Kobe City and Makake collaborate to create innovation and expand sales channels for small and medium-sized enterprises–consultation meetings and matching

　Kobe City and Makuake announced on September 7th that they had signed a "business partnership agreement on support for innovation creation and sales channel expansion for small and medium-sized enterprises". Through collaboration between small and medium-sized enterprises in the city and human resources engaged in urban creative industries, we will develop new products and services, implement innovation creation support programs that create new sustainable businesses, and revitalize and add value to the entire local industry. We will promote efforts to create a virtuous cycle that leads to This is the third cooperation agreement between a local government and Makuake, following Yokohama City and Tokushima City, and the first in the Kansai region.

　The aim of the collaboration is to (1) create innovation for SMEs, (2) attract creators and companies, and (3) revitalize the entire local industry. For small and medium-sized enterprises that are not good at using ICT, we will introduce how to use famous service platforms through existing support projects, aiming to create opportunities for collaboration inside and outside the city. In particular, support for marketing and public relations is expected.

Kobe City has been focusing on supporting the utilization of ICT for some time Emphasizing that it is a support for the entire industry Aiming to create opportunities for collaboration inside and outside the city through the platform Holding seminars and individual consultations, (2) cooperation with existing SME support programs, (3) support for project pages, (4) matching with city creators, etc., (5) “Kobe City x Makuake” special feature Five of the opening of the page.

　As a condition of participation, it is necessary to participate in one of the three innovation creation support programs currently being implemented by Kobe City: "Project Engrove", "Mirai Keiei Juku Wonders", and "Mono Design Collaboration LAB KOBE". . As the first initiative, the first “Makuake utilization seminar / individual consultation meeting” will be held on October 20th. Participation is free, but individual consultations are limited to the first eight companies.

Participation in an existing small business support program is a condition

Makuake was founded in 2013, and the company's service "Makuake" is also recognized as a crowdfunding site. However, in Japan, crowdfunding has a strong image of a site for collecting donations, so several years ago Makuake updated its brand to a “support purchase service for interesting things and experiences” and quickly launched products that do not exist in the world. We are focusing on delivering products and services to users who want to know and use them.

Makuake is rebranding as a support purchase service

　We are focusing on support rooted in each region, and in addition to the Tokyo head office, we have established Kansai branch offices, Kyushu bases, and Nagoya bases, and will also be present at presentations. Mr. Ryosuke Kikuchi, the manager of the Makuake Regional Business Division, is in charge of overseeing them. After the launch of the Kansai branch in 2014, usage in Hyogo Prefecture was sluggish compared to other regions, but due to the impact of the corona crisis, the number of postings increased by about three times in 2020.

　Mr. Kikuchi said, "Except for the user paying 20% ​​of the procurement amount as a performance reward, the project page can also be launched without any initial costs, and since it can take on various challenges, it can also be used as a new product development platform to revitalize the local economy. It is easy to connect,” he said.

Mr. Ryosuke Kikuchi, Director of Makuake Regional Business The number of projects in Hyogo Prefecture will triple by 2020

　Although we have been providing individual consultations and support for project pages, in creating project pages, mainly in Kobe The "Kobe Creator's Notebook" registered by active designers and creators is targeted for matching. In addition, it encourages registration to the Makuake Creators Network (Makuake Creators Network) operated by Makuake. By the end of the fiscal year, we will open a special page that collects Kobe City's projects, aiming for a ripple effect such as improving the recognition of the entire platform.

　Kobe City has worked on regional revitalization through partnership agreements with Facebook Japan and TikTok. This time, by collaborating with existing projects, we are trying to increase the operational effects of each.

　Mr. Nobuaki Nagai, Chief of the Economic Policy Division of the Economic and Tourism Bureau (in charge of urban creative industries), said to the small and medium-sized enterprises who took the stage at the conference, "Special feature scheduled to be released during the implementation period from September 7th to March 31st of the following year. We will adjust the content of the support, including the page, according to the situation," and the goal is to make each project a hot topic rather than increasing the number of cases.

Mr. Nobuaki Nagai, Chief of Economic Policy Division, Economic and Tourism Bureau (Urban Creative Industries) The creation of the project page will match creators in the city and lead to registration with Makuake.