Fifteen Startups Selected as Recipients of Support Measures under the FY2020 IP Acceleration Program for Startups (IPAS2020)

1. Outline of the IPAS

This program aims to accelerate growth of startups from the two viewpoints of business and IP.

For startups, their IP itself, e.g., innovative technologies and ideas, is a source of their competitiveness. Nevertheless, many startups in the earliest stage of business formation are likely to prioritize smooth business operation and drive themselves to advance their business operation without developing any IP strategy, under which they should make use of IP to the maximum extent possible and lead this to business growth. As a result, they are likely to face: leakage of their technologies and ideas, appearance of counterfeit products and failure to make profits associated with IP, which leads them to end up losing competitiveness.

Under this program, the JPO will create “IP Mentoring Teams” consisting of business and IP experts with knowledge and skills tailored to the challenges and demands for support measures that each participating startup is facing and needs. Through a five-month mentoring program, an IP Mentoring Team will support a participating startup in diagnosing and brushing up its business strategy and developing an IP strategy linked to the strategy.

In response to the call for applicants for the IPAS2020 program, the JPO received applications from 113 startups, sorted them by document screening and pitch presentations as examinations, and finally selected 15 startups as recipients of support measures.

2. IPAS2020 Kick-off event (press conference to announce the selected startups)

From 13:00 on July 27 (Mon.), 2020, the JPO will hold an online kick-off event to introduce the selected startups as recipients of support measures under the IPAS2020 program.

For details, visit the following site.

• IP BASE website (in Japanese)

3. Release of related information on the JPO website called “IP BASE”

On its IP BASE website for startups and IP experts, the JPO will release the details of the IPAS program

as well as information on recipients of support measures and mentors participating in the support measures.

• IP BASE website (in Japanese)

4. List of the selected startups as recipients of support measures under the program (in the order of the Japanese syllabary)

Anaut Corporation (Address: Yokohama City, Kanagawa Prefecture; President: Kobayashi Nao)

Development of an AI system for assisting surgical operations which contributes to decreasing the number of patients suffering from surgery complications through a process in which AI learns knowledge which surgeons have, a surgery map for recognizing the body structures of a patient under operation is prepared and a safer surgical operation is provided to the patient

AONBARR Ltd. (Address: Hamamatsu City, Shizuoka Prefecture; President: Sakurai Shigetoshi)

Development of technologies for energy-saving metal oxidation and reduction, which contribute to developing Japan into a resource-rich country, such as extracting magnesium in the ocean as resources collecting carbon dioxide from coal-fired power plants and other facilities as resources, and producing methane and hydrogen underground

inaho Corporation (Address: Kamakura City, Kanagawa Prefecture; President: Hishiki Yutaka)

Development of RaaS model-based, automatic vegetable harvesting robots aiming to achieve growth with farms, solve challenges of labor shortage and farm management, and provide measures combining “AI” and “robotics” to support farmers’ agricultural work, e.g., harvesting, requiring them to judge specific timings

Corpy & Co., Inc. (Address: Bunkyo Ward, Tokyo; President: Yamamoto Kohei)

Development of comprehensive algorithms and systems using them by focusing on quality assurance which is essential for actual operation of AI, in which improved explanations are provided using XAI technologies, robustness in a real environment is examined, and vulnerability against external attacks is assessed

GCE Institute (Address: Chuo Ward, Tokyo; President: Goto Hiroshi)

Development of IoT power sources which are not necessary to be replaced, which is part of its efforts for taking on commercialization of the ultimate energy harvesting technology called “ambient power generation” which is capable of semi-permanently converting even “air temperatures” to electricity aiming to utilize unused heat and environmental heat, which are annually generated at the level of about 150 trillion yen worldwide, as renewable energy

Jij Inc. (Address: Bunkyo Ward, Tokyo; President: Yamashiro Yu)

Development of optimization algorithms and software taking advantage of quantum or Ising calculators

Genics Co., Ltd. (Address: Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo; President: Sakaeda Gen)

Development of next-generation, fully-automatic toothbrushes aiming to support users’ oral-based healthcare

gellycle Corporation (Address: Bunkyo Ward, Tokyo; President: Masui Kosuke)

Development of new regenerative medicine technologies (endogenous regeneration of human-tissue) in which regeneration of human tissue is facilitated by vitalizing body cells using newly-developed gel

STAND Therapeutics Corporation (Address: Minato Ward, Tokyo; President: Kabayama Hiroyuki)

Development of medicines for disease treatments taking advantage of an intracellular antibody called “STAND Technology,” in which experts are able to make an approach to target proteins in cells subject to the treatments, which was impossible with conventional antibodies

Space Shift, Inc. (Address: Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo; President: Kanamoto Naruo)

Development of software upholding the subject “cultivating solutions to the world through combination of space and AI,” in which a large amount of data obtained from earth observation satellites is automatically analyzed using artificial intelligence to interpret a variety of changes found on earth

Cellid, Inc. (Address: Minato Ward, Tokyo; President: Shiraga Satoshi)

Development and provision of see-through displays and space recognition engines for AR glasses boasting the world’s largest 60-degree view angle

Chitose Robotics Inc. (Address: Taito Ward, Tokyo; President: Nishida Ryosuke)

Provision of robot-based labor equivalent to the wage of 980 yen per hour and development of robot systems, aiming to solve social challenges of labor shortage and low labor productivity by taking advantage of robot technologies

Herbio Co., Ltd. (Address: Shibuya Ward, Tokyo; President: Tanaka Sayuri)

Development of a wearable device for measuring body temperatures capable of steadily and continuously measuring body temperatures and development of software for recording data on such temperatures, aiming to establish a service for finding infections and other diseases as early as possible by analyzing users’ temperatures in normal conditions and those with fever

Light Touch Technology Corporation (Address: Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture; President: Yamakawa Koichi)

Development of a non-invasive blood glucose sensor which does not require blood collection but uses mid-infrared laser light, aiming at relieving diabetic patients’ pains and stresses in measuring blood sugar levels, decreasing risks for infectious diseases, and curbing the number of diabetic patients by controlling their blood sugar levels

Regcell Co., Ltd. (Address: Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture; President: Handa Yasuhiko)

Development of cell treatments using antigen-specific Treg cells that have increased outside bodies, aiming to effectively suppress inflammatory diseases, e.g., autoimmune disorders, and adverse reactions of patients after organ transplantation, by taking advantage of Treg cells with immunosuppressive functions

Division in Charge

Policy Planning and Research Division, Policy Planning and Coordination Department, Japan Patent Office