Why APPLY?

VISIBILITY

Be endorsed as one of the best deep tech startups in Japan and get access to worldwide exposure and visibility

CONNECTIONS

Build strong relationships with deep tech focused investors, industry leaders, experts and fellow entrepreneurs from around the globe

GLOBAL SUMMIT

Win your entry ticket to the 10th edition of the Hello Tomorrow Global Summit in Paris, the epicenter of the deep tech world. You will be invited to the Investor Days, and pitch as a finalist during the Japan Challenge

TIMELINE

  • JUNE 6th 2024
  • APPLICATIONS OPEN

    Have a deep tech startup or project that uses advanced technology to answer a societal, environmental or industrial challenge?

  • SEPTEMBER 2024
  • APPLICATIONS CLOSE

    The most promising startups, hand-picked by our jury, will be invited to join our Deep Tech Pioneers community.

    Deep Tech Pioneers are invited to attend the Hello Tomorrow Japan Summit and benefit from extra perks all year round like connections with VCs & corporates and business opportunities, among others.

    More info about the Deep Tech Pioneers community here.

  • OCTOBER 30th 2024
  • DEEP TECH PIONEERS SELECTED

    Startups selected to join the Deep Tech Pioneers community and granting them access to the worldwide Hello Tomorrow network and resources will be able to update and complete their application to compete for the selection of finalists.

  • NOVEMBER 1st 2024
  • FINALISTS ANNOUNCED

    Announcing the startup finalists who will take center stage at the Hello Tomorrow Japan Summit

    Finalists will pitch in front of a jury of experts, industry leaders, investors and public organizations

    Additionally, some Deep Tech Pioneers will still have the chance to demo their solution and network with VCs and corporates attending.

  • DECEMBER 6th 2024
  • JAPAN SUMMIT

    Connect with the catalysts who will elevate your technology to new heights.

    Hosted in Tokyo, the Hello Tomorrow Japan Summit gathers a diverse group of the most influential deep tech stakeholders each year. The climax of the Japan Challenge takes place here, where finalists present their innovations to a discerning panel of judges and a captivated audience, all vying for the top prize.

APPLICATIONS OPEN

Have a deep tech startup or project that uses advanced technology to answer a societal, environmental or industrial challenge?

APPLICATIONS CLOSE

The most promising startups, hand-picked by our jury, will be invited to join our Deep Tech Pioneers community.

Deep Tech Pioneers are invited to attend the Hello Tomorrow Japan Summit and benefit from extra perks all year round like connections with VCs & corporates and business opportunities, among others.

More info about the Deep Tech Pioneers community here.

DEEP TECH PIONEERS SELECTED

Startups selected to join the Deep Tech Pioneers community and granting them access to the worldwide Hello Tomorrow network and resources will be able to update and complete their application to compete for the selection of finalists.

FINALISTS ANNOUNCED

Announcing the startup finalists who will take center stage at the Hello Tomorrow Japan Summit

Finalists will pitch in front of a jury of experts, industry leaders, investors and public organizations

Additionally, some Deep Tech Pioneers will still have the chance to demo their solution and network with VCs and corporates attending.

JAPAN SUMMIT

Connect with the catalysts who will elevate your technology to new heights.

Hosted in Tokyo, the Hello Tomorrow Japan Summit gathers a diverse group of the most influential deep tech stakeholders each year. The climax of the Japan Challenge takes place here, where finalists present their innovations to a discerning panel of judges and a captivated audience, all vying for the top prize.

TRACKS

  • AEROSPACE

    Journeying through the skies and to outer space

    Greener propulsion technologies – Improved fuel-efficiency, propulsion technologies using renewable energy, etc.

    Improved manufacturing & materials for the aerospace industry

    • Manufacturing & maintenance solutions
    • Advanced materials and innovative equipment 

    Autonomous operations & other innovative systems for the benefit of pilots, traffic controllers and technicians – Including communication or security-enabling technologies

    Drones/UAV technologies – For transportation of cargo and/or people, monitoring or other innovative uses

    New solutions for better aircraft passenger experience

    Earth observation & connectivity

    • Micro- and nano-satellite constellations, etc.
    • Collection and analysis of data to map, monitor and track

    Satellite maintenance, deorbiting technologies and handling of space debris

    Space exploration & enabling life on the Moon and Mars

    • Manned and unmanned interplanetary spaceflight, near-earth asteroid mining, space research
    • Air & water recycling and food production in low gravity
  • ADVANCED COMPUTING & ELECTRONICS

    Bringing the best out of the binary world while anticipating the quantum revolution

    Hardware technologies supporting the sustainable development of the binary world – From new electronic components to energy-efficient data center systems

    Quantum systems – Building the bricks of quantum computing

    Electronics & photonics – Nano- and micro-technologies powering a faster and greener digital world

    New semiconductor materials or technologies that improve semiconductor manufacturing processes – Wide-band Gap Semiconductors, Thermal Interface materials, etc.

