DBJ to Hold 5th New Business Plan Competition for Women EntrepreneursWinners Will Receive up to 10 Million Yen in Prize Money and Mentoring Support; “DBJ Women Entrepreneurs Incentive Prize” Added to Awards

Development Bank of Japan Inc. (DBJ; President and Chief Executive Officer: Masanori Yanagi) will soon be inviting applications for the 5th New Business Plan Competition for Women Entrepreneurs. Candidates will compete for monetary prizes and support services to assist them in turning their business plans into functioning enterprises.

The DBJ Women Entrepreneurs Center was launched in November 2011 as a platform for providing comprehensive support ? including funds, business skills and business matching ? to women seeking to launch and grow new businesses. The last four Women’s Business Plan Competitions have drawn a total of 1,533 applicants and helped to broaden the scope of women’s enterprise.

For the fifth competition, in addition to the DBJ Women Entrepreneurs Grand Prize, the DBJ Women Entrepreneurs Prize, and the DBJ Women Entrepreneurs Prize for Innovative Regional Growth, there will be also be a DBJ Women Entrepreneurs Incentive Prize. This will be awarded to a project which, while not of the standard of the major prize-winners, is poised for growth with the help of proper support. All prize winners will receive business incentive funds as well as follow-up mentoring by experienced entrepreneurs and other experts.

Applications will be accepted from Tuesday, December 15, 2015 through Friday, February 26, 2016.

On Wednesday, December 16, interested prospective applicants are invited to attend an Opening Seminar on the 5th DBJ Women’s Business Plan Competition. Details of the seminar will be posted on the DBJ website.

Application Guidelines for the 5th DBJ New Business Plan Competition for Women Entrepreneurs
1. Eligibility
Plans will be accepted for women-run businesses which are innovative ? offering original technologies, services, or business models, or promising high added value ? and show outstanding potential for commercial growth. Business plans must be for companies to be launched within the next five years.

2. Prizes
There will be four prizes: the DBJ Women Entrepreneurs Grand Prize, the DBJ Women Entrepreneurs Prize, the Prize for Innovative Regional Growth, and the DBJ Women Entrepreneurs Incentive Prize. Winners will receive business incentive funds ? up to 10 million yen for the Grand Prize, up to 5 million yen for the Entrepreneurs Prize and the Prize for Innovative Regional Growth, and up to 1 million yen for the Incentive Prize ? and one year of mentoring to maximize their chances of success.

3. Schedule
(1) Acceptance of business plans: Tuesday, December 15, 2015 ? Friday, February 26, 2016
(2) 1st selection (inspection of documents): Late February ? Early March, 2016
(3) 2nd selection (interview): Mid-March ? Mid-April, 2016
(4) Final selection (presentations): Thursday, June 2, 2016
(5) Announcement of winners & Awards Ceremony: Late June, 2016

4. Application flow
Applicants are asked to submit an Application Form, Executive Summary, and Business Plan. Please see the Application Guidelines (PDF) for details.
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Providing aspiring businesswomen with integrated support is in keeping with the DBJ corporate philosophy: “Applying Financial Expertise to Design the Future.”


Inquiries:
DBJ Women Entrepreneurs Center Corporate Finance Department, Division 6
Telephone: +81-3-3244-1652