Incubator & Accelerator
Cross-academia Accelerator “1stRound”
Apply by Nov 24, 2025
Application Closed
About
The Cross-academia Accelerator “1stRound” is Japan's largest academia-led startup growth program, providing non-equity early-stage funding and intensive support to help academic teams commercialize their research and create investable startups, with a focus on deep tech innovations and societal solutions, and is currently recruiting for its 14th cohort.
Benefits
- Access to non-equity early-stage fundingSupport for international expansion and collaboration with top accelerators and research alliances
Eligibility Criteria
- Teams or startup projects originating from Japanese academia (universities, research institutes) focusing on deep tech innovation and societal problem-solving solutions
- Non-equity support
- Emphasis on transforming academic research into investable startup entities
Target Region
Japan
Target Sector
Deep Technology
UTokyo Innovation Platform Co., Ltd., 22 universities and 5 national research institutions