    Connectivity & communication systems and devices – Secure, energy-efficient and innovative communication systems and network technologies

    Data Science: storage, processing and analysis – Software and hardware technologies to collect, store and process data

    Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning – Breakthrough AI models and AI specific hardware, Edge AI

    Cybersecurity & data privacy – Modern technologies to protect sensitive data & digital identity and fight cybercrime 

    Electronic consumer devices of the future (e.g. AR/VR, wearables)

  • INDUSTRY & MACHINES

    Harnessing the power of machines for sustainable growth

    Green factories – Cleaner, safer, energy-efficient and effective manufacturing processes

    IIoT & ubiquitous sensing – IoT devices and technologies for industrial environments

    Symbiosis between humans & machines

    • Collaborative environments and improving human workers’ safety & efficiency
    • Human Machine Interfaces (AR/VR, holographic, haptic, etc.)

     

    Robotics designed to facilitate industrial environments or people’s everyday life

    Breakthrough solutions for the transportation of goods and people – Autonomous & connected solutions on land, water or below

    Improving safety and environmental footprint in the transport sector

    • Electric vehicles and other green mobility solutions
    • New ways of preventing accidents and protecting people

     

    Virtual & data-driven systems for industry – Modelization, simulation and automation systems to improve production, maintenance and security

  • SUSTAINABLE CONSTRUCTION & INFRASTRUCTURE

    New materials and technologies to improve the sustainability, security and productivity within the construction & infrastructure industries

    Zero-waste and low carbon construction

    • Energy-efficient and carbon-neutral architecture, infrastructure and construction techniques
    • Advanced or sustainable building materials with improved properties or high resource efficiency
    • Transforming waste to recycled or upcycled construction materials

    Applied technologies to improve productivity 

    • Robotics, digital twin, 3D printing, VR/AR etc.
    • Using advanced data analytics and algorithms to optimize construction processes and building performance

    Protecting construction workers health and improving overall on site safety

    • Autonomous machines and systems that enhance worker safety

    Breakthrough technologies and materials driving circularity and supply chain efficiency

    • Design for efficient disassembly, reduction of materials, reuse and recycling
    • New materials with embedded traceability, recyclability or high material recoverability at end-of-life
  • ENERGY

    Facilitating a low-carbon energy transition

    Clean and reliable forms of energy generation

    • Developing new means of generating low-carbon and renewable electricity
    • Scaling down costs of renewable energy assets operations 
    • Providing alternative and low-carbon fuels
    • Fostering circularity of energy (waste heat, multiple energy harvesting…)

    Energy storage 

    • Deploying systems powering our day-to-day lives to long duration and utility-scale storage
    • Improving batteries performances and providing alternative materials and processes for battery manufacturing

    Critical materials supply chain

    • Improving and providing alternative ways to source minerals
    • Scaling the recycling of key materials and systems

    Power grid and energy management 

    • Providing smart and energy-efficient solutions to manage energy
    • Improving grid flexibility and digitizing electricity distribution
  • ENVIRONMENT & BIODIVERSITY

    Prevention, repair and mitigation of human impact & regenerating the environment

    Water, waste and natural resources management

    • Monitor water quality, reduce water consumption & improve wastewater treatment 
    • Treat and upcycle waste 
    • Sustainable management of land and sea resources 

    Mitigating pollution and restoring a healthy environment

    • Measure and monitor pollution levels and decontaminate polluted ecosystems 
    • Regenerate soils and seas

    Tackling global environmental issues

    • Solutions for carbon capture and carbon removal
    • Valorization and utilization of CO2 and GHG as feedstocks for the bioeconomy
    • Mitigating climate change 

    Preserving and restoring biodiversity 

    • Ecosystem restoration including transforming marine and terrestrial biodiversity 
    • The use of data, Earth observation imagery, or DNA-based tools, e.g. environmental DNA (eDNA), for inventory and monitoring
  • FOOD & AGRICULTURE

    Feeding the Earth’s population while protecting our planet

    Precision agriculture and animal husbandry

    • Mobilizing data acquisition and analytics to monitor, understand, and act on farming and rearing
    • Empowering farmers for resources management

