TOKYO, Japan,- Honda Motor Co., Ltd. has begun expanding its new business creation program, IGNITION, to the entire company. IGNITION is a program that gives shape to the original technologies, ideas and designs of Honda associates and contributes to solving social issues and creating new value for people.

The IGNITION program was initiated in 2017 by Honda R&D Co., Ltd., a Honda research and development subsidiary. Since it began, IGNITION has received many applications with new business ideas, and several proposals that have a high degree of compatibility with Honda business are already being pursued at Honda with an eye toward commercialization.

In the meantime, there also were proposals that could deliver value to society more quickly if they were pursued through a startup business venture, taking advantage of the unique characteristics of startup companies; therefore, in 2020, IGNITION added an option to strive for commercialization of new business ideas through business ventures, in addition to commercialization inside Honda. Ashirase Inc., whose establishment was announced today, is the first business venture to originate from IGNITION.

Moreover, in April 2021, Honda began evolving IGNITION as company-wide program which enables all Honda associates in Japan to take on the challenge of creating new businesses. By realizing the ideas and dreams of not only engineers, but also associates from various divisions including production, sales and administration divisions, Honda will create products and experiences that do not yet exist in the world, generating a "fresh breeze" in society.

IGNITION is collaborating with a venture capital firm which participates in the final round of the evaluation as one of the jurors examining each proposal from the exacting perspective of an investor. Moreover, the proposers have access to advice and support from the venture capital firm during the evaluation process.

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