- Will Share Co-Working Spaces engawa KYOTO and Box Jelly
to Promote Exchange and Support Business Startups -

Dentsu Inc. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; President &CEO: Hiroshi Igarashi; Capital 10,000 million Yen) announced today that it will partner with Jelly Works LCC*1 (Headquarters: Honolulu; President: Rechung Fujihara) in Hawaii to offer an exchange membership program beginning February 1, 2020. Furthermore, as part of the partnership, the companies will also launch "Island Innovation Project" to support startups and entrepreneurs focusing on solutions and innovation relevant to island formations, such as Hawaii and Japan.

Hawaii is familiar to Japanese as a travel and immigration destination. Members of this program will be able to use co-working space in Kyoto at engawa KYOTO*2, Dentsu's co-working space, and in Hawaii at Jelly Works' Box Jelly. Having the two locations available will connect and accelerate entrepreneurs' business as well as support the launch of new businesses.

Dentsu established engawa KYOTO in Shijo Karasuma, Kyoto to help entrepreneurs connect and contribute the community in July 2019. Since then, engawa KYOTO has been developing programs to support and accelerate startups as they expand globally and has identified Hawaii as a perfect place to launch the project. Both share common issues such as plastic waste and seek innovation in tourism, sustainability and environment. This project will support not only Japanese startups entering U.S. market, but also support Hawaii startups accessing Japanese and further, Asian markets.

As part of the program launch, the companies will host "Island Innovation Demo Day 2020" on May 2020 to provide startup companies with the opportunity to share ideas aimed at sustaining island culture and value. The event is officially supported by Hawaii Technology Development Corporation*3 (HTDC) and Kyoto city. Details of the event will be posted at the end of February 2020.

"Through this partnership Dentsu is committed to not only supporting startups but also facilitating their relationships with enterprises worldwide. This is a great opportunity to cultivate and promote entrepreneurs in our community and for our community," says Hiroki Maeda, Executive Project Director of Dentsu Inc.

*1 Jelly Works LLC
BoxJelly, Hawaii's leading coworking space was founded in 2011 by Rechung Fujihira. After growing beyond its original startup phase at Chaminade University, BoxJelly has become a thriving center for creation and innovation in Honolulu with two locations and a third location slated to open in early 2020 in Ward Center.
BoxJelly welcomes a diversified community of daily, monthly, and long-term tenants who work together to strive for greatness. The company and its members live strongly by the motto, "Work Hard, Live Better."

*2 engawa KYOTO
engawa KYOTO is a base location to support the innovations of individuals, corporations and society, in the Shijo Karasuma area of Kyoto. With a members-only co-working and shared office space targeted at individuals and corporations as a platform, engawa KYOTO is a facility that connects the individuals and corporations that gather there and supports the co-creation of businesses that will one day bring vitality to Japan's economy.
https://engawakyoto.com/

*3 Hawaii Technology Development Corporation (HTDC)
HTDC is a state agency, attached to the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism (DBEDT). HTDC's mission is to facilitate the development and growth of Hawaii's high technology industry. HTDC is providing capital, building infrastructure and fostering innovation to diversify Hawaii's economy.

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