Tokyo SUTEAM - Beyond Makers Program

Project overview

The Beyond Makers Program is a Japan–Australia cross-border co-creation initiative selected under the Tokyo Metropolitan Government’s startup support initiative, TOKYO SUTEAM.

The program is designed to connect Japanese small and medium-sized manufacturing enterprises (SMEs) with Australian startups in deep tech and hardware to explore co-creation opportunities.

Through the program, Australian startups gained opportunities to access Japan’s advanced manufacturing capabilities, specialised expertise and established supply chains. For Japanese manufacturers, it provided an opportunity to explore collaboration with emerging technologies and identify new avenues for business development.

In just five months, the program achieved 7 MoUs signed, 5 PoCs progressed and over JPY 10 million in business generated. These results demonstrate the strong alignment between Japan’s manufacturing expertise and Australian deep-tech innovation, highlighting the significant potential of bilateral collaboration.

The program was delivered through a partnership between four organisations: Venture Café Tokyo, Lambda, Arclev and Innovation Dojo Japan (IDJ). Each contributed its respective strengths to support innovation, startup development and cross-border business collaboration between Japan and Australia.

ℹ️ For more information, visit the Beyond Makers Program website.

‍

The challenge: Bridging manufacturing expertise and deep-tech innovation

Australian deep-tech startups often possess world-class research and development capabilities. However, translating innovative technologies into prototypes, real-world demonstrations and commercial products can present significant challenges, including securing manufacturing partners and establishing production capabilities for scale-up.

Meanwhile, Japanese manufacturing SMEs offer advanced processing capabilities, extensive manufacturing expertise and well-established supply chains and industry networks built over many years.  However, identifying promising overseas startups and translating their technologies into new business opportunities requires the right connections and a structured approach.

The Beyond Makers Program aimed to bring these complementary strengths together and to create new opportunities for co-creation.

‍

Three Program Modules

The program was delivered across three modules, supporting participating companies from initial introductions through to technical collaboration and commercial engagement.

‍

🇦🇺 Module 1: Japanese manufacturers visit Sydney, Australia

Site visits to university-based manufacturing facilities, government-operated manufacturing facilities and research facilities provided insights into the environments in which Australian startups develop, prototype and manufacture their technologies. Business matchmaking sessions and co-creation workshops then helped participating companies explore potential collaborations based on their respective technologies and needs.

‍

‍

💻 Module 2: Collaboration development and PoC support

Following the Australian visit, participating companies continued discussions online, with ongoing support to advance collaboration from both technical and commercial perspectives.

Support included developing collaboration opportunities, facilitating the execution of NDAs and MoUs, and coordinating the next steps towards PoC implementation. This helped companies turn initial discussions into concrete collaborative initiatives.

‍

🇯🇵 Module 3: Australian startups visit Tokyo, Japan

The Tokyo program strengthened relationships established during the Australian visit and provided a further opportunity for participants to progress technical discussions and commercial partnerships.

The Australian startups visited manufacturing facilities in Ota City, gaining a deeper understanding of Japan’s manufacturing environment, production processes and technical capabilities. The matched companies also worked together in face-to-face sessions to further develop their collaboration plans and advance their ongoing PoC projects.

The program wrapped up with an engagement signing ceremony at the Australian Embassy in Japan,marking an important milestone in their collaboration and formalising their commitment to continued collaboration.

‍

Key Outcomes

Within five months, the program helped translate Japan–Australia connections into tangible business outcomes.

1. Seven MoUs signed

Seven MoUs were signed between Australian startups and Japanese manufacturing SMEs. These agreements helped clarify areas of mutual interest and potential collaboration, establishing a foundation for ongoing partnerships beyond the initial matchmaking stage.

2. Five PoCs Developed

Five PoC projects progressed, covering a range of activities, including joint prototype development, precision component manufacturing and technology validation in real-world settings.

For participating startups, PoCs provided an opportunity not only to validate the practical application and feasibility of their technologies, but also to build relationships with Japanese manufacturers, local suppliers and industry stakeholders. These connections can help establish a foundation for entering the Japanese market and pursuing future business opportunities.

3. More than JPY 10 million (AUD$ 90,290) in Business Generated

In just five months, the program generated over JPY 10 million in business.

By bringing together the manufacturing expertise of Japanese SMEs and the innovative technologies of Australian startups, the program helped turn cross-border collaboration into tangible business outcomes, creating new commercial opportunities and economic value.

‍

‍

IDJ's role in enabling cross-border innovation

As the Australian-side coordinator, IDJ worked alongside Venture Café Tokyo, Lambda and Arclev to support the following activities:

• Startup sourcing and recruitment:  Leveraging IDJ’s established relationships across Australia’s innovation ecosystem to identify and engage relevant startups. This included startups IDJ had supported in the past, such as Fugu Carbon, as well as companies sourced through longstanding relationships with university and government ecosystem partners, including UNSW and Investment NSW.‍
• Australian program design and delivery: Planning, coordinating and delivering local site visits, business matchmaking sessions and co-creation workshops.‍
• Cross-border facilitation: Bridging language and business culture differences through bilingual communication and facilitating technical and commercial discussions between participating companies.‍
• Ongoing PoC support: Helping companies progress collaboration opportunities through follow-up discussions, alignment of technical requirements and support towards NDAs, MoUs and PoC engagements.

The Beyond Makers Program demonstrated how connecting Australia’s research and development capabilities with Japan’s manufacturing expertise can support technology validation, partnership development and the creation of new business opportunities. IDJ will continue working with a diverse range of ecosystem partners to foster innovation and strengthen international business collaboration between Japan and Australia.

‍

Interested in exploring Australia-Japan collaboration?

If your organisation is interested in cross-border collaboration or entering the Japanese or Australian market, contact Innovation Dojo Japan to explore potential opportunities.

‍