Participated in the TCI-VENTURE AWARD 2025 Startup Category Experiences and Lessons Learned at the Tsukuba-Based Deep Tech Pitch Event
December 5 20255
Attended the “TCI-VENTURE AWARD 2025” held in Tsukuba. Rather than a glamorous startup event, it felt like a place where the realities between technology and business were quietly laid bare. While confronting the challenges of sustaining a business rooted in research and development, I’ll briefly jot down my impressions from this event.
1. Event Overview
On December 5, 2025, I participated in the “TCI-VENTURE AWARD 2025 Final Startup Division” held at the Tsukuba Research Support Center.
This award is a startup pitch event hosted by the Tsukuba Research Support Center, where startups with deep tech and innovative business ideas gather to compete on the potential for commercialization and societal implementation.
Entrepreneurs, researchers, investors, and supporters, primarily from Ibaraki Prefecture, gathered to experience the moment where technology and business intersect.
The event offered both on-site participation and online viewing. Startup pitches began in the afternoon, with the program progressing through presentations, Q&A sessions, networking, and culminating in the awards ceremony.
Introducing the Featured Startups
The Startup Division featured diverse companies presenting their visions and technologies. Examples of participating startups included:
Quantum Flowers & Foods Co., Ltd.
Introduced the world’s first neutron beam breeding technology, “Speedy Breeding.”
Earth Science Visualization Technology Institute Co., Ltd.
Presented the next-generation disaster prevention XR system, “4D Hazard Map.”
Noken One Health Co., Ltd.
Efforts in the field of personalized healthcare utilizing lactic acid bacteria.
Air Membrane Co., Ltd.
The potential of graphene-based semiconductor materials.
SPHinX Co., Ltd.
Smart diagnostic kits for infectious diseases that can be used even in developing countries.
NeuralX LLC
Solutions for sustainable next-generation aquaculture using AI analysis.
Endofit Co., Ltd.
Building a green industry co-creation ecosystem using the symbiotic bacteria “DSE”.
These companies have deep technological foundations and strong motivation to solve social issues, and presented roadmaps for commercialization and social implementation.
2. Participation Experience and Learning
This event provided powerful inspiration through the diversity of ideas presented by other teams, the specificity of their problem definitions, and the meticulousness of their strategic approaches to translating these into viable businesses. Particularly striking was the importance of not only clearly communicating the core principles behind one’s technology or service, but also the structured presentation of value propositions tailored for investors and business partners.
Moreover, the post-pitch discussions and networking provided invaluable opportunities to connect diverse perspectives and networks. The insights and viewpoints exchanged on-site were rich with hints for advancing both technological development and commercialization simultaneously.
Future Outlook
I believe the TCI-VENTURE AWARD will continue to grow in importance as a platform where deep technologies emerging from the Tsukuba R&D hub meet the entrepreneurs seeking to implement them.
I truly felt that such platforms for challenge are indispensable for accelerating next-generation technologies toward solving societal issues.
This experience fueled my own determination to continue striving for societal implementation from both technological and business perspectives, advancing forward with my colleagues.
Share this article
