A GOOD TASTE OF SUSTAINABILITY

What is the Next Kitchen 2024?

The Next Kitchen 2024 is a tailored mentoring and business matching program in February 2024, designed for Foodtech startups that aim to expand their impact in Japan, starting in Kobe – the City of Gastronomy.

The program is part of Japanese government initiatives organized by JETRO, Hyogo Prefecture and Kobe City. In collaboration with ProVeg Incubator and CROSSBIE (Japan-Europe Accelerator), we are here to connect Foodtech startups with leading Japanese corporations to create sustainable food solutions.

Whether it means changing how we eat, eating healthier, creating a better cycle or improving systems and logistics, we believe that we can shape the future of food by bringing us together.

Applications for 2024 are now closed. If you're interested, please keep an eye out for next year's openings.

WHAT’S ON THE MENU?

Mentored by experts

for Japanese market entry

Facility tour

to visit Japanese
food factories

1-TO-1 matching

with food businesses
in Japan

Demo Day pitch

to meet key
stakeholders

The city of Gastronomy, Kobe

Although its namesake beef made Kobe world-famous, this culinary city has much more to offer. Agricultural riches abound - farming and fisheries - and it's also the top sake exporter in the world. No wonder foodies consider it 'The Kitchen of Japan'.

Nowadays, however, as we tend to reflect on our consumption, the question arises: How can we make our local food more sustainable?

With your creativity, we believe that we can create a robust ecosystem to promote sustainability while enjoying the finest food.

TIMELINE

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR

Your business aligns with our objectives and addresses food industry issues.

01. Social impact

You have a passion and determination to develop business in Japan.

02. Launch in Japan

Your business fits the needs of local authorities and other stakeholders effectively.

03. Market fit

Your business already has traction and can maintain its service standards while upscaling.

04. Scalability

Your management team has a clear vision, strengths and fascination for leveraging food tech to solve social challenges.

05. Team

The Kobe Ecosystem

No. of foreign affiliates

Selected by the gov.
as one of the

With 370+ corporates
including 85+ startups

Population

Economy

No. of universities

No. of private firms

*It is the total population for Hyogo Prefecture 
**Ranked 4th out of 47 Prefectures  
***Ranked 7th out of 47 prefectures

Explore opportunities

Our alumni

As a food tech company, the NEXT KITCHEN 2023 program was everything we needed to explore the Japanese food culture and industry, uncover market opportunities, and establish strong partnerships for a successful market entry.

— Deniz Ficicioglu, Co-Founder of BettaF!sh

A truthful deep dive on Japanese food culture. I couldn't have imagined a better programme.

— Bruno Scocozza, Co-Founder of Esencia Foods

It was a worthwhile experience. The companies for 1:1 meetings were well chosen. We are already discussing collaboration with Japanese companies to diversify our product portfolio & enter the East Asian market successfully.

— Dr. MBA Neena Gupta-Biener, Co-Founder of VIFFFF