Event Report: 2024 SelectUSA Japan × ACCJ HxD Exclusive Pitch Event

On April 17th 2024, the SelectUSA Japan × ACCJ HxD Exclusive Pitch Event took place at the colormari Event Hall in Osaka. The event was organized by the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan (Healthcare x Digital Initiative), co-hosted by the U.S. Consulate General Osaka-Kobe (SelectUSA Japan), and supported by SMARTVALUE Co., Ltd. Five healthcare startups in Japan pitched for the opportunity to attend the SelectUSA Investment Summit in June. Following the pitches, a roundtable session was held where entrepreneurs could seek advice from the HxD team and U.S. Ambassador Rahm Emanuel. 

Euma Ishii (Co-Founder at Liaison) opened the event by introducing Yasuhiko Iida at Eli Lilly Japan for opening remarks, which was followed by a special presentation from Mr. Makoto Ueno, Executive Officer of the Digital Government Department at SMARTVALUE Co., Ltd. Soon after, the pitch session commenced with Mr. Takehito Matsuba from Citadel AI, Inc. who showcased their services aimed at enabling the safe, responsible, ethical use of AI in healthcare. After, Mr. Shinya Yuki from Elix, Inc. presented an AI drug discovery platform enabling chemists to intuitively design molecules. This was followed by Mr. Kota Kubo from Ubie, Inc., who introduced an AI-powered webapp designed by doctors to identify potential causes, severity and care options. Mr. Tomonari Imabayashi from Aikomi Inc. presented digital technology supporting person-centered care for dementia. Lastly, Mr. James Grosvenor from Anaut Inc. pitched a clinical AI software to enable precision mapping for the human body during surgery. Seven judges, including Torsten Kanisch (AstraZeneca), Mari Ogihara (AstraZeneca), Yasuhiko Iida (Eli Lilly Japan), Christian Boettcher (EY Strategy & Consulting), Miyu Harada (Eli Lilly Japan), Kunihiro Ohyama (Microsoft), and Joshua Flannery (Innovation Dojo Japan) evaluated the pitches based on the quality of the solution along with its potential impact.

After the pitches, Francisco Proano from Horizons Health / ACCJ HxD moderated a roundtable discussion, during which the startup companies were given the opportunity to ask questions to the HxD team. Topics ranged from business localization, partner identification, task prioritization to marketing strategies. In addition to these business-related questions, they also inquired about the mindset required as entrepreneurs and learned about the importance of energy and resilience. 

U.S. Ambassador Rahm Emanuel joined the roundtable as a special guest and gave advice to the startup companies while responding to their questions about entrepreneurship and the U.S. market. He highlighted strengths unique to each country and encouraged startups to leverage both opportunities. 

The event was closed by Mr. Victor Osumi, President of ACCJ and Delta Air Lines Japan, who shared about the significance of partnerships before announcing Anaut as the winner of the event.

Lastly, Torsten closed the event by celebrating all successful pitches and the smooth operation of the event with an Ippon Jime! Congratulations to Anaut for winning this round and to all the startup companies for their efforts!