Biotech Grand Prix 2024

NEWS

News

2024/10/14 Biotech Grand Prix 2024: Grand Prize Won by SPHinX

Grand Prix
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Biotech Grand Prix

2024/10/09 Biotech Grand Prix 2024 to be held

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Biotech Grand Prix

2024/04/08 TECH PLANTER revamps its logo and evolves into a mechanism to further accelerate business creation.

Agritech Grand Prix
Ecotech Grand Prix
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Food Tech Grand Prix
Marintec Grand Prix
Lifetech Grand Prix

2023/12/04 Tech Planter 2024 call for entries is now open!

Agritech Grand Prix
Ecotech Grand Prix
Grand Prix
Deep Tech Grand Prix
News
Biotech Grand Prix
Food Tech Grand Prix
Marintec Grand Prix
Lifetech Grand Prix

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 designed to serve as a planter to discover these seeds and help them sprout into business. The Biotech Grand Prix 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

Biotechnologies supporting the environment, energy, food, agriculture, medicine and health, etc.

Application period

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

12/1[FRI].: 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.

6/22[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.

7/7[SUN].: 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.

10/12[SAT]: Biotech Grand Prix

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

10Month～: Cooperation Discussion

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 2024

Location

center of a garage (1-16-3 Yokogawa, Sumida-ku, Tokyo)

Date & Time

Saturday, October 12, 2024, 13:00-19:00

Application period

Participation Target

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

organizing

Leave a Nest Co., Ltd.

timeline

12:30-13:00: inauguration
13:00-13:30: Greetings from the Organizer
13:30-17:00: Presentation (Presenter①～⑫)
17:00-17:50: Review Time
17:50-19:00: Announcement of Judging Results and Award Ceremony
19:00-19:30: (cultural) exchange meeting

JUDGE

judge

head judge
Director, Knowledge Foundation Research Center, Liverness, Inc.
Hiroyuki Takahashi

Since 2009, he has been involved in activities to create an entry point for social implementation of research results and ideas from academia, such as the launch of the "Liberace Research Grant," a private-sector-led research grant for researchers under 40 years of age, and the launch of the "Association for the Study of Ultra-Different Fields," an academic society that gathers knowledge from academia, venture companies, large corporations, and small factories in the town. He is also involved in activities to create an entry point for social implementation of research results and ideas from academia. He also serves as a director of NEST iPLAB, Inc.
Head of Open Innovation Management, Astellas Pharma Inc.
Masahide Goto

He joined the former Yamanouchi Pharmaceuticals after receiving his degree in Biotechnology from Tokyo Institute of Technology in 1997. He was engaged in early drug discovery research mainly for metabolic diseases at the Institute for Molecular Medicine, studied at University of Wisconsin Madison in 2011, led biologics research as head of the Biologics Research Laboratory since 2016, and led gene Leads therapeutic related programs; leads overall cellular drug discovery as President of cellular medicine subsidiary in US Massachusetts from 2021; current position from April 2024; has been a member of the Board of Directors of the University of Wisconsin-Madison since 2011.
General Manager, Future Technology Creation Department, Technology Division, Obayashi Corporation
Hiroyuki Akagawa

In 1993, he joined Obayashi Corporation. In 2023, he joined the Future Technology Creation Department to plan and collaborate on future visions in the five fields of space, mobility, biotechnology, climate tech, and future living. Aiming for synergy between different fields and the construction industry. D. in Engineering.
Director and General Manager of Corporate Planning Office, Chiome Bioscience Inc.
Uzuhiko Bijyohira

While in college, he joined a consulting firm and engaged in growth support for companies mainly in the manufacturing industry. In 2013, he joined Chiome Bioscience. After serving as General Manager of Corporate Planning Department and Executive Officer and General Manager of Corporate Division, he assumed his current position in 2017.
Associate Professor, Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, The University of Tokyo
Chief Scientific Officer (CSO), ThinkSite Inc.
Teisei Ota

