【Press Release】Pitch Event “Innovation Tiger 2025”: 16 Selected Teams from Japan, Korea, and Taiwan
A Panel of Eight Top Pharmaceutical Executives and VCs Will Challenge Participants Sharply

Press Release

Sept 5, 2025
iPark Institute Co., Ltd.

Pitch Event “Innovation Tiger 2025”: 16 Selected Teams from Japan, Korea, and Taiwan
A Panel of Eight Top Pharmaceutical Executives and VCs Will Challenge Participants Sharply

iPark Institute Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Fujisawa, Kanagawa; President & CEO: Toshio Fujimoto, hereafter “iPark Institute”) will host the pitch event Innovation Tiger 2025 on September 30 at Shonan Health Innovation Park (hereafter “Shonan iPark”) to further advance Asia-originated health innovation.
From May, a public call for applications was conducted over approximately two months, attracting 79 applications from startups and academia in Japan, Korea, and Taiwan. Sixteen teams were selected to participate.

Innovation Tiger 2025 Participating Teams (in no particular order):

Key Features of Innovation Tiger 2025
Feature 1:
Experienced experts in pharmaceutical business development serve as mentors, providing guidance on business plans, presentation materials, and pitch preparation, ensuring a high-level pitch event.
Advisors:
Jun Kusunoki Johnson & Johnson External Scientific Innovation APAC
Masanori Sato ReachMed Partners LLC

Feature 2:
Eight active top pharmaceutical companies and US-based VCs participate as judges, the “Tigers.” Watch closely how the 16 teams respond to sharp and expert feedback, and observe what they learn from heated discussions to refine their technologies and research.

Feature 3:
For the second year in a row, winners earn the right to participate in the Shonan Health Innovation Conference (SHIC) 2025, to be held in Boston, USA, in November. Participants will have one-on-one meetings and partnering opportunities with overseas investors and major pharmaceutical CVCs.

Selection Committee (Tiger)

Innovation Tiger 2025 Event Overview:
Date & Time: Tuesday, September 30, 13:00–18:00
Venue: Shonan iPark Auditorium & Online (Zoom)
Attendance: Pre-registration required: https://biz.q-pass.jp/f/12507/tiger2025
Program:
13:00–13:10 Introduction
13:10–14:40 Finalist Pitch (First Half)
14:40–14:50 Break
14:50–15:20 Panel Discussion
15:20–15:30 Break
15:30–17:00 Finalist Pitch (Second Half)
17:00–17:30 Discussion
17:30–18:00 Awards Ceremony – 3 million JPY Grand prize (prizes awarded to top five teams)

 

About iPark Institute Co., Ltd.
iPark Institute Co., Ltd. was established in 2023 with Industrial & Infrastructure Fund Investment Corporation (IIF), Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited (Takeda), and Mitsubishi Corporation as major shareholders. It took over the management of Shonan Health Innovation Park (Fujisawa City, Kanagawa Prefecture) in 2023, which Takeda has been responsible for since 2018. For more information about our company, please click here.

About Shonan Health Innovation Park (Shonan iPark)
Shonan iPark is Japan’s first pharmaceutical-initiated science park, created by Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited in April 2018 by opening its own research laboratories to the outside world. Currently operated by iPark Institute Co., Ltd. independent of Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited, the park aims to become a place where industry, government, and academia from a wide range of industries and sizes can come together to accelerate health innovation. Currently, the ecosystem is comprised of not only pharmaceutical companies, but also companies and organizations in next generation medicine, cellular agriculture, AI, and government, with approximately 190 companies and more than 2,500 people (as of September 2025).

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For the latest information on tenants and member companies at Shonan iPark, click here.

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For inquiries regarding this matter, please contact:
iPark Institute Co., Ltd., Communications
Attn: Sugita, Tsukahara
Mail: iPi.PR@shonan-ipark.com