AgeTech is Now!
AgeTech Market Entry Pitch Competition
On October 11th, 2023, our live event and pitch competition in Tokyo marked a significant gathering of innovators in the AgeTech sector from Japan and worldwide. This event showcased the latest advancements at the intersection of aging and technology, highlighting solutions ranging from health-tracking wearables to robotic exoskeletons for enhanced mobility.
The gathering was a hub for diverse stakeholders committed to improving the lives of aging adults, including corporates, startups, and academic institutions. It was a platform for meaningful collaborations and featured insights from leading AgeTech experts, both in-person and remotely.
Living Best Market Entry Pitch Competition
Featuring AgeTech Companies from Around the World!
At the AgeTech event organized by Living Best, a highlight was the Market Entry Pitch Competition, where seven mature agetech startups showcased their innovative concepts.
Participants were carefully selected based on evaluations from Living Best’s User Group, consisting of Japanese consumers aged 65 and above.
The competition concluded with the announcement of winners, with the top winner receiving US$100,000 in market entry research and partner search support from The Carter Group, and two runners-up receiving support valued at US$50,000 each.
Ryan Herd
Caregiver Smart Solutions
Non-invasive sensor platform for monitoring daily activities to improve quality of life as our loved ones age in place.
Nancy McGovern
Comfort Linen
A system of pajamas and sheets, created by a physiotherapist, that enables movement in bed with greater ease and freedom.
Teresa Wang
HeyDay Fitness
An AI connected strength training machine for 65+. A safe, effective, and fun way to train for strength and reduce falls.
Elizabeth Blanchard
My Medic Watch
Provider of automatic fall detection monitoring service leveraging Apple and Android smartwatches.
Ariel Almos
Obie
A gaming console for ageing adults, including games for the development of cognitive, motoric, and social behavior.
Colin Pudsey
SilVR Adventures
Virtual reality-based experiences for elders. Allows users to explore VR environments to reduce loneliness & isolation.
Emile Maamary
Steadiwear
A ground-breaking glove designed to significantly reduce your hand tremor in Essential tremor.
Ryan Herd
Caregiver Smart Solutions
Nancy McGovern
Comfort Linen
Teresa Wang
HeyDay Fitness
Elizabeth Blanchard
My Medic Watch
Ariel Almos
Obie
Colin Pudsey
SilVR Adventures
Emile Maamary
Steadiwear
Live Speakers
Carol Chiang
Occupational Therapist and Founder of Evolving Homes®
inspiring and informing innovations in Ageing-in-Place and AgeTech through her work with companies and universities such as UBS, Toyota Research Institute and MIT AgeLab Omega, speaking on AgeTech Innovations in Action.
Dominic Carter
Founder and CEO The Carter Group – Japan Market Resource Network, and Co-Founder of Living Best
With over 20 years of refining market approaches that are firmly rooted in Japanese user experience, speaking on: Role of UX in Bringing Startups and Users Together.
Pre-Recorded Video Panelist Highlights
Meet Some of the Trailblazers of Age-Tech Ecosystem Development!
The Age-Tech event featured a compelling compilation video with pre-recorded messages from global age-tech experts, introduced by Moderator Linda Sherman. The event included a live Q&A session with panelists Claire Chang, Stephen Johnston, Hiroyuki Suzuki, and Shiho Watabe, who were able to join the event in person.
This video highlighted the diverse global ecosystems shaping the future of age-tech, underscoring the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration for developing age-tech products to enhance the lives of ageing adults worldwide.
Andy Miller
Andy, SVP at AARP, leads innovation, enhancing Medicare benefits and promoting ageing adults’ financial security. Guiding global longevity efforts, his AgeTech Collaborative aids age tech startups from development to market entry and beyond.
Claire Chang
Claire, a Taiwan-based tech innovation advisor and startup ecosystem contributor, founded TechMoi in 2016, aiding tech transfer from idea to commercialization. She’s a Board Member for La French Tech Taiwan, bridging tech entrepreneurship between France and Taiwan.
