Iris Co., Ltd.
Iris wins the “Startup World Cup 2023” world competition
Honorably selected from global startups representing over 50 countries and regions
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Iris Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Chuo-ku, Tokyo, Representative Director: Sho Okiyama, hereinafter referred to as Iris), which develops medical devices equipped with AI, will announce its opening on Wednesday, November 29, 2023, Thursday, November 30, and November 12, 2023. Startup World Cup 2023, one of the world’s largest global pitch contest conferences, was held on Friday, March 1st, 2023, hosted by Pegasus Tech Ventures (Headquarters: California, USA, Representative Partner and CEO Anis Uzzaman). We would like to inform you that we won the competition.
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Iris won the Tokyo qualifying round, in which over 300 startups participated, and participated in the “Startup World Cup 2023” world competition as a representative of Japan.
The 10 companies that made it through the semi-finals of the world competition held on November 29th will take the stage as finalists on December 1st, and CEO Sho Okiyama will be promoting a startup that uses AI to open up the future of infectious disease diagnosis. We gave a presentation on the development and future prospects of the AI medical device nodoca(R).
This conference will highlight the fact that we have a unique pharyngeal image database unlike any other in the world, the potential of using Nodoca to fight infectious diseases around the world, and the fact that the data circulation system through Nodoca has already spread. The team was highly praised for their efforts and won the championship.
In addition, we won an investment prize of approximately 140 million yen (1 million USD) as a supplementary prize.
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■What is Startup World Cup?
The Startup World Cup, sponsored by Pegasus Tech Ventures in the US, is one of the world’s largest pitch contests, with qualifying rounds held in over 50 countries and regions. Established with the aim of building a global startup ecosystem and fostering entrepreneurship, representative companies that have survived regional preliminary rounds around the world will participate in the global finals held in San Francisco, USA, with an investment prize of approximately 140 million yen. and competed for honor.
The world competition was held in Silicon Valley, and on the first day, November 29th (Wednesday), the semi-finals were held by companies that had won the preliminary rounds in more than 50 countries and regions around the world, and the finals were held by 10 companies selected as finalists. It was held on Friday, the 1st of the month. ■Comment from Representative Director Sho Okiyama
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I am extremely grateful and humbled that our efforts and technical capabilities have been recognized in such a global forum.
Information about the pharynx, which a doctor would normally examine. The first step in our efforts was to photograph this and create a database in a form that AI could learn from. The database created in this way is a valuable medical research asset not only for us but for the entire world, with the potential to lead to the diagnosis of over 100 various diseases.
We are working seriously to create a system that will allow us to collect more data and create new and richer medical care by
collaborating with universities, government, local governments, and medical sites.
By developing not only AI but also hardware, and working on the development of new basic technologies in medical engineering, we will continue to take on the challenge until the day when a better future of medical care is realized.
■Comments from Management Advisor Hiroaki Sugita
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Congratulations to Mr. Okiyama and everyone at Iris.
I believe that winning the global competition of the Startup World Cup, the world’s premier startup pitch contest, is proof that Iris’ vision and technological capabilities are innovative and highly sought after globally.
I have a feeling that what diagnosis using throat image information and AI via the cloud will bring to our wellness will go beyond just diagnosing this flu, and will become immeasurable. .
Iris, with its accumulated throat data and AI technology, has significantly changed the conventional wisdom of medical care and developed tools that allow anyone to easily and painlessly diagnose the signs of various diseases. I’m sure they will continue to provide it.
We also hope that diagnostic services provided via the cloud will protect the health of many people, even in developing countries with a shortage of doctors and regions facing depopulation issues.
We are very pleased with this high evaluation at this global competition, and we hope that the further development of Iris will lead people around the world to a richer life.
Hiroaki Sugita: Former Japan representative of Boston Consulting Group (BCG). Appointed as Iris’ management advisor in June 2022.
■About nodoca
nodoca is an AI medical device used to diagnose influenza by using AI to analyze images of the pharynx and medical interview information, and detect findings characteristic of influenza.
Nodoca was developed with the involvement of over 100 domestic medical institutions. In addition, research and development as “AI research recommended by the Japanese Society of Emergency Medicine”,
commercialization support from the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO), and utilization of the domestically produced supercomputer “ABCI” of the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology It was developed through collaboration between industry, government, academia, and medicine in medicine and information engineering. In addition, we have designed and developed our own proprietary camera to take images of the pharynx suitable for AI analysis, which clearly captures the inside of the oral cavity and pharynx.
It has been known since the discovery and report by Japanese doctors (*1) that influenza follicles are useful for diagnosing influenza, but it takes an experienced doctor to accurately identify influenza follicles by visual inspection alone. judgment was required. Iris developed nodoca to reproduce the visual examination performed by a skilled doctor using AI.
■About Iris Co., Ltd.
Founded in 2017 with the mission of “Creating innovative medical care that everyone can co-create.” We have a large number of professionals, including representative Okiyama, who is an active doctor, medical professionals, people from government departments such as the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, data scientists specializing in the AI medical field, and people from major medical device manufacturers. We are developing AI medical devices that use learning technology (AI technology) to digitize the masterful skills of doctors.
【Company Profile】
・Company name: Iris Co., Ltd.
・Representative Director: Sho Okiyama
・Business content: Development, manufacturing, and sales of medical devices using AI technology, and research and development of artificial intelligence technology
・Established: November 2017
・Head office location: 7th floor, Yaesu Central Tower, 2-2-1 Yaesu, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 104-0028
・Company URL: https://aillis.jp/
■Contact information for press inquiries
Iris Co., Ltd.
Public relations person: Kuroki Shioda
E-mail: info@aillis.jp
*Note
(1) Akihiko Miyamoto, Shigeyuki Watanabe. Consideration of the meaning and value of clinical findings in the pharynx (influenza follicles). Nihon University Medical Journal. 2013; Vol. 72 No. 1: 11-18.