MENLO PARK, Calif., December 16, 2021– The Nomura-SRI innovation center (NSIC) announced today that they will be welcoming several major member additions including Asahi Quality & Innovations, Ltd (Independent Research subsidiary of Asahi Group Holdings, Ltd.), and Showa Denko K.K. The new members join an existing diverse and motivated set of charter members from Japanese firms Harmonic Drive Systems Inc., Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd., Nomura Research Institute, Ltd., Obayashi Corporation and Shizuoka Bank Ltd. Silicon Valley is actively recovering and opening its doors for events and meetups with the expectation of continuing its crucial role in the innovation economy. The center will be considering new membership into 2022.
In late September, NSIC hosted the official opening ceremony to celebrate the partnership between Nomura and SRI. The NSIC team adapted the program to be inclusive of member participants who have been able to relocate to Silicon Valley and those remote members who are still navigating travel conditions created by COVID-19. Executives based in North America were able to attend in person, and executives from the member organizations in Japan were able to attend virtually. The assembled group was treated to two keynote speakers who shared their deep technology experiences in space and low earth orbit tracking — Terry Fong, Chief Roboticist, NASA Ames Research Center, and Dan Ceperley CEO of LeoLabs, an SRI Ventures spin-out company. In addition, member sponsors gave opening thoughts and motivations for joining the program.
“We are glad that we were able to hold the ceremony with members. In collaboration with SRI, at Nomura, we will strive to provide practical opportunities for pursuing innovation together with members. Nomura will be dedicated to supporting our clients to grow and improve Enterprise Value,” commented Masahiro Goto, Head of Global Investment Banking of Nomura Holdings, Japan
The following week, NSIC conducted a three-day intensive kickoff where participants were engaged across the 4 major tracks of the program –Technology, Innovation Process, Startup, Immersion. Thought leaders from the Silicon Valley ecosystem shared insights and guided the members through facilitated exercises, including an interactive session geared to help members spot innovation in Silicon Valley and categorize types of business, technology, and system innovations. Senior SRI researchers and external thought leaders shared key insights on artificial intelligence technologies, deep adaptive semantic logic and cultivating an experimental mindset. NSIC also hosted a guest panel to highlight lessons on how Japanese corporations have thrived in Silicon Valley. Members will continue to have the opportunity to explore new content and tools, experiment with new ideas, and plan to activate these learnings back into their organizations.
Chris Cowart, Managing Director of NSIC said, “The Nomura-SRI Innovation Center will be an authentic and vibrant reflection of the Silicon Valley ecosystem to build and deepen partnership relations for many years.”
Companies interested in seeking NSIC membership should visit: https://www.sri.com/nsic/ or contact nsic@sri.com.
About Nomura:
Nomura is a global financial services group with an integrated network spanning over 30 countries. By connecting markets East & West, Nomura services the needs of individuals, institutions, corporates and governments through its three business divisions: Retail, Wholesale (Global Markets and Investment Banking), and Investment Management. Founded in 1925, the firm is built on a tradition of disciplined entrepreneurship, serving clients with creative solutions and considered thought leadership. For further information about Nomura, visit www.nomura.com.
SRI International
SRI International creates world-changing solutions making people safer, healthier and more productive. SRI, a research center headquartered in Menlo Park, California, works primarily in advanced technology and systems, biosciences, computing and education. SRI brings its innovations to the marketplace through technology licensing, spin-off ventures and new product solutions.