Secured Series C funding, bringing the total amount raised to 950 million yen.
Accelerating Clinical Research and Trials for Software as a Medical Device (SaMD) Under Development. Formidable Strengths in Ophthalmology Expertise and Offline Collaboration Will Drive Expansion and Scale of Online Medical Care Business.
InnoJin, Inc. (Headquarters: Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo), a university-launched startup, has recently raised funds through a Series C round via a third-party allotment of shares. This brings the company's cumulative funding total to 950 million yen.
Through our Seed, Series A, and Series B rounds, we have established the foundation for developing and implementing medical solutions in society, with the support of many partner companies and individual investors.
The funds raised in this round will be utilized to further accelerate clinical research and trials for Software as a Medical Device (SaMD) currently under development, with the goal of achieving early social implementation and market launch.
In addition, we will drive further expansion and growth of our online medical care business by fully leveraging the ophthalmology expertise and offline medical networks of the underwriting companies and investors participating in this round. By constructing a new medical delivery system in which online and face-to-face medical care seamlessly cooperate, we will further accelerate the implementation of our services in society.
Our Strengths and Growth Strategy for Products under Development
We operate a unique business model that combines "an online medical care digital platform specializing in ophthalmology," "healthcare apps," and "Software as a Medical Device (SaMD) aimed at diagnosing, treating, and preventing list diseases." While general online medical care services are expanding, digital health platforms specializing in ophthalmology remain extremely limited, and we have established a unique position in this field.
By consistently handling everything from raising awareness and recommending consultations for patients to providing online medical care and referring them to appropriate face-to-face medical institutions, we aim to build an ophthalmology digital healthcare platform.
Furthermore, by utilizing database assets accumulated through the cycle of "disease awareness/consultation recommendation," "online medical care," and "referrals to medical institutions," we aim to realize next-generation infrastructure for sustainable ophthalmic medical care linked to preventive medicine and personalized medicine.
With the funds raised this time, we will further drive our business, pivoting on "the expansion of our online medical care platform" and "accelerating clinical development and regulatory approval processes toward launching our SaMD pipeline."
■ Online Medical Care Platform Specializing in Ophthalmology
The smartphone penetration rate has reached 90.6% (Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications "2023 Communications Usage Trend Survey"), and with the progress of the digital society, supporting people's eye health is becoming increasingly important.
On the other hand, ophthalmology is a highly specialized field, and it is difficult for doctors from other departments to diagnose or treat in their place. In addition, because examinations require specialized testing equipment, face-to-face visits have traditionally been assumed. However, wait times have become normalized at hospitals and clinics, making continuous hospital visits difficult for those who find daytime consultations challenging due to work or school.
To solve these challenges associated with hospital visits, we provide a medical experience that seamlessly connects the stage where eye symptoms are "concerning" to treatment.
Everything from reservations, interviews, consultations, to payments can be completed entirely on a smartphone, and in principle, experienced ophthalmologists handle the medical care. We handle health insurance-covered ophthalmology for dry eye, styes, eye strain, hay fever, and have established a system where prescription drugs are shipped on the same day and delivered as early as the next day.
Furthermore, rather than finishing entirely within online medical care, we smoothly refer patients requiring precision testing or face-to-face care to nearby affiliated ophthalmology clinics, constructing a medical network where online and face-to-face medical care complement each other.
■ Healthcare Apps / Software as a Medical Device (SaMD)
In the Software as a Medical Device/therapeutic app market, which is expected to grow to approximately 285 billion yen by 2035, we will drive development of SaMD products targeting diseases with high unmet medical needs—ranging from encouraging consultations to assisting in diagnosis and treatment—with the aim of launching them sequentially.
・Smartphone App-Type Software as a Medical Device for Hay Fever Treatment Assistance (Unapproved)
Targeting hay fever, which is said to affect over 50 million people in Japan with diverse causes, we support customized treatment and prevention for each individual by offering a digital intervention program that visualizes disease risks and promotes cognitive and behavioral changes.
・Smartphone App-Type Software as a Medical Device for Dry Eye Diagnosis Assistance (Unapproved)
Targeting dry eye, which is said to have approximately 20 million patients in Japan and is expected to increase further with the aging population and digital lifestyle, we are developing a Software as a Medical Device that enables simple diagnostic checks via an app.
・Software as a Medical Device utilizing VR for Pediatric Amblyopia Training (Unapproved)
Traditional eye patch occlusion training has low treatment adherence rates and poses a significant burden on guardians. By using proprietary technology that displays real images to the amblyopic eye and blurred images to the healthy eye in VR, we aim to deliver an enjoyable, game-like treatment environment to improve adherence. It also allows doctors to keep track of detailed data, such as treatment times.
About InnoJin
Under our philosophy of achieving "people-friendly digital healthcare," we are a university-launched startup dedicated to the research, development, regulatory approval, and commercialization of medical devices utilizing innovative digital technology.
In 2022, we obtained a Type II Medical Device Marketing License and have been driving the research and development of a smartphone app for dry eye diagnostic assistance, a smartphone app for hay fever treatment assistance, and VR-based pediatric amblyopia training devices. We are also committed to realizing medical DX (Digital Transformation) in ophthalmology through the development of our digital teleophthalmology platform.
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