“Social Innovation Challenge Japan 2023” Final Pitch Contest

19:00 – 21:30 Tuesday 21 November 2023

2023年11月8日

Event Details

日付

21 11月 2023

時間

19:00～21:30

場所

Online (Zoom)

日本語

Co-led by UNDP and the Citi Foundation, Youth Co:Lab aims to empower and invest in youth so that they can accelerate the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through leadership, social innovation and entrepreneurship.

The “Social Innovation Challenge Japan” is a business idea contest during which selected teams will pitch and showcase their SDG-focused business models and ideas to a panel of judges and participants.

Reaffirming the importance of the innovation ecosystem, this year’s Challenge, under the theme of “Youth-led Innovation: Acceleration and Nurturing”, the contest will shed a spotlight on the bright visions of young people, looking to 2030 and beyond.

What idea will win the prize this year? Please join us and listen to the applicants' passionate ideas!

Date and Time: 19:00 – 21:30 Tuesday 21 November 2023

Programme：

19:00 - Opening remarks
19:10 – Social Innovation Challenge Japan 2023
8 individuals/teams who previously passed the paper and video pitch screening will present their solutions. Each presentation will be followed by a Q&A with the judges.
20:40 - Q&A (Finalists-Audience)
21:10 - Award Ceremony
21:25 - Closing remarks | Ms. Cynthia Cheung, Youth Social Entrepreneurship and Innovation Coordinator, Governance and Peacebuilding Team, Bangkok Regional Hub

Fees： Free

Language： English (Simultaneous interpretation available), Japanese, and Japanese sign language

Registration： Please register from here

Finalists

ChatGPTベースの質の高いAI問診システムで医療従事者の不足を補い、世界の医療格差を減少させる

ChatGPT-based high-quality AI medical consultation system to overcome the shortage of healthcare providers and reduce global healthcare disparities

Ken Tanaka, DelphiMed

We aim to improve access to healthcare and reduce healthcare disparities around the world by developing high-quality AI medical consultation systems available to everyone. We aim to solve the overwhelming shortage of healthcare providers in developing countries with AI technology.

ProMaman

ProMaman

Erin Shiraishi

ProMaman is a social network to empower women and mothers in Japan and worldwide. We support women from any culture and background by providing dedicated online space and tools to discuss various topics, connect with each other, find and easily contact needed professionals, access trusted information, and more. ProMaman combines excellent technical features with the support and expertise from organizations, governments and companies to provide the best platform for women anywhere in the world.

Glabel Japan

Glabel Japan

Rihito Kotani

Vegetarians and vegans visiting Japan want to enjoy the attractive food culture, but there is a challenge because they cannot understand the ingredient labeling and thus cannot buy food products. Therefore, we provide the Glabel Japan Application that can accompany them on their travels in Japan

クリーンオーシャンアンサンブル

Establishment of a sustainable marine plastic collection system using Marine Plastic MAP

Yuki Egawa

Establish a sustainable marine plastic collection system by utilizing the Marine Plastic MAP platform to solve marine plastic pollution.

KōhiiQuest

KōhiiQuest : Japanese Coffee, a Cup to Freshen Your Everyday

Aya Nagai

Our mission is to establish a strong foundation for the domestic production of specialty coffee in Japan by facilitating connections between smallholder farmers passionate about coffee cultivation and coffee-loving investors. We also empower farmers through the provision of initial capital, essential training for coffee production, and an additional stream of stable income

シロアリによる水素生成事業

HIM: Hydrogen Generation Project by Termites ～ Termites and Microorganisms Save Japan～

Hidemasa Takahashi

We propose a business that uses termites to produce carbon-neutral hydrogen, addressing the high cost of the current environmentally friendly hydrogen production methods. By using unused forest residues as feed, we enhance energy self-sufficiency and promote a sustainable energy supply, offering an innovative business model with both environmental and economic benefits.

