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U.S.-Japan Global Innovation Challenge Pitch Event
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Finalists to showcase novel technologies that can help advance biodefense solutions and counter disinformation.
Overview
The Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) and the Japanese Ministry of Defense’s Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics Agency (ATLA) are executing a joint prize challenge focused on advancing biodefense solutions and AI-driven command and control and decision making. This prize challenge seeks to identify companies capable of developing cutting-edge technologies to enhance resilience against biological threats and disinformation and drive defense innovation.
The bilateral challenge will culminate in this hybrid pitch event in March 2025 at the Yebisu Garden in Tokyo, Japan, and is a key collaboration initiative under the Japan-U.S. Memorandum for Defense Innovation Cooperation.
Leading up to this event, submissions have undergone rigorous evaluation by government subject matter experts (SMEs), with applicants advancing through challenge stages. A total of $300,000 in awards will be distributed among the top-performing companies or companies selected from the pool of finalists.
Agenda
All times listed below are in JST.
10:00 - 10:05 a.m. | Opening Remarks
10:05 - 10:30 a.m. | Keynote Addresses
10:30 a.m. - 12:35 p.m. | Pitch Presentations, Detection and Diagnosis of Biological Threats
12:35 - 1:20 p.m. | Break
1:20 - 3:20 p.m. | Pitch Presentations, Judging Information Accuracy & Counter Disinformation
3:20 - 4:05 p.m. | Panel Discussion, “Smart Scaling: How Startups Can Thrive in Both Defense and Commercial Sectors”
4:05 - 4:50 p.m. | Break & Viewing Exposition Booths
5:05 p.m. - 5:20 p.m. | Closing Remarks
Speakers
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Angela Austin, Lead Challenge Program Manager, DIU
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Bryan Wilson, Chief of Global Partnerships, DIU
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LtCol Zachary Blackwell, Division Chief, Resources & Assessments, U.S. Space Force Indo-Pacific
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Maj Travis Pond, Program Manager, SDA TAP Lab
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Megan Saunders, Challenge Program Manager, DIU
Judges
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Eric Alborg, Commercial Executive, DIU
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Derek Kenmotsu, Senior Advisor, Global Partnerships, DIU
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Tom Horan, Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AI/ML) Portfolio Director, DIU
Panelists
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Moderator: Eric Alborg, Commercial Executive, DIU
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Shigeru Furuichi, Director, Defense in the Aerospace and Industry Division, Ministry of Economic, Trade and Industry
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Kentaro Wada, General Manager, Marketing Analysis Office, Defense Systems Division, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
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Matt Fuller, Partner, Geodesic Capital
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Shotaro Iwano, Deputy General Manager, SBI Investment
Competing Teams
Detection and Diagnosis of Biological Threats
- AdvanSentinel - Specializes in advanced biosecurity solutions and focuses on the early detection of biological threats, leveraging wastewater-based epidemiology. to provide timely, actionable intelligence to biosurveillance analysts, empowering them to mitigate the risks associated with bioterrorism, biological warfare, and emerging infectious diseases.
- Airfinity - Tracks, predicts and simulates population level disease outcomes in real time to inform decisions across the entire life science ecosystem that can increase the global life span by combining proprietary surveillance tools, scenario-based probabilities and forecast models with expert analysis to produce actionable insights across all aspects of life science decision making to reduce health and economic burden.
- Command Strategies - Classifies data, removes junk and creates highly valid signals by using three advanced AI systems. Their advanced data visualisation includes high resolution mapping, an interactive dashboard, syndromic surveillance, and temporal analytics to generate graphs, maps, and a weekly digest of important intelligence and users can filter key data for custom report generaFon and layer epidemics against a range of environmental, health systems and transport network data.
- Forward Edge-AI - Develops machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) solutions for public safety and national defense like the E-6B fleet forecasting platform for NAVAIR, improving forecast accuracy by 25-50% and reducing costs by 35%.
- PHC Global - Provides early biothreat detection, analysis, and attribution that enables security professionals in the commercial or government sectors to protect citizens through early warning at speed and scale by leveraging global data, data science, and advanced technologies to deliver proactive solutions.
- Sakana AI - Solves business issues with AI by developing a system that automates the research and development process with AI agents to tackle issues in biodefense, disinformation threats, or based on a company’s needs.
Judging Information Accuracy & Counter Disinformation
- Alethea Group - Protects organizations from social media manipulation and adversarial Influence Operations (IO) in fields such as retail, financial services, airlines, auto manufacturing, aerospace & manufacturing, food service, and critical infrastructure for our insights.
- PeakMetrics - Provides ML and AI solutions for DoD and the Private Sector by delivering automated, persistent summarization and analysis of key themes in publicly available information (PAI) to hyper-enable real-time assessments of the information environment (IE).
- Reality Defender - Detects AI generated video, image, audio and text at scale and in near real time in order to identify and respond to advanced disinformation threats and provides a real-time intelligence platform that leverages artificial intelligence, machine learning, computer vision, and geo-analysis capabilities to analyze billions of daily social media and open-source posts.
- Resemble AI - Delivers real-time deepfake detection with accuracy, deploying on-premise or cloud to protect against AI-generated media threats across voice, image, and video at any scale.
- Rhombus Power - Combines deep domain knowledge with advanced AI expertise in a partnership model, working directly with partners to ensure solutions are configured to specific mission requirements, delivering measurable impact at enterprise scale while maintaining the highest standards of responsibility, data privacy, and security.
- Sakana AI - Solves business issues with AI by developing a system that automates the research and development process with AI agents to tackle issues in biodefense, disinformation threats, or based on a company’s needs.
Questions
Please direct your questions to prizechallenge@diu.mil.
The Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics Agency (ATLA) of Japan is dedicated to advancing national defense capabilities through cutting-edge technological innovation and strategic acquisition practices. Our mission is to enhance Japan’s defense readiness by fostering collaboration with international partners, driving research and development in critical defense technologies, and ensuring the effective and efficient procurement of advanced systems. By integrating technological advancements and logistical expertise, ATLA aims to fortify Japan’s security posture and contribute to global defense initiatives.
Defense Innovation Science & Technology Institute (DISTI) was established in 2024, tasked with implementing various activities lead to defense innovation in cooperation with organizations/personnel outside of Japan Ministry of Defense: research various technologies with potential, challenge to a breakthrough overturning conventional accepted idea, apply technologies to practical use speedily, and furthermore, create epoch-making operational concepts which differ from conventional ones.
About the Defense Innovation Unit
The Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) strengthens national security by accelerating the adoption of commercial technology in the Department of Defense and bolstering our allied and national security innovation bases. DIU partners with organizations across the DoD to rapidly prototype and field dual-use capabilities that solve operational challenges at speed and scale. With offices in Silicon Valley, Boston, Austin, Chicago and Washington, DC, DIU is the Department’s gateway to leading technology companies across the country.