About living best
Connecting Global Longevity Innovation with Japan
Living Best is a mission-led non-profit in Japan connecting global innovation, community insight and trusted relationships to create real-world impact.
We bring together ventures, investors, professionals, citizens and ecosystem partners to help promising ideas move from insight toward implementation.
In Japan, we collaborate with Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute International (ATR) in Keihanna Science City, connecting global longevity innovation with one of Japan’s leading research and innovation ecosystems.
Japan is our starting point because it is already living the demographic future that many other countries will soon face.
OUR PURPOSE
Better Ageing Through Better Innovation
Living Best exists to help identify, understand and advance innovations that can genuinely improve how people live, age and thrive.
Our role is to connect real needs with promising solutions, bring the right people together and help create credible pathways toward real-world use.
Our mission is to enable everyone to Live their Best.
HOW WE WORK
Human-Centred. Evidence-Led. Connected.
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Human-Centred Insight
- We begin with the lived experience of people, families and communities to understand what genuinely matters.
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Evidence-Informed Decisions
- We combine research, market insight and stakeholder perspectives to better understand opportunities and risks.
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Multi-Stakeholder Perspective
- Professionals, experts, users, institutions and ecosystem partners contribute different views that strengthen understanding.
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Global Innovation
- We identify promising ideas and ventures from around the world that may have relevance to Japan.
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Pathways to Action
- We connect evidence, relationships and opportunities to help strong ideas progress toward implementation.
Living Best brings these elements together to help promising innovation move from insight toward meaningful real-world impact.
Dominic’s Story
With more than three decades of experience in consumer insight and strategy, Dominic Carter saw a simple opportunity behind one of Japan’s biggest challenges:
An ageing society should not only be viewed as a problem to solve. It can also become a catalyst for better products, services, communities and ways of living.
That idea helped shape Living Best.
The goal is not simply to help people live longer, but to support innovation that helps people live better throughout longer lives.
Expertise Meets Passion
Living Best is guided by a team with experience across consumer insight, healthcare, longevity innovation, Japan market entry, venture development, partnerships and community engagement.
Together, the team helps connect global innovation with the people, evidence and relationships needed to create meaningful progress in Japan.
Dominic Carter
Co-Founder
As founder and CEO of The Carter Group, with over three decades in consumer insights and strategy, Dominic brings unparalleled market understanding to Living Best. His vision of transforming aging challenges into opportunities drives our mission to develop impactful, user-centered solutions that enhance quality of life for older adults.
Yasuko Akutsu
Chairman
Yasuko brings extensive experience in aging, healthcare design, and human-centred innovation. As CEO of MT Healthcare Design Institute and Associate Professor at Chiba University Hospital, she leads research and education focused on improving care experiences for older adults. Her long-standing involvement in global AgeTech networks, including her work as Aging2.0 Tokyo Ambassador, reflects her commitment to advancing evidence-informed solutions that support aging societies in Japan and internationally.
Debbie Howard
Co-Founder
Debbie’s 35+ years of experience in Japan and personal caregiving journey fuel her dedication to AgeTech innovation. Chairman of The Carter Group, her expertise in cross-cultural business strategies and deep connections globally are invaluable in tracking global AgeTech trends and synthesizing insights relevant to Japan.
Adam Claydon-Platt
Executive Director
Adam’s two decades of entrepreneurial experience in Japan and belief in technology to solve global megachallenges guide Living Best’s research direction, partnerships, and multi-stakeholder collaboration.
Asako Kurosaki
General Manager
Asako’s strategic acumen and operational expertise ensure the seamless execution of Living Best’s initiatives. Her commitment to fostering community engagement among both professionals and users is key to our human-centric approach, ensuring our solutions truly resonate with those we serve.
Japan as Our Starting Point
Japan Is Living the Future First
Japan is already experiencing demographic changes that many other countries will face in the years ahead.
That makes it an important place to understand real needs, evaluate promising innovations and create pathways toward real-world implementation.
Connected to Japan’s Innovation Ecosystem
Living Best collaborates with Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute International (ATR) in Keihanna Science City, bringing together global longevity innovation with research, industry, communities and other stakeholders in Japan.
Japan as a Testbed
Japan’s advanced ageing context provides a valuable environment for understanding how solutions perform with sophisticated users, institutions and real-world stakeholders.
From Insight to Implementation
Through our Living City approach, we connect community needs with promising global innovations and help shape pathways toward validation, partnerships, pilots and real-world use.
Shared Learning
What we learn in Japan can help inform how other ageing societies approach longer lives, community wellbeing and innovation.
Be Part of the Living Best Ecosystem
Whether you invest in innovation, build it, contribute expertise or help connect ecosystems, join us in shaping a future where longer lives are lived with purpose, dignity, and opportunity.
Together, we can build a world where people are
Living their Best.