77 Research & Consulting Co., Ltd. (head office: Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture; President and Representative Director: Jun Kobayashi; hereinafter “77R&C”) and Relic Inc. (head office: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director and CEO: Takaaki Kitajima; Representative Director and CTO: Ryo Oba; hereinafter “Relic”) announced that they have entered into a business alliance to comprehensively support new business development by regional companies. Through this alliance, the two companies aim to support the sustainable growth of regional companies through the creation of new businesses, while working toward a regional economy in which new businesses and industries continue to emerge from Tohoku. Background of the alliance: In Tohoku, amid population decline and changes in the industrial structure, regional companies are increasingly seeking new growth opportunities beyond the boundaries of their existing businesses. At the same time, new business development requires specialized knowledge and continuous hands-on support, which has become a challenge for regional companies pursuing such initiatives. As a group company of The 77 Bank, 77R&C has supported the development of regional industries by providing information and seminars to more than 2,600 member companies, undertaking commissioned projects from local governments and other organizations, conducting economic research, and helping companies resolve management issues. Relic, as a “business co-creation company,” has supported new business development and innovation creation for more than 5,000 Japanese companies. It has in-house capabilities across three domains: business, technology, and creative, and provides end-to-end support from new business concept planning to development and operation. The companies concluded that by combining their respective strengths, namely 77R&C’s trusted regional foundation and Relic’s expertise in new business creation, they would be able to comprehensively support new business developmen