ARUN Newsletter – Issue 3

Thank you very much for your continued support of ARUN.
We are pleased to share with you  ARUN  Newsletter  – Issue 3, sharing updates from our activities and initiatives.

 Contents
1. Overview of CSI Challenge 6
2. Roundtable Discussion with Angle Reserve Representative, Mr. Keiji Ito

1. Overview of CSI Challenge 6

Since 2016, ARUN has been hosting CSI Challenge, an initiative composed of two complementary pillars: a Business Competition to identify and support social entrepreneurs, and Crowdfunding, which aims to encourage donations and promote social investment in Japan through the creation of a dedicated platform.

This year’s sixth CSI Challenge was held under the theme “A Society that Resonates with Nature.” The business competition targeted social entrepreneurs working toward the realization of a society that coexists with nature and toward the restoration of natural environments.

Application Period:
 March 7, 2025 – April 11, 2025

Total Number of Applications:
 103 companies

Number of Countries Represented by Applicant Companies:
 26 countries

Number of Companies Advancing Past the First Screening (Document Review):
 22 companies

Number of Companies Advancing Past the Second Screening (Online Interviews):
 6 companies

Finalists:
 6 companies

In terms of regional distribution, approximately 50% of applications were from Southeast Asia, followed by South Asia—particularly India—which accounted for about 25%. In addition, there was one applicant each from North America, South America, and Europe, resulting in a geographically diverse group of entrepreneurs.

By contrast, when examining the sectoral breakdown, the largest number of applications came from the “Food and Agriculture” sector, which was categorized as a sub-theme associated with “Biodiversity,” the main theme of CSI Challenge 6. This was followed by applications from business areas related to “Reuse” and “Disaster Prevention.”

The final judging session was held on May 26, 2025, at Deloitte Tohmatsu Innovation Park, and was conducted in a hybrid format, combining in-person and online participation. Each of the finalist companies (see below) participated online and presented their businesses through presentations followed by Q&A sessions with the judges. As a result of the final evaluation, the recipient companies for the Grand Prize, Excellence Award, Deloitte Tohmatsu Award, and Young Generation Award (YG Award) were selected.

The company that receives the Grand Prize in the business competition is granted the right to enter into investment negotiations with ARUN, and ARUN will conduct due diligence on the winning company. Specifically, ARUN will undertake a more detailed review of the company’s business track record and plans, required funding, targeted impact, and business logic model, and will determine the investment amount and terms accordingly. At the same time, based on the logic model, both parties will agree on the indicators to be measured, and these indicators will be used to advance the impact evaluation.

CSI Challenge 6 was made possible through the support of the Deloitte Tohmatsu Group (Main Sponsor), MS&AD Unison Smile Club, and Mizuho Securities Co., Ltd., as well as the patronage of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). We would like to express our sincere gratitude.

ARUN is currently seeking corporate partners to support and participate in its initiatives. For further details, please contact the ARUN Secretariat.

2. Roundtable Discussion with Mr. Keiji Ito, Representative of angleReserve

Everyday Heroes
Not so long ago, people fighting to solve social problems felt like distant heroes. To speak with them, one had to summon the courage to fly across the world or attend a large lecture and work up the nerve to ask a question.

As recently as fifteen years ago, only a small number of people understood the importance of biodiversity. When someone said they wanted to work in environmental protection, many responded, “That’s something you do as a volunteer.” Today, however, the SDGs are increasingly adopted as corporate philosophies, conversations about biodiversity are widely accepted, and engaging with society has become a familiar concept to younger generations.

Here, we share some key insights from the roundtable discussion held on November 10 with Mr. Keiji Ito, Representative of angleReserve.
 For a more detailed account of the discussion, please look forward to the report by high school intern Hana Suzuki, who served as the moderator. It will be featured in an upcoming newsletter or blog post.

angleReserve website: https://angle-reserve.com/

What Kind of Contribution Can Students Make?
“What are some ways students can contribute right away?”
 Hana’s question was refreshingly straightforward.

Having prepared by reading every post on the angleReserve blog, Hana followed up by asking, “Even for someone as successful as you, Mr. Ito, are there major obstacles?” She then shared a more personal concern:
 “I’m interested in entrepreneurship, but when I think about the risks, I want to first gain experience through various programs.”

Through honest questions and the sincere responses of someone boldly pursuing their dreams, the session became a moment in which all participants were able to glimpse the contours of the times in which we live.

(Report: Editorial Team)