シルバーニア

Sylvernia: Providing Caregiver Support and Bringing Surprises and Hope to Careers

Moe Kaneko, Omohibito Co., Ltd

A comprehensive platform that connects caregivers and provides caregiving information, which includes web applications offering carers’ consultations, interactive shops, and web media for disseminating caregiving information

フィリピン農家の貧困問題を解消する地鶏から揚げ店

A native chicken restaurant that solves the poverty problem of Filipino farmers

Tao Keitaro, TAO's NATIVE CHICKEN

In order to increase the income of farmers in the Philippines, we operate a poultry farming business and a fried chicken restaurant. We aim to turn the model we are currently creating into a social business brand that everyone in the Philippines knows.

Judges

Mizuki Isogai

Investment Director, CVC Asia Pacific Japan (CVC):

Mizuki has been engaged in investment activities and business support for portfolio companies at CVC, one of the world's largest private equity investment firms. She also promotes diversity as a member of CVC's Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Subcommittee in Asia.
Her prior experience includes cross-border investment and post-merger integration (PMI) in infrastructure such as overseas power plants and water treatment plants.
Mizuki holds an MBA from the University of Cambridge and an LLB from Hitotsubashi University.

Hiroaki Aoki

Japan ESG/Sustainability Champion Director Corporate Transformation Advisory Banking, Capital Markets and Advisory (BCMA)
Citigroup Global Markets Japan, Inc.

Hiroaki Aoki joined Citigroup Global Markets Japan Inc. in November 2021. He is responsible for ESG advisory services in Japan.
Prior to joining Citi, he worked at Vigeo Eiris (Moody’s ESG Solutions). Hiroaki served as Head of the Japanese Market for Vigeo Eiris and supported asset owners, institutional investors, and financial institutions in developing their ESG and climate change-related research and data implementation proposals as well as supporting ESG dialogues. He also provided second-party opinion (SPO) services to issuers of ESG bonds such as green/social/sustainability bonds, and was involved in all the SPO transactions that Vigeo Eiris provided in Japan,

Hiroaki holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a master’s degree in commerce from Hitotsubashi University. He is a CFA Charterholder and also a Certified Member Analyst of the Securities Analysts Association of Japan.

Lui Yoshida

Associate Professor at the University of Tokyo, Graduate School of Engineering, International Organization for the Promotion of Engineering Education

Lui is a Ph.D. (Science). His specialty is educational technology (active learning, online learning, faculty development). He has been in his current position since 2020 after serving as a specially appointed assistant professor at the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at the University of Tokyo and a specially appointed lecturer at the University of Tokyo's Center for Comprehensive Educational Research.

He developed the online opinion exchange platform "LearnWiz One", which is the world's largest EdTech competition. He won the global competition in the research and development category of GESAwards 2021, and started a business with students who were involved in the development. He is a director and co-founder of LearnWiz Inc.

Cynthia Cheung

Youth Social Entrepreneurship and Innovation Coordinator, UNDP Asia Pacific Regional Office

Cynthia is leading the social enterprise support programmes at the Youth Co:Lab, an initiative co-led by the UNDP and Citi Foundation. She works with young social entrepreneurs in Asia-Pacific to economically empower the next generation through entrepreneurship and government innovation.

Prior to joining the UNDP, she founded and invested in multiple tech startups and social enterprises to enhance the livelihoods of underserved communities and mobilised the youth to travel and learn. She studied business and soon realised the power of technology when managing companies, hence later became a front-end developer and software consultant to develop analytics solutions for corporates.
She holds a BSc in Business Administration from the University of Bath and a MSSc in Global Political Economy from the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK).

Shino Koshizuka

Senior Coordinator, NPO ETIC. 

Before joining ETIC. in 2010, Shino worked for Hitachi, Ltd. for 6 years in IT solutions sales in the industrial distribution sector.
In ETIC., she has supported over 200 social entrepreneurs, provided management assistance to small and medium-sized enterprises through internships, and engaged in corporate social business development and talent development. Shino is currently engaged in social sector-focused job placement and recruitment support through the job portal "DRIVE CAREER”