Japan Competition 2025
This was the 5th annual XTC Japan competition and conference, led by IT-Farm. This year the final event was held at the Bellesalle Shiodome on 28 February – Japan Innovation Day 2025
Extreme Tech Challenge is always seeking startups using a variety of advanced deep-tech to foster a better society and environment, in harmony with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
Shinya Kasuga, General Partner at IT-Farm said:
“Technology knows no borders. Deep-tech and technology startups tackling humanity’s biggest challenges can aim for major businesses on the global stage. Many international investors see Japanese deep-tech startups as ‘technically advanced and attractive, but lacking a strong global business presence.
“XTC is an ecosystem that brings together global VCs and large companies with long histories in Silicon Valley, Europe, and Asia to provide entrepreneurs with networks for global fundraising and business development.
“We have held XTC JAPAN annually since 2020 and this year we expanded even more through collaboration with the startup exhibition JID 2025 by ASCII STARTUP and the accelerator Plug and Play Japan.”
The XTC Japan event on 28 February included a panel discussion on “Beyond AI and Semiconductors: Global Leaders Predict the Next Frontier,” featuring:
- Masataka Ōsaki (NVIDIA Japan)
- Hiro Yoshikawa (Carbide Ventures)
- Shinya Kasuga (IT-Farm)
Pitching and judging was co-organized with Plug and Play Japan and the resulting top 2 startups were:
XTC JAPAN 2025 Winner
- SalivaTech Co., Ltd. — Using saliva components to screen for 6 types of cancer.
- Makoto Sunamura, CEO of SalivaTech:
“I’m deeply grateful for this wonderful award. It’s incredibly rewarding to see the hard work of everyone — sales, research, and management — recognized. Our company is young-led, with a culture of proactive initiative. As a company that protects people’s health with kindness to society, we’ve also been certified as a “Health & Productivity Management Outstanding Organization.”
“We are developing a unique testing technology using AI and saliva, allowing easy testing at home or at work. We are pursuing PMDA certification, and are also working on a room-temperature kit, aiming to release it next year. We’re preparing to expand into the U.S. and Asian markets. Moving forward, we will strengthen collaboration with partner companies and medical institutions to build a sustainable company and contribute to the world.”
XTC JAPAN 2025 Runner-up
- Chinougijutsu Co., Ltd. — Developers of a remote-controlled wildfire-extinguishing heavy robot.
- Ryoji Otsu, CEO of Chinougijutsu:
“I’m truly happy to receive the runner-up award. My personal motivation to work on disaster robots came from witnessing the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake. I wanted to save lives, so I went to medical university, and later combined robotics with that purpose. We have already built a track record at 10 locations in Japan, and we currently operate in Ofunato City in Iwate Prefecture. But I believe our work should not be limited to Japan — for example, in the U.S. there are around 70,000 fires each year, so we want to scale our solution internationally. Through this prize, I want to expand globally and continue our challenge to save more lives and reduce environmental impact. Please continue to support us.”