ICONN-NINJA Demo Day: Boosting Indo-Japan Startup Innovation & Collaboration

13 Feb, 2025

The inaugural ICONN-NINJA Demo Day—Cohort 1 in Bengaluru brought together Indian startups and Japanese enterprises to foster collaboration and innovation. Organized by Deloitte Tohmatsu Venture Support (DTVS) in partnership with Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), the event aimed to strengthen Indo-Japanese business ties.

Nakane Tsutomu, Consulate General of Japan in Bengaluru, emphasized India’s growing role in innovation, while JICA’s Matsuno Issei highlighted their commitment to co-creation. He cited JICA’s investments in Indian infrastructure and startups, encouraging further engagement between Japanese businesses and Indian talent. CII's Madhu Vasanthy discussed initiatives supporting industry collaboration, such as the Visionary Leaders Manufacturing Program.

A key panel discussion explored India-Japan startup collaboration, moderated by Anurag Srivastava of Morning Pitch India. Panelists from DENSO, NEC, Murata India, Blume Ventures, and CII discussed AI adoption, innovation, and cultural challenges in partnerships. They emphasized structured engagement and leveraging the complementary strengths of both nations.

Startups pitched innovative solutions to challenges set by DENSO, NEC, and Murata. AI-driven automation, predictive healthcare, and agritech solutions showcased India’s problem-solving capabilities. Highlights included AI Planet’s enterprise AI orchestration, Ekincare’s digital OPD platform, and AgriSuper’s IoT-based precision farming.

The event reinforced India and Japan’s shared commitment to technological advancements and economic growth. With strong support from JICA and CII, these collaborations are expected to drive global innovations in AI, healthcare, and sustainability. The ICONN-NINJA initiative is set to further deepen Indo-Japanese startup engagement, unlocking new opportunities for investment and cross-border partnerships.

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