Shift Your Mindset, Build Your Future

    Join a 12-week, part-time program that blends hands-on learning, expert coaching, and global connections to drive real business creation

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    Hybrid Innovation Program

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    Hybrid Innovation Program

    June 16 - September 1

    In Person: Tokyo, Japan
    Virtual: via Zoom 

    This 12-week, part-time program is designed to help companies make tangible progress on a new business creation project. Organizations may register a project group of up to 4 people who, over the course of the program, will shift their mindset and develop their innovation capabilities.

    This unique program unfolds with an in-person intensive 3-day kickoff event in Japan, followed by a hybrid (virtual & in-person) 10-week coaching phase, and concludes with an in-person final pitch event in Japan. These phases are seamlessly delivered to participants in Japan, virtually connecting them with Silicon Valley or through in-person coaching, offering the best of Japan + Silicon Valley open innovation.

    The 3-day kickoff event immerses participants in a fast-paced environment where they are inspired by future thinking, gain insights through access to SRI deep technology, and practice design thinking through hands-on projects. During the hybrid portion of the program, participants engage with a wide range of SRI technology and researchers. Through expert coaching, they receive valuable feedback and learn essential tools to advance their business creation initiatives—whether by refining a business concept or leveraging new technology insights to assess commercial viability. 

    Submit an inquiry

    Coaching For A New Mindset

    Participants will be matched with a dedicated coach for the duration of the program, ensuring personalized guidance and support. Coaching meetings will occur weekly, with the first three sessions held in a collaborative group setting. These group sessions provide a unique opportunity to share project progress, exchange insights, and receive constructive feedback from both peers and coaches. This collective learning environment fosters new perspectives, encourages problem-solving, and helps participants refine their ideas more effectively.

    In the second half of the program, participants will transition to four project-specific, 1:1 coaching sessions with their assigned coach. These tailored sessions will provide focused guidance, helping participants overcome challenges and refine their projects for success.

    Coaches will cover a range of relevant topics for new business creation: Deep technology research from SRI labs, user needs & market validation process, Business design tools, Pitch coaching, US and Japan-based in English and Japanese language delivery.

    Our coaches

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    Larry Shubert
    Innovation & Design Thinking Expert
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    Rob Nail

    Technology Leader
    Former CEO, Singularity University

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    Brittany Arthur
    Innovation Coach & Design Thinking Expert
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    Amit Mulgaonkar
    Senior Strategist, Emerging Tech, SRI
    3-Mar-31-2025-08-59-53-3492-PM
    Karen Myers

    Director,
    Artificial Intelligence Center
    SRI

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    Aya Iwasuji

    Associate Director,
    Nomura-SRI Innovation Center
    SRI

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    Zak Murase

    Business Coach,
    US-Japan Venture Expert 

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    Julie Bert

    Director
    Hardware Research & Technology Lab
    SRI 

    "The proactive mindset of Silicon Valley entrepreneurs—“just do it” and quickly bring ideas to market—can be extremely inspiring and offer significant learning opportunities for Japanese companies."
     
    - T. Hirakawa
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    Chris Cowart

    Managing Director
    Nomura - SRI Innovation Center

    Our story

    In 2019, SRI and Nomura first discussed this innovation partnership at a robotics conference hosted by SRI and NEDO Japan (a national research and development agency in Japan that creates innovation by promoting technological development necessary for the realization of a sustainable society.). The overt mission was set out to connect Japan and Silicon Valley through open innovation. Building on SRI’s technology pragmatism and innovation process expertise, and the market acumen of Nomura, NSIC provides an immersive development environment, headquartered in Silicon Valley, for businesses to explore and develop their innovation portfolio, processes and toolkit, ecosystem, and culture.

    NSIC has assembled a team of experts in the innovation process, practitioners with technology and business design backgrounds, and intrapreneurial business leaders to create a program and supportive environment that allows its member companies to take advantage of the best that Silicon Valley has to offer.