March 8, 2023
On December 18, 2022, the final competition of the 7th Keio Healthcare Venture Contest, hosted by the Keio University School of Medicine, was held.
This year's contest, the seventh of its kind, received applications from 115 teams. As a sign of the contest's growing recognition both inside and outside the university, there were numerous applications not only from within Keio University but also from external participants. The final competition was held in a hybrid format, with an on-site event at Nihonbashi Hall and an online broadcast via Zoom, creating a contest where the passion of each team was palpable.
The seven teams selected for the finals from the 115 teams after the first and second rounds of screening received advice from medical and business experts, meticulously refining their business plans for the final competition.
The winner of the Student Division was Cross-Medicine Inc., which is developing an app to visualize a baby's cry. Cross-Medicine Inc. also won the Audience Award in the Student Division. The company's efforts to develop and improve the app while incorporating feedback from parents were highly praised by the judges and garnered support from the audience.
The winner of the Professional Division was Renat Sci., which aims for breast reconstruction using artificial tissue. The Audience Award in the Professional Division went to UNTRACKED Inc. for its fall prevention solution using a device that visualizes fall risk.
Additionally, Cross-Medicine Inc., the winner of the Student Division, was selected for the Corporate Award by sponsor KPMG AZSA LLC and the Corporate Award by Mitsui Fudosan Co., Ltd. The Corporate Award from Crecon Research & Consulting Inc. was given to "Samoyed wa mofumofu," a high school team that proposed a device to prevent heat shock in heart failure patients.
Symposium 1, titled "The Journey from Startup to IPO," featured the following participants:
・Symposiast: Mr. Kotaro Yamagishi, Vice-President, Keio University / Keio Innovation Initiative, Inc.
・Symposiast: Dr. Masaya Nakamura, Vice Dean (in charge of Industry-Academia Collaboration and Innovation Promotion), Keio University School of Medicine
・Moderator: Dr. Kazuo Tsubota, Professor Emeritus, Keio University School of Medicine / President and CEO, Tsubota Laboratory, Inc.
Symposium 2, titled "What Support from Universities and Companies is Necessary for Student Entrepreneurs?", featured the following participants:
・Symposiast: Mr. Akihiko Soyama, Executive Director, Life Science Innovation Network Japan (LINK-J)
・Symposiast: Mr. Yuta Tawaki, CEO, AYUMI BIONICS Inc.
・Symposiast: Mr. Yu Hiraoka, CEO, GramEye Inc.
・Symposiast: Mr. Nobuaki Shindo, Head of Startup Division, Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Keio University
・Moderator: Mr. Yuki Tazawa, Project Lecturer, Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Keio University
The judges of this final competition praised the abundance of ideas originating from social issues and patient feedback, the passionate on-site presentations, and the growing diversity of the contest, with an increase in applications from high school students and from across the country.
The 8th contest is scheduled to be held in fiscal year 2023.
Photography by: Takeshi Kishi