AICHI LANDING PAD 2026 

Program Terms and Conditions 

Note on Language: These terms and conditions were originally drafted in Japanese. In the event that a translated version is provided in any language other than Japanese, the Japanese version shall constitute the official and binding agreement. Any translated versions are provided for reference purposes only. In the case of any discrepancy in interpretation between a translated version and the Japanese version, the Japanese version shall prevail. 

This program is sponsored by: Aichi Prefectural Government, 3-1-2 Sannomaru, Naka-ku, Nagoya City, Aichi Prefecture (hereinafter referred to as the "Sponsor"). 

The purpose of these rules is to set forth the terms and conditions under which applicants may participate in the Program. By participating in this Program, applicants are deemed to have agreed fully and unconditionally to these rules. If you do not agree to any of these rules, do not register for or submit an entry to this Program. 

1.  Application Period 

The application period for this Program* opens at 00:00 JST on April 27, 2026, and closes at 17:00 JST on June 19, 2026. The Program is accessible 24 hours a day via the dedicated Program website "Aichi Landing Pad 2026," operated by Agorize at: 

https://aichi-landing-pad.agorize.com/en/challenges/edition-2026 

All dates and times referenced in these rules are in Japan Standard Time (JST). 

* For an overview of the full program structure, refer to Section 7 of these rules. 

2.  Compliance with Rules 

Eligible persons who register on the Program website and wish to participate in the Program must read and agree to these rules. By accessing and accepting these rules, you: 

All documentation required to verify a participant's eligibility (e.g., identification documents, registration certificates) may be requested prior to the award of any prizes or support. 

This Program is void where prohibited or restricted by law. 

5.  Program Purpose and Participation 

Participation in the Program is open to representatives and employees of startup companies. 

Startup participants must participate in the Program as representatives of a legally registered business entity. During the registration process, startup participants must designate one individual within the company as the primary point of contact with the Sponsor. This individual is responsible for registering the startup and participating in the challenge on the company's behalf. By participating in this challenge as a startup, you represent and warrant to the Sponsor that: (i) the designated individual is a duly authorized representative of the startup and is participating in the challenge on behalf of the company; and (ii) all necessary approvals have been obtained from all persons entitled to grant intellectual property rights to the Sponsor for purposes of participating in the challenge. 

The objectives of the Program are as follows: 

Information regarding the Program themes and categories, various deadlines, support details, and Sponsor requirements is accessible via the Program website. 

6.  Submissions 

When applying to the Program, participants may upload all documents or other materials (text, presentation materials, videos, etc.) related to their business and solution that are relevant to the Program's themes and categories as defined by the Sponsor (hereinafter referred to as "Submissions"). 

Submissions must: (i) address challenges in the fields described in the Program overview and themes/categories; (ii) be in one of the following digital formats: PDF, PPT, PPTX, or MP4; and (iii) be in English or Japanese. 

Submissions that cannot be downloaded, are not in the correct format, are incompatible, or are illegible will be disqualified. 

The following conditions apply to Submissions: 

Participants shall bear all costs related to the preparation and submission of their Submissions. Participants assume all risks in the event that a Submission is damaged, lost, delayed, incomplete, invalid, inaccurate, or misdirected. 

7.  Program Phases 

The Program consists of five phases. 

Phase 1 — Application Phase 

Entries and submissions are accepted from 00:00 JST on April 27, 2026 through 17:00 JST on June 19, 2026. 

Depending on the volume of applications received, the application period may be extended. Any extension will be announced on the Program website and on the Agorize platform. 

Submissions must meet the specifications set out in Section 6 above, and must additionally include a pitch deck containing the following: 

9.  Selection Phase (Detail) 

Document screening based on the selection criteria will take place from after the application deadline through approximately July 6, 2026. The announcement of successful startups is scheduled for Monday, July 6, 2026. 

Voters (including the Sponsor, contracted operators, the Agorize community, and judges designated by the Sponsor and contracted operators) will evaluate and select entries and submissions based on the following criteria: 

Unless otherwise specified, approximately 15 startups with the highest scores at the end of this evaluation will be selected as the Program's successful applicants. 

Startups found to have engaged in fraud, use of fake profiles, use of third-party applications enabling dishonest behavior, dual participation, or any other misconduct as identified by the Sponsor will be disqualified and will not receive any support. The Sponsor's decision on disqualification is final and cannot be challenged by other participants. 

Applicant startups may be requested to participate in an online interview during the selection period. If an applicant fails to respond within five business days of receiving an interview request, the organizer (or Sponsor) reserves the right to revoke that startup's eligibility to participate in the Program. 

The organizer and contracted operators shall bear no liability for any damages incurred by participants as a result of such revocation. 

The announcement of selection results is scheduled for Monday, July 6, 2026. Depending on the volume of applications received, the announcement date may be extended. Any such extension will be communicated via the Program website and the Agorize platform. 

10.  Pre-Arrival Preparation Phase 

During this phase, the following preparatory activities will be conducted: 

In addition, participants must complete membership registration with STATION Ai — Japan's largest open innovation hub — in order to receive the various forms of support provided by the facility. 

* Selected startups are exempt from STATION Ai's standard admission screening, and remote membership registration is available free of charge. 

The Sponsor reserves the right to increase or decrease the number of events listed above and to modify their content and schedule. 

