The Future of the Chemical Industry: Building Industrial Resilience through Innovation and Startup Collaboration
The Future of the Chemical Industry: Building Industrial Resilience through Innovation and Startup Collaboration
The global chemical industry is entering a period of rapid transformation. Growing demand for advanced materials, resource-efficient manufacturing, circular solutions, and next-generation production technologies is creating new opportunities and new challenges for companies across the sector.
From batteries and hydrogen to carbon management and circular manufacturing, the chemical industry plays a critical role in enabling industrial innovation. At the same time, established companies are increasingly looking to startups for access to emerging technologies, new approaches to commercialization, and solutions that can strengthen industrial resilience.
Join the Yokohama Gateway Program for an exclusive discussion featuring leaders from the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE), global chemical and engineering companies, and the startup ecosystem. Together, we will examine the future of the chemical industry, emerging areas of innovation, and how collaboration between established companies and startups can accelerate the development and commercialization of new technologies.
This interactive online session will also explore opportunities to connect Japan’s world-leading chemical and manufacturing sectors with North America’s industrial technology and startup ecosystems.
Who Should Attend
This session is designed for:
• Japanese and North American corporations
• Investors, CVCs, and financial institutions
• Climate Tech startups
• Government and innovation organizations
Introductory Presentation: The Future of the Chemical Industry
Natalie O’Neil
Director of Innovation, American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE)
Natalie O'Neil, Director of Innovation, leads RAPID's Operations within AIChE, the global professional association for Chemical Engineers. She is also a seasoned instructor at Rutgers University, teaching within the School of Arts and Sciences and the Graduate School of Education. A seasoned Learning Scientist, Natalie is an expert in human-centered systems and the neurocognitive and behavioral implications of learning and technology innovation. She has been recognized by Google as Certified Innovator and Trainer, as well as recently being named a Google AI Ambassador. Natalie leverages her interdisciplinary expertise to champion strategic and professional development, leadership, and operational effectiveness for human-centered systems, enabling deeply collaborative connections and progressive innovation capabilities within teams.
Natalie will discuss:
• The role of the chemical industry in addressing industrial challenges and strengthening resilience
• Emerging innovation areas, including advanced materials, circularity, carbon management, and resource-efficient manufacturing
• How startups are contributing to innovation across the chemical sector
• Opportunities for collaboration between established companies and startups
• Implications for Japanese companies engaging with North American innovation ecosystems
Panel Discussion: “Building Industrial Resilience through Innovation and Startup Collaboration”
Following the introductory presentation, leaders from the chemical, engineering, and startup sectors will explore how companies can build industrial resilience through innovation and cross-sector collaboration.
The discussion will examine what established companies look for when working with startups, how successful partnerships can be developed, and what is required to move emerging technologies from development to commercial deployment. Panelists will also share perspectives on promising areas of chemical innovation and opportunities connecting Japanese companies with North American startups and innovation ecosystems.
Panelist: Stephanie Potisek Lee, R&D Strategy Leader, Dow
Panelist: Shinjiro Takeshita, Vice President of Business Development, Chiyoda International Corporation
Panelist: Aaron Parr, Co-Founder and CEO, inRoot.io
Moderator: Natalie O’Neil, Director of Innovation, American Institute of Chemical Engineers（AIChE）
Panelists’ BIO
Stephanie Potisek Lee
R&D Strategy Leader, Dow
Stephanie Potisek Lee, Ph.D. holds the role of R&D Strategy Leader where she supports the planning and implementation of strategic initiatives, the management of the global R&D project portfolio, and technical communications to the Executive Committee and Board of Directors. Dr. Potisek has over 15 years of industrial R&D experience, where she has contributed to over 13 patents, received the Edison Award Highlight for Women Behind Innovation, and was honored as an R&D 100 finalist.Prior to her current role, Stephanie worked in Packaging & Specialty Plastics and Hydrocarbons (PSP&H) where she oversaw product development for Low Density Polyethylene and collaborated with business teams to enhance the technology pipeline, grow the product innovation portfolio, and advance key LDPE platforms. She also led sustainability efforts in PSP&H where she established new technology programs for mechanical recycling and led a digital group working on AI tools to accelerate resin design. Before that she held roles leading a Product Development and Technical service group for Univation, Dow’s polyethylene licensing division, and Dow’s Oil, Gas and Water Treatment R&D group, where she was responsible for new product development of oilfield and water treatment chemicals. She has experience in managing technology portfolios and establishing multigenerational product plans developing partnerships with customers and universities. Dr. Potisek has also led Ph.D. recruiting efforts at the University of Illinois for the past 12 years and served on the university’s Materials Science and Engineering Alumni Board. She enjoys spending time with her husband and son, playing tennis, yoga, biking, and running.
Shinjiro Takeshita
Vice President of Business Development, Chiyoda International Corporation
Shinjiro Takeshita is Vice President of Business Development at Chiyoda International Corporation, where he leads business development initiatives in low-carbon energy, emerging technologies, and industrial infrastructure.
He has more than 20 years of international experience spanning business development, commercial strategy, contract negotiation, and project development across the oil and gas, petrochemical, chemical, power, and offshore energy sectors in the United States, Europe, Asia, Africa, and South America. Throughout his career, he has supported the development and execution of major international energy projects with a combined value exceeding $15 billion.
In his current role, Shinjiro works closely with U.S.-based startups developing innovative low-carbon energy and industrial technologies. He supports these companies in establishing partnerships, developing scalable business models, and defining pathways from technology development and demonstration to commercial deployment. His activities also include connecting startups with Japanese corporations, government organizations, investors, and engineering capabilities, as well as evaluating opportunities to introduce and commercialize emerging technologies in Japan.
Aaron Parr
Co-Founder and CEO, inRoot.io
Aaron L. Parr is the CEO and Co-Founder of inRoot.io, where his team builds decision infrastructure, models, and custom datasets for lab-to-market founders and enterprise innovation teams. A Chemical Engineer, Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, and a Board Director of the AIChE Management Division, Aaron combines deep technical rigor with advanced AI to help innovators de-risk their scale-up journey.
Previously, Aaron drove operational excellence in Climate Tech, delivering over $12M annually in quantifiable business value and leading new technology transformations across multiple facilities. Today, Aaron takes that rigor beyond the lab: the difference between a good idea and market leadership is the ability to scale it, by helping operating executives, innovation teams, and founders alike turn breakthrough ideas into scalable operations and enterprise value.
Event Details
This live, 60-minute webinar will take place via Zoom and will be conducted in English.
Tuesday, August 25 | 7:00–8:00 PM EDT
Tuesday, August 25 | 4:00–5:00 PM PDT
Wednesday, August 26 | 8:00–9:00 AM JST
Live Only — The session will not be recorded or made available as an archive. Recording by participants is not permitted.
Following the session, the City of Yokohama will prepare a written summary of the discussion. After review by the speakers, a shareable version will be distributed exclusively to pre-registered participants in Japan.
About the Yokohama Gateway Program
The Yokohama Gateway Program is an initiative of the City of Yokohama that connects Japanese companies with leading North American startups, corporations, investors, and innovation ecosystems. Through webinars, networking events, and business matching opportunities, the program supports cross-border collaboration in climate technology, advanced manufacturing, life sciences, chemicals, and other emerging industries.