Janice Chia
Janice leads Singapore’s Ageing Asia, a consultancy pioneering innovation in the Asia-Pacific’s US$3 trillion ageing market. Specializing in strategic partnerships, she unites CEO-level figures across sectors, facilitating market entry. She also founded ASPIRE55, Asia’s first virtual retirement village, and annually hosts the World Ageing Festival, drawing 5,000 attendees.
Mel Barsky
Mel directs Business Development at CABHI, a solution accelerator fostering innovations in brain health and ageing adults’ care. Established in 2015, CABHI, with a diverse partnership, aids the global ageing population in maintaining their well-being while ageing safely in preferred settings.
Shiho Watabe
Shiho, CEO of Shibuya Startups, leverages her global expertise from Google and Morgan Stanley to aid age-tech. Supported by Shibuya City Government and Japanese industry leaders, her venture provides resources for global startups entering Japan, spanning age-tech to fashion.
Dr. Stefania Bandini
Dr. Stefania Bandini, a global walkability expert and Full Professor of Computer Science at University of Milano Bicocca, excels in AI. Her decade-long collaboration with University of Tokyo’s RCAST and fellowship with JSPS enriches her multidisciplinary research in AI, engineering, and management.
MC
Moderator
Debbie Howard
Linda Sherman
Linda, an international marketing pro, previously held CEO/CMO roles in Japan-based MNCs like Club Med and Wal-Mart. Now dedicated to aging population and caregivers, she fosters product creation and connections via the Rethinking Aging Club. With a rich history including Nihon Keizai Doyukai membership and ACCJ Marketing Programs Chair, she’s an investor and CMO at MBET Health, and Managing Editor of Boomer Tech Talk.
Living Best Market Entry Pitch Competition Judges
Yasuko Akutsu
Established MT Healthcare Design Research Inc in 2012, an independent design research firm for the healthcare field. Tokyo Ambassador of the Aging 2.0 Tokyo chapter since 2018. Associate Professor at Chiba University Hospital since 2019. Producing a reskilling course at Chiba University Hospital, which includes Medical Innovations and the Care DX Human Resources Program. Recipient of the Human Interface Society Research Award (2021).
Yusuke Kano
Mr Yusuke Kano, Chairman of Japan CareTech Association. Also Founder and CEO of Welmo Inc. with a capitalization of JPY2.73B, five offices in Japan and a development office in Helsinki, Finland. He was selected as one of the 99 Japanese leaders of Forbes Japan 2018 New Innovator list. His company received the Excellence and Special Award at Japan’s largest Health Care Business Contest supported by METI in 2019.
Tim Romero
Tim Romero is a Partner at JERA Ventures and host of the Disrupting Japan podcast. Tim is deeply involved in Japan’s startup community as an investor, founder, author and educator, and he has founded several startups in Japan over the past 25 years. Tim has also taught entrepreneurship and corporate innovation at NYU’s Tokyo campus and worked with TEPCO and other Japanese enterprises on startup engagement and innovation strategy.
Hiroyuki Suzuki
Hiroyuki Suzuki is Executive Vice President & Representative Director of Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute International (ATR), where he is involved in corporate management & planning, and business development, and President & CEO of XBorder Innovations, Inc. (XBI), which he launched in 2021 to strengthen startup support activities. He also works with the global innovation hub at Kansai Science City near Osaka.
About the Organizer
The Carter Group – Japan Market Resource Network is a Tokyo-based research consultancy that for 30+ years has worked with international businesses aligning business strategy with customer needs in Japan.
Committed to Age-Tech development that is authentically human centric, the company also developed its Living Best platform to serve as a catalyst for tech-enabled product and service development that creates an ageless society through its:
Professional Group
A global knowledge-sharing and networking platform connecting parties interested in the world of Age-Tech in Japan, wherever they are located.
User Group
A consumer-based platform that connects age-tech developers with real users to test necessary adaptations and marketing approaches with Japanese older adults.