Event Report

The first Tech Startup HOKURIKU (TeSH) DEMO DAY was held.
Thirty-four VCs and Accelerators gathered in Kanazawa.

On November 13, 2024, the first Tech Startup HOKURIKU (TeSH) DEMO DAY was held at the ANA Crowne Plaza Kanazawa, together with the 11th Matching HUB HOKURIKU 2024.
At the venue, 21 themes selected for the FY2024 TeSH Gap Fund Program “Step 1” were presented to the public in a “90-second pitch” and a “poster session.”
At the same time, 34 VCs and accelerators participated in a closed “premium session” to conduct a mid-term evaluation of Step 1 of the startup-creation program.

1. 90-second Pitch

After the opening remarks by Kanazawa University Trustee Nakamura, who is the TeSH program head of directors, the Principal Investigators presented the 21 themes selected in Step 1 in a 90-second pitch.

2. Poster Session

An overview of TeSH and 21 theme posters were exhibited. The poster session attracted many visitors, including visitors to the Matching HUB HOKURIKU2024, leading to a lively exchange of ideas and opinions. We received comments from the visitors that they were very impressed with the high level of the ideas presented and the motivation to commercialize them.

3. Premium Session

(Participating VCs/accelerators: 18 companies, 34 people)
To hold in-depth discussions toward creating startups, we simultaneously held a closed premium session with commercialization promotion organizations (VCs and accelerators) registered with TeSH, after signing memorandums of confidentiality agreements.

In the premium session, we asked the commercialization promotion organizations to complete (1) a mid-term evaluation of 21 themes (S, A, B, C grades) and (2) a questionnaire for interview requests. The results are as follows:

(1) Results of Mid-term Evaluation

Based on the evaluation results of 100 points for S, 80 points for A, 40 points for B, and 20 points for C, the top three themes were as follows.

1st place 76.8 points: NISHIZONO, Hirofumi/ Senior Assistant Professor, Kanazawa Medical University

Research Theme:
Development and Commercialization of a Device for Mammalian Sperm Activation Using Specific Wavelength Light Irradiation

2nd place 70.4 points: KURISAWA, Motoichi/ Professor, JAIST

Research Theme:
Commercialization of innovative nanoparticles for treating posterior ocular diseases through eye drops

3rd place 69.6 points: HAMANO, Yoshimitsu/ Professor, Fukui Prefectural University

Research Theme:
Oral administration of biopharmaceuticals via gastrointestinal absorption using abacterial polycationic peptides

(2) Results of interview requests questionnaire

Commercialization promotion organizations requested interviews for 19 out of 21 themes, with a maximum of eight per theme. We will share these results with the principal investigators and proceed with the interviews to develop further concrete collaborations.

4. Summary

The number of participants from commercialization promotion organizations in the premium session reached 34 people from 18 companies, and the fact that many investors turned their attention to Hokuriku allowed us to have great hope for the future creation of academic startups in the Hokuriku region. To advance from Step 1 to Step 2, support from a business promotion organization and a joint proposal application are essential. We will proceed with the matching process, starting with the premium session, and aim to finalize the commercialization promotion organizations by February 2025.