October 13, 2021

KDDI Corporation

KDDI concluded an investment agreement on October 1, 2021, with DAIZ Inc. (Headquarters: Kumamoto City, Kumamoto Prefecture, President and Representative Director: Tsuyoshi Ide; hereinafter "DAIZ"), a company that develops and produces "Miracle Meat" using germinated soybeans, through the KDDI Open Innovation Fund III (operated by Global Brain Corporation; hereinafter "KOIF III"), which aims to incubate new business co-creations with promising venture startups.

DAIZ uses soybeans as the primary raw material and its own technology to develop "Miracle Meat", a plant-based meat that recreates a taste and texture which is close to meat and reduces unusual flavors that are specific to soybeans, and the product has been adopted by many food manufacturers and food service chains, etc. centered in the domestic Japanese market. Carbon dioxide and intestinal gas (methane) emitted by cows and other livestock animals occupy a significant portion of greenhouse gas emissions. Substitute meat originating from plants is a source of protein with a low environmental load that is attracting significant attention with respect to this problem due to the sudden increase in demand for protein with the increase in the global population and the increase in the demand for meat in developing countries. Under these circumstances, DAIZ is contributing to the realization of a sustainable society through the research and development of the "Miracle Meat" next-generation, plant-based meat and its adoption in foreign and domestic markets.

Through this investment, KDDI will utilize its assets to help increase awareness and expand sales of the "Miracle Meat" plant-based meat to promote the supply of sustainable food and reduce greenhouse gases with the goal of resolving social issues.

MUGENLABO Magazine
The Delicious "Miracle Meat" Plant-based Meat Offers Hope for Food Crisis and Environmental Preservation - DAIZ

(Reference)

• ■Overview of DAIZ Inc.

  • (1)

    Company name: DAIZ Inc.

  • (2)

    Headquarters: TelWel Kumamoto Building 4F, 5-1-1 Minami-Kumamoto, Chuo-ku, Kumamoto City

  • (3)

    Date founded: December 2015

  • (4)

    Business activities: development, production, and sale of the "Miracle Meat" plant-based meat originating from germinated soybeans as well as the development, production, and sale of food products which use "Miracle Meat"

  • (5)

    Representative: Tsuyoshi Ide
    URL: https://www.daiz.inc/

• ■What is Miracle Meat?

  Previous plant-based meats used defatted soybeans leftover from soybean oil extraction as the primary raw material. However the "Miracle Meat" plant-based meat developed and produced by DAIZ uses the actual germinated soybeans as the primary raw material. In addition, they eliminate any soybean-specific smells by using high oleic acid soybeans to significantly improve the taste. Those raw materials are germinated through their patented "Ochiai High Pressure method" technology to increase the flavor and nutritional value and then the germinated soybeans are extruded to achieve an elasticity and texture which is similar to animal meat without adding other raw materials or additives.

• ■KDDI initiatives

  KDDI has decided that it will continue to initiate solutions to various social problems through its businesses and has formulated the "KDDI Sustainable Action ～ Our Power to Make Connections Will Help Create a Brighter Future for All ～" set of KDDI SDGs in anticipation of 2030. This most recent initiative falls under "Connecting and protecting lives, Conserving the environment."

  

  <"KDDI Sustainable Action" Connecting Lives, Day-To-Day Lives, and Hearts and Minds>

• ■ About the KDDI Open Innovation Fund

  KDDI Open Innovation Fund is a corporate venture fund that supports a broad range of venture companies. The currently active KDDI Open Innovation Fund III focuses on the areas of AI, IoT, data marketing, fintech, B2B SaaS, and entertainment with a total operating fund of 20 billion yen.