Japanese healthcare firms to find potential startup partners at virtual convention

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The Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) has announced that 12 major Japanese corporate venture capital groups (CVCs) and new tech hunters will be participating in their upcoming Online Healthcare Convention from July 14-15, 2021.

The convention will feature keynote presentations from industry veterans, pitch sessions by Japanese corporates, and B2B meetings. 

Participating Companies:

Digital Health

• Nippon Life Insurance partners with startups to support their expansion into Japan and holds a $100m fund for early stage InsureTech, Healthtech, and Fintech startups.
• Dai-ichi Life Holdings, Inc. collaborates with startups and academia to develop advanced healthcare models to match the digital transformation of the economy and society.
• SOMPO Himawari Life Insurance Inc. aims to provide new value to customers through "Insurhealth," which combines insurance and healthcare, by collaborating with innovative companies.

Device & Materials

• Teijin Pharma seeks opportunities to introduce non-invasive medical devices/digital solutions into home healthcare.
• Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd. is looking for partners for increasing growth in the U.S. Healthcare and Medical markets.
• Mitsui Chemicals, Inc. (https://www.mitsuichemicals.com/): Mitsui Chemicals is looking to invest in and partner with startups specializing in robotics, sensing technology, and data management.
• Toray Industries, Inc. specializes in organic synthetic chemistry, polymer chemistry, biotechnology, and nanotechnology.

Drug Discovery

• Takeda Pharmaceutical is a patient-focused global biopharmaceutical company, which focuses on age-related neurological disorders, hereditary neurological disorders, and neuromuscular disorders.
• Sekisui Chemical is a worldwide chemical company aiming to expand their Life Science business and promote their state-of-art mass cell processing materials.
• Astellas Innovation Management focuses on identifying and evaluating early-stage startups to drive innovation in biology and pathophysiology, therapeutic modality/technology, and diseases of high unmet medical need.
• Taiho Ventures, LLC is the corporate venture arm of a Japanese specialty pharmaceutical company focusing on oncology, allergy and immunology, and urology.

Science Parks

• Shonan iPark is a science park founded in 2018 to convene private and public sector organizations and academic institutions to help accelerate health innovation.