Digital Garage and Eisai Jointly Launch “Onlab Bio Dementia,” a Collaborative Cultivation Program with Dementia-related Startups

Digital Garage, Inc. (TSE first section: 4819; HQ: Tokyo; Representative Director, President Executive Officer and Group CEO: Kaoru Hayashi; DG) launches the “Open Network Lab BioHealth Dementia Innovation Challenge (Onlab Bio Dementia)” together with Eisai Co., Ltd. (TSE first section: 4523; HQ: Tokyo; Eisai) and begins accepting applications for teams to participate in the program on November 4. Through “Onlab Bio Dementia,” DG will promote open innovation with Eisai and dementia-related startups to help create a dementia-inclusive society.

Dementia is becoming a critical issue as Japan’s population is aging rapidly. DG is building a dementia innovation ecosystem together with Eisai (a company that carries out advanced initiatives globally and has a long history of working on dementia) and startups tackling dementia-related issues.

Since launching “Open Network Lab (Onlab),” Japan’s first accelerator program, in 2010, DG has expanded its open innovation programs specialized in specific regions and fields. It has carried out a cumulative total of more than 30 programs so far. More than 150 startups have been turned out, including listed companies and unicorns with estimated values of over 1 billion dollars. DG Lab started “Open Network Lab BioHealth” in 2018. This accelerator program is aimed at promoting open innovation and cultivating startups in healthcare and biotechnology, one of DG Lab’s focused fields.

DG has a business development track record and experience in the digital field (including AI, blockchain, and digital health), and can offer management expertise and mentoring acquired through “Onlab” and other efforts to provide business support to and invest in startups. By combining these assets with Eisai’s extensive experience and knowledge in drug discovery and disease awareness activities in the field of dementia, “Onlab Bio Dementia” will help dementia-related startups grow their businesses.

“Onlab Bio Dementia” will include the “open innovation program,” which aims to combine DG and Eisai’s resources and assets with startups’ technologies and services to create joint businesses, business alliances, and investments through collaboration and proofs of concept. Additionally, the “accelerator program” will provide mentoring by experts in various fields to support the business growth of startups in the seed and early stages.

【Outline of the “Open Network Lab BioHealth Dementia Innovation Challenge”】
■ Support
– Mentoring by a wide range of experts
– Support in specialized fields
– Provision of domestic and international network

■ Eligible candidates
– Companies working to resolve problems related to dementia in the areas of (1) brain health check and maintenance in daily life, (2) disease awareness / testing, (3) accurate diagnosis / confirmation of treatment effects, (4) treatment in medicine, (5) care, and (6) other themes.
– Companies with services, products, or ideas that can be expected to produce synergy with partner companies, and that can think in a forward-looking manner about capital alliances and business partnerships over the medium-to-long term with partners, etc.
– Companies that can devote resources to initiatives for co-creation with partner companies after being selected for the program

■ Schedule
Applications accepted: November 4 (Thursday) – noon on December 27 (Monday), 2021
Teams selected: Early February 2022
Program provided: Mid-February 2022 – Mid-May 2022

■ Program details and entry form
https://onlab.jp/en/programs/biohealth-dementia/

【Inquiries from startups】
Onlab BioHealth Secretariat
onlab-bio@garage.co.jp