D., he was a JST PRESTO researcher (one-cell area), and is currently an Associate Professor at the University of Tokyo's Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology and Director of the Systems Biology and Medicine Laboratory (a group of life science laboratories) at the same center. He co-founded the company in 2016. He holds a B.S. in Engineering from the University of Tokyo and a Ph.D. in Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley.
Dai Nippon Printing Co.
Senior Researcher, Food and Healthcare Business Development Unit, Business Development Division, Research, Development and Commercialization Center
Hiroto Iris

Graduated from Tokyo University of Science, Faculty of Science in 2002, engaged in research on biomaterials at Tokyo Medical and Dental University, and obtained a Ph. Since joining DNP in 2008, he has been engaged in the development of regenerative medicine-related technologies. After working on joint development with Tokyo Medical and Dental University and Osaka University, he has been in his current position since 2022, promoting commercialization of regenerative medicine-related technologies. He also serves as a member of the Regenerative Medicine Innovation Forum: Chairman of the Entrepreneurship and Commercialization Promotion Committee, the Society for Regenerative Medicine: Public Relations Committee Member, and other external committees.
Sales Planning & Management Department, IT Innovation Division 2, Focus Systems, Inc.
Kazuto Nakamura

In 1999, he joined Focus Systems, Inc. as an infrastructure systems engineer, mainly involved in infrastructure construction for banks and other financial institutions. In 2018, he began working on the company's new business creation, and is involved in joint research with universities, venture support, and demonstration experiments using the company's products. Recently, as a researcher at the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), he has been promoting a project to develop countermeasures against viruses and other infectious diseases by the Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development and a demonstration experiment adopted by the Shiga Prefecture Project to promote the social implementation of near-future technologies.
Co-Founder and Executive Fellow, Euglena Co.
Kengo Suzuki

In 2005, while studying for a master's degree at the University of Tokyo, he helped establish Euglena Co., Ltd. and was one of the co-founders, responsible for research and development. D. (Agriculture) in 2016 and a Ph. He is also a team leader of the microalgae production control technology research team at RIKEN and a specially-appointed (visiting) professor of the Graduate Program of Excellence in Future Medical Care Creation at Tohoku University.
General Manager, Research and Development Department, Revox Corporation
Keiji Haneda

After working for a back-end semiconductor equipment manufacturer, he joined Rebox Corporation in May 2014. He worked mainly as a software engineer in the inspection equipment division. Later, in the R&D department, he worked hard to create the world's first and best light source and lighting. He has been in his current position since August 2020. Currently, his main focus is on the development of products for industrial applications, but he is also aiming to develop products for the agricultural and medical fields.
General Manager, Health Science Research Planning Department, Rohto Pharmaceutical Co.
Kotaro Yamada

After engaging in research on the extrapancreatic action of incretin (GIP, GLP-1) at Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, he joined Zeria Pharmaceutical Industries, Ltd. where he was responsible for planning, promoting pharmaceutical affairs, and research and development of new products such as OTC drugs, quasi-drugs, and foods, and was responsible for launching over 20 products, contributing to sales expansion (Hepalyse etc.). Since he only has one life, he joined Rohto Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. in 2020 with the hope of doing work that will leave his soul with no regrets in the future. Visiting researcher at Tokyo Medical University. Doctor of Science.

FINALIST

finalist

Real Tech Fund Award

Good Hero Therapeutics, Inc.

Representative】Seshiyuki Miyagawa

Development of Innovative Modalities in Gene Therapy
The company aims to create new gene and virus therapies and a world without intractable diseases by making full use of technologies for detoxifying gene therapy vectors, infecting targeted cells with viruses, and improving vector productivity.
Roth is the Heart." Award

Applied FUSION Technology, Inc.

Representative] Itaru Motojima

Practical Application of Virus Inactivation Device Using Fusion Technology
Applying technology derived from nuclear fusion research, the company has succeeded in developing a compact and lightweight device that inactivates viruses of 99.991 TP3T or higher. The device adsorbs and inactivates airborne viruses for applications such as ambulances and home air conditioners, contributing to the safety of people's lives and emergency medical care sites.
Chiome Bioscience Award

Illumi Medical, Inc.

