NGK Spark Plug Co., Ltd. hosted a grand opening for its Venture Lab, a technical exhibition and collaboration space dedicated to the creation of new business opportunities through open innovation. Officially launched in April of 2018, the Venture Lab represents NGK’s forward-looking commitment to the co-creation and incubation of technologies with potential partners and startups. The space will serve as headquarters for the NGK/NTK Venture Lab, which has additional sites in Tokyo and Paris. |
For the grand opening, representatives from startups, venture capital firms, accelerators, academics and industry were in attendance. Dr. Radenka Maric, PhD, VP for Research at the University of Connecticut, was a guest speaker. “We plan to use this space to inspire ideas for collaboration with potential partners. The Venture Lab showcases a wide range of NGK technologies, beyond just spark plugs, through a large video display and augmented reality,” stated Toru Matsui – NGK’s Global Executive VP. “It also includes a shared office which we will offer to our startup partners to use as their own. Our primary intention is to make strategic investments in early-stage startups, working together to bring new technologies to market.” |