1. Overview

The Startup Ecosystem Tokyo Consortium held its "DX & Smart City Working Group" meeting at Global Business Hub Tokyo on Thursday, March 23, 2023.The event featured a panel discussion with Mr. Tatsuki Shonan, CEO of scheme verge Inc., and Mr. Bo Wen, Executive Director of the Water City Creation Partners Association, on strategies and future developments for collaboration between large corporations and startups in the DX and Smart City domain. Following this, participants split into small groups to discuss the direction of DX and Smart City initiatives in the Tokyo metropolitan area.

2. Event Implementation Overview

Panel Discussion: DX and Smart City Initiatives in the Tokyo Metropolitan Area 'Strategies for Advancing Large Enterprise × Startup Collaboration and Future Developments'

(1) Scheme Verge and Water City Creation Partners' Initiatives

Scheme Verge was founded in 2018 and has been developing the Horai application as a tourism-oriented MaaS platform for the Seto Inland Sea area since 2019, with support from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. We also operate services from the perspective of local users and provide analysis tools for the gathered flow of people data. While we have primarily focused on tourist destinations and coastal areas, our platform is now being utilized for area management in urban centers. We are also considering expanding area management initiatives in Tokyo that integrate with water transport.

Water City Creation Partners was established in 2017 and comprises 13 private companies including developers and railway operators. We primarily focus on three initiatives: revitalizing water transport, utilizing data obtained through digitalization, and conducting area branding in collaboration with developers.

(2) Background, Approaches, and Future Expansion of the Collaboration Between Scheme Verge and Water City Creation Partners

The reason Water City Creation Partners chose to collaborate with scheme verge was that we recognized the feasibility in scheme verge's approach: not merely possessing technology, but advancing their business by collaborating with and building relationships among diverse local stakeholders.Their first collaborative project in the Seto Inland Sea area involved simplifying marina reservations. Water City Creation Partners partially developed and implemented their marina reservation management system for scheme verge's water taxi service. Subsequently, in Tokyo, they expanded beyond marina reservations to integrate Horai's functionality with an e-commerce site selling boarding passes.

Scheme Verge is considering business expansion strategies to address the needs of developers in urban areas who wish to integrate initiatives across different zones and manage the overall picture. In regional areas, we are exploring advancing projects in collaboration with local governments, followed by partnering with private companies such as general contractors to further expand our operations.

Water City Creation Partners is considering advancing its future business development by meticulously pursuing urban development in conjunction with data from Scheme Verge, ultimately aiming to revitalize inland waterway and maritime transport businesses nationwide through systemization.

Workshop: Direction of DX and Smart City Initiatives in the Tokyo Metropolitan Area

Participants were divided into three groups—Healthcare, Environment, and Mobility—and engaged in discussions.

The group focused on healthcare proposed creating a platform for lunch gatherings among seniors.
The group focused on the environment proposed enabling various forms of shared use in daily life through digital means.
The group focused on mobility proposed that it is necessary to utilize vacant spaces and attract visitors through event planning.