01/06/2021
On December 20, 2020, the final round of the 5th Keio Healthcare Venture Contest, hosted by the Keio University School of Medicine, was held.
This year's contest, the fifth of its kind, received a record-breaking 125 team applications. The contest has gradually gained recognition both on and off campus, attracting numerous applications not only from within Keio University but also from outside. Although the final round was held online due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the passion of each team was palpable, making for an exciting contest.
The seven teams selected from the 125 applicants to advance to the finals after the first and second rounds of screening received advice from medical business experts and meticulously refined their business plans for the final competition.
The winner of the grand prize and the audience award in the student division was Team "X-pain," which aims to solve the problems of patients with cancer pain using a medical device app linked to a wearable device.
The winner of the grand prize in the professional division was "STONY," which developed an ultra-compact inhalation anesthetic device that can be used even in space. The audience award went to "Kaijyu Company Inc.," which is developing a service that provides cognitive-behavioral therapy for patients with depression using the internet and chatbots.
Additionally, the corporate award from sponsor Mitsui Fudosan Co., Ltd. was given to "X-pain," the winner of the grand prize and audience award in the student division. The corporate award from KPMG AZSA LLC went to Team "GoMA" from the student division, which is developing the "LANCE BAND" smartwatch for measuring and acquiring vital data. The corporate award from Sony Corporation was presented to "Medii Inc." from the professional division, which is developing "E-Consult," a specialist sharing service for hospitals aimed at solving the problem of uneven distribution of medical specialists.
Team "obgynista" from the student division presented a business plan where patients at home can use an app to request a consultation with a female gynecologist, who then provides a house call.
"bitBiome" from the professional division offers "bit-MAP," a single-cell genome analysis platform for microorganisms.
Furthermore, Dr. Hiroshi Komiyama, Chairman of the Board of Mitsubishi Research Institute, Inc., gave a lecture titled "Social Change Accelerated by COVID-19: How Ventures Can Mobilize a Stagnant Japan." Dr. Masayo Takahashi, President and CEO of Vision Care Inc., and Dr. Goichiro Toyoda, Representative Director and Physician of Medley, Inc., participated in a symposium titled "The Right Timing for Doctors to Start a Business."
The judges of the final competition praised the many high-quality presentations geared toward practical application, despite the event being held entirely online.
Moving forward, the Keio University School of Medicine and Keio University Hospital will collaborate with the winning teams to support them in bringing their ideas to society.