Energetic Atmosphere, Comfortable Space, and Community
CIC Tokyo is committed to fostering a strong community that truly cares about being “Innovation Leaders”. The hallways are intricately designed to encourage unexpected encounters, and the atmosphere is conducive to starting a casual converstation with other CIC members.
A variety of events are held each month in hope to create a community where residents are not only connected through business, but also their personal interests like food, sports, beauty, wellbeing and other activities.
We run a number of events that are attended by CIC members as well as many non-members; some are hosted by CIC, others by residents, and about a dozen are held each month. We believe that a wide variety of participants is key in creating an open and vibrant environment.
CIC Tokyo is designed to be a space where “innovation is around the corner” and “new encounters are effortless”. “Roji-corners (a small sitting area)” are set up in the corridors to ease conversation with anyone you meet, and the corridors are designed to give the passerby a glimpse of the path ahead to encourage them to explore their neigbors.
We aspire to create a space and environment that feels like working in one large company, where people gradually get to know each other and say hi, or get in a casual chat with the staff around the reception area.
At CIC Tokyo, we value DEIB, which stands for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging, respectively, and are committed to building a diverse community that is not binded by nationality, religion, or gender.
Recognising and sharing social issues amongst related fields and companies, and an environment where you can easily find partners to tackle these together, is crucial in nuturing innovation. CIC Tokyo works with a variety of companies, organizations, and government agencies to build a community specializing in fast-growing business fields, and to support startup innovation from a variety of perspectives.
Startup Ecosystem : The CIC way
At CIC, the term “startup ecosystem” is frequently used to describe the world we are aiming for. Ecosystem” means “ecosystem,” and therefore an “ecosystem for startups” is an environment in which large companies, university research institutes, and public institutions create networks to support startups’ growth from multiple perspectives and facilitate the creation of new connections and initiatives. In addition, in order to increase the number of startups that are active globally, CIC aims to secure networks with overseas locations, including CIC’s overseas offices, and to create a diverse community where startups can be active regardless of race, gender, religion, etc.
Community Projects
In order to accelerate innovation, CIC Tokyo has established “communities” that host regular meetups and events in several areas that are expected to attract more attention in the future. CIC Tokyo is the initiator and facilitator of these activities, while the participating companies and individuals take the initiative in activating the community, aiming to create an active community in which new possibilities are constantly being born.
CIC Tokyo forms a community related to “life science,” which is expected to become the science and technology that lead to people’s health and the creation of new markets. The community brings together researchers and startups in the life science field, companies in the pharmaceutical and medical device fields, and experts in intellectual property and regulatory affairs to address issues such as the realization of healthy longevity, countermeasures against infectious diseases, problems faced by an aging society, and food-related issues. The community focuses on Biotech, MedTech, and healthcare, and in cooperation with JETRO, local governments, and universities, supports startups’ overseas expansion and business growth and holds a variety of events.
The Environment and Energy Innovation Community was launched by CIC Tokyo and U3 Innovations with the aim of promoting innovation in the environment and energy field. Along with the growing interest in sustainability and carbon neutrality in recent years and expectations for solving social issues through innovation, our to objective is to generate innovation through collaboration among startups, large companies, research institutions, government agencies, and by bringing together stakeholders in the innovation ecosystem to engage in a variety of activities throughout the year.
With the pandemic and the increasing attention to DX in education, and the rising expectation for the evolution of education through the use of technology, it is essential to stimulate discussions on the use of the latest technology and the possibilities for new forms of education. CIC Tokyo provides events and regular networking opportunities for stakeholders to discuss the digitalization of education.
Since there are high expectations for the role that academia is likely to play in nuturing innovation, CIC operates and participates in programs in collaboration with academia (universities, national research institutes, etc.) to support activities aimed at solving social issues and creating an ecosystem.
CIC's Diverse Members
CIC is home to not only leading startups, but also large corporations, local governments, venture capitalists, professional firms, and other players necessary for startups to succeed.
