On December 21, 2025, the final round of the 10th Keio Healthcare Venture Contest, hosted by the Keio University School of Medicine, was held.
For this 10th edition of the contest, more than 150 teams from across the country applied. Finalists from the Student Division and winners from each league, who had fought through a year of screening by league, gathered on December 21 at the Nihonbashi Hall in the Nihonbashi Takashimaya Mitsui Building for the final round to determine the overall winner.
A total of seven teams—three teams that won the preliminaries and league finals in the Business Division (Drug Discovery/SaMD League, Wellness League, and Healthcare System League) and four teams that won the first and second preliminaries in the Student Division (Business Challenge Category and Idea Category)—received advice from medical and business experts to carefully brush up their respective business plans before facing the final round.
The winner of the Student Idea Category was Mayu Ito from the Keio University Faculty of Nursing and Medical Care, who proposed "Agricare," a mental health care service through agriculture and food. The team also received the Audience Award. Her passion for wanting to create a space where one can be accepted as they are, along with the novelty of the idea, were highly evaluated.
The winner of the Student Business Challenge Category was Nao Washimi from the University of Tokyo Graduate School of Engineering, who is developing an endoscopic training system. The team received the "Life Science Award," a corporate award from the Life Science Innovation Network Japan (LINK-J), and the "CRIK Shinanomachi Special Award" from CRIK Shinanomachi. The team was praised for their energetic efforts to have many people use the developed technology to improve the product.
The overall winner of the Business Division was Masaki Sonoda of Good Baton Co., Ltd., which provides childcare support services. The judges praised his meticulous strategic planning, including a comprehensive service involving local governments and a business plan that is steadily generating profit.
The "KPMG AZSA LLC Incubation Award," a corporate award by KPMG AZSA LLC, and the "CRECON Bioinformatics & Data Analytics Award" by Crecon Research & Consulting Inc., were awarded to Nobuyuki Arakawa of Celeid Therapeutics Inc., which develops cell and gene therapy products and technologies using hematopoietic stem cell expansion technology. The team was the winner of the Drug Discovery/SaMD League, which welcomed LINK-J as the league's main sponsor. The judges praised the high level of need for the team's focus on rare diseases and the uniqueness of their technology. The team also won the Audience Award in the Business Division.
Additionally, the "CRIK Shinanomachi Special Award" from CRIK Shinanomachi was presented to Misako Shigeta of ReEssence Inc., which proposes a personalized platform for wearable aromatherapy. The team was the winner of the Wellness League, with Mori Building Co., Ltd. as the league's main sponsor. The judges praised the clarity of the problem and the team's motivation to correctly evaluate effectiveness.
Although they narrowly missed out on an award, Rin Ishii from the Keio University School of Medicine, who proposed a service to create opportunities to talk about end-of-life care and organ donation, was praised for focusing on the importance of the issue. Mizuki Tawa of I&Company / Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, who provides a preventive medical platform for dental hygiene, was praised for the novelty of her business.
In Symposium ①, titled "Creating a New Decade: The Current State of Medicine as Seen by Young Entrepreneurs,"
・Symposiist: Eisuke Shimizu, CEO of OUI Inc. / Project Lecturer, Department of Ophthalmology, Keio University School of Medicine / Yokohama Keiai Eye Clinic
・Symposiist: Yo Nakahara, CEO / Co-founder of medimo Inc.
・Symposiist: Yuki Tazawa, Project Lecturer, Center for the Promotion of Interdisciplinary Research in Medicine and Life Science (PIRMS), Keio University School of Medicine / Graduate School of Medicine
・Moderator: Rena Ooka, Chairperson of the Keio Healthcare Venture Contest Executive Committee / Assistant Professor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Keio University School of Medicine
took the stage.
In Symposium ②, titled "Ventures from Keio School of Medicine: A 10-Year Trajectory and Challenges for the Next 10 Years,"
・Symposiist: Hideyuki Okano, Director of the Keio University Regenerative Medicine Research Center (KRM) / Professor, Keio University
・Symposiist: Keiichi Fukuda, CEO of Heartseed Inc. / Professor Emeritus, Keio University
・Moderator: Kazuo Tsubota, CEO of Tsubota Laboratory, Inc. / Professor Emeritus, Keio University
took the stage.
Held with the vision of being a "Venture Contest that Nurtures," this event will continue its activities to spotlight and support those who create innovation in the field of health and medical sciences and lead society.
Photography: Takeshi Kishi