WE AT Presents Award to amu Inc. at Sendai’s First Global Startup Event “DATERISE! 2025”
WE AT, an initiative aiming to build a new ecosystem that supports startups tackling global social challenges through collaboration among industry, academia, and government, participated in DATERISE! 2025, the first global startup event held in Sendai, Tohoku (organized by the City of Sendai).
At the event, Hirotsugu Kashimura, Senior General Manager of the R&B Promotion Division at Canon Marketing Japan Inc. and WE AT Executive Officer, served as a judge and presented the WE AT Award to amu Inc., a startup developing new products by upcycling discarded fishing gear.
About “DATERISE! 2025”
Held for the first time in Sendai and Tohoku under the theme “SENDAI to Global!”, DATERISE! 2025 celebrated startups and young entrepreneurs aspiring to expand globally. The event featured a pitch contest for Sendai- and Tohoku-based startups aiming for international markets, panel discussions, hands-on experiences of startup products for citizens, and workshops for students, creating a vibrant space to showcase innovation.
WE AT Award to amu Inc. for Tackling Marine Plastic Waste
According to Japan’s Ministry of the Environment, fishing-related debris accounts for 59.5% (by weight) of all marine plastic waste that washes ashore. Discarded fishing gear, often referred to as “ghost gear,” continues to entangle marine life or break down into microplastics, causing severe ecological damage if not properly managed.
Currently, most discarded fishing gear is treated as industrial waste through incineration or landfill. These methods, however, result in significant CO₂ emissions, environmental burdens, and rising costs that must be borne by fishers themselves.
amu Inc. has built an integrated system covering collection, recycling, and sales, turning discarded fishing nets into new value. By purchasing and processing used nets, the company produces a recycled material branded as amuca®, which is used in product development and sold as an alternative resource. This initiative contributes not only to the preservation of marine ecosystems and biodiversity but also to reducing the financial burden on fishers.
Recognizing amu’s commitment to going beyond simple recycling by upcycling discarded fishing gear into products with greater social and environmental value, as well as its efforts to enhance traceability and visualize the state of marine ecosystems, WE AT presented the WE AT Award to amu Inc. We remain committed to continuously supporting amu’s pursuit of well-being.
About WE AT / WE AT CHALLENGE 2025
Established in May 2024, WE AT aims to build a global innovation ecosystem in collaboration with leading Japanese universities such as the University of Tokyo and Kyoto University, major corporations, and venture capital firms. Guided by the OECD’s “well-being framework,” WE AT supports startups and research-based projects that contribute to the accumulation of economic, natural, human, and social capital—the foundations of a well-being economy.
The flagship pitch contest, WE AT CHALLENGE 2025, aspires to become one of Asia’s largest well-being festivals. Following the success of last year’s inaugural edition—which attracted nearly 400 applications from 32 countries worldwide—the second edition introduces four tracks: Planetary Well-being, Human Well-being, Social Well-being, and a newly established Creativity Well-being challenge track.
Finalists will be evaluated by distinguished judges across sectors, with awards including the WE AT AWARD for each finalist and the WE AT BEST AWARD for the winners of each track. Prize money will be JPY 10 million for each of the three main tracks and JPY 2.5 million for the challenge track. Special prizes will also recognize outstanding efforts from students, corporate intrapreneurs, and researchers.
Applications are open until August 31, 2025.
- Entry form: https://we-at.tokyo/challenge/