting Sessions (Requests/scheduling facilitated on the platform)
Date/Time	Japanese Company Reverse-pitch On-demand Videos will be available from: Mon, Mar 6 (Tue, Mar 7 JST) B2B Meeting Sessions (7 days) *Note: exact schedule, still subject to possible changes, will be announced later.
Venue	Online (B2B/2GO Platform)
Japanese Companies *Profiles are below	ENEOS Holdings, Inc. Hike Ventures Mitsubishi Canada Ltd Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation Mitsui & Co. (Canada) Ltd. Sojitz Canada Corporation Sumitomo Canada Limited Takenaka Corporation TOYO Corporation
Registration	*To access the platform, please register by clicking on "GET STARTED" on the right side of the platform page. Please note that there is a screening process so we will review the initial application and invitations to join the platform will be sent out if your profile has been accepted.
Registration Deadline	Friday, March 3, 2023 (EDT) - extended to March 21
Contact	JETRO Toronto Email: inquiry@jetro.go.jp

Japanese Company Profiles (Alphabetical)
ENEOS Holdings, Inc.                    ENEOS Corporation is the Japanese largest oil company with a network of over 12,000 gas stations in Japan. In addition to petroleum, we provide a variety of energies such as electricity including renewable energy, gas, and hydrogen. We have set a goal of net zero carbon emissions by 2040, and are planning to enter CCS, green carbon, blue carbon, etc. We are looking to collaborate with startups in ways such as investment, partnerships for business and R&D, and JVs. We look for business opportunities in the following areas: - Decarbonization hydrogen, ammonia, battery, VPP, distributed energy resources, novel renewable energy, biofuels, synthetic fuels, SAF, blue carbon, green carbon, carbon credit, CCUS, DAC, nuclear fusion, sustainable food, energy storage, GHG reduction - Circular Economy recycling (plastic, battery, tire, and bio-waste), upcycling - Mobility and Community EV charging, shared mobility, Autonomous Vehicles incl. robots, drones, eVTOL, logistics, B2C services that contribute to well-being (healthcare) or sustainability, smart cities, resilience tech - Data Science and Deep Tech AI, digital twin, robotics (plant inspections, operations or so), sensors, blockchain, satellite https://www.eneos-innovation.co.jp/english/ https://www.hd.eneos.co.jp/english/
Hike Ventures                    Hike Ventures is a seed-stage venture capital based in San Francisco and Tokyo. We are looking for founders who are solving well-defined problems by leveraging AI. We are industry agnostic. In the past, we have invested in startups in B2B SaaS, healthcare, supply chain, and mobility spaces. We work with our portfolio founders to hit the next milestone. We also leverage our network with Japanese companies to help startups at any stage to go to the Japan market. https://hikevc.com/
Mitsubishi Canada Ltd.                    We are Mineral Resources Group at Mitsubishi Canada Ltd. which is a branch of Mitsubishi Corporation. Our main business is trading and investment in mine assets and we currently trade mineral resources commodities and have coking coal, copper, nickel and iron ore assets globally. In the meantime, we have a CVC team in the group that is focused on mining technologies, hydrogen, CCUS, decarbonization/Cleantech, battery recycling, direct lithium extraction, metal extraction and water treatment technologies. We are looking for strategic investments for our mine assets and typically invest in seed to B series. We have invested in Jetti Resources, MineSense, Hystar, Hydrogenious, CiDRA, Kobold Metals etc. so far. Looking forward to meeting you all! https://www.mitsubishicorp.com/jp/en/network/north_america/canada.html
Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation                     Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation, part of Daimler Truck Asia, is a manufacturer of trucks and buses whose headquarter is located in Kawasaki City, Japan. We are Supply Chain Management Fuso, the department responsible for logistics operations at Mitsubishi Fuso. This includes inbound, in-plant, and outbound logistics. The department plans the logistics starting at the delivery from production facilities of our suppliers, to receiving the parts for building vehicles at our plants, and all the way to shipping out complete products. One of the main initiatives in our department is Sustainability in Supply Chain - Analyzing & Reducing CO2 emissions. The long-term goal of this topic is to achieve CO2 neutrality in the whole supply chain, including all the three major processes: inbound, in-plant, and outbound logistics. To hit that target, we are open to any technology that will innovate our supply chain processes to tackle CO2 emissions. We are interested in business partners who are able to: -Propose ideas & measures to directly reduce CO2 emissions in the supply chain by technology. (Not in scope: CO2 br calculation, management, and visualization tools). -Have a defined use-case for Commercial Vehicle OEMs. -Be at the stage where a functional product or prototype exists that could tested in a pilot project at Daimler Truck Asia. https://www.mitsubishi-fuso.com/en/
