What Trusted does

Trusted Corporation is a private innovation and business development firm founded in 2016 by Fariza Abidova and Michele De Luca, headquartered in Tokyo with a European regional office in Zug, Switzerland. The company operates at the intersection of European and Japanese industry, helping large enterprises identify, validate, and scale new core businesses through cross-border enterprise-to-enterprise collaboration. Its core methodology is the proprietary Trusted Studio Framework, a structured commercialization program that supports parallel evaluation of 100+ business opportunities per year against predefined criteria and pairs clients with European industrial, research, and technology stakeholders for early market validation. Service offerings are bundled under five lines: customized Delegation programs in Europe and Japan, the 12-month Trusted Studio cohort (capped at up to five non-competing enterprises per cycle), Project Execution engagements that co-create commercially viable businesses across borders, the invitation-only Trusted Club executive community launched in December 2025, and consortium-level initiatives such as participation in the Fujitsu-led Frontria program addressing AI misinformation.

The firm sells primarily to large Japanese and European enterprises — publicly visible clients include Toyota, Honda, Hitachi, BMW, Panasonic, Bosch, Bayer, Fujitsu, Yamaha, and IHI — and serves corporate innovation, R&D, business development, and strategy teams with sector emphasis on mobility, decarbonization, life sciences, and digital infrastructure. The go-to-market is sales-led and event-driven, combining customized enterprise engagement with curated delegation trips, executive gatherings (e.g., the Global Visionary Leaders Gathering in Tokyo), and recurring community programming. Revenue is generated through professional services fees for consulting and delegation work, cohort-based fees for Trusted Studio, and now recurring subscription revenue via Trusted Club membership; pricing is not publicly disclosed.

Trusted sustains operations with disclosed external capital, self-funding through service revenue, and supports a small core team of 11–50 people supplemented by a named network of advisors spanning the UK (BCCJ), Nordics (Nordic Innovation House, Nordic Asian Venture Alliance), and European startup hubs (weXelerate). Recent strategic activity — including the Trusted Club launch, Frontria consortium membership, the Japan-Germany hydrogen delegation with German national and regional agencies, and the 2026 Switzerland-hosted Trusted Studio cohort — signals an active push toward recurring revenue models, new verticals (industrial decarbonization, AI governance), and deeper European footprint.

Name

Trusted

Legal name

Trusted Corporation

Website

https://trusted-inc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Trusted Corporation is a Tokyo-based innovation and business development firm that helps large Japanese and European enterprises create new core businesses through cross-border delegation programs, consulting, and the proprietary Trusted Studio cohort. It serves innovation, R&D, and corporate strategy teams across mobility, decarbonization, life sciences, and digital infrastructure.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Professional Services / Consulting: Customized consulting engagements for large enterprises seeking innovation and business development support, including free consulting inquiries and structured advisory services.
2. Delegation Programs: Customized delegation programs connecting Japanese and European enterprises with relevant partners across the full value chain, including visits to enterprises, research institutions, and ecosystem communities.
3. Trusted Studio Cohort Program: 12-month cohort program for up to five non-competing enterprises providing direct access to leading industry, research, and technology networks in Europe. Run as structured commercialization program with ecosystem exploration and market validation formats.
4. Trusted Club Membership: Private executive community membership by invitation only, bringing together visionary CEOs, executives, professors, startup founders, and innovation ecosystem members from Japan and Europe for curated discussions and exclusive gatherings.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Trusted Corporation delivers customized enterprise innovation and business development services that connect large Japanese and European corporations across the full value chain. Its core offerings include tailored Delegation Programs to enterprises, research institutions, and ecosystem communities; the Trusted Studio 12-month cohort commercialization program; structured Project Execution engagements for cross-border co-creation; consulting services; and the invitation-only Trusted Club executive community. Programs span focus areas such as clean energy, decarbonization, mobility, life sciences, and digital infrastructure.

