ON&BOARD Inc. (Headquarters: Toranomon, Minato-ku, Tokyo; Representatives: Masato Shimodaira and Kosuke Nakayama, hereinafter referred to as "the Company") is accepting applications for the second cohort of the startup support program "Out of BOUNDS for Academia" from Tuesday, October 22, to Monday, December 16. This cohort invites not only (1) researchers who wish to start their own ventures (including those conducting research in corporate settings) but also (2) individuals interested in joining early-stage deep-tech startups as management talent. As a venture capital firm, we have a startup studio function that creates business ideas by observing trends in global research papers, patents, and technology developments.

This program is designed to support researchers by developing promising business themes tailored to their unique technologies, working alongside them throughout the process. It assists in co-founding and team building, validating and building business hypotheses, and creating business plans.

◾️Website for Startup Studio - Second Cohort "Out of BOUNDS for Academia"
https://onboardvc.com/outofbounds-academia/

Information Session for Startup Support Program - Second Cohort "Out of BOUNDS for Academia"

November 5 (Tuesday) from 19:00
Members of ON&BOARD will provide a detailed explanation of the startup support program "Out of BOUNDS for Academia." If you are considering applying, please join us for this session. A special session with Dr. Matsubara, former president of the Japanese Society for Artificial Intelligence, is also scheduled for the day.
https://lu.ma/4m4sn1vh

About the Program

◾️Benefits of Participating in the Program (for Researchers & Prospective Managers - Common)

①Early-stage investment in promising technology seeds and business themes
In this program, ON&BOARD plans to actively make investment offers based on the progress of validation and the clarity of business hypotheses, enabling rapid business growth through access to risk capital. Additionally, we can introduce participants to suitable investors within our extensive investor network, providing valuable connections for those seeking investor relationships.

②A proven program with a track record, offering a secure environment for growth.
Out of BOUNDS is a regularly held program at our company. In the first round, we had the participation of around 21 business professionals, several of whom received investment offers after engaging in discussions and feedback sessions with our capitalists. This enables participants to efficiently work on the social implementation of their technology and explore new technology seeds. We also provide guidance on startup-related knowledge, addressing any questions participants may have, and plan to offer insights and explanations on business development from our in-house team.

③A system that allows you to continue your current job while advancing validation, minimizing the risks of starting a business.
This program allows participants to minimize startup risks by advancing validation while continuing their current job, setting up a business foundation within the program before officially launching their venture. It is also an ideal environment for entrepreneurs seeking to validate innovative themes while maintaining a foundational business, similar to Facebook’s early days with contract development.

◾️Benefits for Researchers Participating in the Program

①Explore and select promising, marketable themes together based on your research and seeds.
Within the program, participants can begin by selecting promising themes based on their technology and past achievements, making it accessible even for those without business management knowledge. Some may feel uncertain due to a lack of expertise in specific areas related to their business themes, but we start by building a team together to fill any knowledge gaps.
At ON&BOARD, we offer access to a network of professionals with extensive experience, including experts in business development from Japan's first global and major IT companies, current CEOs with experience in startup exits worth several billion yen, strategy consultants, venture capitalists with numerous track records, product managers, engineers, AI researchers, lawyers, pharmacists, certified public accountants, specialists in recruitment, HR, and organizational development, as well as CTOs and exit-experienced leaders from deep-tech companies. This network provides the resources necessary for successful venture creation.

②Ability to find managerial talent
Researchers often face challenges in securing managerial talent and building teams when working to implement their technology in society. In this program, we also recruit managerial talent and can match participants with the necessary skills. Additionally, for themes that reach a certain level of business clarity, our in-house capitalists can provide hands-on support, guiding participants through team building and beyond.

③In-house capitalists can join as board members as needed.
In this program, while we recruit managerial talent, if a project reaches a certain level of business clarity but cannot find suitable talent, our fund can invest and participate as board members, becoming involved in the management process. Our capitalists can provide support as needed, including discussions on business strategy, fundraising, grants, and operations, offering guidance through critical early-stage milestones. In some cases, we can also leverage our overseas network to support international expansion from the startup's initial stages.

◾️Benefits for Managerial Talent Participating in the Program

①Ability to explore promising technology seeds
The program is expected to include researchers from diverse backgrounds. Our capitalists will introduce potential technology seeds that align with market needs from a business perspective, allowing managerial talent to participate with confidence. Of course, managerial talent is also welcome to independently explore technology seeds and form teams.

②Ability to explore seeds outside of universities
The current program recruitment is not limited to university researchers; it also invites researchers conducting studies in companies and other organizations. Such individuals may already be engaged in research that meets business needs from a market perspective, which increases the potential for successful societal implementation.

◾️Program Flow

◾️Application/Entry Details

◾️Support Members

Company Overview

Company Name: ON&BOARD Inc.
Established: October 2023
Representative Directors: Masato Shimodaira, Kosuke Nakayama
Location: Toranomon Hills Business Tower, 15th Floor (CIC Tokyo), 1-17-1 Toranomon, Minato-ku, Tokyo 105-6415
Business Description: Management and operation of venture capital funds, and incubation-related business
URL: https://onboardvc.com/
Contact Information
ON&BOARD Public Relations (Hamauchi, Doiyama, Hasegawa)
Email: info@on-board-vc.com