Two Companies Were Awarded Prizes During the Pitching Competition of the First Edition of KUMIHIMO Tech Camp in Bulgaria
Two Companies Were Awarded Prizes During the Pitching Competition of the First Edition of KUMIHIMO Tech Camp in Bulgaria
Murata also awarded a special Education Visionary distinction
Over the past three months, six selected companies have collaborated with Murata Manufacturing and Endeavor Bulgaria to refine their projects, which were showcased during a closed-door Pitching Demo Day competition.
The selected companies — ADD Bulgaria, Barin Sports, EP Systems, I Rise Mechanics 357, IPS, and Resonator — pitched their projects to a panel of five jurors from Murata and Endeavor leadership. The panel included Hiroshi Iwatsubo, Executive Deputy President and Board Member of Murata Japan, Mitch Nozaki, General Manager of New Business Development, Toshio Nakamoto, President of Murata Europe, and Tomy Runne, Vice President of Murata Europe, as well as Endeavor Bulgaria’s Managing Director, Momchil Vassilev.
Two exceptional companies were recognized for their innovation, potential impact, and their unique embodiment of the Kumihimo spirit—connecting threads of technology, culture, and collaboration. The judges awarded i Rise Mechanics 375 the first-place prize, which includes a cash prize, an all-expenses-paid trip to Japan to visit Murata’s headquarters, tickets to Asia’s Number 1 Startup platform IVS, held in Kyoto, Japan and exclusive access to Endeavor Bulgaria’s network and events.
iRise Mechanics 357 is a high-tech company, engineering and manufacturing new-generation, robotic mobility devices for people with lower limbs disabilities with unique design, mechanics, electronics and software. Our systems will improve health, independence, social inclusion and quality of life for disabled people.
Barin Sports was awarded the runner-up prize, receiving a cash prize, as well as exclusive access to Endeavor Bulgaria’s network and events.
Barin Sports offers a unique combination of hardware, software and sport science – all developed by the company. Through this one-of-a-kind service they achieve an increase in the high intensity workload of professional athletes of over 20% while reducing their exertion by more than 10%. This decreases non-contact injuries as their proprietary injury prediction algorithm boasts 90% accuracy. The benefits for the athletes are clear – higher peak performance and longer careers. The same goes for the clubs – maximizing investment in players, cost savings from injuries avoidance, better product on the pitch, more wins, happier fans, higher revenue. Their key advantage is combining the different performance-related data streams and conducting cross-reference analytics with them through their own AI algorithm.
Talking to Daniel Shopov, Director of Business Development at Barin Sports, after the event he shared:
“Murata’s focus on hardware, in a landscape often dominated by software, is refreshing and invaluable. Their understanding of hardware innovation makes them an intuitive partner for us—we’re already using their components and now have even greater momentum to showcase new applications for their technology. Murata’s partnership serves as a key validation for Barin Sports on the global stage.”
In addition, Tinusaur – an educational platform and set of tools that focus on programming, robotics, and electronics – was honored with the special Education Visionary Award, presented by Deputy Mayor of Sofia, Digitalization and Innovation, Ivan Goychev, for embodying Murata’s spirit in education through their dedication to advancing knowledge, fostering growth, and embracing Murata’s core values.
H.E. Mr. Hisashi Michigami, the Ambassador of Japan in Bulgaria, was a special guest at the event, congratulating Murata on their presence in the Bulgarian market and stating that this open innovation initiative is vital to driving growth in the Bulgarian economy, particularly in advancing the hardware sector.
"We are delighted to announce the winners of our inaugural KUMIHIMO Tech Camp in Bulgaria. Our collaboration with Endeavor Bulgaria has been a resounding success, providing a platform for startups, scale-ups, and researchers to access Murata's state-of-the-art hardware and expertise. Initiatives like the KUMIHIMO Tech Camp are pivotal in strengthening local innovation ecosystems and driving forward the technological solutions of tomorrow."
Tak Kaneko, Director of Strategic Marketing, Murata Europe
Why is the initiative called “Kumihimo”? “Kumihimo” refers to “threads” from the Japanese braiding technique, symbolizing the exchange of global talent. The concluding event of the pilot edition of KUMIHIMO Tech Camp in Bulgaria underscored and fostered the interconnectedness of the Japanese and Bulgarian tech ecosystems.
With a rich history of designing and supplying cutting-edge solutions across various sectors such as communications, automotive, healthcare, and consumer electronics, Murata has a distinguished track record of technological advancement. Headquartered in Japan, the company operates globally across six continents, Headquartered in Japan, Murata operates globally across six continents, demonstrating its commitment to driving innovation worldwide.
"The first edition of KUMIHIMO Tech Camp represents a significant milestone in our mission to provide Bulgarian companies with greater exposure to leading global players. Through KUMIHIMO, we aim to create a platform where hardware-enabled companies in Bulgaria can collaborate with industry leaders in electronics and hardware, such as Murata. This program has opened new doors for our tech ecosystem, encouraging companies to push boundaries and elevate the standard of innovation in Bulgaria. We take pride in the remarkable talent showcased during this initiative and eagerly anticipate how these connections will fuel growth and solidify Bulgaria’s position on the global tech stage—from Central and Eastern Europe to Asia."
Simona Nikolova, Entrepreneur Experience Director, Endeavor
You can learn more about KUMIHIMO Tech Camp and stay informed about new iterations of the initiative at https://bulgaria.endeavor.org/kumihimo/