Representative] Toshihiko Tsukamoto

Development of the world's first treatment method to deliver light deep inside the body from within blood vessels
As a new treatment method that can be delivered to patients with diseases and debilitating physical conditions for which there is currently no treatment method, we will develop a new system and device that irradiates light to affected areas deep inside the body via blood vessels that stretch throughout a person's body, revolutionizing the concept of treatment and drug discovery.
OBAYASHI Award / Euglena Award

NERON Corporation

Representative] Yasuhisa Nagasaki

Mental Well-being Enterobacterial Cocktail for Space Adaptation
To develop a cocktail of intestinal microflora for mental well-being that can be easily used daily by people who are suffering from mental imbalance due to conflicts and economic instability. We aim to create a cocktail of multiple species of bacteria in a unique ratio and use them as viable bacteria. In the future, the company aims to develop the cocktail into a drug for unwellness.
Luna RD Corporation

Representative] Takumi Sato

DDS development contributing to mRNA vaccines
DDS technology is essential for the practical use of nucleic acid medicine and mRNA vaccines, and we aim to develop lipid nanoparticles for nucleic acid delivery that are pH-responsive, stable under physiological conditions, and selectively effective at low concentrations for social implementation as DDS.
SakuLab Award

MatriSurge Corporation

Representative] Hiroshi Yagi

Biocompatible hydrogel that "promotes self-renewal."
We have developed "organ decellularization technology" that removes all cells from tissues and efficiently extracts active ingredients, mainly collagen, and have succeeded in developing a new concept of hydrogel medical material that has the effect of promoting natural healing.
RMD Sciences, Inc.

Representative] Akito Taira

Drug discovery that targets only specific intestinal bacterial species
The most effective way to target the gut microbiota is to orally selectively modulate the growth of specific bacterial species. However, due to the complexity of the intestinal microbiota, no one has been able to achieve this. RMD-101, a novel substance that makes this possible, will enable us to improve quality of life.
Antibiotic Adjuvant Technology

Representative] Tomohiro Sawa

Adjuvant technology to save antimicrobials from resistance
Resistant bacteria are emerging at a faster pace than the development of antimicrobial agents. We aim to solve the problem of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria with technology that rapidly discovers, improves, and demonstrates the effectiveness of antimicrobial adjuvants, compounds that inhibit the mechanism of resistance and make antimicrobial agents effective again.
Rebox Award

Beyond Optical Technologies

Representative] Toshihiro Takamatsu

Next-generation endoscope system that visualizes the invisible depths
Developed the world's first endoscope system that utilizes near-infrared light, which is highly permeable to living organisms and can analyze components when spectroscopic, as a technology to visualize vital tissues such as blood vessels and nerves deep in the body that must not be removed during surgery. The system dramatically improves patient safety and the quality of surgery.
Grand Prize

SPHinX

Representative] Makoto Sasaki

Development of a simple diagnostic kit for infectious diseases that can be used in developing countries
The spread of accurate, simple, and inexpensive diagnostic methods is essential to solving the problem of infectious diseases in developing countries, but these methods do not yet exist. We will develop and disseminate a simple diagnostic kit for infectious diseases using our original smart polymers to achieve the eradication of infectious diseases in developing countries.
DNP Award / Focus Systems Award

neomixel

Representative] Daiki Watanabe

Stirrer without Stirring Rods Revolutionizes Cell Culture
We propose a technique for mass culture of cells using numerical fluid dynamics simulation and a bioreactor without stirring rods. Both uniform mixing in the culture tank and low physical stress to the cells are realized. We also aim to realize quantitative prediction of culture performance using an ultra-high-precision simulator.
novisome

Representative] Noriyuki Uchida

Membrane-deforming liposomes for efficient encapsulation of large biomolecules
Designing receptor molecules that assemble on the phospholipid membrane in response to stimuli and induce splitting of the liposome into its interior. By directly incorporating external solutions, they can be applied as carrier materials for detoxification of viruses and bacteria and highly efficient encapsulation of biological macromolecules such as antibodies.