BIO TECH

Biotech Grand Prix 2022

Standing up for solutions to society's problems
Biotechnology, healthcare, medicine, drug discovery, medical devices, research tools, etc.
We implement the technologies and thoughts of entrepreneurs and researchers in the biotech field into society together.

NEWS

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ABOUT

Outline of the event

point (e.g. of a statement)

Scientific and technological "seeds" are being created in universities, research institutes, and corporate laboratories, but it takes a lot of effort before they sprout into practical applications. The Tech Planter, organized by LIVERNESS and its partners, is an ecosystem that aims to serve as a planter to discover these seeds and help them sprout into business. The Biotech Grand Prix 2022 is a program aimed at discovering and fostering technology seeds and entrepreneurs in the real tech field (biotechnology, healthcare, medicine, drug discovery, medical devices, research tools, etc.).

Related Grand Prix :. List of Biotech Grand Prix

subject (of taxation, etc.)

Those who have a vision to change the world or improve the world based on the technological seeds in the real tech field and have a will to establish or develop a new business.
Individuals and teams are both welcome to participate, even before incorporation.
No limitation on the number of years of establishment, even if you are already a corporation. Even if you are close to mass production or PMF establishment, if you are planning to collaborate with partner companies, etc., it is acceptable.

Application Theme

Healthcare, energy, and agriculture infrastructure

Application period

Tuesday, March 1, 2022 - Friday, July 8, 2022

Screening Criteria

A panel of judges composed of LIVERNESS and its partners will review the following items

01novelty (patentability)
02feasibility
03Overseas Expansion Capabilities
04Are you going to change the world?
05passion

commendation

Grand Prize: (300,000 yen cash prize + right to receive 5 million yen business investment) 1
Corporate Prize: (200,000 yen) Approximately 10 prizes will be awarded.

SCHEDULE

Schedule

3/1[TUE]: Entry Start

this way (direction close to the speaker or towards the speaker)Please register as a member and fill out the web form to apply. We also hold information sessions at universities and on an individual basis to encourage determination to enter and to teach tips on how to prepare documents. Please feel free to contact us for more information.

6/25[SAT]: kickoff

RIVANES and its partners, as well as entered teams, will meet and mingle.
Business consultation and partnership development with each other will be available. Participation or lack of participation on the day of the event will not be considered.

7/11[MON]: 1st round: Application Screening

A panel of judges composed of LIVERNESS and its partners will review the documents.
You will be asked to submit information about your team, skills, passions, and vision for the future via web form and video.
All applicants will be notified of the screening results and provided with feedback on their applications.
In addition, individual interviews (also online) for presentation review will be conducted for those who wish to participate.

8monthfirst 10 days of month: Finalists determined

Interviews will be held for applicants who pass the document screening to brush up their presentations for the final round.
In addition, meetings can be set up with partner companies for the purpose of business consultation and developing partnerships.

9/24[SAT]: Biotech Grand Prix

The 12 finalist teams that pass the document screening will be screened for presentation.

10Month～: Matching Support Period

After the Demo Day, the contact point between the venture and LIBANES will continue to be open for discussions on commercialization.
We handle a wide range of start-up issues, from incorporation to prototype development, financing, R&D, and more.
In addition, collaborative matching between ventures and partner companies has become more active to support business development.

PARTNER

ASSET

asset

ASSET01Riverness Communicator
ASSET02Partners
ASSET03Professional Supporter
ASSET04superfactory group

SUPPORT

Support

SUPPORT01Organize the purpose and vision of starting a business
SUPPORT02Brush up on your presentation
SUPPORT03Providing opportunities for business company collaboration
SUPPORT04Support for R&D and prototype development
SUPPORT05Support for knowledge and IP strategies
SUPPORT06finance

DEMO DAY

Grand Prix Outline

Grand Prix Name

Biotech Grand Prix 2022

Location

Center of Garage (1-16-3 Yokogawa, Sumida-ku, Tokyo)

Date & Time

Saturday, September 24, 2022, 13:00-19:00

Application period

Tuesday, March 1, 2022 - Friday, July 8, 2022

Participation Target

Held on a closed, pre-registration basis (finalists, partner companies, professional supporters, Super Factory Group)

organizing

LIVERNESS Corporation

timeline

12:30-13:00: inauguration
13:00-13:30: Greetings from the Organizer
13:30-17:00: Presentation (Presenter①～⑫)
17:00-18:00: Review Time
18:00-19:00: Announcement of Judging Results and Award Ceremony

