Cross-academia Accelerator “1stRound”
    Cross-academia Accelerator “1stRound”
    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 funding
      Support 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