NAGARA, Inc., Developer of AI SaaS for the Nursing Care Industry 'Nagara Kaigo,' Wins Grand Prize at 'Gogin Startup Fes 2026'

NAGARA, Inc. (Headquarters: Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture; CEO: Itsuki Okada; hereinafter 'NAGARA'), a developer of AI SaaS for the nursing care industry, is pleased to announce that it received the Grand Prize at the 'Gogin Startup Fes 2026' (hosted by The San-in Godo Bank, Ltd.), held in Matsue City, Shimane Prefecture, on Friday, March 27, 2026. Following a pitch competition among five finalists selected from across the country, the business concept for 'Nagara Kaigo,' which uses AI to transform documentation tasks in nursing care settings, was awarded the highest evaluation.

About Gogin Startup Fes 2026 'Gogin Startup Fes' is one of the largest startup events in the San-in region, hosted by The San-in Godo Bank (President: Yutaka Yoshikawa). In its second year, the event brought together over 700 participants, including startups, venture capitalists, and local business leaders, in Matsue City, Shimane Prefecture. Five finalists selected from across Japan delivered pitches, and NAGARA was selected as the winner of the Grand Prize.

President Yutaka Yoshikawa praised NAGARA's model, stating it is 'particularly well-suited for regions with aging populations like Shimane.' The approach of using AI to solve local nursing care challenges was supported for its high social significance.

Background of the Award: The Serious Burden of Documentation in Nursing Care While the Japanese nursing care industry has a market size of approximately 16.1 trillion yen, it faces structural challenges, including a severe labor shortage and an increasing administrative burden.

Nursing care documentation, in particular, is a significant burden on the front lines. Under the long-term care insurance system, the creation of care records is mandatory, and caregivers spend a large portion of their daily working hours on documentation. While it is necessary to accurately record the condition changes, care details, and vital signs of each user, manual entry via paper or keyboards remains the mainstream, leading to complaints from nursing care sites nationwide that 'there is no time to face the users.'

NAGARA was founded based on a personal experience where CEO Okada's grandmother complained at a nursing facility that 'the caregivers don't listen to me.' Through interviews with over 150 nursing facilities nationwide, he became convinced that the essence of this problem lies not in the 'caregivers' awareness' but in the 'work structure,' leading to the development of 'Nagara Kaigo.'

Overview of the Award-Winning Solution 'Nagara Kaigo' 'Nagara Kaigo' is an AI-native nursing care documentation software based on voice conversation. As a caregiver talks to a user while carrying a smartphone, the AI transcribes the dialogue in real-time and automatically generates statutory documents such as care records, shift handovers, and daily logs.

This is not merely 'voice input' but 'conversation input.' While conventional voice input is 'speaking for the sake of recording,' 'Nagara Kaigo' is a completely new approach where 'the act of talking to the user itself becomes the record,' simultaneously improving the quality of care and operational efficiency.

Key Features 1. Documentation completed just by talking AI automatically generates care records, handovers, and logs from natural conversations between caregivers and users. Even staff unfamiliar with IT can complete documentation just by talking.

2. Instant generation of monitoring reports Monthly monitoring reports are automatically generated with one click from accumulated daily record data, significantly reducing end-of-month report creation tasks.

3. Automatic creation of meeting minutes Content from care conferences or meetings within the facility is automatically transcribed into minutes while identifying speakers, allowing time previously spent on documentation to be redirected to actual care work.

4. Record search and Q&A via AI chat AI performs searches and answers questions in natural language regarding accumulated record data. It provides immediate answers to queries such as, 'What was the vital sign trend for Mr./Ms. XX last week?'

Expected Benefits - Documentation time: Expected reduction of over 10,000 hours per year (for a typical nursing facility) - Labor cost reduction: Expected savings of approximately 10 million yen per year - Adoption hurdle: Just talk. No IT training required.

Major Achievements to Date Since its founding in July 2025, NAGARA has grown its business rapidly. - July 2025: Established NAGARA, Inc. - October 2025: Won the Grand Prize at CEATEC 2025 'NEXT Entrepreneur 2025' (received 4 corporate awards simultaneously) - January 2026: Won the Grand Prize at 'AICHI STARTUP BATTLE' (3 million yen prize) - February 2026: Selected as a finalist for 'NIKKEI THE PITCH GROWTH' hosted by Nikkei - March 2026: Won the Grand Prize at 'Gogin Startup Fes 2026' (this announcement)

The company has been featured in numerous media outlets, including NHK, The Nikkei, The Asahi Shimbun, and The Chunichi Shimbun.

Future Outlook Starting with 'Nagara Kaigo,' NAGARA aims to build a next-generation nursing care platform that provides an end-to-end solution covering documentation, communication, analysis, education, and billing.

Currently, the company is designing a 'definitive nursing care software' that comprehensively covers the core operations of nursing facilities, and it will continue to grow as an entity that promotes DX for the entire nursing care industry, going beyond being a mere documentation tool.

Company Overview Company Name: NAGARA, Inc. Address: STATION Ai, 1-2-32 Tsurumai, Showa-ku, Nagoya, Aichi 466-0064, Japan Representative: Itsuki Okada, CEO Established: July 2025 Business Description: Nursing care IT service industry Mission: 'Realizing a society where people can focus on what they want to do' URL: https://nagarainc.co.jp/

Recruitment Information NAGARA is looking for colleagues to help transform the nursing care industry. If you have a passion for 'solving social issues through technology' or 'bringing a fresh breeze to the nursing care industry,' please contact us. [email protected]

Inquiries Regarding This Matter NAGARA, Inc. CEO Itsuki Okada Email: [email protected] TEL: 070-8560-5667 Corporate Website: https://nagarainc.co.jp/