December 28, 2021
On December 19, 2021, the finals of the 6th Keio Healthcare Venture Contest, hosted by the Keio University School of Medicine, were held.
This year's contest, the sixth of its kind, received a record-breaking 126 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. The finals were held in a hybrid format, with an on-site event at the Nihonbashi Life Science Hub and an online broadcast via Zoom, making for a contest where the passion of each team could be fully felt.
The eight teams selected for the finals after the first and second rounds of screening out of 126 teams received advice from medical business experts and meticulously refined their business plans before competing in the finals.
The winner of the student division was Team "THE RUMA," which is developing a rehabilitation monitoring platform for the elderly that uses smartphones to assess fall risk. The Audience Award went to Team "SUN," which proposed a worker support program specifically for healthcare professionals.
The winner of the professional division was Team "Radical Cure," which is developing a new anticancer drug that utilizes oxidative stress. The Audience Award went to Team "General Prognostics," which provides a remote monitoring service for the prognosis of heart failure patients.
Additionally, the Corporate Award from sponsor Mitsui Fudosan Co., Ltd. was given to "THE RUMA," the winner of the student division. The Corporate Award from KPMG AZSA LLC went to "Dr. Femup" from the professional division, which proposed a system to predict ovulation dates, essential for fertility treatment, using only a ring-type sensor. The Corporate Award from Crecon Research & Consulting Inc. was given to "Kanjani Match" from the student division, which proposed a service allowing patients and their families to record and share treatment and lifestyle information.
Although they did not win an award, Team "ALGONA," developing a small device to record and analyze muscle tension such as stiff shoulders, was praised for already having a device prototype, and Team "Peptide Startup Venture," which proposed a startup business based on artificial peptide drugs, drew attention for its high potential for future development.
In Symposium 1, titled "Going Public: A New Gateway," the participants were:
- Symposiast: Mr. Hiroshi Abe, Managing Director, Head of Incubation, Corporate Growth Support, Partner at KPMG AZSA LLC
- Symposiast: Mr. Masayuki Murata, Representative Partner at PUBLIC GATE LLC.
- Moderator: Mr. Kazuo Tsubota, Professor Emeritus at Keio University School of Medicine / President and CEO of Tsubota Laboratory, Inc.
In Symposium 2, titled "From Startup to Fundraising: The First Step," the participants were:
- Symposiast: Mr. Daisuke Nakajima, President and CEO of Grace Imaging Inc.
- Symposiast: Mr. Tomoya Nagata, Managing Partner, CEO of D3LLC
- Symposiast: Mr. Arikatsu Hongo, Executive Officer at Keio Innovation Initiative, Inc.
- Moderator: Mr. Yuki Tazawa, Project Lecturer at the Keio University Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship / Chairman of the Keio Healthcare Venture Contest Executive Committee
The judges of this year's finals praised the high quality of many presentations geared toward practical application, the passionate on-site presentations, and the unique advantages of the hybrid format, which allowed for participation across national borders.
Photo: Aki Takematsu