Product overview

Trusted Corporation is an innovation and business development firm operating at the intersection of European and Japanese industry. The company's service portfolio consists of five interconnected offerings: Delegations In Europe & Japan provides customized programs connecting Japanese enterprises with European innovation ecosystems; Trusted Studio offers a structured 12-month cohort program for validating new business models with European partners; Project Execution delivers structured programs for co-creating core businesses across borders; Trusted Club is a private executive community for visionary leaders; and Frontria Consortium Participation addresses AI misinformation risks. Together, these services enable enterprise-to-enterprise collaboration across the full value chain, supporting long-term industrial transformation in clean energy, decarbonization, digital infrastructure, and healthcare.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Consulting Services Customized consulting engagements for large enterprises seeking innovation and business development support, including free consulting inquiries and structured advisory services. Offered to enterprise innovation, R&D, business development, and strategy teams.
• Delegations In Europe & Japan Customized delegation programs organized around core topics, featuring targeted visits to enterprises, research institutions, and ecosystem communities to generate high-value discussions and unlock collaboration opportunities between Japan and Europe. Delivered as private or joint delegations for corporate innovation, R&D, business development, and strategy teams.
• Trusted Studio A 12-month cohort program for up to five non-competing enterprises that provides direct access to European industry, research, and technology networks for testing and validating new business models and technologies, enabling participants to move from concepts to commercially viable opportunities.
• Project Execution Structured programs that bring together partners, technologies, and expertise across Japan and Europe to co-create next core businesses, test and validate opportunities, and scale commercially viable, globally scalable, and sustainability-aligned solutions.
• Trusted Club A private executive global community bringing together visionary CEOs, executives, professors, startup founders, and innovation ecosystem members from Japan and Europe for curated discussions, exclusive gatherings, and knowledge exchange around high global impact topics. Accessed by invitation through Trusted Corporation or peer nomination.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100+ business opportunities evaluated annually per client enterprise against predefined criteria
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers25 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

