Hiroshima Unicorn 10 Tokyo Pitch @ TiB

There is currently a wave of startups being created in Hiroshima Prefecture; so many, in fact, that in 2022 the government of Hiroshima Prefecture launched its own acceleration program called Hiroshima Unicorn 10.

With the aim to “create 10 unicorn companies from Hiroshima in 10 years,” this project is creating a flexible industrial infrastructure in Hiroshima where it is easy to try new things and where trying new things is the norm, by stimulating the local industry with the presence of promising startup companies that aim to grow and expand globally, and by mutually stimulating the prefecture's existing industries.

13 companies were selected to join the accelerator in 2022, 16 in 2023, and 13 in 2024. On December 3rd the current crop of startups made the trek to Tokyo to attend the Hiroshima Unicorn 10 Pitch held at Tokyo Innovation Base (TiB).

Hiroshima Unicorn 10 Pitch in Tokyo

Hosted by Plug and Play, this pitch event was held to introduce the 11 Hiroshima Unicorn 10  adopted startups, including 8 from this fiscal year and 3 as alumni startups, and make connections with investors and business firms.

The following 11 companies took to the stage:

1. Eight Knot: Autonomous navigation technology for small vessels, improving safety and operational efficiency with an autonomous navigation system that can be retrofitted to existing ships.
2. General: Automating complicated payroll calculations with Business process outsourcing.
3. BeRISE Inc.: Provide a digital education platform for the medical field using XR.
4. Vectology: Automation and labor saving to cover labor shortages through ultra-low latency image processing, AI image authentication, and self-position estimation.
5. Volante Eyes: Device that allows anyone to easily measure vibration remotely using high-speed vision.
6. ENTECH: Reducing the gap in medical care through XaaS digital dental technology.
7. TD Holdings: DX solutions and support that adds value to small and medium-sized manufacturing businesses.
8. Ms. Yu Mizuno: Disease diagnosis with cutting-edge AI.
9. Setolabo: Detecting 13 types of cancer in the very early stages with just one medical examination and one blood sample.
10. Tromuso: Agricultural revolution through biochar x carbon neutrality.
11. PtBio:  Solving social issues with the power of bioDX and genome editing.

Excerpts from the pitches

Despite the limited time of 3 minutes, each company was able to fully convey their business initiatives in this pitch. We’ve pulled out a few highlights!

Eight Knot (Yujin Kimura)

The realization of automatic navigation for small vessels will make maritime travel safer and more comfortable. There are 300,000 small vessels in Japan, and the North American market alone is worth 5 trillion yen, according to CEO Kimura.

Eight Knot’s autonomous navigation platform for small vessels, the ‘Eight Knot AI Captain,’ automatically follows a route generated by the company's AI, detecting obstacles and other vessels with sensors and navigating to the destination while safely avoiding them.

Existing products on the market have issues such as not being able to be retrofitted or customized, with Eight Knot's solution having a huge advantage in this respect.

Be Rise (Toshiyuki Hadama)

BE RISE is a startup that uses XR technology to overcome physical limitations and promote the resolution of social issues and future development.

The company has five services based around XR: digital events, healthcare, X-learning, digital content, and CG development. In this pitch, they focused on training in medical settings and talked about their prospects.

In the training and education of medical students and resident doctors, it takes time to handle a large number of actual patient cases, and there are also ethical issues with sharing medical data such as medical records. Therefore, by adding medical data to patients in a virtual hospital, it will be possible to gain experience in examining the symptoms of various diseases. Currently, 100 XR devices have been provided to the Faculty of Medicine at Hiroshima University, and a test is being conducted in the education field.

ENTECH (Makoto Yoshii)

ENTECH provides a system that improves the operational efficiency of dental clinics and increases patient satisfaction through dental prostheses, digitalization, and education.

Dental technicians create, process and repair dentures and other orthodontic devices, but at present most dental work is still done by hand. There is an issue that time and cost are required from making plaster casts of teeth to making devices, and the company will solve this issue with its XaaS solution.

Creating a Unicorn Company

Providing startups with opportunities to test their ideas and aquire their first customers are the highest priorities for startups when it comes to growth. The significance of Hiroshima Prefecture taking the lead in providing this kind of support is invaluable when it comes to creating unicorns.

Of course, in order to become a unicorn company, there is a suitable market in the Japanese domestic market waiting to be challenged. I would like to end by wishing all the entrepreneurs I met today will continue to rise to greater heights and help shape a better Japan.

‍