January 30, 2024
On December 10, 2023, the Keio University School of Medicine hosted the cross-league final judging session for the 8th Keio Healthcare Venture Contest.
This year's contest, the eighth of its kind, received applications from 115 teams nationwide. Starting this fiscal year, a new judging system was introduced, categorizing business plans by field. Over the course of the year, judging was conducted for the "Drug Discovery & SaMD League," the "Wellness League," the "Medical Institution League," and the student division. The winners of each league and the finalists from the student division gathered on December 10 at the Nihonbashi Hall in the Nihonbashi Takashimaya Mitsui Building for the cross-league final judging session to determine the overall winner for each category.
A total of six teams—three that advanced through the league preliminaries and finals from among 115 teams, and three that passed the first and second preliminary rounds in the student division—received advice from medical and business experts, meticulously refining their business plans before competing in the cross-league final judging session.
The winner of the student division was Mayu Inomura of Child Play Labo, from the Keio University Faculty of Nursing and Medical Care. Her team provides "Adventure," a program for elementary school students designed to "make hospitalization a little more special" for patients on long-term stays in pediatric wards. The team also won the Audience Award for the student division and the "LINK-J × Keio University Award," a corporate prize sponsored by LINK-J. The team's product, which was well-crafted to solve problems for a clearly defined target audience, was highly praised by the judges and also garnered support from the audience.
The grand prize in the cross-league final judging was awarded to DigiReha Co., Ltd., the development team behind "DigiReha," a rehabilitation tool for children and adults with disabilities that utilizes digital art and sensors. The team also received the "KPMG AZSA Incubation Award," a corporate prize from KPMG AZSA LLC. As the winner of the Wellness League, with Mori Building Co., Ltd. as the main league sponsor, the team was praised by the judges for its clear solutions and business model addressing rehabilitation challenges, as well as its ability to provide personalized services.
Additionally, the Audience Award for the professional division was won by Tokyo Nucleic Acid Synthesis Co., Ltd., the team developing "Oncolytic Hairpin DNA Pairs," which specifically form artificial DNA within cancer cells to induce cell death using the innate immune system. The team, winner of the Drug Discovery & SaMD League with LINK-J supported by Blockbuster TOKYO as the main league sponsor, was recognized for the originality of its technology.
Furthermore, the "CRECON Bioinformatics & Data Analytics Award," a corporate prize from CRECON Research & Consulting Inc., was presented to Misa Yamazaki from Sanno University, who devised an information-sharing service for cancer and careers for the AYA (Adolescent and Young Adult) generation. She was commended for her passion for solving the issue and her precise presentation.
Although they did not win an award, Ayako Fuchigami from Nippon Kokan Hospital was praised for her passion in addressing the needs of patients in a specific area with her support app for shared decision-making in IBD treatment. Similarly, Yuna Imai from Dalton Tokyo Gakuen Chutobu Junior High School was commended for her flexible, student-like thinking in proposing a shrine and temple community business for stress management in the student division.
Symposium 1, titled "What It Takes for University-Born Ventures to Succeed," featured the following participants:
・Symposiast: Kotaro Yamagishi, Vice-President, Keio University / President and CEO, Keio Innovation Initiative, Inc.
・Symposiast: Toshiharu Furukawa, Professor, Keio University Law School and School of Medicine, Department of Surgery / Member of the House of Councillors / Attorney at Law
・Symposiast: Kazuhide Sekiyama, Representative Executive Officer, Spiber Inc.
・Moderator: Masaya Nakamura, Vice Dean for Innovation Promotion, Keio University School of Medicine
Symposium 2, titled "Starting a Venture: Expanding Career Possibilities Through Student Entrepreneurship," featured the following participants:
・Symposiast: Yo Nakahara, Co-CEO, Pleap, Inc. / 5th-year student, Keio University School of Medicine
・Symposiast: Kei Omura, CEO, mairu tech Inc.
・Moderator: Rena Ooka, Executive Committee Chairperson, Keio Healthcare Venture Contest
Staff, Center for the Promotion of Interdisciplinary Research in Medicine and Life Science (PIRMS), Keio University School of Medicine and Graduate School of Medicine
Assistant Professor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Held with the vision of being a "Venture Contest that Nurtures," this event will continue its activities to spotlight and support individuals who are driving innovation and leading society in the healthcare field. The 9th contest is scheduled to be held in fiscal year 2024.
Photography: Aki Takematsu