The Osaka-Kyoto-Hyogo Consortium, an alliance of Kansai business and industry bureaus, has announced its goals for the second phase of its Global Hub City initiative. The consortium will focus on three areas—healthcare, decarbonization, and DX—to create 2,100 startups, including 500 university-originated startups, over the next five years. This plan aims to double the results of the first phase—1,072 startups created and 217.4 billion yen in funding secured—by increasing funding to 510 billion yen. For the first time, the consortium will also invest overseas, with funds designated for 50 overseas startups in the five-year period.

The consortium was formed to establish Kansai as a competitor to Tokyo in startup activity and cutting-edge technologies, with the aim of launching five unicorn companies and 23 next-generation unicorns from the region.