01/21/2025
On December 15, 2024, the final judging session for the 9th Keio Healthcare Venture Contest, hosted by the Keio University School of Medicine, was held.
This year's contest, the 9th of its kind, received applications from 160 teams from across the country. The student and professional divisions were judged over the course of a year in separate leagues (Drug Discovery & SaMD League, Wellness League, and Healthcare System League). The finalists from the student division and the winners of each league gathered on December 15 at Hills House on the 33rd and 34th floors of Azabudai Hills Mori JP Tower for the final judging session to determine the overall winner for each division.
A total of six teams—three that advanced through the league preliminaries and finals from the 160 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 facing the final judging session.
The winner of the student division was Yuki Ichida, representative director of the Neurodiversity Association, which provides a neurodiversity recruitment support program. The team also received the "LINK-J x Keio University Award" from Life Science Innovation Network Japan (LINK-J) and the "CRECON Bioinformatics & Data Analytics Award" from Crecon Research & Consulting Inc. The team was praised by the judges for the significant social impact and passion of their project.
The overall winner in the professional division was Yuri Kimura of i-Rato Inc., which provides an AI-powered radiotherapy planning support service. The team also received the "KPMG AZSA Incubation Award" from KPMG AZSA LLC. The team was the winner of the Drug Discovery & SaMD League, which had LINK-J supported by Blockbuster TOKYO as its main league sponsor, and was commended for successfully balancing the commercialization and intellectual property strategies required of a deep tech startup.
Additionally, the Audience Award for the professional division went to Masayuki Morishita of Aliluje Inc., which offers "Aliluje SUPPORT," Japan's first SaaS for supporting the balance between medical treatment and work. The team also received the CRIK Shinanomachi Special Award, offered to commemorate the opening of CRIK Shinanomachi. It was praised by the judges as a business that can broadly contribute to solving social issues.
The Audience Award for the student division was won by Yutaro Hori of nayamii, which offers "Kokoro no Treasure Hunt," a card game that helps users organize and open up about their mental health. The project was praised for its profound social significance and originality.
Although they did not win an award, Yui Tatemichi of LEAN Inc., which provides a condition management service for female athletes, was the winner of the Wellness League, sponsored by Mori Building Co., Ltd. as the main league sponsor, and was praised for the passion in addressing the needs of a specific domain. Rikuto Funabiki of neuro pick LLC / Nagoya Institute of Technology Graduate School, who provides a medical tourism matching platform in the student division, was recognized for the high demand and strong growth potential of the business.
Symposium 1, titled "The Fusion of AI Data Science with Medicine and Healthcare: The Potential of Startups," featured the following speakers:
・Symposiast: Mr. Masahiro Jinzaki, Vice Hospital Director, Keio University Hospital / Professor, Department of Radiology, School of Medicine
・Symposiast: Mr. Kazuhiro Sakurada, Professor, Keio University School of Medicine
・Symposiast: Dr. Kohta Satake, CEO and Doctor, CureApp, Inc.
・Moderator: Mr. Masaya Nakamura, Vice Dean (for Innovation), Keio University School of Medicine / Professor, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery
Symposium 2, titled "How Healthcare Startups Should Talk: Communicating Science Attractively," featured the following speakers:
・Symposiast: Mr. Koga Nakai, Representative Director, Crossmedisun Inc. / 6th-year student, Tokushima University School of Medicine
・Symposiast: Mr. Masaaki Matsui, Representative Director, Tokyo Nucleic Acid Synthesis Co., Ltd.
・Symposiast: Mr. Yuto Torii, Principal, Keio Innovation Initiative, Inc.
・Symposiast: Mr. Ryosuke Munakata, Project Associate Professor, Startup Division, Keio University Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship
・Moderator: Ms. Rena Ooka, Chairperson of the Keio Healthcare Venture Contest Executive Committee / Assistant Professor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Keio University School of Medicine
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 field of health and medicine. The landmark 10th contest is scheduled to be held in fiscal year 2025.
Photo by: Takeshi Kishi