Three New Programs Help Corporations and Startup Teams Generate Business Concepts, Build Companies, and Earn Funding

PALO ALTO, CA/TOKYO, JAPAN, June 14, 2023 /24-7PressRelease/ — Moon Creative Lab, a venture studio that powers the creation of new businesses and is a subsidiary of Mitsui & Co., today announced three new programs for organizations and startup teams to unlock their creative potential to start new businesses.

Since its founding in 2018, Moon Creative Lab has been a venture studio powering the creation of new businesses globally for individuals, teams, and business units for Mitsui & Co. Today’s announcement expands Moon’s support for Mitsui & Co. employees and broadens its reach to individuals, startups, and corporations outside the company to tap into the entrepreneurial spirit of the wider creative and business communities.

Together, the new programs address different levels of startup ideation and execution to help entrepreneurs, regardless of where they are on their business journeys, so they can:

• Learn about human-centered new business creation.
• Build new businesses with a diverse and creative team of global experts in design, engineering, product, marketing, and more.
• Find co-founders and build a team.
• Find potential joint venture partners to accelerate and scale their business.
• Potential collaboration with Mitsui & Co. and its global network.
• Earn $300,000 USD in funding to quickly scale their early-stage startup.

Three Programs, One Vision

Spark is all about enabling creative professionals who are curious about entrepreneurship but don’t yet have a new business idea. Spark is an eight-week, hands-on program where participants learn how to turn problems into tangible ideas they can share with potential customers. Open to any individual, team, or corporation, Spark participants will leave the program with:

• A clarified business/product concept that has been validated with real customers.
• A business plan with initial go-to-market strategy.
• A compelling pitch deck.
• A real, live website landing page to show the idea to the world.
• Membership in a dynamic community of founders and innovators.

Boost is for startup teams and corporations that have an early-stage new business and want help gaining traction. Boost is an intensive three- to six-month incubation program where, depending on the stage of the business and needs from the team, Moon can provide:

• Support and mentorship from a diverse and creative team of global experts in design, engineering, product, marketing, and more.
• Help finding co-founders, team members, or strategic partners.
• Working space at Moon’s Silicon Valley or Tokyo studio.
• Potential connection and collaboration with Mitsui which boasts a global network across diverse industries.
• Access to helpful SaaS tools to build their business.

Following the incubation program, Boost participants can pitch for an investment of $300,000 USD at Moon’s fall and spring Demo Days. Participation in Boost is subject to review. Also, the selection process for the funding program is based on pitches.

Orbit is a global community of founders and innovators where participants can connect and meet with future co-founders, team members, partners, and customers through a series of in-person networking events. Sign up for Moon’s newsletter to stay up to speed on upcoming Orbit events.

“The purpose of Moon Creative Lab was to illuminate the innovation and creativity within Mitsui & Co.’s sprawling 47,000-person workforce of smart, curious, and driven professionals,” said Kaichi Yokoyama, President & CEO of Moon Creative Lab. “Fast-forward to today, we’ve learned a lot about how to generate creative business ideas from which successful companies can be built. Now we’re ready to share this expertise to find and bring to life new business concepts that surely exist in the wider world, while expanding our support of our Mitsui & Co. innovators.”

The next Spark cohort begins 10 Oct., 2023. Apply to Spark.

Boost applications open 15 June, 2023 and close 15 July, 2023 for the cohort that begins 2 Oct., 2023. Apply to Boost.

About Moon Creative Lab
Moon Creative Lab is a human-centered venture studio that powers the creation of new businesses. Moon’s mission is to help Mitsui & Co.’s strong global workforce, external corporations, and entrepreneurs in their pursuit towards new business creation. We work to unlock the creativity of these individuals to build innovative businesses that will have an exponential impact on the world. We do this by bringing together the best talent in design, engineering, product, and more to create bold new ventures from zero to launch. For more information, visit www.mooncreativelab.com and follow us @mooncreativelab.inc

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