Participated · Seed · Nov 2023

VCCT develops cell therapy treatments for retinal diseases, building on CEO Masayo Takahashi’s leadership of the world’s first iPS cell–derived retinal transplantation clinical study in 2014. The company has conducted multiple clinical studies in collaboration with Kobe City Eye Hospital and is focused on ex vivo and in vivo ocular cell-therapy solutions. VCCT is participating in a METI-selected consortium to develop infrastructure for regeneration, cell, and gene therapies, and will lead efforts on automated cell production, quality-information management, and patient-selection systems. The company aims to establish an end-to-end supply chain and a viable business model for regenerative medicine, pursue clinical demonstration, and move toward full-scale commercialization in Japan. VCCT also plans global development of its therapy products and is preparing to raise further funds from international investors. Financially, VCCT has raised equity and debt to support these activities and continues to accelerate development with strategic partners.

Led · Series B · May 2021

ThinkCyte develops VisionSort, the company’s flagship AI-based, dual-mode fluorescence and morphometric cell sorting platform, launched in June 2023. VisionSort has been adopted by major biopharmaceutical companies and leading academic research institutions worldwide. The company plans to use new funding to scale production and manufacturing and to accelerate global commercial expansion of VisionSort. ThinkCyte completed a Series C financing (including a recent extension) and also secured a loan to support growth. The new proceeds bring ThinkCyte’s total funding to $91 million. ThinkCyte was founded in 2016 and maintains offices in Tokyo, Japan and Redwood City, California. ThinkCyte develops scientific instruments that combine proprietary optics, microfluidics, and artificial intelligence to enable high‑throughput, label‑free single‑cell analysis and sorting using its Ghost Cytometry technology. Its flagship product, VisionSort, commercially launched in June and is an AI‑based dual‑mode fluorescence and morphometric cell sorting platform. Since the summer launch the company has completed deliveries to major pharmaceutical companies and leading research institutions in the U.S. The company plans to use new funding to expand production capacity for VisionSort and accelerate sales across North America, Europe, and Asia. ThinkCyte says it will continue developing complementary technologies and products to broaden the impact of Ghost Cytometry in life sciences. The company was founded in 2016 and has offices in Tokyo and Redwood City, California. ThinkCyte develops life‑science research, diagnostic, and therapeutic platforms built around its proprietary image‑based high‑throughput cell sorting technology, Ghost Cytometry. The company focuses on drug discovery, cell therapy, and clinical diagnostics applications of its image‑based cell analysis and sorting system. ThinkCyte intends to use new funding to accelerate development of its cell‑therapy sorting system, expand clinical diagnostics and drug‑discovery activities, and pursue global business growth. The company was founded in 2016 and is led by CEO Waichiro Katsuda. ThinkCyte is based in Tokyo, Japan, and also maintains offices in San Carlos, California. The recent financing strengthens its balance sheet to support product development and international expansion plans.