HVC KYOTO 2026 Demo Day: Announcing 20 Selected Startups Challenging Overseas Markets

The Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO: Yoshihiko Kanai, Director of Kyoto Trade Information Center), Kyoto Prefecture (Governor Takatoshi Nishiwaki), Kyoto City (Mayor Takaharu Matsui), and Kyoto Research Park Corporation (KRP: Akira Asano, President and CEO) are jointly organizing the HVC KYOTO (Healthcare Venture Conference Kyoto), an innovation platform supporting cross-border business development in the healthcare sector. The HVC KYOTO 2026 Demo Day will be held for two days from July 13th to July 14th, 2026. This year, marking its 11th edition, 20 startups (including researchers pre-startup) in fields such as drug discovery, biotech, regenerative medicine, digital health, and medical devices have been selected. We are now recruiting general participants for the pitches on July 14th, where finalists chosen from the selected startups will present. We welcome applications from large corporations interested in partnering with startups, VCs and CVCs looking for investment opportunities, academic researchers aiming to start a business in the future, and industry-academia collaboration departments promoting university technology transfer.

Pre-registration: https://hvckyoto2026.peatix.com/

About the Selected Startups

This year, there were many applications, and 20 startups (including pre-startup researchers) passed the selection process and were chosen. Approximately 15 finalists are scheduled to pitch on Demo Day. The "Biotech Division" primarily targets businesses in drug discovery, biotech, and regenerative medicine, while the "Medtech Division" focuses on businesses in digital health and medical devices.

List of selected startups and business overview

<Biotech Division>

<MedTech Division>

About the Demo Day

This year's Demo Day will also feature guests from overseas pharmaceutical companies, overseas VCs, and accelerators participating at the Kyoto venue. On the first day, individual business meetings between partners and startups, as well as a reception party, will be held to allow attendees to experience HVC's innovation platform. On the second day, finalist pitches and keynote speeches will take place, offering exposure to the latest knowledge and technologies. General participants can attend the second day only, by pre-registration. We look forward to your applications.

~Demo Day is recommended for those who are:~

・Large corporations interested in partnering with startups

・VCs and CVCs looking for investment opportunities in startups

・Academic researchers aiming to start a business in the future

・Industry-academia collaboration departments promoting university technology transfer

Event Outline

Name

HVC KYOTO (Healthcare Venture Conference Kyoto) 2026 Demo Day

Date & Time

Monday, July 13, 2026 Demo Day Day 1 (Individual business meetings, Reception party)

Tuesday, July 14, 2026 Demo Day Day 2 (Finalist pitches, Keynote speeches) *General participation allowed

Venue

KRP Building No. 4, B1F "Buzz Hall" and other locations (93 Chudoji Awata-cho, Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto City)

Content

Pitches by finalists, keynote speeches by domestic and international experts, networking, individual business meetings (for selected startups and partners only)

Language

English (simultaneous interpretation available)

Details and participation application

https://hvckyoto2026.peatix.com/

*Media personnel wishing to cover the event, please contact the secretariat listed at the end.

Organizers

Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO), Kyoto Prefecture, Kyoto City, Kyoto Research Park Corporation

Lead Advisor

Tomoyoshi Koyanagi (Distinguished Professor, Business Development Office Manager, Institute for Advancement of Clinical and Translational Science (iACT), Kyoto University Hospital)

Partners

Selected participants aim for business alliances and fundraising with partner companies.

As of April 17, 2026

<Biotech/MedTech> AbbVie G.K., NTT Laboratories, Astellas Pharma Inc., AstraZeneca K.K., Bayer Yakuhin, Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Daiichi Sankyo Co., Ltd., Eisai Co., Ltd., Johnson & Johnson, Maruho Co., Ltd., MSD K.K., Becton Dickinson Japan, Nippon Boehringer Ingelheim Co., Ltd., Rohto Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Siemens Healthcare K.K., Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited, WuXi AppTec Japan

<VC/CVC> DCI Partners, DG Daiwa Ventures, Global Brain, IT Farm Corp., JIC Venture Growth Investments, Keio Innovation Initiative, KSP