HAKUHODO KEY3 to hold web3 Global Hackathon 2023 in partnership with Mazda and Mitsubishi Estate

Tokyo—September 4, 2023— Hakuhodo Inc., a leading integrated marketing and innovation company headquartered in Tokyo, is pleased to announce the web3 Global Hackathon 2023 starting on Saturday, September 30. Run by HAKUHODO KEY3 in partnership with Hiroshima-based Mazda Motor Corporation (Masahiro Moro, Representative Director, President and CEO) and Tokyo-based Mitsubishi Estate Co., Ltd. (Atsushi Nakajima, President & Chief Executive Officer); it is the second in a series of hackathons run in partnership with sponsor companies. Hakuhodo is actively engaged in the web3 market and, in December 2022, launched HAKUHODO KEY3 INC. (Toshinori Shigematsu, CEO), a Tokyo-based company dedicated to developing web3 services with clients while planning and executing web3 hackathons, in partnership with Sota Watanabe of the Astar Network.

web3 is slated to be the next generation of the internet that will rely on decentralized technologies such as blockchains. HAKUHODO KEY3 plans and runs web3 hackathons with the aim of developing experiences and services that appeal to the curiosity of sei-katsu-sha* as a means of getting them to incorporate web3 in their daily lives.

* “Sei-katsu-sha” is a term we use to describe people not simply as consumers, but as fully rounded individuals with their own lifestyles, aspirations and dreams.

To this end, HAKUHODO KEY3 will be holding a web3 Global Hackathon 2023 starting on September 30 for engineers and creators around the world, in partnership with Mazda and Mitsubishi Estate. The hackathon features special development themes reflecting the characteristics and strengths of Mazda and Mitsubishi Estate, with prizes awarded for each theme. Moreover, the winning teams will receive investment, joint development, and growth support from the companies and will work together with the companies after the hackathon to implement services in society.

The goal of Mazda’s theme—Drive to Earn, Use for Fun—is to develop the world’s first web3 service that makes driving more fun. More specifically, the aim is to devise entertainment services for both drivers and passengers using web3 technology. The objective of Mitsubishi Estate’s theme is the DAO Building in Tokyo. To help turn the area around Tokyo Station into a cutting-edge web3 city, the theme is to use web3 technology to develop a service that allows people to connect organically with the TOKYO TORCH district the setting.

Engineers and creators from around the world will be able to participate in the hackathon’s live events via online streaming, complete with simultaneous interpretation.

HAKUHODO KEY3 aims to originate world-leading web3 services in Japan using sei-katsu-sha insight and creativity as a way to help realize a society with our corporate partners in which more sei-katsu-sha are able to engage with web3.

Outline of web3 Global Hackathon 2023

Dates: September 30–December 9, 2023
Venues: MY Shokudo Hall & Kitchen, 3rd Fl., TOKYO TORCH Tokiwabashi Tower and online
Prizes: Over 11 million yen equivalent in Astar in total
Participation fee: Free (one to four people per team)
Registration: Please register on this website.
The preliminary deadline to register is 23:59 JST, September 30.
Both freelance engineers and engineers working at companies may participate in the hackathon. In addition to engineers, the hackathon is open to business developers, designers, and marketers.

Schedule
Entry period: September 4–November 24
Kickoff event: September 30
Development period: September 30–November 24
North American Mazda event: October 28 — Details will be announced separately
Deadline for submissions: 23:59 JST, November 24
Announcement of teams for the pitch round: December 1
Pitch event: December 9 — Prize-winning teams will be announced on the day

Prizes
Mazda Grand Prize (one project): 3 million yen equivalent in Astar
Mazda Excellence Prizes (five projects): 1 million yen equivalent in Astar each
Mitsubishi Estate Grand Prize (one project): 1 million yen equivalent in Astar
Mitsubishi Estate Excellence Prize (one project): 500,000 yen equivalent in Astar
Astar Grand Prize (one project): 1 million yen equivalent in Astar
Astar Excellence Prizes (two projects): 250,000 yen equivalent in Astar each
Biconomy & Astar Prize (one project): 500,000 yen equivalent in Astar
VeryLongAnimals Prize (one project): 150,000 yen equivalent in Astar
Moon Prize (one project): Invitation to the Spark innovation program

Main partners
Mazda, Mitsubishi Estate

Tech partners
Astar Foundation, Biconomy, Bunzz, Ginco, Startale Labs Japan, solidity-jp, UNCHAIN

Community partners
AKINDO, bitbank, IVS / IVS Crypto, Moon Creative Lab (Mitsui & Co. Group), Skyland Ventures, TEAMZ, TechFeed, VeryLongAnimals, WebX / CoinPost, Web3 Foundation

About HAKUHODO KEY3

HAKUHODO KEY3 is a web3 business production venture established in December 2022 by Hakuhodo Inc. and Sota Watanabe, CEO of Startale Labs Japan, a provider of consulting and development support using its knowledge from developing the Astar Network. HAKUHODO KEY3 aims to originate world-first web3 services using sei-katsu-sha insight and creativity, as a way to help realize a society with our corporate partners in which more sei-katsu-sha are able to engage with web3.

Official website: https://key3.co.jp/ (in Japanese)
Official X (formerly Twitter) account: https://twitter.com/H%5FKEY3