PR91345

SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 31, 2021 /PRNewswire=KYODO JBN/ --

Seiko Epson Corporation (referred to below as Epson) is working with San

Francisco-based Runway Innovation Hub (

https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=3271236-1&h=1797618708&u=https%3A%2F%2Fbit.ly%2F3zMu3R4&a=Runway+Innovation+Hub

) to foster an innovation mindset, identify cutting-edge technology startups

for piloting and partnership, and build strong relationships with the global

innovation ecosystem.

Photo -

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Epson is on a mission to address unmet customer needs through its Open

Innovation Program. As an experienced partner in corporate innovation

consulting and startup engagement, Runway was selected to translate global

trends into business opportunities and scout startups (

https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=3271236-1&h=836785488&u=https%3A%2F%2Fbit.ly%2F3zTv2z3&a=scout+startups

).

"Our partnership with  Runway has given us the opportunity to understand the

Silicon Valley mindset and efficiently gain exposure to innovative startups,"

stated Junkichi Yoshida, COO of Epson's Printing Solutions Division.

Yoshihiro Nakami, General Manager Epson DX Strategic Planning described,

"Runway plays an important role in Epson's worldwide innovation network. Their

expertise in creating an innovation process for Epson and breadth of startup

connections has accelerated our speed to pilot. We look forward to continuing

our partnership."  

Runway's team of seasoned  analysts and technology researchers have nurtured

Epson's startup partnership pipeline throughout the pandemic. Despite the

global events of 2020, Runway and the Epson DX Open Innovation team have

achieved strong results, including:

    - 78 startups scouted, analyzed, and evaluated

    - 22 startup meetings & demos sessions from over 6+ countries around

      the globe

    - 11+ partnership discussions

"Epson and  Runway have established a trusted partnership. We work very closely

with the Runway team and they understand our strategic business goals. Together

we are transforming step-by-step the internal mindset along with Epson's future

business." – Akihisa Obara, Epson Senior Expert and DX Project Management Lead.

One successful example is the collaboration with Avatour, a startup developing

a remote collaboration platform designed to conduct meetings including for

training, inspections, and other site-specific meetings. The company's software

allows users to share a real place where they can see the entire environment at

360° and interact with each other, thereby enabling remote users to effectively

participate in site meetings and save time and money.

Jack Rieger, Director Digital Innovation Epson America explained, "We recognize

that we don't have good visibility to everything that is out there, so working

with a firm like Runway introduced us to unknown possibilities.  We look

specifically for startup or corporate partners that can help us open up new

markets, enhance the value proposition of our product, and grow our business in

a significant way".

Epson is seeking collaborations with innovators to co-develop solutions for

remote work, distance learning, digital collaboration, stay-at-home and remote

manufacturing to support its current and future customers as the world is

forever impacted by the global pandemic.

Epson and Runway are continuing a strong partnership into 2021 and look forward

to sourcing high-quality startups and technologies for successful piloting and

business unit integration. If you'd like to collaborate, please use the links

below to learn more.

About Epson:

Epson is a Japan-headquartered manufacturing company which provides printing

solutions, visual communications, wearable products, and industrial solutions.

Since 1942, Epson's DNA has continued to embody the idea of efficient, compact,

precision technology, and now their IoT hubs enable customers to access this

whenever and wherever you are. Epson is helping their customers in education,

tourism, healthcare, and disaster prevention tackle the challenges. By

providing timely solutions to issues, they create customer-centric long term

relationships, offering continuous support in solving social issues. Learn more

at https://openinnovation.Epson.com/en/ .

About Runway:

Runway is a Silicon Valley innovation company accelerating the success of

global corporate innovators and technology entrepreneurs.  Runway has worked

with 40+ global corporations to drive innovation results by uncovering new

trends and opportunities, scouting cutting-edge startups for strategic

partnership, investment or acquisition, and successfully piloting new business

concepts. Alongside its consulting practice, Runway incubates early stage

startups across 20+ industries. Runway's 350+ startups have done extremely well

– they've raised a combined $2.5B in VC money and 53 have successfully exited.

Learn more at https://runway.is/corporate-innovation/ .

SOURCE: Runway Innovation Hub

CONTACT: Liz Palisin, +1 (415) 935-8122, liz@runway.is