    Regenerative crops and farming

    • Improving soil health and overall biodiversity
    • Reducing GHG emissions through carbon sequestration and nitrogen management
    • Substituting/reducing the use of pesticides and other hazardous chemicals 
    • Engineering crops for improved yield, pest resistance, and nutritional value 

    Alternative food and feed production 

    • Developing new ingredients to leverage for food and nutraceuticals (alternative proteins, functional foods…)
    • Developing modern ways of production with reduced carbon footprint (cellular agriculture, precision fermentation…)

    Food safety & supply chain

    • Improving food production, processing, distribution and quality
    • Limiting and upcycling food and agricultural waste
    • Ensuring transparency and traceability throughout the supply chain
  • INDUSTRIAL BIOTECH & NEW MATERIALS

    Designing renewable and advanced materials, compounds and catalysts that benefit our industries & society

    Cellular factories, cell-free manufacturing & products thereof

    • Organisms (natural or engineered) for the production of high-value materials, compounds & catalysts
    • Bio-based compounds and materials
    • The application of biocatalysts and enzymes  

    Treating waste with recycling, circular or novel biodegradation technologies 

    • Biological processes for recycling or upcycling waste streams
    • Bioremediation or biodegradation

    Developments conveying smart properties in materials

    • Metamaterials, quantum materials, nanotechnologies, etc.
    • Materials that are designed for recyclability, or ease of biodegradation 

    Sustainable materials and use of resources

    • Creating renewable materials, improving existing production & recycling processes
    • New bio-based, or circular, feedstocks and ingredients
  • DIGITAL HEALTH & MEDICAL DEVICES

    Leveling up digital technologies & medical devices for better healthcare & outcomes.

    Medical devices to diagnose, manage diseases, and treat patients 

    • (Neuro-)prosthetics and medical implants, as well as patient-centered diagnostics, disease management, and therapeutic devices
    • Connected devices such as wearable technologies and sensors to prevent, diagnose, monitor or treat diseases
    • Brain-computer interfaces

     

    Digital applications for diagnosis, disease management and treatment 

    • Clinical decision support systems, AR/VR interfaces, and innovative processes
    • Digital therapeutics – DTx
    • Digital patient twins for point of care diagnostics and accelerated/improved clinical trials
    • Data-driven healthcare e.g. the application of AI for machine-learning based diagnosis
  • MEDICAL BIOTECH & PHARMACEUTICALS

    Biotechnologies and chemistries enabling the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of diseases

    Lab-based solutions improving R&D processes for drug discovery and clinical trials:

    • Organoids and organ on a chip technologies that mimic physiological conditions.
    • Gene editing for precise DNA model creation.
    • Advanced computational tools, including artificial intelligence, for in-silico pharmaceutical development.
    • New platforms (e.g., organisms, natural or engineered cells, devices) for the production of medically relevant compounds.

     

    Advanced diagnostic and monitoring solutions:

    • Microfluidic based approaches for rapid screening.
    • New biomarkers for precision medicine.
    • Biosensors and lab-on-a-chip technologies.

     

    Next-generation therapeutics for preventive and therapeutic purposes:

    • Novel delivery systems to enhance the precision of small molecule and biologic target reach.
    • Biologics, including antibodies, recombinant proteins, vaccines, cell-based therapies, etc.
    • Gene and cell therapies, including RNA-based treatments.
    • Innovative small molecules and compounds with the potential to replace current gold-standard treatments.
    • New molecules, technologies, and therapies. designed to replace current antibiotics and combat widespread antibiotic resistance.

AEROSPACE

Journeying through the skies and to outer space

Greener propulsion technologies – Improved fuel-efficiency, propulsion technologies using renewable energy, etc.

Improved manufacturing & materials for the aerospace industry

  • Manufacturing & maintenance solutions
  • Advanced materials and innovative equipment 

Autonomous operations & other innovative systems for the benefit of pilots, traffic controllers and technicians – Including communication or security-enabling technologies

Drones/UAV technologies – For transportation of cargo and/or people, monitoring or other innovative uses

New solutions for better aircraft passenger experience

Earth observation & connectivity

  • Micro- and nano-satellite constellations, etc.
  • Collection and analysis of data to map, monitor and track

Satellite maintenance, deorbiting technologies and handling of space debris

Space exploration & enabling life on the Moon and Mars

  • Manned and unmanned interplanetary spaceflight, near-earth asteroid mining, space research
  • Air & water recycling and food production in low gravity

ADVANCED COMPUTING & ELECTRONICS

Bringing the best out of the binary world while anticipating the quantum revolution

Hardware technologies supporting the sustainable development of the binary world – From new electronic components to energy-efficient data center systems

Quantum systems – Building the bricks of quantum computing

Electronics & photonics – Nano- and micro-technologies powering a faster and greener digital world

New semiconductor materials or technologies that improve semiconductor manufacturing processes – Wide-band Gap Semiconductors, Thermal Interface materials, etc.

