Osaka-based Consultancy Forms A Network Giving Entrepreneurs Many Cost-Savings & Various Supports

Logo of Akinai Research Institute
Tokyo-, Osaka- and Shanghai-based business consultancy providing support for start-up companies, Akinai Research Institute[J] just introduced a new program encouraging entrepreneurs in terms of financial, personnel and material resources in association with nine program supporting partners. Entrepreneurs joining the program can get benefits by receiving complimentary services and packages as follows.

  1. Microsoft BizSpark: offering free license of Microsoft BI applications.
  2. Yayoi[J]: offering discount rates for the company’s Intuit Quickbooks-like accounting software designed for SMEs. (requiring to subscribe to a two-year onerous customer support)
  3. Cybozu: offering the company’s flagship groupware license for free for the first year.
  4. NetOn (web-marketing business): offering 10% discount for the company’s presenting template sets for Flash-based website designs.
  5. C-Rep[J] (sales promotion): offering the template sets of business proposal presentations for free.
  6. Sakura Internet[J] (server hosting): offering shared-server hosting service for free.
  7. Find Star[J] (e-marketing news): offering an opportunity to place an ad on the company’s e-mail newsletter subscribed by 21,000 readers.
  8. Office Busters[J] (second-hand office fixtures): offering second-hand desks and chairs for free for the first year. S&H charges are requested to be paid.
  9. Akinai Research Instiute: offering a free consultation about launching and managing a company for the first interview. Providing a free office rent for the first three months.

The new service is named Katana, standing for a sword in Japanese, after a weapon that used to be held by the Samurai warriors, since the consultancy portrays potential entrepreneurs as the warriors.
Younger-than-three-year-old start-up companies and self-employed businesses are allowed to join the program after completing the sign-up process to be a member of it.  The consultancy expects to engage 50 supporting partners and 100,000 members by the end of 2012.
The consultancy’s head Mr. Masanori Yoshida[J] is known for having launched several entrepreneurship encouragement programs, and has organized new business contests in Yokohama, Shanghai (Mainland China) and HCMC (HoChiMinh City, Vietnam).

Katana: The Program’s Promotion Video[J] on YouTube.
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