The city of Kitahiroshima, Hokkaido, launched Hokkaido F Village X (HFX), a new business creation program utilizing the F Village complex. The complex, which has  its core base at ESCON Field HOKKAIDO, is run by Scrum Studio, a subsidiary of U.S. VC Scrum Ventures. Open to startups from both Japan and overseas, F Village focusses on five core fields, including mobility, wellbeing, and sustainability.

30 startups are expected to be selected for residence between 2025 and 2027, with Scrum Ventures providing investment and support for prototyping. Successful projects are expected to be introduced on ES-CON premises and in the Kitahiroshima City area.

Yamato Holdings and JTB are among the partner companies, with Yamato investing in the fund with an expectation to collaborate on technology such as small delivery robots for DX logistics.

Hiroki Kawamura, deputy mayor of Kitahiroshima City, expressed his desire to support the project in terms of ordinances and permits, and to help Hokkaido companies grow and create jobs. With sports facilities as a starting point, a new challenge to achieve both regional revitalization and innovation has been set in motion.

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