Group photo after the final pitch of Yamaha’s business contest. Participants smiling as they form a “T” hand sign, representing TRANSPOSE.

Shaping an Unseen Future Through the Power of Sound: A New Challenge by Yamaha, Co-created with Global Innovators

Introduction:

On February 25, 2026, an exciting event was held in Yokohama: the TRANSPOSE Innovation Challenge. This was the final pitch event of a business contest organized by Yamaha Corporation (hereinafter “Yamaha”), aimed at creating new value in sound in collaboration with startups from around the world.

Why is Yamaha, a company rooted in sound and music, now taking on new business challenges alongside partners from other industries? At the heart of this is Yamaha’s strong commitment to “Evolve,” reflecting a determination to enrich lives and promote well-being.

  1. Making Everyday Life More Comfortable Through Sound Yamaha’s Vision for the Future
  2. Resonating with Ideas from Around the World the Launch of TRANSPOSE, an Open Innovation Initiative
  3. Four Ideas to Transform the Future Final Pitch Results
  4. Global Expectations for Sound
    The Project Lead Reflects on the Journey and the Future Ahead
  5. Conclusion: Continuing to Create New Sounds Without Fear of Change

Making Everyday Life More Comfortable Through Sound Yamaha’s Vision for the Future

In May 2025, Yamaha announced its new Medium-Term Management Plan, “Rebuild & Evolve.” At the core of this plan is the key concept of “Evolving to create the future.”

Through its musical instruments and audio products, Yamaha has long delivered moments of inspiration to people around the world. However, that is not all we envision for the future. We aim to help solve the challenges facing society by combining the expertise in sound and music that we have cultivated over many years with new fields such as healthcare, wellness, and the environment. Yamaha has begun initiatives to “evolve” its business itself.

People. Society. The Planet. By valuing these three perspectives, we aim to stay close to people’s everyday lives and create the future together. This is the vision Yamaha is working to realize today.

[Diagram] A page from Yamaha Corporation’s Medium-Term Management Plan titled “Taking on Challenges to Create the Future.” Focused on the three key themes of “People,” “Society,” and “Earth,” and aimed at evolving the business itself.
Source: Yamaha’s Medium-Term Management Plan, “Rebuild & Evolve.” Centered on the three key themes of “People,” “Society,” and “Earth,” Yamaha seeks to evolve its business itself.

Resonating with Ideas from Around the World the Launch of TRANSPOSE, an Open Innovation Initiative

In April 2025, Yamaha established a dedicated organization under the direct supervision of the president to create new businesses. Centered around this organization, Yamaha has launched TRANSPOSE, its open innovation initiative, marking the start of efforts to build new mechanisms unlike any before.

As one of these initiatives, the TRANSPOSE Innovation Challenge aims to combine the innovative technologies and services of startups with Yamaha’s strengths to create new value together. In response to this call, we received more than 300 passionate applications from 63 countries around the world, far exceeding our expectations.

Four Ideas to Transform the Future Final Pitch Results

The ideas that took the stage in the final round were all outstanding, each unlocking the full potential of sound and proposing new value for everyday life. After a thorough selection process, we are pleased to introduce the four winners.

Award Company Presentation Summary
Grand Prix Moodsonic Services Ltd
(U.K.)		 Theme: Sound × Place
  • Moodsonic offers sound design that enhances well-being, comfort and productivity through acoustic technology that generates natural soundscapes in real time and adapts them to indoor environments.
Yamaha Award Rap Tech Studios Ltd
(U.K.)		 Theme: Sound × Creative
  • Rap Fame ― a mobile app that simplifies the production and posting of rap music ― helps users improve through feedback from the broader community.
YMI Award Ear screen
(Internal Yamaha proposal)		 Theme: Sound × Well-being
  • Ear screen active earplugs protect musicians’ hearing by reducing high sound levels while maintaining natural tones during instrumental performance.
YMI Fund Award Eupnoos
(U.K.)		 Theme: Sound × Well-being
  • Eupnoos provides a screening solution that supports the detection of respiratory diseases and improves clinical efficiency by using smartphones or microphones to analyze breathing sounds.
[Photo] Scenes from the final pitch venue at Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse.

Scenes from the venue at Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse

[Photo] The TRANSPOSE logo, representing Yamaha’s open innovation initiative.

Driving open innovation under the name “TRANSPOSE”

[Photo] A Moodsonic representative delivering a presentation on stage with expressive gestures during the TRANSPOSE Innovation Challenge final pitch.
[Photo] A wide view of the final pitch venue. Participants engaged in close, interactive Q&A sessions.
[Photo] Judges conducting Q&A. At the center is Yamaha Corporation President Yamaura.
[Photo] A female presenter delivering a presentation on stage with expressive gestures during the TRANSPOSE Innovation Challenge final pitch.

Scenes from the final pitch

[Photo] A Moodsonic representative, Grand Prix winner.

Moodsonic, the Grand Prix winner. With Yamaha’s support, the company will move into full-scale joint development following proof-of-concept testing

[Photo] A representative of "Ear Screen," the internal Yamaha proposal selected for the YMI Award.

“Ear Screen,” selected through an internal Yamaha proposal, won the YMI Award after a thorough selection process

Global Expectations for Sound
The Project Lead Reflects on the Journey and the Future Ahead

“Despite the short timeframe from concept to execution, we received more than 300 applications from companies in 63 countries worldwide. This clearly demonstrates that expectations for the potential of 'sound × music' are even greater around the world than we had imagined.”

Masamitsu Kitase, the project lead, reflects on the initiative. This contest went beyond simply soliciting ideas, serving as a platform for creating new connections, including partnerships with 11 companies and the attraction of startups from overseas.

In this context, the Ear Screen team, which emerged from an internal Yamaha proposal, overcame a thorough and completely impartial evaluation process, earning the YMI Award in recognition of its passion. This was also a great source of pride for us,” Kitase reflects.

However, he adds that this contest is only the beginning.
“The true results will be found in the concrete businesses that emerge from here. We will continue this challenge into fiscal 2026. We sincerely look forward to encountering passionate ideas that will help shape Yamaha’s future and bring new color to people’s everyday lives.”

[Photo] Masamitsu Kitase, Executive Officer and lead of Yamaha’s open innovation initiative, TRANSPOSE.

Masamitsu Kitase, Executive Officer and Project Lead

Conclusion: Continuing to Create New Sounds Without Fear of Change

Each of the selected projects brings to life new possibilities inherent in sound. Creating new spaces of value, supporting creativity, and helping to build a society rich in well-being. Yamaha will continue to bring new businesses to life together with partners like these.

We aim to enhance the well-being of people around the world through the power of sound and music. This aspiration has remained unchanged since our founding. Through the TRANSPOSE initiative, Yamaha will continue to embrace change and take on the challenge of delivering new value and surprise to society.

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