Believing that the next chapter of the customer experience will be shaped, in part, by founders the brand has not yet met, ASICS Ventures Corporation, the corporate venture capital arm of the footwear brand, has unveiled Kenzen, its annual pitch competition.

Kenzen is established to find those new founders. 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. 

ASICS has hosted seven pitch programs globally since 2017 and Kenzen now 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. 

(FYI, the name “Kenzen” 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. By naming the franchise in this spirit, ASICS Ventures signals that Kenzen is built not around a single event, but around a belief that endures.)

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, MI, to pitch the judging panel, ASICS leadership, ASICS Ventures team members and invited guests from the wider ASICS ecosystem. A prize package totaling $80,000, including non-cash prizes, 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. Also, finalists will gain direct access to the ASICS ecosystem and the prospect of a longer-term relationship with the ASICS Ventures team. 

Applications opened June 2, 2026, and close July 30, 2026, with finalists announced on August 31. 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. 

Ann Arbor is a deliberate choice for the event. 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. 

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.  

For more information: kenzen.asics.com.