Mitsui Chemicals Invests in Monozukuri Ventures

Mitsui Chemicals, Inc. (Tokyo: 4183; President & CEO: HASHIMOTO Osamu; hereinafter “Mitsui Chemicals”) is pleased to announce its investment in Monozukuri Ventures Corp. (Kyoto; CEO & Managing Director: MAKINO Narimasa; hereinafter “MZV”) in October 2020. MZV operates a consulting business and venture capital fund specializing in hardware startups.

With materials being a source of innovation, an in-depth knowledge of materials is essential for any company to take on the challenge of creating game-changing new products. Mitsui Chemicals’ New Business Incubation Center develops, manufactures and sells plastic parts that leverage the strengths of various materials for use in innovative new products in the robotics field. These plastic parts have already been put to use some applications, including personal mobility solutions, social robots, powered exoskeletons and industrial robots.

MZV supports monozukuri – the art of making things in a creative way – by startups through a venture capital fund launched in 2017, based on the vision of shaping a future in which anyone across the globe can take on the challenge of manufacturing hardware. The fund primarily focuses on hardware startups in Japan and North America. A variety of Japanese manufacturing companies have become involved in the project by investing in new funds and existing ones, enabling MZV to expand the network of startups that it supports.

Partnering with MZV through this new investment will enable Mitsui Chemicals to help support the monozukuri of these startups and new businesses, supplying them with optimal parts encompassing not only plastic but also metal and electronic parts – right from the pilot run in the initial development phase. Mitsui Chemicals also plans to work with MZV to promote monozukuri in other countries and will step up efforts to expand the New Business Incubation Center’s business overseas.

Mitsui Chemicals will continue undertaking initiatives to support startups and new businesses as it looks to help promote innovation throughout the world.

Monozukuri Ventures Corp.