ECH OSAKA AWARD 2027 Manchester REGIONAL Round

About

Venture Café Manchester hosts the Manchester Regional Round of the Tech Osaka Award 2027 on 12 November 2026, selecting up to three seed-to-early-stage startups in bio/life sciences and healthcare, green tech and digital to pitch in Osaka in January 2027 and compete for up to ¥2,000,000.

Benefits

• 🏆Grand Prize
  ¥2,000,000 grand prize at the Osaka final, conditional on reaching and winning the final
• 🥈Excellence Award
  ¥500,000 excellence prize, conditional on winning
• ✈️ Travel support
  Airfare subsidy of up to ¥250,000 including tax for finalists who attend the Osaka final in person, conditional on in-person participation
• 🤝Osaka ecosystem access
  Introductions to Osaka and Kansai companies, investors and support organizations for finalists, subject to finalist selection
• 🎤Final pitch and booth
  Finalists pitch in English at the Tech Osaka Award 2027 final and can exhibit at Tech Osaka Summit 2027
• 🏨Accommodation support
  Oxford Road Corridor states accommodation is covered for the three selected startups, but the Venture Café Tokyo release does not confirm accommodation and only states an airfare subsidy, so this should be verified with the organizer

Eligibility Criteria

• Open to startups from any country or region, not limited to the UK
• Mandatory: seed-to-early-stage startup aiming for global expansion
• Mandatory: working in bio/life sciences and healthcare, green tech, or digital
• Mandatory: founded within the last 10 years
• Mandatory: own proprietary technology, service, or business model
• Mandatory: able to pitch and answer questions in English
• Mandatory for startups based outside Japan: have a track record or intention to develop business or establish a base in Japan or the Kansai region
• Mandatory: able to attend the Manchester Regional Round in person on 12 November 2026 and pitch in English
• Mandatory: if selected as a finalist, able to present in Osaka on 27 January 2027
• Mandatory: not apply to both the domestic preliminary and the Manchester Regional Round

Target Region

Global

Target Sector

Healthcare & Life Sciences, Energy & Utilities, Other