{"id":2769,"date":"2025-11-14T17:19:31","date_gmt":"2025-11-14T08:19:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/oihen.hogehogecojp.com\/?post_type=event-report&amp;p=2769"},"modified":"2025-11-14T17:19:31","modified_gmt":"2025-11-14T08:19:31","slug":"carbon-part1","status":"publish","type":"report","link":"https:\/\/www.innovation-osaka.jp\/en\/report\/carbon-part1\/","title":{"rendered":"HeCNOS AWARD Winners Featured at Expo 2025: Carbon Neutral Startups to Watch (Part 1)"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>\n<p>\tstrong{font-weight: bold;}<\/p>\n<p>\t.mt-50{margin-top: 5rem;}<\/p>\n<p>\t.mt-25{margin-top: 2.5rem;}<\/p>\n<p>\t.mt-30{margin-top: 3rem;}<\/p>\n<\/style>\n<section class=\"section-container\" >\n<p>The journey toward a carbon-neutral future is gaining momentum at Expo 2025 Osaka. Inside <a href=\"https:\/\/osaka2025.site\/en\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\">the Osaka Healthcare Pavilion\u2019s Reborn Challenge<\/a>, startups and SMEs are presenting breakthrough solutions to cut emissions, recycle resources, and build a more sustainable society.<\/p>\n<p>\tThis article introduces three HeCNOS AWARD-winning companies from the Carbon Neutral Treasure Hunt:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\u30fb<strong>EneCoat Technologies: <\/strong> developing flexible, lightweight solar cells for power generation in places conventional panels can\u2019t reach.<\/li>\n<li>\u30fb<strong>BIOTECHWORKS-H2: <\/strong> optimizing hydrogen production from diverse waste streams with AI-driven, IoT-enabled systems.<\/li>\n<li>\u30fb<strong>Hemicellulose: <\/strong> turning agricultural byproducts into bioplastics for packaging, textiles, and beyond.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\n\tTogether, they represent the cutting edge of Japan\u2019s efforts to tackle climate change through innovation and global collaboration.\n\t<\/p>\n<hr size=\"1\" color=\"#737373\" noshade class=\"mt-30\">\n<h2 class=\"mt-50\">EneCoat Technologies<\/h2>\n<div class=\"report-img mt-25\">\n            <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.innovation-osaka.jp\/oih2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/en_img\/img\/event-report\/20250701-07-carbon-part1\/2.jpg\" alt=\"HeCNOS AWARD Winners Featured at Expo 2025: Carbon Neutral Startups to Watch (Part 1)\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">Photo: The EneCoat Technologies team<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><i class=\"fa-solid fa-link\"><\/i> <a href=\"https:\/\/enecoat.com\/index_en\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">https:\/\/enecoat.com\/index_en\/<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Q: What technology are you developing?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\tA: We develop perovskite solar cells in collaboration with Kyoto University\u2019s Wakamiya Lab. Unlike silicon panels, they are thin, lightweight, flexible, and even colorful\u2014making them suitable for indoor use, low-light environments, and installation in places where silicon panels cannot be used.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Q: What applications are you targeting?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\tA: Our main focus is indoor environments and lightweight structures like factory roofs and walls. We\u2019re also developing transparent perovskite cells for in-tandem use with normal silicon photovoltaic cells, allowing each to capture different light spectra for higher efficiency. Our vision is \u201cPower Anywhere\u201d\u2014from homes and offices to unconventional spaces.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Q: What challenges remain?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\tA: The biggest are durability and cost. While silicon lasts 30\u201340 years, we aim for 10 years with perovskite. The technology is still young, so durability testing and production methods are evolving. For now, we target niche applications where our unique properties offer the most value.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Q: How do you differentiate from competitors?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\tA: We excel in low-light efficiency, a technically difficult area, and benefit from direct collaboration with Kyoto University. By focusing solely on perovskite, we can commit all resources to advancing the technology, unlike larger firms with multiple R&amp;D priorities.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Q: What partnerships and future plans do you have?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\tA: We\u2019ve secured investment from Toyota\u2019s CVC and are collaborating with JAXA on space-ready, lightweight, radiation-resistant cells\u2014targeting deployment within 1\u20133 years. Overseas, we see opportunities in both indoor and outdoor markets and will strategically expand to ensure Japan takes the lead globally.<\/p>\n<hr size=\"1\" color=\"#737373\" noshade class=\"mt-30\">\n<h2 class=\"mt-50\">BIOTECHWORKS-H2<\/h2>\n<div class=\"report-img mt-25\">\n            <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.innovation-osaka.jp\/oih2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/en_img\/img\/event-report\/20250701-07-carbon-part1\/3.jpg\" alt=\"HeCNOS AWARD Winners Featured at Expo 2025: Carbon Neutral Startups to Watch (Part 1)\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">Photo: Akihide Nihsikawa, CEO of BIOTECHWORKS-H2<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><i class=\"fa-solid fa-link\"><\/i> <a href=\"https:\/\/biotechworks.us\/en\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">https:\/\/biotechworks.us\/en\/<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Q: What\u2019s your core business?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\tA: We turn waste into hydrogen, then into renewable energy\u2014while making the entire process fully transparent. Our system tracks exactly which waste streams produce how much gas and CO\u2082 reduction, offering a fully traceable solution.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Q: How did the idea start?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\tA: Coming from an apparel background, I first aimed to recycle discarded apparel into hydrogen, but costs were too high. Realizing it was similar to general waste, we broadened to all municipal waste and began developing the technology in 2020 in Silicon Valley before scaling in Japan.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Q: What sets your business apart?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\tA: We optimize waste before processing using IoT devices to maximize hydrogen yield, with data fed to an AI system for efficient, traceable production\u2014valuable for carbon credit markets. By partnering with existing facilities instead of building our own plants, we can handle diverse waste types while reducing costs and tapping into Japan and ASEAN\u2019s upgrading plant market.