The ASICS Corporation has announced that ASICS Ventures Corporation will host a pitch event with Indian startups with the theme "ideas for collaboration with ASICS India Private Limited (AIN)". "ASICS Innovation Pitch in India" is the name of the program, and ASICS Ventures and AIN will be instrumental in managing it. GHV Accelerator, the top startup accelerator in India, is also the catalyst behind this event.

This is the sixth program for startups by ASICS, following the TENKAN-TENTM, held twice in Europe and the ASICS Accelerator Program, held three times in Japan. This is the first such program in India. India has the largest population in the world, and the Indian athletic footwear market is experiencing a surge in demand driven by the country’s growing health consciousness and fitness culture. ASICS aims to achieve sales of US$100 million by 2026 through the improvement of its brand power and providing innovative products in India. 

At the ASICS Innovation pitch, startups will be invited to participate in the following three themes: “Broader Market Access to Runners”, “More Attractive Running Experiences”, and “Better Products Based on VISION2030”, with the aim of accelerating business development in India and creation of future new business. ASICS will solicit proposals for cooperation with AIN and select six finalists to participate in the pitch event after document screening from October to November 2023. The pitch event is scheduled to be held in March 2024, and the winning companies will begin business collaboration with AIN, aiming for early social implementation. 

ASICS is reinforcing its relationships with the winners of past programs. With Ashirase, Inc., ASICS conducted demonstration experiments with the support of the ASICS Institute of Sport Science in March 2022.  ASICS announced its investment in Ashirase, Inc. to further strengthen their relationship in October 2022.  AIt is essential that ASICS strengthens its internal research and development while also actively seeking out promising outside expertise in order to provide goods, services, and an environment that contribute to further improving people's health conditions from both a mind and body perspective. This is because society and the environment are undergoing rapid changes. By collaborating with new businesses that would bring about new value and innovation, ASICS Group hopes to achieve sustainable growth.