JUDGE

judge

head judge
Executive Officer, LIVERNESS Co.
Hiroyuki Takahashi

D. from Yokohama City University in 2009. D. in Science, focusing on creating new research projects between industry and young researchers, including the launch of the "Liberace Research Fund" for young researchers under the age of 40. In addition, he continues to organize the "Super Interdisciplinary Society," a place to generate new knowledge and seeds for research and development by combining individual knowledge, technology, and passion for problem solving without being bound by the framework of academia.
General Manager, New Business Development Department, Asahi Quality and Innovations, Ltd.
Michio Hatori

Completed a master's degree in Applied Bioscience and Biochemistry, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo in 1999. Joined Calpis Co., Ltd. and engaged in product development and peptide functionality research. Then, after working in marketing and product development for overseas business, after integration with Asahi Soft Drinks Co., Ltd. he will be in charge of mid- to long-term strategies at Asahi Quality and Innovations, Ltd. from 2019, and will be involved in new business development activities from September 2022.
Director, Corporate Venture Investment Office, Eisai Co.
Ryutaro Adachi

In 2004, he joined Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited, where he was involved in drug discovery research for 13 years; from 2017, he was engaged in principal investment and fund activities in technology startups at Shinsei Corporate Investment Co. Joined Eisai Inc. in 2020. He joined Eisai Co., Ltd. in 2020 and has been engaged in global strategic investment activities and fund management for biotech and digital health startups. D. in Biological Sciences from the Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences at the University of Tsukuba.
General Manager, Health Science Division, Kirin Holdings Company, Limited
Toru Ishikura

I joined Kirin Brewery Company in 1989 and am currently in charge of new business creation and CVC management. 16 years in Silicon Valley was a great stimulus for me to learn about the ecosystem surrounding startups. I am consciously interacting with a variety of people outside the company in order to establish open innovation. I am looking forward to creating new value by combining the vision and uniqueness of the startups with our assets.
Suntory Global Innovation Center LimitedSenior Researcher, Research Promotion Division
Tomohiro Maekawa

Born in Osaka. Patent Attorney. Joined Koyo Seiko Corporation (now JTEKT Corporation) in 1998, where he was in charge of development and design of electric power steering systems. In 2003, he joined Suntory Limited, where he was in charge of intellectual property strategy for production equipment, PET bottles and other containers, and beer in the Intellectual Property Department. 20 years later, he became a patent attorney. In the Intellectual Property Department, he was in charge of intellectual property strategies for production facilities, PET bottles and other containers, and beer. Promoted open innovation in the field of fundamental research.
Director, Sanwa Research Institute, Sanwa Shuzu Co.
Kei Hayashi

Born in 1972. He joined Sanwa Shuzu Co., Ltd. in 1996 and was assigned to the research institute. He then worked in the General Affairs Division (in charge of patents), the Technology Strategy Division, and the Food Business Division. He is currently a board member of the Japan Society for Biotechnology.
General Manager, Future Technology Creation Center, R&D Headquarters, Mitsui Chemicals, Inc.
Yoshiichi Uehara

After joining Mitsui Chemicals, Inc. in 1992, he was engaged in process development and industrialization of chemicals, followed by the development of next-generation process platform technologies such as biomass utilization, energy conservation and low-carbon technologies. He has been in his current position since April 2022.
General Manager, Value Co-Creation Center, Meiji Holdings Co.
Masashi Nagata

He joined Meiji Dairies Corporation (currently Meiji Co., Ltd.) in 1995 and has been in charge of fundamental research and product development research related to infant formulas and other nutrition products, a visiting researcher at the University of California, Davis, and the general manager of product development for domestic and overseas businesses. He has also served as a part-time lecturer at Iwate University and as an expert committee member of Codex, the international standard for food products, at the Food Industry Center and other organizations.
Executive Officer CTO, Euglena Co.
Kengo Suzuki

Born in 1979, he founded Euglena in 2005 while studying for a master's degree at the Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, University of Tokyo, and was appointed as a director of the company. He is a team leader of the Microalgae Production Control Technology Research Team at RIKEN, a visiting professor at the Malaysian-Japanese International Institute of Technology, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, and a visiting professor at Tohoku University's Graduate Program of Excellence in Future Medical Care. He is the author of "Dr. Green Beetle's Super Entrepreneurial Thinking" (Nikkei BP).
Chief Designer, Strategic Design Division, Rohto Pharmaceutical Co.
Toru Nunokawa

He holds a B.S. in Biotechnology from Tokyo University of Science, School of Engineering Science, and an M.S. in Biotechnology from the same university. He joined Rohto Pharmaceutical in 2009, and after working in the drugstore sales and marketing planning department, he was involved in product development of pharmaceutical products, mainly eye drops, and management in the same department for many years. He has been in his current position since April 2022.