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Q: What\u2019s your growth and funding strategy?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\tA: We use an \u201coverseas-style\u201d approach\u2014small early funding followed by large rounds\u2014targeting a $1B valuation pre-IPO in 2028\u201329. Speed is essential, as many overseas investors expect returns in 3\u20134 years.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Q: Where are you headed globally?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\tA: Our first focus is ASEAN, starting with Indonesia and the Philippines, then expanding to the Middle East, where future demand for CO\u2082 + hydrogen-based e-fuels will grow. Long-term, we aim to contribute to Africa as well.<\/p>\n<hr size=\"1\" color=\"#737373\" noshade class=\"mt-30\">\n<h2 class=\"mt-50\">Hemicellulose<\/h2>\n<div class=\"report-img mt-25\">\n            <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.innovation-osaka.jp\/oih2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/en_img\/img\/event-report\/20250701-07-carbon-part1\/4.jpg\" alt=\"HeCNOS AWARD Winners Featured at Expo 2025: Carbon Neutral Startups to Watch (Part 1)\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">Photo: Jin Nasukawa, CEO of Hemicellulose<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><i class=\"fa-solid fa-link\"><\/i> <a href=\"https:\/\/hemicellulose.jp\/#\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">https:\/\/hemicellulose.jp\/#<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Q: What does Hemicellulose do?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\tA: We turn agricultural byproducts from the food and beverage industry\u2014like cacao husks, coffee grounds, and spent barley\u2014into bioplastic materials. These are processed into pellets, then shaped into sheets, molded into cups, or spun into fibers for textiles.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Q: What inspired you to start the company?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\tA: Seeing Japan\u2019s mold manufacturing industry decline, I decided to move upstream into materials. Running both materials and molding operations lets us turn plant waste into finished products under one roof.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Q: What sets Hemicellulose apart from other bioplastics companies?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\tA: Unlike competitors that focus on a single input, we work with any plant waste our partners provide\u2014cacao husks, coffee grounds, spent barley\u2014producing tailored, small-lot, high-variety materials.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Q: How do you develop and scale such diverse products?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\tA: Our scientists analyze each feedstock\u2019s structure to match it with the best applications, supported by a database of material properties. Partnering with global food and beverage manufacturers, we process waste at its source, with cacao projects in Mexico and plans to expand into coffee, barley, and potential materials like avocado pits.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Q: How do you ensure long-term supply from local producers?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\tA: We believe in giving back. Collecting waste requires paying fair compensation to producers, and we reinvest revenue into these communities. A sustainable economic loop is essential\u2014environmental benefits alone aren\u2019t enough to ensure participation.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Q: What do you hope to achieve through events like the Expo?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\tA: Kansai has a strong manufacturing and packaging industry, and we\u2019re eager to explore collaborations with more companies here to expand applications and impact.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section class=\"section-container\">\n<div class=\"\">\n<h2 class=\"h2\">About the Event<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/osaka-startup.com\/program\/rc\/CN\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Technology for a greener tomorrow Carbon Neutral Treasure Hunt<\/a><br \/>Exhibition period at the Osaka-Kansai Expo: July 1st Tue \u2013July 7th Mon, 2025<\/p>\n<p><strong>Article Source<\/strong><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/newsletters\/osaka-startup-digest-7231557447553798144\/?lipi\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Osaka Startup Digest<\/a><br \/>Exploring the startup ecosystem of Osaka &amp; Kansai.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The journey toward a carbon-neutral future is gaining momentum at Expo 2025 Osaka. Inside the Osaka Healthcare Pavilion\u2019s Reborn Challenge, startups and SMEs are presenting breakthrough solutions to cut emissions, recycle resources, and build a more sustainable society. This article introduces three HeCNOS AWARD-winning companies from the Carbon Neutral Treasure Hunt: \u30fbEneCoat Technologies: developing flexible, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":15866,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_locale":"en_US","_original_post":"","footnotes":""},"report-category":[107],"report-tag":[],"class_list":["post-2769","report","type-report","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","report-category-107","en-US"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.innovation-osaka.jp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/report\/2769","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.innovation-osaka.jp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/report"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.innovation-osaka.jp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/report"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.innovation-osaka.jp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/report\/2769\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.innovation-osaka.jp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15866"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.innovation-osaka.jp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2769"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"report-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.innovation-osaka.jp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/report-category?post=2769"},{"taxonomy":"report-tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.innovation-osaka.jp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/report-tag?post=2769"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}