Kenzen 2026 brief
Program details, eligibility, evaluation criteria, and timeline for the 2026 edition.
- Event date
- October 22, 2026
- Location
- Ann Arbor, Michigan
- Apply by
- July 30, 2026
The program
Kenzen is the annual pitch competition led by ASICS.
2026 is the first edition under the Kenzen name. Seven prior editions ran informally between 2017 and 2025, in Kobe, Boston, London, Tokyo, Amsterdam, Gurgaon, and Riyadh.
The program is led by ASICS, with the ASICS Ventures team reviewing applications, selecting finalists, coordinating logistics, and serving as the primary point of contact for finalists during and after the event.
The 2026 event is being run in partnership with Innovation Partnerships at the University of Michigan, which will host Kenzen in Ann Arbor and support the program's connection to the regional innovation ecosystem.
For the 2026 edition, ASICS is in partnership with LEAD. LEAD is a global venture firm specializing in sports and health with $150 million in assets under management and 60+ portfolio companies across a multi-fund mandate and a bespoke corporate offering. LEAD will assist in sourcing, screening, and selecting the most relevant startups for potential strategic and investment fit.
ASICS runs Kenzen to identify and partner with startups in categories adjacent to ASICS footwear and apparel, to connect founders to ASICS product, channel, and business development teams, and to build a founder network that grows across editions.
2026 theme
New Experiences. Four categories organize the brief, and applicants must fit one of them.
Each category covers a distinct area of business, though they can overlap. Applications should identify a single primary category. The examples below are illustrative.
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.
Athletic footwear and performance apparel sit outside the brief. Companies that use footwear or apparel as one part of a broader product remain eligible; companies whose primary product is footwear or apparel do not.
Eligibility requirements
Every application is reviewed against the four requirements below. All four must be met.
Fits one 2026 category
The company should map cleanly to one of the four categories: Experience Movement, Physical, Digital, or Wellness. Applicants select a single primary category in the application form.
US-incorporated and in good standing
The company must be US-incorporated and in good standing, with no active litigation or regulatory action against the company or its founders.
Available for in-person attendance on October 22, 2026
ASICS invites two representatives from each finalist company and covers economy travel plus two nights of accommodation for both. Logistics are coordinated by the organizer after the finalist announcement on August 31, 2026.
Not athletic footwear or performance apparel
The four categories (Experience Movement, Physical, Digital, and Wellness) define what is in scope. Athletic footwear and performance apparel companies are not.
Pitch day
An in-person event in Ann Arbor, Michigan, for six finalist companies.
- Date
- October 22, 2026.
- Location
- Ann Arbor, Michigan. The venue and detailed travel logistics are provided to finalists after the August 31, 2026 announcement.
- Format
- The six finalist companies present back-to-back, with a pitch followed by Q&A for each. Pitch length and deck requirements are sent to finalists after the August 31, 2026 announcement.
- Attendees from each company
- Two representatives per finalist company. ASICS covers economy airfare, ground transportation, and two nights of accommodation for both. Additional team members may attend at their own expense.
- Audience
- The audience includes the judging panel, ASICS leadership, ASICS Ventures team members, and invited guests from the wider ASICS ecosystem. The judging panel composition is announced closer to the event.
- Language
- English
- NDA
- Finalists sign an NDA with ASICS at the finalist stage. Applications themselves must not contain confidential information of the applicant or any third party.
Prize package
Cash and a direct line into ASICS for the top three teams, escalating to the winning team.
Third place
Third place, recognized with cash prize and access.
$10,000 cash to third place
Paid to the third-place team.
Discovery call with the most relevant ASICS business unit
A structured discovery session with the ASICS product, channel, or business-development team closest to the company's category, scoping potential pilots or partnerships.
One pair of custom ASICS shoes to each founder
A custom-built pair of ASICS shoes for every founder on the third-place team.
Runner-up
Runner-up, recognized with cash prize and access.
$25,000 cash to the runner-up
Paid to the second-place team.
Discovery call with the most relevant ASICS business unit
A structured discovery session with the ASICS product, channel, or business-development team closest to the company's category, scoping potential pilots or partnerships.
One pair of custom ASICS shoes to each founder
A custom-built pair of ASICS shoes for every founder on the runner-up team.
The winning team
The winning team, set up for the next chapter with ASICS.
$40,000 cash to the winning team
Paid to the first-place team.
Demo or speaking moment at a 2027 ASICS Pitch event
A featured slot at a 2027 ASICS Pitch event — a public stage in front of ASICS leadership, partners, and the broader founder community.
Business collaboration discussion with ASICS
A structured conversation about a working collaboration with ASICS — scoping a pilot, a co-development effort, or a commercial partnership. Any resulting investment is a separate negotiation on standard terms.
One pair of custom ASICS shoes to each founder and an exclusive ASICS prize — to be announced
A custom-built pair of ASICS shoes for every founder on the winning team, paired with a bespoke item from ASICS unveiled on pitch day in Ann Arbor. Details of the exclusive prize intentionally held until the event.
Timeline
Four stages between June 2 and October 22, 2026.
Applications open
The application form goes live. Eleven questions plus a required pitch deck of up to fifteen slides, with an approximate completion time of five minutes.
Applications close
The application form closes. ASICS reviews submissions through August. Late applications are not accepted.
Finalists announced
The six finalist companies are announced on ASICS channels. Each finalist receives logistics and program details by email, signs an NDA, and begins travel coordination with the organizer.
Pitch day in Ann Arbor
Finalists pitch in person in Ann Arbor. Prizes and partnership opportunities are awarded the same day, and finalists receive one-on-one time with the ASICS teams closest to their category during the visit.
How we evaluate
Every application is read by the ASICS Ventures team against the criteria below, in order of weight.
Theme alignment
Whether the company maps cleanly to one of the four 2026 categories: Experience Movement, Physical, Digital, or Wellness.
Team
Founder-market fit, prior execution, and the capacity to run a corporate partnership.
Strategic interest to ASICS
Whether the company is a strong candidate for a pilot, investment, or co-marketing partnership with ASICS.
Demonstration readiness
Whether the company can present live with traction or product signal that holds up under scrutiny, and have a functioning demo ready for Pitch Day.
NDAs are executed at the finalist stage, not at application. Applications themselves must not include sensitive IP, trade secrets, or third-party confidential information.
Application form
The application form takes about five minutes. It contains eleven questions and a required pitch deck of up to fifteen slides.