What does Chikyu mean?
Chikyu is “Earth” in Japanese. Having been raised by a Japanese mom, one of our Co-Founder’s, Taisuke Fox, learned from an early age to appreciate our planet and respect all of those living on it. Chikyu signifies more than just a word; it’s our commitment to reimagine new possibilities and provide meaningful impact.
Our Story: Founded in 2021, Chikyu is a software startup on a mission of empowering more purpose-driven companies through B Corp Certification. Our platform provides businesses of all sizes with the proper tools and sustainability strategies to meet all the requirements for becoming a B Corporation. We take what was once a difficult journey to navigate into a simple process while providing your company with long-term bottom-line value and growth.
What we do: Chikyu is a comprehensive sustainability management platform that simplifies the process of becoming a B Corporation.
Our platform allows you to efficiently create and set a timeline for submitting your application to B-Corporation and tracks your scoring so you can apply with full confidence. By identifying what areas you’re lacking in, and providing data analytics and transparent solutions to improve, Chikyu is unlike any of the current solutions on the market.
Highlights
This past summer, Chikyu was selected to join the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Innovation Corps Program. As part of the NSF, the independent agency of the US government that supports fundamental research, I-Corps enables the transformation of invention to impact. I-Corps integrates scientific inquiry and industrial discovery in an inclusive, data-driven culture driven by rigor, relevance, and evidence. Through the summer Chikyu conducted customer discovery research to identify the voice of the customer (VoC) and pivot our venture to meet the needs of small businesses.
In early September of 2021, Chikyu was invited to join American University’s Center for Innovation (AUCI) after successfully pitching our venture and vision. AUCI helps entrepreneurs gain a full understanding of the real world of business and markets by confronting, embracing, and creating opportunities—with the goal of achieving the highest levels of human flourishing and self–actualization.
AUCI is ranked as the Top 50 Best Undergraduate Programs for Entrepreneurs by the Princeton Review (2020) and 35th for Innovation by US News & World Report (2021).