Japan-based chemicals and materials supplier Asahi Kasei and its housing business, Asahi Kasei Homes, have partnered open innovation group 01Booster to form a startup accelerator.
Life Co-Lab will focus on developers of technologies and services related to lifestyle, smart cities and homes. The application window will close on June 18, 2021, ahead of a pitch event in August.
The four-month programme will begin in September with a demo day scheduled for December. Participants will have access to Asahi Kasei Group’s research equipment, industry know-how and a network of more than 40,000 global employees.
Asahi Kasei Homes had already teamed up with 01Booster for a similar initiative called Asahi Kasei Home Products Accelerator, in 2019, which held a demo day in January 2020 featuring seven teams.
The corporate runs a venture capital arm, Asahi Kasei Ventures, and its medical equipment subsidiary, Asahi Kasei Medical, has also conducted corporate venturing deals. It most recently launched a regional fund called Asahi Kasei Ventures China in February 2021.
