5 Projects Selected for 'Launch1000', a Commercialization Program for Researchers

The University of Tokyo Edge Capital Partners (Todai IPC), led by President Kosuke Ueda, announced the selection of five projects for 'Launch1000,' a commercialization program for academic technology seeds conducted as part of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology's (MEXT) 'Model Creation Project for Next-Generation Open Innovation.'

'Launch1000' is designed to foster startups that aim for global growth from their inception, targeting international expansion and eventual exits in overseas markets. To accelerate the commercialization of technological seeds from researchers and students at universities and national research institutions, the program provides up to 10 million JPY in non-equity funding, coupled with hands-on support from Todai IPC in business planning, IP securing, and partnership development.

Following 120 applications from across the nation, five projects were selected based on technical uniqueness, social implementation potential, growth potential in the global market, and the need for support. Selected projects will receive tailored support including business plan development, IP protection, partnership building, scale-up planning for mass production, and milestone design.

In addition, as a pioneering project, the commercialization of supramolecular plastics led by Takuzo Aida, Distinguished Professor at the University of Tokyo, is making progress, including PoC discussions with global companies, securing non-equity funding, and building an R&D structure. Leveraging these insights, Todai IPC continues to support the creation of deep tech startups targeting global markets.

Selected Projects:

1. Tatsuya Kubo (PhD student, Graduate School of Information Science and Technology, UTokyo): Development of Memory-Based AI Hardware. Aiming to reduce AI semiconductor costs by developing high-performance, power-efficient, and low-cost hardware that calculates using memory instead of expensive, power-hungry GPUs.

2. Daigo Teruzuki (Associate Professor, Shinshu University Faculty of Textile Science and Technology): Bio-inspired Dynamic Gas Sensing Technology. Developing technology to detect and identify changing smells and gases by mimicking insect wing movements and olfactory information processing, aiming for infrastructure inspection and safety management.

3. Takahiro Matsumoto (Associate Professor, Kyushu University Faculty of Engineering): Biomass-derived Methanol and Hydrogen Production Technology. Establishing a low-cost production process for green methanol and hydrogen using a proprietary simple metal ion catalyst system based on coordination chemistry.

4. Koichi Morimoto (Professor, Kindai University Faculty of Biology-Oriented Science and Technology): Technology for Safe Phosphoric Acid Recovery from Livestock and Fish Bones. Developing domestic production technology to recover phosphoric acid and biostimulants from bones under mild conditions to secure stable supply of this critical material.

5. Iori Yanokura (Assistant Professor, Graduate School of Information Science and Technology, UTokyo): Social Implementation of 'Physical AI' via Reconfigurable Hardware and Instant Task Construction. Developing next-generation systems that enable easy robot operation and automation in field settings without requiring expert intervention.

Pioneering Project: Takuzo Aida (Distinguished Professor, UTokyo) - Commercialization of Supramolecular Plastics. This material technology offers potential solutions to the environmental impact and recyclability challenges of existing plastics.