[RFP] Startup City Acceleration Program 2021

Jun 18, 2021

GENERAL INFORMATION

Subject: Startup City Acceleration Program
Term of contract: the contract start date to March 25th, 2022
Closing date for Application: 5:00 pm (PST) on July 1st, 2021
Content of Contract: As indicated in Application Guidelines (Attachment 1)

INSTRUCTIONS TO APPLICANTS

Qualification Requirement
1. Prospective candidate(s) engaged in the project must satisfy conditions stated in the Application Guidelines (Attachment 1)
2. NOT under the circumstances of being denied participation due to unethical and/or unlawful activities by either JETRO or Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) from previous procurement offerings.
3. Prospective candidate(s) must meet the following minimum specification;
  1. Accelerator, Venture Capital or any other related organization
  2. Unicorn Alumni in past 5 years
  3. Experience working with international startups
  4. Investment team or department
  5. Adaptability and flexibility to various markets
4. In addition, Prospective candidate(s) will be evaluated by the following preferred specifications:
  1. Project implementation skill
  2. Wide, various, open mentor network which matches the selected courses:
    - Global Scale Course General Cohort
    - Global Scale Course Enterprise Business (BtoB) Cohort
    - Global Scale Course Bio/Healthcare Cohort
    - Global Scale Course Climate Tech/Cleantech Cohort
    - Global Preparation Course General Cohort
  3. Strong connection to Angels, VC and CVC, including list of contacts in each selected course/sector.
  4. Experience supporting companies in each selected course/sector.
  5. Ability to support alumni companies through follow-ups and checking in.
  6. Experience working with government agencies or any other economic organizations to build local ecosystem all over the world
Preparation of Application
No oral, telephone, or facsimile will be accepted. All costs of preparation shall be borne by the Applicants. Applicant must select the program for which they are applying from the following:

A) Global Scale Course General Cohort (sector agnostic)
B) Global Scale Course Enterprise Business (BtoB) Cohort
C) Global Scale Course Bio/Healthcare Cohort
D) Global Scale Course Climate Tech/Cleantech Cohort
E) Global Preparation Course General Cohort (sector agnostic)

*Applicant can submit proposal for multiple or all programs. JETRO may choose separate contractors for each program or one contractor for multiple programs.

In addition, the proposal document or presentation submitted by the applicant should include the following:
1. Project Implementation (See Attachment 1)
  1. Project details about seminar and interactive coaching session
  2. Project details about mentor assignment process
  3. Project details about Demo Days
  4. Implementation Structure (arrangement of personnel in charge / each responsibilities)
  5. Operating Procedure, Method, Proposal on how to complete all the tasks of the project in an effective manner and enhance project outcome.
  6. Ability to conduct online *Description of online tools to be used
  7. Frequent communication *Description of digital communication tools with startups and JETRO to be used.
    
    *Note:
    - Startup program groups are based on preparedness, global mindset and market readiness.
2. Experience and Capabilities of the Organization
  1. 1. Experience with Similar Projects
    2. Networking and information gathering skills to enhance project outcome
    3. System to manage personal/confidential information
    4. Include 2 or 3 notable recent successful case studies of international alumni going global from their local market
3. Project Implementation Skills of Assigned Personnel
  1. 1. Mentor network list with mentor profiles
    2. Profiles of each project personnel
    3. Sector experience
    4. Strong connection to Venture Capital, Accelerators, Corporates, Universities, etc.
      * List of the Angles/VC/CVC connections or partners should be included (They should be invited to the pitch/demo day.)
Delivery of Application
All Application and proposal document (see below) shall be sent to the following address by 5:00 pm (PST) on July 1st, 2021

Required to submit:
Application Form
Proposal document or PowerPoint presentation.

Attn: Mr. Will Ferguson, Mr. Noriya Tarutani
E-mail: will_ferguson@jetro.go.jp, Noriya_Tarutani@jetro.go.jp
Address: JETRO San Francisco 575 Market St #2400, San Francisco, CA 94105
Language of Application:
English or Japanese
Evaluation of Application:
- 1^st evaluation
  Screening of Application documents by JETRO San Francisco
- 2^nd evaluation
  Zoom Presentation
  
  (Please include your schedule availability at 15:00-19:00 PST on July 7^th – July 14^th (weekdays). The call will include staff from JETRO San Francisco as well as JETRO Tokyo organizers. The detailed schedule for the presentation will be notified to the companies who pass the 1^stevaluation)
Announcement of Tender
Tender will be announced to bidders by email. Given the nature of the bidding process, JETRO will refrain from providing feedback on the results.
Contact:
Attn: Mr. Will Ferguson, Mr. Noriya Tarutani
E-mail: Will_Ferguson@jetro.go.jp, Noriya_Tarutani@jetro.go.jp
Address: JETRO San Francisco 575 Market St #2400, San Francisco, CA 94105
Tel: +1.415.392.1333
*Due to the Covid-19 situation, most of employees are currently working from home. Please contact by e-mail for any questions.