Americas Latest News

City of Yokohama introduces TechDay New York to new Japanese startups

by | May 6, 2019

On May 2nd, 2019, the City of Yokohama hosted a booth at TechDay New York, the largest startup event in the US.

This year’s annual TechDay was the busiest to date, with over 20,000 attendees registered to see the 300+ startups exhibiting in the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City. Among those 300 were three startups from Yokohama, Japan exhibiting at the City of Yokohama’s booth. Located near the center of the enormous convention floor, these three companies were in a prime position to display their ideas and products to the TechDay attendees.

In cooperation with JETRO, the City of Yokohama hosted Ms. Tsuchiya of ICON, Ms. Sakamoto of M.I-Story, and Mr. Ota of CODE Meee, and other members of their startup companies, who flew to New York from Yokohama to participate in TechDay.

In addition to their time spent exhibiting their products and samples at the City of Yokohama’s booth, each entrepreneur also participated in a special “Investor’s Session” hosted by JETRO, where they pitched their companies to investors.

TechDay proved an invaluable experience for these startups, providing them with market testing, direct feedback from American consumers and investors, and powerful connections for when they reach the stage to begin international expansion of sales channels.

TechDay attendees enjoyed hands-on interaction with the products on exhibit: M.I-Story’s unique “Hammock Pillow,” a pillow that reduces shoulder and neck tension by supporting the head in the air; CODE Meee’s all-natural, refreshing, and personalized aromas customized by AI and SNS; and ICON’s cute and colorful “KUMIITA,” a robot toy and tile set developed to teach young children about real programming and coding concepts from as young as 7 months old.

In addition to these three startup companies and entrepreneurs, product samples from Yokohama-based cosmetics startup mayunowa‘s line of silk-based facial brushes and researchers from Fuji Xerox’s Palo Alto Laboratory research lab in Northern California graced the City of Yokohama booth.

Americas Latest News

Here’s what you missed at Yokohama’s Y-SHIP Convention 2023

Here’s what you missed at Yokohama’s Y-SHIP Convention 2023

From November 13-15, the first ever Y-SHIP Convention was held in Yokohama, Japan, bringing together innovators, businesses, academia, government, and thought leaders to one of the most international cities in Japan to discuss the future of sustainable urban...

YOXO FESTIVAL 2024: Embrace Innovation in Yokohama!

YOXO FESTIVAL 2024: Embrace Innovation in Yokohama!

YOXO FESTIVAL 2024 is back, and it promises to be bigger and more innovative than ever. Yokohama City and the Yokohama Future Organization are joining forces to host this event, continuing their mission to foster "Innovation Across the City," and building on the...