Connectivity & communication systems and devices – Secure, energy-efficient and innovative communication systems and network technologies

Data Science: storage, processing and analysis – Software and hardware technologies to collect, store and process data

Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning – Breakthrough AI models and AI specific hardware, Edge AI

Cybersecurity & data privacy – Modern technologies to protect sensitive data & digital identity and fight cybercrime 

Electronic consumer devices of the future (e.g. AR/VR, wearables)

INDUSTRY & MACHINES

Harnessing the power of machines for sustainable growth

Green factories – Cleaner, safer, energy-efficient and effective manufacturing processes

IIoT & ubiquitous sensing – IoT devices and technologies for industrial environments

Symbiosis between humans & machines

  • Collaborative environments and improving human workers’ safety & efficiency
  • Human Machine Interfaces (AR/VR, holographic, haptic, etc.)

 

Robotics designed to facilitate industrial environments or people’s everyday life

Breakthrough solutions for the transportation of goods and people – Autonomous & connected solutions on land, water or below

Improving safety and environmental footprint in the transport sector

  • Electric vehicles and other green mobility solutions
  • New ways of preventing accidents and protecting people

 

Virtual & data-driven systems for industry – Modelization, simulation and automation systems to improve production, maintenance and security

SUSTAINABLE CONSTRUCTION & INFRASTRUCTURE

New materials and technologies to improve the sustainability, security and productivity within the construction & infrastructure industries

Zero-waste and low carbon construction

  • Energy-efficient and carbon-neutral architecture, infrastructure and construction techniques
  • Advanced or sustainable building materials with improved properties or high resource efficiency
  • Transforming waste to recycled or upcycled construction materials

Applied technologies to improve productivity 

  • Robotics, digital twin, 3D printing, VR/AR etc.
  • Using advanced data analytics and algorithms to optimize construction processes and building performance

Protecting construction workers health and improving overall on site safety

  • Autonomous machines and systems that enhance worker safety

Breakthrough technologies and materials driving circularity and supply chain efficiency

  • Design for efficient disassembly, reduction of materials, reuse and recycling
  • New materials with embedded traceability, recyclability or high material recoverability at end-of-life

ENERGY

Facilitating a low-carbon energy transition

Clean and reliable forms of energy generation

  • Developing new means of generating low-carbon and renewable electricity
  • Scaling down costs of renewable energy assets operations 
  • Providing alternative and low-carbon fuels
  • Fostering circularity of energy (waste heat, multiple energy harvesting…)

Energy storage 

  • Deploying systems powering our day-to-day lives to long duration and utility-scale storage
  • Improving batteries performances and providing alternative materials and processes for battery manufacturing

Critical materials supply chain

  • Improving and providing alternative ways to source minerals
  • Scaling the recycling of key materials and systems

Power grid and energy management 

  • Providing smart and energy-efficient solutions to manage energy
  • Improving grid flexibility and digitizing electricity distribution

ENVIRONMENT & BIODIVERSITY

Prevention, repair and mitigation of human impact & regenerating the environment

Water, waste and natural resources management

  • Monitor water quality, reduce water consumption & improve wastewater treatment 
  • Treat and upcycle waste 
  • Sustainable management of land and sea resources 

Mitigating pollution and restoring a healthy environment

  • Measure and monitor pollution levels and decontaminate polluted ecosystems 
  • Regenerate soils and seas

Tackling global environmental issues

  • Solutions for carbon capture and carbon removal
  • Valorization and utilization of CO2 and GHG as feedstocks for the bioeconomy
  • Mitigating climate change 

Preserving and restoring biodiversity 

  • Ecosystem restoration including transforming marine and terrestrial biodiversity 
  • The use of data, Earth observation imagery, or DNA-based tools, e.g. environmental DNA (eDNA), for inventory and monitoring

FOOD & AGRICULTURE

Feeding the Earth’s population while protecting our planet

Precision agriculture and animal husbandry

  • Mobilizing data acquisition and analytics to monitor, understand, and act on farming and rearing
  • Empowering farmers for resources management

Regenerative crops and farming

  • Improving soil health and overall biodiversity
  • Reducing GHG emissions through carbon sequestration and nitrogen management
  • Substituting/reducing the use of pesticides and other hazardous chemicals 
  • Engineering crops for improved yield, pest resistance, and nutritional value 

