Zenbird Editorial TeamForbes JAPAN has announced the winners of the Xtrepreneur AWARD 2025, with the Grand Prix awarded to the “Aigamo Robo”, an autonomous robot developed for rice cultivation.
The awards, now in their third year and held with the support of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, celebrate collaborative projects that solve social issues. The term ‘Xtrepreneur’ refers to players with an entrepreneurial spirit who undertake projects through co-creation between multiple companies. The mission of these projects is to generate new value by combining the established assets of large corporations with innovative ventures. The award shines light on such innovations.
The Grand Prix-winning Aigamo Robo is a joint project by NEWGREEN and the agricultural machinery manufacturer Iseki & Co., Ltd., inventing a self-driving robot designed to assist in rice farming.
Awards were also presented in four other categories. The Circular Economy Award was given to “Takuhai PASSTO”, a project by LY Corporation and ECOMMIT. The Social Business Award went to the “CHOCOPEN Project” by Mitsubishi Pencil Company, Limited, NPO CLOUDY, and DOYA.
In the cultural sector, the Culture Impact Award was presented to the “Shueisha Manga-Art Heritage” project, a collaboration between Shueisha Inc., Startbahn, Inc., and Epson Sales Japan Corporation. Finally, the “Infrastructure-Zero House” by Muji House Co., Ltd., monochrome, and INNFRA won the award for the Regional Revitalisation and Mobility category.
Projects were evaluated by a panel of judges based on three key criteria: their potential to take global initiative as a Japan-based project, their capacity to create a significant social impact, and the originality of the combination of assets and corporate legacies.
[Reference] Xtrepreneur AWARD 2025 Main Page (Japanese)
