ASICS Ventures Corporation, ASICS’ corporate venture capital arm, today announced Kenzen, the company’s annual pitch competition. ASICS has hosted seven pitch programs globally since 2017, and Kenzen formalizes that nine-year body of work as a single named program, with a new theme each year, ongoing founder relationships, and a defined path into the ASICS ecosystem. The inaugural edition will be held on October 22, 2026, from 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM ET in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
KENZEN 2026: NEW EXPERIENCES
The next chapter of the ASICS customer experience will be shaped, in part, by founders the brand has not yet met. Kenzen is established to find them. Over the nine years preceding this inaugural edition, ASICS Ventures has carried founder relationships from pitch into commercial and venture conversations. Kenzen now establishes that practice on an annual basis.
The 2026 theme is New Experiences: the services, products, and communities bringing more people into ASICS. Four categories shape this year’s brief.
- Experience Movement: Wearables, nutrition, and performance products — anything worn or consumed that enhances how the body moves and performs.
- Experience Physical: Retail technology and third spaces — innovations that change how and where people encounter running and movement in the real world.
- Experience Digital: Communities and digital placement — platforms, content channels, and social tools that build connection or expose new audiences to the sport.
- Experience Wellness: Sleep, recovery, and preventive wellness — products and services that support the foundational wellness that makes movement possible.
Six startups will be selected as finalists, with two representatives from each company invited to Ann Arbor to pitch the judging panel, ASICS leadership, ASICS Ventures team members, and invited guests from the wider ASICS ecosystem. A prize package totaling $80K including non cash prize will be awarded across the top three finalists, with the grand prize winner prioritized for discussions on a commercial pilot with an ASICS business unit. Finalists will gain direct access to the ASICS ecosystem and the prospect of a longer-term relationship with the ASICS Ventures team.
Applications open June 2, 2026, and close July 30, 2026, with finalists announced on August 31, 2026. The inaugural edition is run in partnership with Innovation Partnerships at the University of Michigan and LEAD. Finalists will be selected through a rigorous review led by ASICS.
THE INAUGURAL EDITION IN ANN ARBOR
Ann Arbor is a deliberate choice. In December 2025, ASICS Corporation announced the establishment of ASICS Institute of Sport Science America LLC and a multi-year strategic research agreement with the University of Michigan, making the city the base for ASICS research and innovation in North America. Kenzen brings the nine-year program into that environment for the first time.
EIGHTH EDITION, ONGOING PORTFOLIO
Kenzen is the eighth pitch program ASICS Ventures has hosted since 2017, following editions in Kobe, Boston, London, Tokyo, Amsterdam, Gurgaon, and Riyadh. Beyond the event in October, the ASICS Ventures team may pursue post-event investment and commercial pilot opportunities with Kenzen finalists.
Program Overview
- Program name: Kenzen 2026: New Experiences
- Event date: October 22, 2026 · 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM ET
- Venue: University of Michigan Golf Course, Ann Arbor, Michigan; logistics provided to finalists after August 31, 2026
- Theme: New Experiences: the services, products, and communities bringing more people into ASICS
- Categories: Experience Movement · Experience Physical · Experience Digital · Experience Wellness
- Prize package: $80K total: Grand prize $40K, runner-up $25K, and third place $10K ($5K non-cash)
- Application period: June 2 to July 30, 2026
- Finalists announced: August 31, 2026
- Eligibility: US-incorporated; fits one of the four 2026 categories; no active litigation or regulatory action; available for in-person attendance on October 22, 2026
- Finalists: Six startup companies selected; two representatives from each invited to Ann Arbor
- Website: kenzen.asics.com
For further information, visit kenzen.asics.com. For startup applications, visit kenzen.asics.com/apply.
Kenzen is the annual startup pitch program of ASICS Ventures Corporation, established to find founders building the future of the ASICS customer experience. The name derives from the Japanese word 健全 (Kenzen), meaning “sound” or “healthy” — a direct echo of the founding philosophy that has guided ASICS since 1949. Each year, Kenzen introduces a new theme and selects six finalist companies for an in-person pitch event, offering prize packages, commercial pilot discussions with ASICS business units, and ongoing relationships with the ASICS Ventures team. The inaugural edition, Kenzen 2026: New Experiences, will be held on October 22, 2026, in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in partnership with Innovation Partnerships at the University of Michigan and LEAD. Applications are open at kenzen.asics.com/apply through July 30, 2026.
About ASICS Ventures Corporation
ASICS Ventures Corporation is the corporate venture capital arm of ASICS Corporation, investing in and partnering with startups that extend the ASICS customer experience to new people and places. Since 2017, ASICS Ventures has hosted pitch programs globally — in Kobe, Boston, London, Tokyo, Amsterdam, Gurgaon, and Riyadh — building a portfolio of founder relationships that span commercial pilots and venture investments. ASICS Ventures is anchored in the founding philosophy of ASICS Corporation, Anima Sana In Corpore Sano: a sound mind in a sound body. For more information, visit corp.asics.com.
honami.sudo@asics.com
ASICS Corporation
naomi.nakayama@asics.com
ASICS Corporation
