This article is published as a series in the e27 accelerator partnership with Rainmaking.

What does the future of work and life look like for you in 10 years? Imagine the possibilities that lie ahead in the next decade: robots seamlessly serving customers in restaurants and cafes, AR and VR technologies projecting your colleagues into your physical office, and wearables and sensing devices enhancing well-being and health tracking.

The future of work and life is brimming with innovation, and it will radically transform human experiences in the way we live and work through interactions with new technologies. 

While we all may have a different view on how the future of living and working looks Kajima Development, a wholly owned subsidiary of Kajima Corporation, aims to take on a mission to shape this future.

The mission begins within the walls of their newly constructed Innovation Hub, The Gear. Nestled in the vibrant Changi Business Park of Singapore– a cutting-edge facility serves as Kajima’s regional headquarters and is designed as a living lab, encouraging experimentation, exploration, and co-creation.

Kajima Development Pte Ltd is a Singapore-based real estate developer with business interests across the SEA region. Founded in 1840, Kajima’s services include design, engineering, construction, and real estate development.

At The Gear, Kajima will adopt open innovation, conduct R&D on advanced built environment technologies, and testbed solutions for productivity improvement, sustainability, and occupant wellness. 

Kajima is launching The Gear Startup Residency Programme through a collaboration with Rainmaking APAC in the region. The programme provides early-stage startups in the built environment sector with a unique opportunity to accelerate their solutions and validate their business models in a live testbed environment.

Also read: Rainmaking launches US$22M fund, to jointly invest in maritime startups with SEEDS Capital

The 6-month programme will provide startups in the built environment the opportunity to solve real business challenges and co-create new solutions with Kajima.

What’s in it for startups

• Accelerate your solution validation in a world-class innovation testbed with live building data and R&D facilities
• De-risk and speed up your business desirability and viability validation through the structured methodology and iterative approach, and dedicated 1:1 deep dives with the Rainmaking APAC team and expert mentors
• Close collaboration and insights exchange with Kajima business leaders through 1:1 and collective sessions
• Expand your network with exclusive access to a tight-knit community of like-minded startups, local and Japanese partners

More about the programme

• It is a 6-month physical programme hosted by Kajima and Rainmaking APAC
• Timeline: September 2023 to March 2024
• Who can apply: Startups who want to accelerate prototype validation and commercialize your solution in a live testbed environment.  
• Focus areas: Revolutionising the Future of Work; Integration of Health and Wellness in Buildings; Transforming the Future of Services; Advancing Construction Productivity
• Cost: Free of charge and no equity will be taken
• Geographical scope: The programme will be in-person, based at The GEAR in Singapore. We welcome foreign startups who are looking to expand and are based out of Singapore to apply to the programme as well.

Applications close on 11th August, 2023 and you can find more here.

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The post The Gear: A new accelerator programme for early-stage startups in the built environment sector appeared first on e27.