WE AT Announces Judges for the “Social Well-being” Track at WE AT CHALLENGE 2025, Aiming to Become Asia’s Largest Festival for Well-being Innovation
Tokyo, Japan — The general incorporated association WE AT, dedicated to advancing the well-being industry through solutions to global social challenges, will host “WE AT CHALLENGE 2025” on November 27. Aiming to become Asia’s largest festival for well-being innovation, this pitch contest will feature four thematic tracks this year, including the newly introduced Social Well-being. Today, WE AT is pleased to announce the judges for this new track.
About WE AT CHALLENGE 2025
Co-organized in partnership with Temasek Foundation (Singapore), WE AT CHALLENGE 2025 marks the second edition of this international pitch contest celebrating innovation for well-being.
This year, nearly 600 applications from 40 countries were received from startups, students, researchers, and corporate projects proposing bold solutions to global issues.
Building on last year’s three tracks — Planetary Well-being, Human Well-being, and Social Well-being — the 2025 program introduces a new challenge track, Creativity Well-being, to explore the intersection of art, culture, and innovation.
Each track will be evaluated by a panel of distinguished professionals representing diverse fields. Finalists will compete for the WE AT AWARD, and the top teams from each track will be honored with the WE AT BEST AWARD.
The winners of Tracks 1–3 will each receive JPY 10 million, while the Creativity Well-being track winner will receive JPY 2.5 million in prize money.
Register to Attend — https://weat-challenge2025.peatix.com/
Social Well-being: Advancing Inclusive Communities, Social Connection, and Quality of Life
The Social Well-being track focuses on enhancing social well-being—the sense of fulfillment, safety and security, and respect for diversity that emerges from meaningful connections with others and with society as a whole—grounded in the fundamental principle of respecting each individual.
This track broadly invited services and technologies that help build fair and inclusive environments where everyone can thrive, foster communities where people feel a genuine sense of belonging, and contribute to regional revitalization and the realization of smart cities. The screening process leading up to the final presentation has now been completed.
We are pleased to introduce the judges for Track 3: Social Well-being.
This track covers a wide range of technologies and ideas that promote diversity, urban development, and richer living within local communities and social networks. The judging panel comprises experts from academia, local governments, venture capital, and accelerators, offering diverse perspectives and a global viewpoint. All judges share the vision of WE AT and will evaluate the finalists through a lens that reflects the unique values of our initiative.
<Judge Comments>
The Head Judge/Advisor ：Atsushi Deguchi,Executive Director and Vice-President, Professor of Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo
Cities are where our lives unfold—and they are also laboratories for making them better. I look forward to people-centered proposals that unite problem-solving with value creation. By linking data with on-the-ground practice, the public and private sectors, and local assets with technology, let us elevate well-being and growth through bold new challenges.
Kathy Liu, VP, Energy / Smart Cities, Plug and Play Japan
I look forward to connecting with impactful startups worldwide that are driving fundamental solutions to social issues.
Mariko Yazawa, General Partner, Yazawa Ventures
The next era will be shaped by startups that embrace change and take bold challenges. I hope WE AT CHALLENGE 2025 becomes a catalyst for new industries and value creation through meaningful connections.
Yoshiro Tasaka, CEO, Shibuya Startups KK
As society becomes increasingly uncertain and unstable, we would like to express our sincere gratitude to Japan’s top academic and business leaders for launching and running the WE AT Challenge, a project to foster innovation for our society.
Yusuke Tsuji, Managing Partner, UTokyo Innovation Platform Co., Ltd.
WE AT CHALLENGE2025 represents an opportunity for startups that embody the coming Beyond GDP era to come together. I look forward to the co-creation of a new Well-being ecosystem, which will serve as a cornerstone in reshaping the world.
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