JOHNAN and Darma Tech Labs Inc. (head office: Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto; "DTL", CEO: Narimasa Makino) decided to implement the allocation of new shares, mutually entering into the relevant stock subscription agreement.

DTL is an accelerator specializing in seed and early stage investments. The firm focuses on investing in consumer oriented hardware and Internet of Things products; healthcare and medical devices; agriculture, energy, environment, and infrastructure markets; factory automation sectors; automotive markets; drug discovery and chemistry sectors; and traditional craft and technology fusion markets. It also runs Makers Boot Camp ("MBC"), a 100% Made in Japan hardware accelerator that provides customized support for hardware startups who want to get ready for mass manufacturing with cost-effective reliable partners. MBC is the first Japanese acceleration program that is focusing on helping hardware startups in crossing the gap of “the valley of death”: Design for Manufacturing.

DTL formed the VC fund called MBC Shisaku No. 1 Investment LP in July, 2017. The fund has already invested in several Japanese and international hardware startups, and will intensively invest in early stage hardware startups in Japan, North America, and Europe.

While on the other hand, JOHNAN has established an endowed chair, "Kyoto Valley for Manufacturing and Innovation (JOHNAN)," at Graduate School of Management, Kyoto University, since this April. This chair intends to research, educate and promote the development of Kyoto region as one of the global centers of manufacturing and innovation, which may provide a coherent set of manufacturing services for designing and prototyping through to mass-production of new product developments. Our researches aim to create an "Industrial Eco-system" here in Kyoto, which include functions such as "Product Design" focused on product development and entrepreneurship; "Product Realization" including prototyping; as well as those for "Incubation" and "Acceleration" of new businesses.

Hence, through this capital alliance and further reinforcement of relations between DTL and JOHNAN, our aim is to create business opportunities more rapidly and accelerate the Manufacturing and Innovation.

About Darma Tech Labs Inc.:
Founded in 2015, the firm is based in Kyoto, Japan, and manages the VC fund for seed and early stage hardware startups.

For more information, please visit the official website here.

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