Japan-based food conglomerate Meiji Group has partnered open innovation group 01Booster to form a startup accelerator scheme called Meiji Accelerator.
Founded in 1916, Meiji manufactures and sells confectionery, dairy products and over-the-counter drugs. It is unrelated to namesakes including Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance, Meiji Tosho Shuppan Corporation, Meiji Yakuhin, Meiji Gakuin University and Meiji University.
The programme is set to launch in May, and will focus on the open innovation initiatives laid out in Meiji’s 2026 Vision. It will target entrepreneurs working on innovative products and business models that can be combined with the group’s assets and value chains.
01Booster had already teamed up with another confectionery group, Morinaga & Company, in 2014, for a similarly-themed accelerator dubbed Morinaga Accelerator. In recent months, the firm formed Life Co-Lab and Nobunaga Capital Village with corporates Asahi Kasei and Juroku Bank respectively.
