A total of 10 companies received awards at the Japan Startup Awards 2026. Mujin was selected for the Grand Prize from among 317 applications, and the selection process conducted by the judging committee and the award winners by category were also announced.
The Japan Startup Awards 2026 attracted 317 applications from across Japan, and 10 companies received awards following a rigorous selection process by the judging committee. By year of establishment, companies founded within the past 5 years accounted for the largest share of applicants, while services and platforms represented the largest sector.
Mujin received the Prime Minister's Award as the Grand Prize winner. Mujin provides MujinOS, a globally standardized platform for robots powered by physical AI, and was recognized for being the first company in the world to commercialize motion-planning technology.
The judging committee, chaired by Fukushima Michi (福嶋路) of Osaka University, selected Regional Fish, Oishii Farm, Laputa Robotics and Ubie as award winners. Regional Fish shortened the development of improved fish and seafood varieties using genome-editing technology to 2–3 years; Oishii Farm achieved stable mass production of strawberries in plant factories; Laputa Robotics developed swarm-control technology; and Ubie was recognized for its use of AI in the medical and healthcare fields.
In addition, Iris and Acompany received special awards in the event category. The recipients of the various ministerial awards demonstrated diverse technological innovations across industrial sectors, with Oceanic Constellations receiving an award in the defense sector. Attention will now focus on the award winners' business expansion and the tangible progress of their initiatives in each field.