The 2022 US-Japan Healthcare Connection: Tokyo Executive Symposium was held on an invite-only basis on Monday 31 October 2022 at Nihonbashi Life Science HUB. (Organized by Japan Society of Northern California, co-organized by LINK-J and supported by the U.S. Commercial Service, U.S. Embassy, Tokyo).
This event was the first time in three years that entrepreneurs and other innovators from Silicon Valley and other parts of the United States came to Japan for a face-to-face exchange of information.
The Japan Society of Northern California (JSNC) is a U.S. private non-profit organization (NPO) whose mission is to promote mutual understanding and friendship between the U.S. and Japan.
They integrated US-Japan Medtech Frontiers (USJMF), which had conducted conferences to introduce U.S. medical device start-ups to Japanese market since 2014, and launched the US-Japan Healthcare Connection in January 2022. The program serves as a bridge between the U.S. and Japan, including Silicon Valley's innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem, in increasingly important healthcare sector in both countries. The U.S. Commercial Service, U.S. Embassy provides diverse support for promoting and developing exports of U.S. products and services to Japan and for direct investments to the U.S.
Venue
Opening Remarks
Steve Pollock, President, JSNC
Daniel Lew, Commercial Officer, U.S. Embassy, Tokyo
Akihiko Soyama, President and CEO, Director, LINK-J
Keynote speech
Keynote Chair: Jack Moorman, Co-Founder, former USJMF
"Innovation for the Future of Predictive Healthcare"
Andrew Cleeland, Chief Executive Officer, Fogarty Innovation
Andrew Cleeland, CEO of Fogarty Innovation, with over 30 years' experience in the medical device industry, delivered the keynote speech. He has held key leadership roles in organizations ranging from early-stage start-ups to large multinationals.
Panel discussions
The panel discussions were heated about entering the U.S. market and the challenges of sustained growth in this highly competitive market.
Session 1: Precision, Predictive, & Proactive Healthcare - Better Outcomes, Lower Costs, and Higher Patient Satisfaction
Moderator: Fumiaki Ikeno, MD, Stanford University School of Medicine
Panelists:
Andrew Cleeland
Mika Nishimura, Operational Partner, Gilde Healthcare
Ryan McGuiness, VP, Triple Ring Technologies
Session 2: Predictive Healthcare Targets
Moderator: Takahiro (Harry) Haruyama, President & Founder, GLOBIZZ CORP
Panelists:
Partha Ray, Associate Director, Biodesign Faculty Fellowship, Stanford Byers Center for Biodesign
Elton Satsuky, Partner, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati
Daniel Burnett, MD, Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Theranova, LLC
Presentations by U.S. start-ups
Following the keynote speech and panel discussions, presentations were made by U.S. start-ups with innovative medical devices and promising technologies in areas where further growth is expected in the future. These companies are looking for investment, product development, imports and sales, as well as co-operation with Japanese companies in a variety of fields.
[List of start-ups]
CareMates, Inc.
EchoPixel
Galen Robotics
Intuity Medical
Mawi DNA Technologies
Nozomi MedAlliance
Optina Diagnostics
Personalis
Closing remarks
Takahide Akiyama, Vice Chairman, JSNC
Reception & social networking
The sessions were followed by a reception in the same venue. Many people actively exchanged information in the reception.
Toast by Jack Moorman
Many Japanese and U.S. experts in medical device development support participated in this symposium and it was a very useful opportunity for senior management involved in healthcare business, including medical device-related fields.
LINK-J also supported the "2022 US-Japan Healthcare Connection: Well-being Innovation Forum in Awajishima" held by JSNC on 2 November in Awajishima Island, Japan, in association with this symposium.
Thank you very much to all participants.
