Medcom Inc. Hosts Internal 'AI HACKATHON 2026'

Practical, operational AI systems designed to solve on-site challenges were showcased, with winning teams selected following a final judging session.

Medcom Inc. (Headquarters: Koto-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO: Yasuyuki Sato; hereinafter "Medcom") is pleased to announce the launch of its internal 'AI HACKATHON 2026,' a special initiative aimed at accelerating the company's transformation into an 'AI-native company' and fostering organizational growth capable of leading societal innovation through enterprise-wide AI adoption.

Background Chronic staffing shortages and increasing operational complexity are prevalent in today’s healthcare environment, necessitating fundamental business transformation through technology. Medcom has long supported medical institutions through its digital transformation (DX) services. Moving forward, the company aims to leverage AI within its own operations to evolve into an organization capable of independently solving internal challenges. This hackathon was conceived and executed with the goal of accelerating Medcom’s transformation into an 'AI-native company'—one that not only uses AI but creates new systems with it—and to grow into an organization that leads societal advancement.

Overview of AI HACKATHON 2026 This hackathon emphasized the development of practical, immediately deployable systems, going far beyond a mere idea contest. The focus was on creating solutions that are truly functional and ready for real-world use. Event Name: AI HACKATHON 2026 Development and Selection Period: March to May 2026 Final Judging Date: May 15, 2026 Total Prize Pool: ¥1.8 million (Champion: ¥1 million, Runner-up: ¥500,000, Third Place: ¥300,000) Evaluation Criteria (5 categories): Problem Identification (ability to define challenges), Implementation Completeness, Impact, Reliability and Sustainability, Uniqueness and Innovation

Judging Process and Competition Highlights [First Round] A total of 13 teams entered the competition, each presenting systems born from strong convictions about daily operational inefficiencies—such as "If we could streamline this, we could better serve our customers." After rigorous evaluation, seven teams advanced to the final round.

[Final Judging] • Judging Framework and Presentation Content The final judging included Medcom’s President and CEO Sato, along with four external special judges. Each team delivered a 10-minute presentation to first-time judges, focusing on:

Current challenges and background

Live demonstration of the AI-powered solution

Unique value proposition of the AI approach

• Company-wide judging via employee voting Approximately 80 employees in attendance participated in real-time voting. Systems that resonated with employees as "truly desirable for daily use" received additional points, creating a dynamic, company-wide judging atmosphere where both judges and staff were fully engaged.

Results and Awarded Teams Based on rigorous evaluation and employee voting, the top three teams receiving a total prize pool of ¥1.8 million are as follows:

[Champion] (¥1 million): Medcom Usage Analysis Tool [Runner-up] (¥500,000): Management Control Platform [Third Place] (¥300,000): Release Operation Management Tool

<Other Finalists (in no particular order)> Culture Match Diagnostic Tool / Medomitsu. / Resume Pilot / Fault and Repair Response Tool

About the Champion: Medcom Usage Analysis Tool This tool enables Medcom account managers to request natural language queries to analyze customer-specific usage data of Medcom services. It automatically generates insights and analytical findings. Outputs include a detailed PDF report and a customizable PPTX file with extractable and editable slides. This significantly enhances post-implementation customer support capabilities.

Sample excerpt from automatically generated documents

Comments from Special Judges and Company Leadership

Yamauchi, Management Strategy Consultant

All seven finalist teams demonstrated grounded problem awareness and successfully completed the tough task of turning ideas into tangible solutions. What impressed me most was that every team member could articulate in their own words what their job entails and what it means. In mature large corporations, this is often difficult to achieve, yet Medcom employees do it as a matter of course. I am truly inspired and look forward to exponential growth from here.

Professor Kogubo, Faculty of International Politics and Economics, International Business Department, Nishogakusha University

Today’s presentations were practical, real-world proposals with genuine tension. AI can serve both defensive roles—boosting productivity—and offensive roles—expanding business. Today’s submissions showed an 'offensive AI' approach, leveraging internal strengths with potential for external commercialization, aiming to grow top-line revenue. It was highly stimulating and enjoyable.

Shiki, Deputy General Manager, Business Division, Link-U Technologies Inc.

At the end of last year, President Sato asked me to help raise employee awareness about AI adoption. Just four and a half months later, the quality and speed of these outcomes are genuinely astonishing. I’m almost anxious for my own employees to catch up. The possibilities of AI will only expand. Keep integrating new features and evolving further.

Imaizumi, Technical Advisor, Medcom Inc.

All teams clearly identified their challenges, resulting in an extremely close and competitive final. AI evolves so rapidly that the world changes every 1-2 months—overseas, AI is already reshaping new graduate hiring markets. In this context, taking the first step and experiencing firsthand what AI can achieve is immensely valuable for the company. Use this experience to broaden your AI applications and drive company growth.

President and CEO Sato

You’ve all delivered results beyond expectations. Let this first AI Hackathon be a major milestone as Medcom evolves into an 'AI-native company,' and let’s connect the knowledge and services developed here to our customers.

Future Outlook

The AI systems and know-how developed during this hackathon are already being utilized in internal operations. Through this event, Medcom will not only adopt these specific systems but also transform its operational model around AI. Going forward, we will continue striving to become an 'AI-native company' and a leading AI innovator solving challenges in healthcare and society at large.

Medcom Inc.

Company Name: Medcom Inc.

Headquarters: 9F, Toyosu Forisia, 3-2-24 Toyosu, Koto-ku, Tokyo

Representative: President and CEO Yasuyuki Sato

Founded: July 2016

Business: Planning, development, sales, and maintenance of 'Medcom,' a smartphone dedicated to medical institutions.

URL: https://www.medcom.ne.jp/

*The information contained in this press release is current as of the date of announcement and is subject to change without prior notice.

[Media Inquiries]

Public Relations, Medcom Inc.

TEL: 03-6268-907