Led · Equity · Jan 2026

CoreTissue BioEngineering (CTBE) is a 2016 startup founded to commercialise Professor Kiyotaka Iwasaki’s “tissue-regenerative ligament device.” The device employs bovine tendons as a scaffold, eliminating the need to harvest autologous grafts when reconstructing the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), a common injury among athletes in high-impact sports. By avoiding additional surgical sites, CTBE aims to shorten recovery times and reduce patient burden. The company is now moving from academic research toward full product commercialisation and clinical adoption. On 10 November it secured ¥600 million in new funding, indicating growing investor confidence in its technology. The latest capital injection brings strategic backing from food major Nippon Ham alongside financial support from Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Capital’s investment partnership. The company has not yet disclosed revenue figures or user metrics, but the fresh funds are expected to accelerate product development and regulatory preparations.

Participated · Series A · May 2020

IntegriCulture is a Japanese cellular agriculture company founded in October 2015 that positions itself as an infrastructure platform for the industry rather than solely a cultured meat developer. Its patented CulNet System co-cultures growth-factor-producing cells alongside target cells to emulate inter-organ interactions, letting the company generate serum components in-house and culture animal cells without fetal bovine serum or externally added growth factors. IntegriCulture released CELLAMENT, a cosmetics ingredient derived from cell culture supernatant, in April 2021 and sells it both as a raw ingredient and through OEM arrangements; it has developed bioreactors for cultured meat production with partner Hamano Manufacturing, and in 2021 founded the CulNet Consortium, an open innovation platform that launched with 12 member organisations. The company plans to accelerate cosmetics product development, extend a nationwide cellular agriculture implementation network through partnerships with regional financial institutions and operating companies, build out business-to-business sales, and strengthen in-house research. IntegriCulture is registered in Bunkyo, Tokyo, keeps its main office at Shonan Health Innovation Park in Fujisawa, Kanagawa, and is led by co-representative directors Yuki Hanyu (CEO) and Ikko Kawashima (CTO). Financially, the company had raised approximately ¥1.9 billion (about $16.4 million) in equity as of January 2022 across a 2018 seed round, a 2020 Series A, and a 2022 Series A' round, and has since taken ¥100 million bank loans from Tokyo Star Bank in November 2024 and Hokkoku Bank in August 2025 and completed a further equity round from seven investors in July 2026. The articles do not disclose the amount of the July 2026 round, current headcount, or a valuation.