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Digital Garage Opens New Incubation Center“DG CAMP AKIYA Yokosuka City”
Established as a New Incubation Hub Connecting Startups from Around the World
– Digital Garage, Inc. (DG) opens a new incubation center, DG CAMP AKIYA Yokosuka City, in Kanagawa Prefecture and begins operations in September 2024.
■ Incubation hub connecting startups around the world
Since the Open Network Lab launch in 2010, DG has been working to discover and foster talented startups and cutting-edge technologies from around the world and to implement them into the DG Group’s businesses. As part of the process, DG opened the incubation center “DG717” in San Francisco (2013), the conference hall “Dragon Gate” in the Shibuya Parco DG Building (2020), and now, as a replacement for “DG CAMP Kamakura” (2012 – 2024), “DG CAMP AKIYA Yokosuka City” is to be opened as a new incubation center in Akiya, Yokosuka City.
This center takes advantage of its location surrounded by the sea and hills of Yokosuka and is equipped with functions for startup camps, pitch events, and other events, including “Dragon Gate AKIYA,” a conference room with an open ocean view, and five accommodation spaces.
Moreover, an “ Artist-in-Residence Studio,” announced separately, will provide an environment for artists to stay and create artwork. The “Ryuichi Sakamoto Network Studio Project” will be released by the Shibuya City Office and other related parties in February of next year.
As an incubation hub connecting startups around the world, along with “DG717” and “Dragon Gate,” DG will work with its global network, “DG Global Incubation Stream,” to contribute to the emergence of startups that represent the world.
■ Opening event
DG held an opening event for “DG CAMP AKIYA Yokosuka City” on September 4, 2024, to unveil the facility to guests with a deep knowledge of technology, global incubation, and the media. Guests included representatives of the community such as Shinjiro KOIZUMI, a Member of the House of Representatives, and Katsuaki Uechi, the mayor of Yokosuka City, as well as startups that graduated from Open Network Lab. Programs featured a keynote by Joichi Ito (Co-founder and Director, Senior Managing Executive Officer and Chief Architect of DG), an introduction to the “DG Global Incubation Stream,” and an Onlab Alumni Talk.
■ Comments
Shinjiro KOIZUMI（Member, House of Representatives）
Congratulations on the opening of ”DG CAMP AKIYA Yokosuka City” today. As a resident of Yokosuka, I am pleased to see Yokosuka Akiya joining San Francisco, London, Shibuya, and Yokosuka City as an incubation hub for startups worldwide. One can only imagine the innovations that will be born as more and more startups take advantage of this facility. I hope this kind of support for startups will lead to the birth of more startups that will drive the economy in Japan, just as it has worked in the United States.
Katsuaki Kamiji（The Mayor of Yokosuka City）
Congratulations on the opening of “DG CAMP AKIYA Yokosuka City.” We are very pleased to have another innovative center in Yokosuka. The facility offers a panoramic view of beautiful Sagami Bay and Mt. Fuji. This wonderful environment will inspire visitors to come up with many ideas, one after another. Yokosuka City is currently promoting the conceit of “a City that supports challengers who never fear failure”. We hope many startups that spark innovation in society will spread their wings to the world from this facility.
I look forward to assisting in various ways in the future.
Kaoru Hayashi（Representative Director, President Executive Officer and Group CEO of Digital Garage, Inc.）
DG has been incubating startups for 20 years. The Japanese startup scene has become more global in recent years, with many Japanese entrepreneurs challenging the world and many foreign entrepreneurs aiming for an IPO in Japan. We will position “DG CAMP AKIYA Yokosuka City” as an incubation hub connecting startups around the world and contributing to the global next-generation Internet community by fostering startups that will be active on the world stage.
Masahito Okuma （Director, Senior Managing Executive Officer and CBDO of Digital Garage, Inc.）
After launching in 2010 as Japan’s first accelerator, the Open Network Lab has supported over 150 startups and produced several unicorns and publicly traded companies. We have moved DG CAMP, a place for startups to sharpen their business ideas and practice pitches, from Kamakura to Akiya. Now that we have expanded the scale of the event, we will be contributing to the startup community in more ways than ever before, including pitch events, hackathons, global conferences, and other events. We will also work with the local community to create a symbiotic startup ecosystem that is more community-based.
■ “Artist-in-Residence Studio” Project
In addition to opening “DG CAMP AKIYA Yokosuka City,” DG announced a plan to open an “Artist-in-Residence Studio” on the same site, following Ryuichi Sakamoto’s legacy.
For further information, please refer to our news release below.
URL https://www.garage.co.jp/en/pr/release/2024090401/
■ Reference video
Please check out the video of “DG CAMP AKIYA Yokosuka City”.
■ Facility exterior and distant view
■ Facility overview
Name: DG CAMP AKIYA Yokosuka City
Address: 4238-1 Akiya, Yokosuka City, Kanagawa Prefecture
Access: 30 minutes by bus from Zushi Station on JR Yokosuka Line / Zushi-Hayama Station on Keihin Kyuko Zushi Line
Facilities: Conference rooms, guest rooms, catering facilities
https://www.garage.co.jp/dgcampakiya/