Mitsui & Co. (Canada) Ltd.                    Mitsui & Co. (Canada) Ltd. is the wholly owned Canadian subsidiary of Mitsui & Co., Ltd., one of the world's most diversified trading, investment, and services enterprises. Since the former Mitsui & Co. (Canada) Ltd. was incorporated in 1956, we have a long history in Canada. Today, with two offices in Toronto and Vancouver, we manage a diverse portfolio of businesses in various sectors including energy, mineral and metals resources, food, steel, chemicals, automotive, machinery, and technologies. We are engaged in business investment, import, export, offshore trade, finance, and logistics in the sectors. Our activities are supported by a global network of 128 offices in 63 countries/regions and 509 subsidiaries/associated companies and 44,336 employees worldwide. (As of September 30, 2022) This global presence allows us to gather market intelligence from around the world, find new business opportunities, and create new trade flows. We are currently looking for innovations that can increase the value of group companies and related businesses.　 https://www.mitsui.com/ca/en/index.html
Sojitz Canada Corporation                     Sojitz Corporation is a Japanese general trading and investment company that was created in 2004 from the merger between Nichimen Corporation and Nissho Iwai Corporation. Sojitz has 86 offices and over 400 subsidiaries and affiliates, and has been supporting economic development in various countries and regions around the world for over 150 years. By responsibly managing seven business divisions - Automotive, Aerospace & Transportation, Infrastructure & Healthcare, Metals, Mineral Resources & Recycling, Chemicals, Consumer Industry & Agriculture and Retail & Consumer Services - Sojitz aims to maximize value to both the Sojitz Group and to society in every aspect of our global operations. As a business partner, Sojitz combines extensive brand power with global market access in addition to financial stability and corporate social responsibility. Sojitz Canada Corporation was established in 1958 and has two regional offices in Vancouver, BC and Toronto, ON. Our current business scope in Canada is focused on, but not limited to aircraft sales and marketing, railcar maintenance, repair and operation, and the import and export of log and lumber products, metals and mineral resources, chemical products and food products. Through our Reverse Pitch, Sojitz Canada hopes to cultivate Canada's most valuable resource - innovation and creativity - to collaborate in developing practical solutions to our current and expanding business in growing sectors such as Mining and Natural Resources, Material Recycling, Cleantech and Carbon Offsets, Life Sciences and Health Technologies, AgriFood and ForestTech. https://www.sojitz.com/en/worldwide/
Sumitomo Canada Limited                    Sumitomo Canada Limited is a subsidiary of Sumitomo Corporation and Sumitomo Corporation of America. We provide trading, distribution, finance, logistics, investment, and project coordination services to Canadian companies and companies seeking to do business in Canada. We have been doing business in Canada for 50 years but have a history of more than 350 years. Calgary Office is looking for reliable partners for ESG related businesses. http://www.sumitomocanada.com/
Takenaka Corporation                    Takenaka Corpoation is one of the major design and construction companies in Japan, and also operates in real estate and facility management businesses. It also has businesses in Southeast Asia, Europe, and US. In the real estate construction industry, we aim to collaborate with partner companies so that we can achieve digital and green transformation, and realize innovation in order to provide advanced technologies and solutions to society in a sustainable way. https://www.takenaka.co.jp/takenaka_e/
TOYO Corporation                    TOYO Corporation has been contributing to Japanese industries through the provision of the world's most advanced “Measurement Technologies” as its core competence. TOYO Corporation is a technology provider specializing in measurement in a wide range of industries, such as ICT, Automobile, Sustainable Energy and Environment, EMC (Electromagnetic Compatibility) Testing, Antenna, Ocean Surveys, Software Quality and Productivity, Life Science and Cyber security. TOYO Corporation is a multi-functional organization that functions as a manufacturer, trading company, and R&D organization. Our businesses are based on B to B. https://www.toyo.co.jp/english/