Yazaki Announces Partnership with Plug and Play To Foster Collaborations with Startup Companies

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Dec 11, 2018, 11:00 ET

SUNNYVALE, Calif., Dec. 11, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Yazaki Innovations, Inc., subsidiary of Yazaki Corporation, one of the world's largest automotive suppliers, and Plug and Play, a global startup accelerator and corporate innovation platform headquartered in Silicon Valley, today announced a strategic partnership focused on advancing technological innovation in the automotive industry.

The partnership will facilitate and support Yazaki's ongoing innovation initiative dedicated to collaborating with technology companies to enhance and develop new products and services. Yazaki has joined the Plug and Play Mobility program primarily focused on, but not limited to the domains of: Mobility, Internet of Things (IoT), Advanced Manufacturing and Integrated and Optimized Energy Solutions. Yazaki will be looking at sourcing a broad set of technologies including Information and Communication Technologies, Artificial Intelligence, Sensors, Cybersecurity, HMI and others.

"Yazaki continually strives to improve our products. Being the leading supplier of vehicular electrical and electronic distribution and display systems, Yazaki plays a central role in the advancement of the automotive industry," said Mr. Shoichi Uematsu, Chairman, Yazaki Innovations, Inc. "Our goal is to engage with early-stage companies who have a strategic alignment with our goals. Plug and Play is a pivotal component of our current strategy. They have developed an environment that fosters collaboration between startups and corporations and simplify the relationship and partnership building process. We greatly look forward to working with Plug and Play and the many companies they will introduce us to."

"Yazaki's innovation initiative is a great fit for Plug and Play," says Mr. Sobhan Khani, VP of Plug and Play's Mobility program. "Yazaki's long history of delivering highly reliable products to its customer base in Automotive and Energy space, large manufacturing base, global logistic system and enormous amount of industry knowledge and expertise will be an invaluable resource to the early-stage companies in our ecosystem. I strongly believe that there are many opportunities for collaboration between Yazaki and the startups in the ecosystem."

About Yazaki Corporation & Yazaki Innovations, Inc.

Yazaki Innovations, Inc. (YII), a subsidiary of Yazaki Corporation, focuses on bringing new advanced technologies to complement our portfolio and to create new businesses. Yazaki Corporation offers a diverse range of products in the global automotive and energy system sectors. With nearly 290,000 employees in more than 45 countries, Yazaki is one of the world's largest suppliers of automotive wiring harnesses. As a result of long-term collaboration with our customers, Yazaki has become a leader in research, development, and delivery of electric power and data solutions. Yazaki currently produces wire harnesses, electric power distribution & control products, connectors, driver information systems, sensors and hybrid & electric vehicle products.

About Plug and Play

Plug and Play is a global innovation platform. Headquartered in Silicon Valley, we have built accelerator programs, corporate innovation services, and an in-house VC to make technological advancement progress faster than ever before. Since inception in 2006, our programs have expanded worldwide to include a presence in over 20 locations globally giving startups the necessary resources to succeed in Silicon Valley and beyond. With over 10,000 startups and 280 official corporate partners, we have created the ultimate startup ecosystem in many industries. We provide active investments with 200 leading Silicon Valley VCs, and host more than 700 networking events per year. Companies in our community have raised over $7 billion in funding, with successful portfolio exits including Danger, Dropbox, Lending Club, and PayPal. For more information, visit http://plugandplaytechcenter.com

CONTACT:
Allison Romero
[email protected]
(408) 524-1457

SOURCE Plug and Play