YOKOHAMA, Japan – Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. is teaming up with startup accelerator Plug and Play Japan to support innovations in mobility and other technologies that will benefit customers.
Under a partnership agreement with the Tokyo-based accelerator, a local office of Silicon Valley-based Plug and Play, Nissan aims to expand its network with startups in Japan and overseas. Nissan will use this network to explore opportunities for collaboration, support innovations and gain access to new technologies and businesses.
As part of the partnership, Nissan will be actively involved in the development of Plug and Play Japan’s accelerator program focused on mobility. Plug and Play Japan is accepting the first batch of applications from startups for the program on its website between Feb. 1 and March 31.
The agreement will help accelerate the open innovation strategies of Nissan, Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi and the Alliance member companies. Nissan will work closely with Alliance Ventures, the corporate venture capital fund announced at CES 2018 on Jan. 9, on the opportunities realized through the partnership.
“The partnership with Plug and Play Japan is the latest signal that Nissan’s door remains wide open to promising, innovative startups worldwide,” said Yasuhiro Yamauchi, Nissan’s chief competitive officer. “As the automotive industry’s leader in democratizing mobility innovations, Nissan looks forward to continuing to collaborate with startups and support their innovations for the benefit of our global customers.”
About Plug and Play
Plug and Play is a global innovation platform. We connect startups to corporations and invest in over 150 companies every year. Since inception in 2006, our programs have expanded worldwide to include a presence in 12 countries with 26 locations globally giving startups the necessary resources to succeed in Silicon Valley and beyond. With over 6,000 startups and 180 official corporate partners, we have created the ultimate startup ecosystem in many industries. We provide active investments with 200 leading Silicon Valley VCs, and host more than 365 networking events per year. Companies in our community have raised over $6 billion in funding, with successful portfolio exits including Danger, Dropbox, Lending Club, PayPal, SoundHound, and Zoosk. For more information, visit www.plugandplaytechcenter.com.
Contact
Tomoyuki Akiyama
+81-(0)45-523-5632
tomoyuki-akiyama@mail.nissan.co.jp
Nicholas Maxfield
+81-(0)45-523-5552
n-maxfield@mail.nissan.co.jp
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