2023/11/15
The 8th Keio Healthcare Venture Contest held the Wellness League Final & Student Division Second Preliminary Round at ARCH Toranomon Hills Incubation Center on October 14, and the Drug Discovery & SaMD League & Medical Institution League Final at GLOBAL LIFESCIENCE HUB on October 15.
Since 2016, the Keio University School of Medicine has been awarding the Keio Healthcare Venture Contest prize annually to outstanding business plans to establish a system for creating and globally disseminating innovation in the healthcare field.
This year marks the 8th Keio Healthcare Venture Contest. Over the past seven years, there have been applications from over 700 teams, and past winners have achieved milestones such as joint research with the Keio University School of Medicine, fundraising, obtaining medical device approval, and establishing overseas branches. Until last year, the contest was judged in two divisions, the Student Division and the Professional Division, but starting this year, the judging has been reorganized by business area into the Wellness League, the Drug Discovery & SaMD League, and the Medical Institution League.
The Wellness League is generously supported by Mori Building Co., Ltd. as the main sponsor, and the Drug Discovery & SaMD League receives significant support from LINK-J and Blockbuster TOKYO.
At the judging session on October 14, presentations were given by the four teams that advanced to the Wellness League Final and the six teams that advanced to the Student Division Second Preliminary Round. The judges were Professor Hiroshi Ito, Ms. Hiromi Watase, Mr. Takeshi Aoki, and Ms. Riina Suzuki.
At the judging session on October 15, presentations were given by the four teams that advanced to the Drug Discovery & SaMD League Final and the three teams that advanced to the Medical Institution League Final. The judges were Professor Masaya Nakamura, Mr. Arikatsu Hongo, Mr. Tomoya Nagata, and Mr. Shunichi Takahashi.
In both sessions, although the presentation time was short at just five minutes, there were lively Q&A sessions, and the venue was filled with excitement.
The winning teams of this year's League Finals and the finalists of the Student Division, along with their proposed plans, are as follows.
[Wellness League]
Mr. Yuki Oka, DigiReha Co., Ltd. "DigiReha: A Rehabilitation Tool for Children and Adults with Disabilities Utilizing Digital Art and Sensors"
[Drug Discovery & SaMD League]
Mr. Masaaki Matsui, Tokyo Nucleic Acid Synthesis Co., Ltd. "Development of a Cancer Therapeutic Agent Using Technology to Selectively Form Foreign Bodies within Cells"
[Medical Institution League]
Ms. Ayako Fuchigami, Nippon Kokan Hospital "A Support App for Collaborative Decision-Making in IBD Treatment Between Doctors and Patients"
[Student Division]
Ms. Yuina Imai, Dalton Tokyo Gakuen Chutobu Junior High School "Accessible Mental Healing Through Shrines and Temples"
Ms. Misa Yamazaki, Faculty of Management, Sanno University "Share-ya: App Development for a Service Sharing Experiences of Cancer and Career for the AYA Generation"
Ms. Mayu Inomura, Child Play Labo / Faculty of Nursing and Medical Care, Keio University "Adventure: A Program for Elementary School Students to Make Hospitalization a Little More Special"