Major Start-Up Support Center Station Ai Opens in Nagoya; ¥15.3 Bil. Facility Built to Bring Together Emerging Companies

The opening of Station Ai is celebrated at the facility in Nagoya on Thursday.
20:00 JST, November 1, 2024
NAGOYA — Station Ai, one of the world’s largest start-up support centers, opened in Nagoya on Thursday.
The seven-floor facility with a total floor area of 23,600 square meters was built by the Aichi prefectural government on prefecture-owned land near Tsuruma Park in the city at a cost of ¥15.3 billion. A subsidiary of SoftBank Corp. is in charge of operating the center.
The facility invites both emerging companies from the automobile industry, Aichi Prefecture’s main industry, and start-ups developing new business models to join, with the aim of making them more competitive.
At the time of opening, about 500 start-up companies and about 200 partner companies, including financial and educational institutions, were registered with the center. The facility aims to bring together about 1,000 member companies — both members using office spaces at the facility and members working remotely — in its first five years.
The facility houses restaurants that can be used by members of the public. The Aichi Founders Museum, which showcases great entrepreneurs related to the prefecture, opened on Friday inside the facility.
"Business" POPULAR ARTICLE
-
Japan Oct.-Dec. GDP Revised Down to 2.2 Pct Annual Rise
-
150,000 Tons of Rice Released from Japan’s Stockpile to Douse Prices, After Tokyo Prices Hit All-time High
-
Japan to Promote Solar Power Consolidation; Feed-In Tariff System to be Phased out from 2032
-
Tokyo Core Consumer Prices Up 2.2% in Feb.
-
Japan, U.K. Likely to Reaffirm Energy Cooperation at 2+2 Talks; 1st Economic 2+2 Talks Between the Countries
JN ACCESS RANKING