On May 16-18th 2023, Shibuya Startup Support (SSS) went to Food 4 Future, a foodtech conference in Bilbao, Spain as a part of a delegation from the Embassy of Spain in Japan. We also organized “Japan Meets Bilbao” with the local foodtech community on the day before the conference, as well as visited Basque Culinary Center and AZTI tso learn more about the unique foodtech startup ecosystem in the Basque region of Spain.
Event venue for Food 4 Future (Photo: Shibuya City)
Food 4 Future
This year, Japan was selected as the guest country at Food 4 Future. This foodtech conference, now in its third year, has a guest country every year, and the Netherlands and Israel were selected in the past. The reasons for Japan’s selection this time were that both Japan and Spain have rich food cultures, and that 36% of Spain’s exports to Japan are food-related, indicating the strong bilateral ties in food.
We had a booth at JETRO’s Japan Pavilion at the event venue and the Embassy of Spain in Japan set up business matchings for SSS with local startups interested in expanding Japan.
“Japan Meets Bilbao” (Photo: Shibuya City)
Networking Event “Japan Meets Bilbao”
The day before Food 4 Future, SSS co-hosted a networking event with Forward Fooding and CROSSBIE called “Japan Meets Bilbao”. Forward Fooding is a collaborative platform for the food and beverage industry, while CROSSBIE is a Berlin-based company that connects the startup ecosystem in Japan and Europe. The event included the Ecosystem Pitch where startup support organizations presented their activities. Sayaka Nakashima, Partnership Lead of SSS, joined and presented Shibuya’s startup initiatives including Shibuya Startup Visa program.
The event space was provided by Talent Garden, a community and co-working space for startups. SSS connected with local foodtech startups and entrepreneurs who were considering expanding to Japan, investors, and startup support organizations and consulting firms from Japan.
Basque Culinary Center (Photo: Shibuya City)
Visit to Basque Culinary Center and AZTI
Basque Culinary Center was founded in 2011 in San Sebastian in Spain’s Basque Country. It is a pioneering academic institution where research, training, and entrepreneurship coexist to develop and promote gastronomy. AZTI is a scientific and technological center with a presence in 45 countries and headquarters in the Basque Country. The institution offers products and technologies dedicated to the marine environment and food sectors, in line with the SDGs. We connected with local startups and entrepreneurs who are considering entering the Japanese market.
The entrance of AZTI (Photo: Shibuya City)
We connected with local startups and entrepreneurs who are considering entering the Japanese market. SSS will continue to strengthen ties with overseas partners to support more international startups entering Japan and build stronger connections with the Basque Country. If you are interested in collaborating with SSS or our Shibuya Startup Visa program, don’t hesitate to contact us, and follow us on social media to keep up-to-date on upcoming events!
More information on Shibuya Startup Visa program: https://shibuya-startup-support.jp/sws/
Shibuya Startup Support’s social media account:
LinkedIn：https://www.linkedin.com/company/shibuya-startup-support/
Facebook：https://www.facebook.com/shibuya.startup.support
Twitter：https://twitter.com/ShibuyaStartup
Shibuya Bridge B-5,
1-29-3 Higashi, Shibuya City, Tokyo
JAPAN 150-0011
Shibuya Startup Support
