- Accelerating collaboration with startups to resolve social issues in the Global South -
TOKYO, April 21, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--OKI (TOKYO: 6703) has entered into an agreement for investment in the ICMG Co-Creation Fund II Limited Partnership ("ICMG Co-Creation Fund II" hereinafter), newly established by the ICMG Group (Head office: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; Group COO: Gen Funahashi) in January 2025. Managed by ICMG Ventures Pte. Ltd., an ICMG Group investment management company based in Singapore, this co-creation fund is funded by The 77 Bank, Ltd. (Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture; President: Hidefumi Kobayashi), Hokuriku Bank, Ltd. (Toyama, Toyama Prefecture; President: Hiroshi Nakazawa), and OKI. The ICMG Co-Creation Fund II seeks to resolve social infrastructure issues in the Global South (Note 1) by supporting startup businesses active in India, Southeast Asia, and other regions while collaborating with them as an equal partner to maximize fusion value. OKI will leverage this co-creation fund to actively engage in co-creation activities and accelerate its innovation activities toward global business expansion. Forecasts call for continued significant economic growth in the Global South, including regions like India and Southeast Asia. Nevertheless, these regions include many areas in which the pace of infrastructure development has failed to keep up with the economic growth, leading to the emergence of various social infrastructure issues, such as underdeveloped transportation infrastructures that hinder logistics and prevent the establishment of optimized distribution channels. Other issues include a lack of efficient maintenance and operation systems to respond to increasingly severe natural disasters. In response to such issues related to social infrastructures, OKI seeks to resolve social issues through co-creation by combining the strengths of individual startup businesses with OKI’s unique technological strengths, deepening collaboration through this co-creation fund. By resolving social issues in the Global South in this way, OKI will be putting into practical realization its key message: Delivering OK! to your life. By focusing on creating future businesses and restarting overseas businesses based on its Medium-Term Business Plan 2025, OKI aims to create new global businesses worth between 50 billion and 100 billion yen by 2031. Through its investments in this co-creation fund, OKI will build a co-creation ecosystem with social entrepreneurs and startup businesses, thereby promoting the global expansion of its existing businesses and the creation of new businesses. Additionally, having designated its overseas business sites as Global Innovation Hubs, which will serve as frontline innovation bases, OKI will draw on the co-creation fund to establish organic collaboration links among the hubs.
[OKI’s Aims] 1. New global markets x OKI technologies and services Provide OKI technologies and services to global markets and customers held by partner startup businesses. 2. Domestic business foundations x startup technologies and services Provide combinations of technologies and services held by startup businesses and OKI’s market, customers, and partner base. 3. Strengthening human capital x network acquisition Leader human resources promoting OKI innovation and co-creation acquire practical knowledge through access to entrepreneurial networks in the Global South.
The ICMG Group issued the following message of support regarding this announcement:
[Message from the ICMG Group] We are pleased to welcome OKI as a participant in the ICMG Co-Creation Fund II. Over the years, the ICMG Group has provided Japanese companies with various global co-creation opportunities and implementation support. With its diverse businesses that support infrastructure, we believe OKI plays a major role in Delivering OK! to your life. At the ICMG Group, we are committed to supporting OKI in the global arena while creating global co-creation opportunities centered on India and Asia.
Gen Funahashi ICMG Group Group COO
[Overview of ICMG Co-Creation Fund II] This co-creation fund is registered in Singapore. With the key concept of the social infrastructure field, the fund promotes investment activities targeting early- to mid-stage startup businesses related to next-generation social infrastructures utilizing digital technologies. Singapore is a nation characterized by strong international competitiveness and a significant store of intellectual capital accumulated through government-led initiatives. Through its co-creation ecosystem, which accelerates the implementation of innovation, the fund serves as a business hub for India and Southeast Asia where talents with global expertise can play active roles.
Fund name
ICMG Co-Creation Fund II
Fund domicile
Singapore
Operational period
12 years (with a maximum two-year extension)
Total fund size
2.2 billion yen
OKI investment amount
1.5 billion yen
Investment areas
Next-generation social infrastructure areas, including: - Sustainability and energy field - Smart city field - Logistics field - Telecommunications and communications field
Co-investors
The 77 Bank, Ltd. (Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture) Hokuriku Bank, Ltd. (Toyama, Toyama Prefecture)
Management and operation
ICMG Ventures Pte. Ltd.
[About the ICMG Group] The ICMG Group is a business co-creation partner that visualizes the intangible value of companies not apparent on balance sheets, i.e., intellectual capital, and generates solid results through co-creation with a diverse range of stakeholders. For over 25 years since its founding, the ICMG Group has been committed to creating results for Japanese companies through co-creation with clients from its bases in Tokyo, Singapore, Bangalore, Abu Dhabi, Nairobi, San Francisco, Shanghai, and Stockholm, providing seamless end-to-end support, including intellectual capital assessment—the source of corporate value—and strategy formulation based on this assessment, as well as execution, leadership development, business investment, venture capital, mergers and acquisitions, UI/UX design, engineering, recruiting, and joint venture establishment and management. While the company has been creating broad-ranging value, the core value of the ICMG Group always lies in its intellectual capital management, committed to the visualization of intangible corporate and organizational value, future envisioning (defining purposes), and the realization of value creation.
[Terminology] Note 1: Global South The Global South collectively refers to emerging and developing countries experiencing significant economic growth, and in this press release refers primarily to India and Southeast Asian nations.
About Oki Electric Industry (OKI) Founded in 1881, OKI is Japan's leading information and telecommunication manufacturer. Headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, OKI provides top-quality products, technologies, and solutions to customers through its Public Solutions, Enterprise Solutions, Component Products, and Electronics Manufacturing Services businesses. Its various business divisions function synergistically to bring to market exciting new products and technologies that meet a wide range of customer needs in various sectors. Visit OKI's global website at https://www.oki.com/global/.
Notes: - Oki Electric Industry Co., Ltd. is referred to as "OKI" in this document. - The names of the companies and products mentioned in this document are the trademarks or registered trademarks of the respective companies and organizations.
