Accelerating Collaborations with Startups
IVS2026, Japan’s Largest Startup Event
IVS2026, Japan’s largest startup event, was held in Kyoto City from July 1 to 3. Shimadzu Corporation exhibited a booth in the “KYOTO ZONE,” and members who manage its Corporate Venture Capital Fund also spoke in sessions.
Corporate Venture Capital (CVC) Fund
A CVC is a dedicated organization within a business company that works with startups. In 2023, Shimadzu established the CVC fund Shimadzu Future Innovation Fund (Shimadzu FIF) with Global Brain Corporation, a venture capital firm. Operated by Shimadzu’s CVC Group in the Research & Development Management Department, it has invested in 12 startups to date. All members are from research and development backgrounds and serve as experts in evaluating startup technologies.
IVS, Japan’s Largest Startup Fair
IVS started in 2007 and is now Japan’s largest conference for startup companies. It brings together startups, investors, large enterprises, and others from Japan and abroad. In addition to booths by about 400 startup companies and talk sessions featuring speakers from the industry, participants also organized “side events” and “pitch contests” in which businesses competed based on their business plans. This is the fourth consecutive year the IVS conference has been held in Kyoto, and Shimadzu has been sponsoring it as a silver partner since 2024.
A-wave, Inc. (left) and Immunosens Co., Ltd. (right), in which Shimadzu has invested
Expanding Deep-Tech Startups from Kyoto to the World
The KYOTO ZONE is an area established for leading companies, universities, and financial institutions in Kyoto to gather and promote matching between companies and startups, as well as the social implementation of research results. By exhibiting a booth, Shimadzu was able to interact with many startup companies.
The booth attracted a steady stream of visitors
About 15 companies exhibited a booth in the KYOTO ZONE
Speaking in Sessions
On July 1, Shimadzu representatives spoke at two KYOTO ZONE talk sessions. At the session entitled “Turning Research Results into a 'Business That Wins Globally' – Capital Strategies for Deep Tech Startups,” speakers included Nobuya Hashizume (Group Manager, CVC Group, Research & Development Management Department) and representatives from Nomura Securities Co., Ltd., Strike Group Co., Ltd., Resona Bank, Limited, and the Kyoto Prefectural Government’s Department of Commerce, Labor and Tourism, where they discussed optimal fundraising strategies from the different perspectives of business companies, securities firms, M&A support companies, and financial institutions. Hashizume said, “We want to build new businesses together with startups. We also welcome R&D using Shimadzu’s analytical instruments.”
Masatoshi Takahashi (General Manager, Research & Development Management Department) gave a presentation entitled “A Hub for Collaboration with Startups: Connecting with Kyoto's Leading Corporations and Universities in One Place—Where Tradition Meets Innovation.” He introduced an overview of Shimadzu’s CVC and examples of its investments.
CROSS TIDE, a Networking Event for CVCs and Startups
On July 1, the first “CROSS TIDE” event was held to explore the ideal way for business companies and CVCs to engage with startups. Centered on Headline Japan Co., Ltd., the program brings together the “CVC vs CVC” network of major corporate CVCs and multiple communities, including business companies and CVCs. As a sponsor of this program, Shimadzu participated in exhibiting a booth.
Comment from the Person in Charge
We participate in IVS to raise awareness of Shimadzu’s CVC and broaden our contacts with startups, business companies, external CVCs, and investors. Many representatives visited Shimadzu booth, not only from startups but also businesses and CVC investors, allowing us to establish many new contacts. Therefore, we hope to participate in similar events that generate new encounters in the future as well.
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