19 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Switzerland InnovationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Switzerland Innovation is the partner hosting Trusted Studio 2026 in Switzerland. The partnership provides the physical location and ecosystem infrastructure for the 12-month cohort program conducted in Switzerland.
• Fujitsu Limited (Frontria Consortium)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 December 2025Trusted Corporation joined Frontria, an international consortium established by Fujitsu Global to address growing risks associated with AI-generated misinformation, systemic vulnerabilities in AI systems, and emerging regulatory requirements. This consortium addresses AI misinformation and risk across international stakeholders.
• HY-5coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 October 2025HY-5 is a hydrogen ecosystem organization collaborating with Trusted Corporation on the Japan-Germany Green Hydrogen Delegation. HY-5 represents the growing hydrogen ecosystem in Northern Germany and connects Japanese companies with key stakeholders across Germany's hydrogen landscape.
• Hamburg InvestcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 October 2025Hamburg Invest is the investment and business development agency for Hamburg, Germany. Trusted Corporation collaborated with Hamburg Invest during the Green Hydrogen Delegation to host discussions on Germany's National Hydrogen Strategy and the regional ecosystem driving its implementation.
• Germany Trade & Invest (GTAI)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 October 2025Germany Trade & Invest is the federal trade and investment promotion agency of Germany. Representatives participated in the delegation to share insights on Germany's positioning as a leading hub for hydrogen innovation and introduced government hydrogen strategies and funding opportunities.
• World Hydrogen ExpomajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 October 2025World Hydrogen Expo is one of Europe's largest gatherings for hydrogen technology and innovation. The delegation visited the expo in Hamburg to explore exhibition halls and participate in dedicated sessions with German enterprises and ecosystem members.
• ECOMATmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 October 2025ECOMAT is a research and technology center in Bremen fostering development around advanced materials and cryogenics. Trusted organized dedicated sessions at the Expo introducing ECOMAT to delegation participants.
• thyssenkrupp Automation EngineeringcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 October 2025thyssenkrupp Automation Engineering participated in dedicated sessions with the Japanese delegation to discuss hydrogen technologies and explore potential collaboration opportunities between Japanese and German companies in the hydrogen sector.
• Hy2GenmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 October 2025Hy2Gen operates the Atlantis Plant in Werlte, one of Germany's leading projects for industrial-scale green hydrogen and e-fuel production. The delegation toured the facility to observe electrolyzers, storage systems, and distribution processes.
• thyssenkrupp SteelworkscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 October 2025thyssenkrupp Steelworks in Duisburg shared insights on the company's transformation toward hydrogen-based steelmaking, including an overview of the Direct Reduction plant construction site and measures to decarbonize one of Europe's largest steel production facilities.
• NRW.Global BusinessmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 October 2025NRW.Global Business is the trade and investment agency of North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany. The meeting provided an overview of the region's hydrogen ecosystem, mobility initiatives, refueling infrastructure for heavy transport, and pipeline network expansion.
• Mariko McTier (Partner)minorOthersCo-founder of mymizu (Japan's first free refill app) and Co-founder of Social Innovation Japan. Partner providing connections to sustainability ecosystem and social innovation networks.
• Robin Lewis (Partner)minorOthersCo-founder of mymizu and Social Innovation Japan, recognized by MIT Technology Review in Top Innovators Under-35 Japan awards. Partner providing connections to social innovation and sustainability networks.
• Luca Escoffier (Partner)minorOthersCo-founder and CEO of LCUBE Consulting LLC, special lecturer at National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS) in Tokyo. Partner providing IP, business development, strategy, and tech transfer expertise.
• Tove Kinooka (Partner)minorOthersExecutive Committee Member & Responsible Business taskforce lead at BCCJ, Director & Co-founder at Global Perspectives Japan. Partner providing connections to UK-Japan business networks.
• Peter Johansen (Partner)minorOthersProgram Director at Nordic Asian Venture Alliance. Partner providing connections to Nordic and Asian startup and venture ecosystems.
• Koshu Kunii (Partner)minorOthersGeneral Partner at Lifetime Ventures. Partner providing venture capital ecosystem connections and investment perspective.
• Niklas Karvonen (Partner)minorOthersCommunity Director at Nordic Innovation House – Tokyo. Partner providing connections to Nordic innovation ecosystem in Tokyo.
• Awi Lifshitz (Partner)minorOthersCEO at weXelerate. Partner providing connections to European startup ecosystem and innovation hub networks.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Plug and Play Tech Center: Global innovation platform connecting corporations with startups through structured accelerator programs, corporate venture, and ecosystem events. Comparable to Trusted's enterprise-to-startup commercialization and delegation offerings.
• YPO (Young Presidents' Organization): Global peer network of chief executives offering curated gatherings, forums, and learning programs. Comparable to Trusted Club's invitation-only executive community for visionary leaders.
• Mach49: Silicon Valley-based consultancy that helps Global 1000 companies build new growth ventures using lean startup methodologies. Comparable to Trusted Studio's structured commercialization framework for large enterprises.
• JETRO (Japan External Trade Organization): Government-affiliated organization that facilitates cross-border business and investment for Japanese companies, including business delegation programs, market entry support, and ecosystem connections. Directly comparable to Trusted's Japan-international enterprise-to-enterprise facilitation model.
• Tenity: Open innovation platform and accelerator operating cohort-style programs for corporates, banks, and insurers globally. Comparable to Trusted Studio's cohort-based enterprise commercialization model.
• Startupbootcamp: Global innovation accelerator operating industry-focused cohorts with corporate partners across multiple geographies. Comparable in cohort structure and corporate-partner engagement model to Trusted Studio.
• EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation: Publicly-funded body promoting industrial cooperation between European and Japanese companies through delegation programs, training, and matchmaking. Operates at the same Japan-Europe innovation corridor intersection as Trusted.

Broad incumbents

• IDEO: Global design and innovation consultancy serving enterprises on innovation strategy, capabilities, and new venture creation. Comparable to Trusted's innovation methodology focus but with much larger scale and broader service portfolio.
• McKinsey & Company: Global management consulting firm with dedicated innovation and growth practices serving large enterprises worldwide. Overlaps with Trusted's enterprise advisory and innovation work but serves a broader portfolio of consulting needs.
• BCG (Boston Consulting Group): Global management consulting firm with corporate innovation, growth, and venturing practices serving Fortune 500 enterprises. Overlaps with Trusted's enterprise innovation consulting but at vastly greater scale and breadth.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/in/fariza-abidova

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Trusted