Israel and Japan Team Up to Tackle Climate Crisis

Israeli deep-tech innovations are getting a fast track to Japan's industrial giants through a new partnership that could speed up solutions to the global energy crisis.

NetZero Tech Ventures and NGLI Holdings just launched a collaboration designed to bridge the gap between Israeli academic research and Japanese corporate needs. The partnership tackles a frustrating challenge that has slowed innovation for years: Japanese companies want cutting-edge technology, but early-stage research often feels too risky or culturally unfamiliar to adopt.

Here's how it works. NGLI identifies exactly what major Japanese corporations need, then NetZero finds matching research happening in Israeli universities. NetZero then helps transform that academic work into startup companies, with support from the Israel Innovation Authority, bringing the technology to maturity so Japanese companies can become customers or partners.

The game-changer is timing. Japanese companies join as "design partners" from day one, ensuring the products developed in Israeli labs match precisely what Japanese industry actually needs. No more building solutions searching for problems.

The focus targets climate and energy challenges: clean energy production and storage, alternative fuels like hydrogen, and advanced materials that could transform manufacturing. These aren't small problems. They're the building blocks of a sustainable future.

"We are proud to accelerate the journey from science to market and to help turn groundbreaking research into impactful companies," said Shmuel Kedmi, CEO of NetZero Ventures. Close collaboration with industrial partners from the start creates ventures that are both scientifically exceptional and commercially viable.

NetZero Tech Ventures, founded in 2021, counts major energy players like TotalEnergies and Delek US among its investors. The team includes former Chief Scientist of Israel's Energy Ministry Dr. Gideon Friedman, bringing serious technical expertise to the table.

NGLI specializes in connecting Israeli innovation with Japanese industry. Senior partner Yoko Yamaguchi, a biochemist based in Israel, leads strategic collaborations, using her deep understanding of both scientific cultures to build successful partnerships.

The Ripple Effect

This model could unlock innovation that's been stuck in labs worldwide. When corporations and researchers work together from the beginning, breakthrough technologies reach people faster. Climate solutions sitting on university shelves gathering dust could soon power cities, fuel vehicles, and reduce emissions.

The partnership also creates a template other countries could follow, turning the slow crawl from research to market into a sprint.

One collaboration at a time, Israeli innovation and Japanese industrial strength are building the clean energy future we need.