Japan-based publishing group Hitotsubashi’s Shogakukan and Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions (ShoPro) subsidiaries joined startup incubator 01Booster to form an incubation and accelerator initiative dubbed Shogakukan Accelerator on Tuesday.
Applications for Shogakukan Accelerator powered by 01Booster are being accepted until August 31 this year and it is targeting developers of technology focusing on children, young adults and families on a stage-agnostic basis.
Areas of interest include education, entertainment and other related fields such as pet care, health and regional revitalisation initiatives.
The unit will select participants in a business plan contest in November, and the cohort will run until March 2021. 01Booster will provide mentoring while Shogakukan and ShoPro will help with business development.
Five to eight participating teams will each receive a ¥100,000 ($900) prize with the possibility of receiving equity funding. The scheme will culminate in a demo day set to take place between March and April 2021, with the exact date to be determined.