FINALIST

finalist

Euglena Award

Ecocell Corporation

Representative] Nobuhiko Kojima

Accelerating the design of a cellular society and contributing to the biotechnology industry
Tissues and organs in our bodies are cellular societies. We aim to provide a system to freely create and evaluate normal and abnormal cell societies (disease states) in the form of custom spheroids in accordance with the needs of our clients.
Kirin Group Award

bacterico, Inc.

Representative】Natsuki Suganuma

Performance Maximization and Personal Bacteria Supplement "Bi-Fit
Intestinal bacteria are associated with systemic diseases. Each human intestinal bacterium is unique, and the products we normally consume may not be optimal for our intestinal bacterium. Therefore, we provide bacterial supplements optimized for the human intestinal bacteria.
u-bloom inc.

Representative] Mio Shibata

Skin microbiome design
You can find out what "fits you" without relying on image or word of mouth. A consulting service that proposes skincare choices that are perfectly suited to the individual based on his or her own axis, using a skin indigenous bacteria test that can be performed at home.
MeBio Inc.

Representative] Kensho Hayamizu

Social Implementation of Photoswitch Proteins for Bioproduction
Utilizing photoswitch proteins as "signals" in "traffic control" of metabolic pathways in bioproduction, for example, by controlling ON⇔OFF of activity by light. We aim for social implementation of photoswitch proteins in bioproduction.
Suntory Prize

Epistra Corporation

Representative] Yosuke Ozawa

Optimization of production conditions in the bio-industry
Provides an automatic optimization service for life science experiments using AI. This makes it possible to find optimal experimental conditions with fewer trials than before, significantly reducing the time and cost of R&D and manufacturing.
Grand Prize / Meiji Holdings Award

MBF

Representative] Osamu HIWAKI

Magnetic field probe BMI for highly accurate non-invasive brain function measurement
Using a newly devised technology for non-invasively measuring brain signals with a coil placed on the scalp, a high-precision wearable brain-machine interface that reads potential brain information with high spatio-temporal resolution and links it to a computer will be realized.
Real Tech Fund Award

Nanocat Gold

Representative] Makoto Tokunaga

Controlling the aroma of alcoholic and other beverages using supported gold nanoparticles
Sulfur compounds in alcoholic beverages and other beverages often cause bad odor and difficulty in drinking. Complete and selective removal of sulfur compounds, which has been considered difficult with conventional methods, has been achieved through the specific adsorption action of uniquely developed supported gold nanoparticles.
Protein Burden

Representative】Takutaro Namba

1Optimization of protein production at the cellular level
While protein production by microbial fermentation has attracted much attention, we have succeeded in optimizing protein production in yeast cells. By applying this technology to all kinds of proteins, we will solve the world's protein shortage.
Roth Prize

zeni coated blanket

Representative] Shoji Mizutani

Development of Zeni Moss Synthetic Biology Platform
With genetic modification technology comparable to yeast and access to light energy, Zeni Moss is a promising synthetic biology platform, and together with molecular breeding of edible Zeni Moss, we are aiming for space and industrial applications.
Biosensing Team

Representative] Kazunori Ikebukuro

Development of a reagent that glows when a virus is present
We have developed a reagent using aptamers and antibodies that, when added to a location where the presence of a virus such as SARS-CoV-2 is suspected, chemiluminescence is produced only when the virus is present and the presence or absence of the virus can be detected.
barrier keeper

Representative] Akira Igozato

Achieving a Society with Zero Stress Intestinal Disease
In a stressful society, the number of patients with inflammatory bowel disease is increasing, but there are no effective preventive or therapeutic methods. We aim to reduce the number of patients with inflammatory bowel disease to zero by developing functional food materials with preventive effects and small- and medium-molecular drugs with therapeutic effects.
Asahi Award / Mitsui Chemicals Award

Circular Cell Culture Consortium

Representative】Tatsuya Shimizu

Cultured food production by circular cell culture
To solve the looming food crisis, we will realize an innovative cultured meat production system by culturing animal cells using algae as a nutrient source and producing only edible tissues as an alternative to the current meat production system using grain-fed livestock.