12.  Follow-Up Phase 

Following the conclusion of the Matching Phase, a follow-up period will continue through March 31, 2027, during which the following support will be provided as needed: 

Business leads developed during the Program period will continue to receive follow-up support from designated supporters. In particular, a bilingual supporter will accompany meetings until discussions around potential collaboration become more concrete, providing facilitation and language support throughout. 

13.  Communications and Publicity 

By participating in the Program, participants agree and consent to the Sponsor's use of the following information during and after the Program period for promotional purposes (including the Sponsor's advertising and other marketing activities). This includes use in both currently known and future formats (websites, advertising banners, social networks, newsletters, press releases, etc.), whether free of charge or compensated: 

Participants agree that the Sponsor may use the following information for communication and publicity purposes: 

For example, each participant grants the Sponsor permission to distribute photographs taken at any event through any communications channel. 

Such use does not entitle participants to any form of payment or compensation. 

14.  Confidentiality 

The Sponsor is under no obligation to keep confidential any information contained in Submissions. By submitting a Submission, participants understand, agree, and acknowledge that information contained therein may be publicly disclosed by the Sponsor. 

In the event that a startup is selected, the Sponsor may require the execution of a non-disclosure / confidentiality agreement for the purpose of entering into negotiations regarding the further business development of the selected startup. Such an agreement would cover the Submission and all intellectual property contained therein. 

Furthermore, participants acknowledge that companies in Aichi Prefecture introduced by the Sponsor during the Matching Phase may currently be developing—or may in the future develop—similar products, concepts, systems, services, or technologies internally or receive the same from other parties, and that these may resemble information contained in a participant's Submission. Accordingly, nothing in these rules shall prohibit the Sponsor from independently acquiring, developing, or having developed products, concepts, systems, services, or technologies that are similar to or competitive with those contained in or considered in any Submission, whether by itself or through third parties. 

Participants acknowledge that other participants, individuals, or entities may have provided or disclosed—or may in the future provide or disclose—to the Sponsor or others content that is identical or similar to information contained in any entry. Accordingly, participants acknowledge, agree, and accept that the Sponsor has the right to use such identical or similar materials, and that participants are not entitled to any compensation arising from the Sponsor's use of such materials. 

15.  Intellectual Property 

The following terms are used as defined below in this section: 

Non-Infringement Warranty 

At any phase of the Program and upon submission of a Submission, each participant warrants to the Sponsor that they are a co-owner and/or holder of intellectual property rights in all or part of the Creations contained in the submitted Submission, and that they have obtained all rights and permissions with respect to all pre-existing Creations and any elements of the Submission for which the participant does not hold the relevant rights. 

Each participant warrants that: (i) their contribution is original and unprecedented; (ii) their contribution does not infringe any third-party copyright or other intellectual property rights; (iii) all elements comprising their Submission, and all contributions and information described in the submitted presentation documents, are accurate, reliable, and complete; and (iv) the submission of the relevant Submission does not constitute any form of unfair competition. 

Participants are required to clearly indicate the source of any pre-existing Creations of any kind contained in the submitted material and any supporting elements. Submissions involving multiple participants shall be treated as collaborative works and handled in accordance with applicable regulations. 

Liability 

The Sponsor shall not be liable for any breach of the above provisions by participants. Each participant shall indemnify the Sponsor against any interference, action, claim, objection, or attempt to exclude or exclude the Sponsor by any third party in connection with the creation of Deliverables (including intellectual property rights). 

By submitting a Submission and participating in this Program, participants do not grant the Sponsor any rights over the intellectual property rights contained in the Submission, and the Sponsor makes no claim of ownership over the Submission or any intellectual property that may be contained therein. However, with respect to use for communication and publicity purposes in connection with future editions of the Program, participants grant the Sponsor the right to use such materials in accordance with Section 13 of these rules. 

16.  Amendments, Suspension, and Termination of the Program 

Rule Updates 

The Sponsor reserves the right to amend these rules at any time without prior notice to participants when operationally necessary or otherwise required. Participants are encouraged to review these rules regularly. Participants expressly waive all claims and disputes arising from any amendments to these rules made by the Sponsor. 

Participants' Personal Data will be used solely for the following purposes, in accordance with Japan's Act on the Protection of Personal Information (Act No. 57 of 2003), for which the Sponsor defines the purpose and means of processing: 

The Sponsor and Program operators commit to implementing appropriate organizational and technical security measures to protect the personal data of all participants. 

19.  Claims 

Any claims by participants related to the Program must be submitted to JPABAICHIGSUDL@abeam.com within 30 days of the Program end date. All claims must include: (i) the participant's full contact details (name, address, email address, and phone number); (ii) the name of the Program; and (iii) a clear and detailed description of the claim. 

20.  Governing Law and Dispute Resolution 

The governing law for this Program and all matters related to it shall be the laws of Japan. 

If a dispute continues for 15 days or more after a participant has filed a claim, the Sponsor and participant agree to engage in amicable mediation prior to initiating any legal proceedings. The party seeking to initiate mediation must notify the other party by registered mail with acknowledgment of receipt, stating their intention and explaining the grounds. If no agreement is reached between the parties within 30 days of receipt of the registered mail, both parties are free to pursue other avenues. 

In the event of a continuing disagreement regarding the application or interpretation of these rules that is not resolved amicably, any disputes arising between the parties shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Japan, to whose jurisdiction the parties expressly submit. This applies equally in the event of multiple defendants, summary proceedings, appeals by guarantee, appeals by petition, or any other jurisdictional context. 

This English translation is provided for reference purposes only. The Japanese original shall prevail in all cases of discrepancy.