Press Release
April 9, 2019
Keihanna Research Complex (Public Foundation of Kansai Research Institute)
Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute International
Entrepreneurs Roundtable Accelerator

ATR and Entrepreneurs Roundtable Accelerator (ERA) Sign Memorandum of Understanding
New York City’s Leading Accelerator Bolsters Business Support for Keihanna Science City Start-ups
With Intensive Programming to Accelerate Path to Success
Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute International (ATR) and Entrepreneurs Roundtable Accelerator(ERA) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to proactively support activities targeting start-ups. So far, ATR
has been dedicated to nurturing new business and building an innovation hub as a core organization of the Keihanna
Research Complex (Keihanna RC), which aims to generate internationally recognized innovations in the Keihanna
Science City. New York is widely recognized as a top global tech city; ERA is NYC’s leading technology and start-up
accelerator.
ATR and ERA will continue to foster their current cooperative relationship: ERA has offered a one-week intensive
program to Japanese start-ups yearly since 2017. Additionally, ATR will further develop their overseas
commercialization support; ATR is planning to enrich the program by adding another training course of a few months
as well as extending the target of the program to Israeli and Barcelona’s start-ups as these two places have strong
relationship with Keihanna RC. Keihanna RC will create a next-generation smart city with ‘Meta-Comfort,’ which aims
to generate empathy in people’s hearts; assist start-ups with innovative technological seeds or business ideas;
promote an open innovation; and establish a global innovation ecosystem.
* Accelerator: an organization that helps entrepreneurs or start-ups grow quickly and become successful.

Top picture: the MoU signing ceremony held on March 11, 2019
Bottom pictures: ERA’s acceleration program in New York City from March 11 to 15, 20191

Business Support Program for Start-ups in Cooperation with ERA
As one of the Keihanna RC’s commercialization support activities, ERA provides start-ups with one-week intensive
mentoring and opportunities to pitch to the US investors. In fiscal 2018, five out of nominated twelve start-ups fromKeihanna Venture Championship, a regularly-held pitch tournament organized by the Keihanna RC, went to New York
City in March to take the ERA’s program. The debriefing meeting will be held on April 15.
https://keihanna-rc.jp/en/events/event/kvecs2018_era/■ About Keihanna Research Complex (RC)・Keihanna Science City has been constructed under a Japanese national project, and 30 years have passed since its
construction began. Currently, there are more than 130 research laboratories, universities and companies located inthis area, and these have been achieving many leading-edge outcomes in research and development. Now that thecity has entered its next phase, the Keihanna Research Complex project, called Keihanna RC, is stimulatingorganizations in this area to cooperate with others, both within and outside the area, in the pursuit of world-class
innovations. The project is being promoted with a variety of tools: integrated R&D in different fields; humanresources development; commercialization support; equipment sharing; and an innovation hub & overall promotion.
・URL：https://keihanna-rc.jp/en/■ About Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute International (ATR)
・Location: 2-2-2 Hikaridai Seika-cho, Sorakugun, Kyoto, Japan (Kansai Science City)・Aiming to promote innovations and contribute to regional revitalization, ATR pursues world-leading, ingenious
research achievements in computational neuroscience, life-supporting robots, wireless communications, and lifescience as well as their business developments, in collaboration between industry, academia and government. In theKeihanna RC project, ATR promotes global business-to-business matchings and supports start-ups as one of the coreorganizations in charge of business development support and creation of an innovation hub.
・President: Tohru Asami
・URL：https://www.atr.jp/index_e.html■ About Entrepreneurs Roundtable Accelerator (ERA)
Entrepreneurs Roundtable Accelerator is New York City’s leading technology accelerator and early-stage venture
capital fund. ERA has built NYC’s strongest mentor network with 500+ experts including investors, technologists,
product specialists, marketers, and, sales execs, across all major industries represented in NYC. It has invested in
more than 180 start-ups since launching in 2011. Its alumni companies, who come from all over the world, arealready playing leading roles in the evolution of virtually every major global industry. To date, ERA alumni companies
have raised more than $300M in capital and exceed $2 billion in market capitalization.
・URL：https://www.eranyc.com/

Contact:■ Keihanna Research Complex
Nakajima (Mr.) or Tatsumi (Ms.), Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute International (ATR)
Email：rc-presspr@keihanna-rc.jp

TEL：0774-95-1176 (ATR)
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