Blog

Tsutomu (Tom) Hoshiba, Representative Director of Kievit Scientific, will speak at a webinar hosted by JETRO New York on June 9 (U.S. Eastern Time). Life sciences is a broad field—spanning pharmaceuticals, medical devices, diagnostics, contract development/manufacturing, materials, and digital health. Many companies exploring U.S. expansion find themselves asking, “Where should we start?” In practice, choosing a location based on name recognition alone is rarely the best approach. It is more effective to work backward from your objectives and execution plan. In this session, we will review the U.S. East Coast ecosystem from a practical perspective and share key points for building an actionable market entry strategy....

May 11, 2026

We are excited to support Takahashi Keisei’s healthcare innovation, the Raku-Ryu series, as it expands in the United States. Specimen-based testing continues to grow across both at-home diagnostics and clinical settings, including FIT colorectal cancer screening, gut microbiome research, and calprotectin testing. As these programs scale, patient-friendly specimen collection becomes increasingly important—not only for patient comfort, but also for smoother workflows for healthcare providers. The Raku-Ryu series is designed to make specimen collection cleaner, simpler, and more hygienic for patients and providers. Key highlights include FDA registration and a flushable, biodegradable design aimed at improving ease of use and compliance. Through Kievit Scientific’s Virtual Director support model, we will work closely with Takahashi Keisei to help advance its U.S. market activities. We are also looking to connect with U.S. healthcare distributors, diagnostic labs, hospitals, and clinic networks that share an interest in improving the specimen collection experience. Learn more about the Raku-Ryu series here: https://www.rakuryucup.com/en/...

March 1, 2026

Kievit Scientific is pleased to announce the opening of our new office in Astoria, Oregon. Astoria and the surrounding region are home to thriving primary industries, including fisheries, forestry, agriculture, and dairy farming. We view this location as a strategic "testing ground" for bringing exceptional Japanese technologies—specifically in primary industries and SDGs—to the US market. Together with our life science hub on the East Coast (Philadelphia), we are fully committed to supporting Japanese innovation as it takes on the world. #KievitScientific #NewOffice #AstoriaOR #PrimaryIndustries #Fisheries #Forestry #Agriculture #Dairy #SDGs #JapaneseInnovation...

January 28, 2026

Tom Hoshiba will be speaking at this event on October 29, 2025, at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia. His talk will cover supporting Japanese life science startups in the U.S., why Philadelphia offers a strong ecosystem for innovation, and recent initiatives by the City of Kobe to foster international collaboration. https://japanphilly.org/event/2025-life-sciences-dialogue-innovation-and-breakthroughs/?event_date=2025-10-29 #LifeSciences#Innovation#Startups#Philadelphia#JapanUS#KobeCity#GlobalCollaboration#ThomasJeffersonUniversity#ライフサイエンス#イノベーション#スタートアップ#フィラデルフィア#日米連携#神戸市...

September 23, 2025

As part of Kobe Biomedical Innovation Cluster’s global outreach efforts, this project aims to strengthen collaborations with key stakeholders—universities, hospitals, VCs, and accelerators—in the Philadelphia-centered U.S. East Coast ecosystem. The goal is to build an effective support infrastructure for Japanese life science startups seeking to expand internationally. Kievit Scientific will work in close partnership with Kicker Ventures and PlanEx Business Partners to provide hands-on, locally grounded support across multiple areas including drug discovery, medical devices, and business development. http://www.city.kobe.lg.jp #KievitScientific #CityofKobe #StartupSupport #LifeSciences #KobeBiomedicalInnovationCluster #Philadelphia #KickerVentures #PlanExBusinessPartners #USJapanPartnership #GlobalHealthInnovation...

June 9, 2025

Kievit Scientific is proud to participate as a hands-on mentor in the foundational program of the “HealthTech Gateway ‘AI Medical in the US’” initiative. This program is part of JETRO’s (Japan External Trade Organization) international entrepreneur dispatch program—J-StarX—and is conducted in collaboration with Mayo Clinic, a leading U.S. medical institution with one of the largest patient data networks in the country. The program aims to support startups that leverage digital health and AI-based products by helping them enter the U.S. market, access medical data, and refine their products. We look forward to supporting digital health startups as they aim to make a global impact and are excited to contribute to their growth and success.   https://www.jetro.go.jp/services/j-starx/b215.html   #JStarX #HealthTechGateway #DigitalHealth #Startups #MayoClinic #USMarketEntry...

October 10, 2024

On October 22, 2024 (Tuesday), Tsutomu Hoshiba, CEO of Kievit Scientific, will be participating in the 8th Medical Device Innovation in Kashiwa-no-ha as part of the Kicker AccelFit program. This event, hosted by the National Cancer Center Hospital East, focuses on the ecosystem development and global expansion of the medical device industry. The symposium will feature panel discussions and pitches from startups aiming to expand overseas, showcasing success stories and discussing strategies for building ecosystems that support the growth of the medical device industry both domestically and internationally. Through Kicker AccelFit, Kievit Scientific will share insights and support Japan’s life science companies in achieving global success. For those interested in attending, please register using the link below: https://axl-next.ncc.go.jp/2024/09/post2601/ #KickerAccelFit #MedicalDeviceInnovation #LifeSciences #GlobalExpansion #KashiwanohaEvent...

September 19, 2024

NEXs Tokyo aims to transcend industry, sector, and regional boundaries to foster innovation, creating a vibrant ecosystem that connects startups across Japan with large corporations, local governments, and support organizations. This aligns perfectly with our mission to support startups in their journey towards global expansion. We are honored to be part of this transformative project and look forward to contributing our expertise in facilitating overseas growth for startups. By leveraging Tokyo's rich resources and network, we aim to propel these innovative companies onto the global stage. https://www.nexstokyo.metro.tokyo.lg.jp #Innovation #Startups #GlobalExpansion #NEXsTokyo #Partnership #Tokyo...

April 5, 2024

Continuing from last year, Kievit Scientific will provide the Support Organization Award at the Japan Healthcare Business Contest (JHeC) 2024, organized by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. The aim of this contest is to encourage and support new ideas and solutions that bring innovation to the healthcare industry in Japan, a mission we wholeheartedly support. Under the Support Organization Award, Kievit Scientific will offer our uniquely developed 'Tailor-Made Overseas Expansion Support Program' to participants who present the most progressive and innovative proposals. This program provides robust support to transform the global vision of the winners into reality. https://healthcare-innohub.go.jp/jhec2024 #JHeC2024 #StartUp #Healthcare #Innovation #KievitScientific...

January 15, 2024

Thrilled to announce that WILLTEX's WILLCOOK, which we supported under Yokohama City's '2022 US Life Science Market Development Program', has won the Best of Innovation in Home Appliances at CES 2024. This award signifies a milestone in innovative product development and international market expansion. Eagerly anticipating further global success for such advanced products. Proud to continue supporting WILLTEX's journey. https://www.ces.tech/innovation-awards/honorees/2024/best-of/w/willcook.aspx #CES2024 #Innovation #HomeAppliances #WILLCOOK #WILLTEX"...

November 18, 2023