Alternative food and feed production 

  • Developing new ingredients to leverage for food and nutraceuticals (alternative proteins, functional foods…)
  • Developing modern ways of production with reduced carbon footprint (cellular agriculture, precision fermentation…)

Food safety & supply chain

  • Improving food production, processing, distribution and quality
  • Limiting and upcycling food and agricultural waste
  • Ensuring transparency and traceability throughout the supply chain

INDUSTRIAL BIOTECH & NEW MATERIALS

Designing renewable and advanced materials, compounds and catalysts that benefit our industries & society

Cellular factories, cell-free manufacturing & products thereof

  • Organisms (natural or engineered) for the production of high-value materials, compounds & catalysts
  • Bio-based compounds and materials
  • The application of biocatalysts and enzymes  

Treating waste with recycling, circular or novel biodegradation technologies 

  • Biological processes for recycling or upcycling waste streams
  • Bioremediation or biodegradation

Developments conveying smart properties in materials

  • Metamaterials, quantum materials, nanotechnologies, etc.
  • Materials that are designed for recyclability, or ease of biodegradation 

Sustainable materials and use of resources

  • Creating renewable materials, improving existing production & recycling processes
  • New bio-based, or circular, feedstocks and ingredients

DIGITAL HEALTH & MEDICAL DEVICES

Leveling up digital technologies & medical devices for better healthcare & outcomes.

Medical devices to diagnose, manage diseases, and treat patients 

  • (Neuro-)prosthetics and medical implants, as well as patient-centered diagnostics, disease management, and therapeutic devices
  • Connected devices such as wearable technologies and sensors to prevent, diagnose, monitor or treat diseases
  • Brain-computer interfaces

 

Digital applications for diagnosis, disease management and treatment 

  • Clinical decision support systems, AR/VR interfaces, and innovative processes
  • Digital therapeutics – DTx
  • Digital patient twins for point of care diagnostics and accelerated/improved clinical trials
  • Data-driven healthcare e.g. the application of AI for machine-learning based diagnosis

MEDICAL BIOTECH & PHARMACEUTICALS

Biotechnologies and chemistries enabling the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of diseases

Lab-based solutions improving R&D processes for drug discovery and clinical trials:

  • Organoids and organ on a chip technologies that mimic physiological conditions.
  • Gene editing for precise DNA model creation.
  • Advanced computational tools, including artificial intelligence, for in-silico pharmaceutical development.
  • New platforms (e.g., organisms, natural or engineered cells, devices) for the production of medically relevant compounds.

 

Advanced diagnostic and monitoring solutions:

  • Microfluidic based approaches for rapid screening.
  • New biomarkers for precision medicine.
  • Biosensors and lab-on-a-chip technologies.

 

Next-generation therapeutics for preventive and therapeutic purposes:

  • Novel delivery systems to enhance the precision of small molecule and biologic target reach.
  • Biologics, including antibodies, recombinant proteins, vaccines, cell-based therapies, etc.
  • Gene and cell therapies, including RNA-based treatments.
  • Innovative small molecules and compounds with the potential to replace current gold-standard treatments.
  • New molecules, technologies, and therapies. designed to replace current antibiotics and combat widespread antibiotic resistance.

PREVIOUS WINNERS

 

TopoLogic, a University of Tokyo-based startup, develops innovative electronics using topological material, featuring heat sensing technology that visualizes heat in milliseconds and magnetic memory technology that is hundreds of times more energy-efficient than conventional counterparts, aspiring to solve global industrial issues through advanced electronics and semiconductor solutions.

Pale Blue offers advanced electric propulsion systems for spacecraft ranging from 3U Cubesats to 700 kg satellites, using water as propellant without requiring high-pressure storage, resulting in a safe, cost-effective, and sustainable solution for in-space propulsion

Syrinx is wearable device that restores the original voice for individuals who have lost their voice box due to cancer, enabling them to speak again using their past voice. The device leverages advanced speech synthesis technology, offering a life-changing solution for those affected by vocal cord removal.

Unlocking the power of deep tech” is not just their motto, it is what they do. Joining the Hello Tomorrow family has brought me both tangible and intangible benefits. They are your gateway into the world’s biggest deep tech community.

CHALLENGE ELIGIBILITY

AM I ELIGIBLE TO APPLY?

We welcome startups that are:

  • In the early-stage of development or the beginning of their commercialization phase (up to series A)
  • Based on a new technology, a scientific discovery or a complex engineering process
  • Addressing an industrial, societal or environmental unmet need or creating a new market
  • Composed of a team of at least 2 people
  • Not a subsidiary or spin-off of an existing company

Contact Us