Program Overview
Malaysian national oil company PETRONAS hosted the culminating Demo Day on August 25 in Kuala Lumpur for the acceleration program "FUTURE TECH4.0" after three months of intensive development. JETRO participated as an ecosystem partner supporting Japanese startup entry. Among competition from 22 companies across 7 countries/regions, ASUENE (Minato-ku, Tokyo) won the top prize.
Japanese Company Participation and Achievements
ASUENE: A climate tech company providing CO2 emission visualization and reduction support for corporations. Country Manager Masaaki Hamada emphasized the value of winning the top prize, stating, "We participated sensing market potential in Malaysia where decarbonization regulations are advancing. We are in discussions about proof of concept (POC) with PETRONAS."
Carbon Cryo Capture (Tsukuba City, Ibaraki): Possesses low-cost CO2 capture technology using proprietary separation and adsorption materials. Representative Director Izumi Ichinose mentioned business expansion possibilities, noting, "We are promoting discussions with PETRONAS technical departments while presenting specific figures about CO2 capture efficiency improvements."
RiLs (Ginowan City, Okinawa): Provides AI-powered remote inspection solutions for analog meters. Head of Global Expansion Aya Tori announced concrete collaboration: "We decided on POC with Malaysian company Graphico, a Future Tech 2.0 graduate. We aim for business expansion with visual inspection data visualization technology."
Jury Evaluation and Ecosystem Significance
Panasonic Asia Pacific Director Toshihiko Mori served as a jury member, evaluating: "The approach where Japanese startups collaborate with major energy conglomerates in the rapidly growing Southeast Asian market is an interesting development unique to resource-rich Malaysia." From the perspective of major Japanese corporations, he noted the appeal of increasing startups that directly solve local issues from Malaysia in the growing agritech and energy markets.
Japanese Startup Southeast Asian Expansion Strategy
Collaboration with PETRONAS, a giant energy company, creates opportunities for Japanese decarbonization and environmental technology companies to enter Southeast Asian markets in earnest. Combined with JETRO's continued support and Malaysian government promotion of decarbonization policies, this positions as a successful case study of local market development leveraging Japanese companies' technological advantages.