“Social Innovation Challenge 2021” Final Pitching Contest

2021年11月8日

Co-led by UNDP and the Citi Foundation, Youth Co:Lab aims to empower and invest in youth so that they can accelerate the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through leadership, social innovation and entrepreneurship. The “Social Innovation Challenge Japan” is a business idea contest during which selected teams will pitch and showcase their SDG-focused business models and ideas to a panel of judges.

At the competition, the finalists who have passed a preliminary screening phase, based on their submitted documents and videos, will present their business ideas to the judges and participants. What idea will win the prize this year? Please join us and listen to the applicants' passionate ideas!

Date and Time：19:00-21:30 25 November 2021 (Thu)

Place：Online（Zoom）

Fee：Free

Language：Japanese/English (Simultaneous interpretation available)

Registration：please register here

Programme：

19:00 - Opening remark | Fumiaki Kurahara, Chairman, Citi Japan
19:10 - Social Innovation Challenge Japan 2021 Final Pitch Contest
Individuals and teams who previously passed the paper and video pitch screening will present their solutions in front of a panel of judges and an audience. Each presentation will be followed by Q&A with the judges.
20:45 - Networking and Q&A time with the selected applicants (Zoom break-out room)
21:15 - Award Ceremony
21:25 - Closing remarks | Mr. Savinda Ranathunga, Regional Youth Project Manager, Governance and Peace Building Team, UNDP Asia and the Pacific.

Panel of Judges：

Mr. Daisuke Takatsuki | Director, Principal, CVC Asia Pacific Japan / Representative Director, Social Invest Partners
Ms. Ryoko Manabe | Managing Director, Endeavor Japan
Ms. Atsuko Suzuki | Senior Coordinator, NPO ETIC.
Mr. Takeo Kaneko | Chief Operating Officer, Banking, Capital Markets and Advisory, Citigroup Global Markets Japan Inc., Citibank, N.A., Tokyo Branch
Mr. Savinda Ranathunga | Regional Youth Project Manager, Governance and Peace Building Team, UNDP Asia and the Pacific

Participating Teams (Finalists):

Enteral Nutrition made of Sustainable Insect Food

Katsuki Ono

BUGEN is enteral nutrition made of sustainable insect food. BUGEN is the product that enables the disabled and elderly who cannot eat by the mouth, to maintain stable nutrition even after the food crisis expected to occur in the future.

Seawater Farming Technology for the Era of Climate Change

Shohei Toyonaga, Cultivera LLC

In the future, a quarter of the world's arable land will be salt-damaged due to soil erosion and sea level rises caused by climate change. We aim to solve the issue of freshwater depletion by developing a low-cost farming technology with seawater, which comprises 97% of earth’s water.

Waste collection service based on mutual aid in African small and middle-sized cities

Rika Hirano, Tout Autour de Nous (TAN)

TAN is protecting the health and safety of residents in urban Africa from the waste crisis by creating an affordable grassroots waste collection service for all.

Sustainable leather made from discarded fish skin

Tomohisa Noguchi, tototo

Fish skin is more than just a waste. tototo valorizes fish skin and transform it into “Fish Leather”. Our brand continues to work on sustainable manufacturing that does not throw to waste the blessings of life.

A structure to boost the number of teenagers to be social tacklers with empathy.

Yuujin Yamaguchi, Sustainable Game

To create a society where teenagers can be social tacklers (social change makers) with empathy, Sustainable Game is aiming to implement the online service called ‘Flare’. Flare is an online platform that can support projects created by U20 youth. 。

100% recycled sunglasses from bottles of eye drops 〜World solution for eye problems〜

Rina Nagaoka, Eyeforthree

This project is solving two problems: visually impaired people living in poverty and plastic waste. Technically, we turn plastic waste, mainly bottles of eye drops, into 100% recycled sunglasses. Eyeforthree aims to contribute to solving eye problems such as cataract.

Globadoll

Saki Nakai, Colourful

Globadoll offers global education through diverse dolls and metaverse. Users will foster their senses of understanding and accepting diversity while experiencing various cultures by playing with the dolls in reality and in a virtual world.

Implementing a new democracy platform to shape a society where everyone can make impacts

Hiroyuki Kurimoto, Liquitous

Liquitous is a social venture that provides an online participatory consensus-building platform called "Liqlid", with the theme of "DX for Democracy". Liquitous is responsible for the development of Liqlid, operational support for local governments, community engagement, public affairs, and research.

Belong 〜A Home Away from Home for Better Relations with Cross-Cultural Children〜

Yuqian Kou, Belong

Belong aims to provide Cross-Cultural Children with another home in which they will experience care and support of ‘parents’ in their mother tongue.

Special Business Idea Presentation

At the first round of paper screening, we found two groups in different high schools in Tokyo, Ms Ririko Aoki & Ms Yuko Kobayashi and Mr Hideki Iwai, had submitted almost the same idea. To proceed to the second round of video screening, we asked them to form a team and develop a pitch video together. These two teams had no connection except they are high school students and had a similar business idea. However, within 2 weeks, they formed a team called PE² and successfully completed a joint pitch video together.

Unfortunately, PE² did not pass the second round; however, we believe that their attempt embodies a true “collaboration” which is imperative in achieving the SDGs, youth engagement, social entrepreneurship and creating innovation. For this reason, we decided to set a special slot during the contest and will showcase the presentation of PE² to the audience. Please come and see a true youth collaboration!

PE²

Yuuki Iwai, Ririko Aoki, Yuko Kobayashi

PE²~Protect Earth Environment~ is working on the project of “high school students x environmental issues” in order to protect the earth and the environment. We propose installing vending machines that allow people to bring their own containers in high schools. Please join forces and participate in this project to protect the earth!