From Science to Venture: Japan’s First BiTS Cohort Takes the Stage
Ten Fellows from Japan’s inaugural Big if True Science (BiTS) Japan Accelerator recently presented ambitious R&D programs they developed over an intensive 15 weeks, pitching to an audience of more than 90 leaders from government, venture capital, industry, philanthropy, and academia.
Hosted in partnership with the Cabinet Office of Japan, the Summit marked the culmination of Renaissance Philanthropy’s first BiTS Japan cohort, driving a new national model to cultivate leaders across the country capable of designing and launching mission-driven global research programs. This BiTS is Renaissance Philanthropy’s third cohort delivered in partnership with government agencies, building on previous successful cohorts developed with the U.K’s Advanced Research and Invention Agency ARIA and Germany’s Federal Agency for Breakthrough Innovation SPRIND, in partnership with Sweden’s Vinnova.
BiTS is Renaissance Philanthropy's accelerator for scientists, engineers, and entrepreneurs with bold ideas for transforming a field. Inspired by the leadership model behind ARPA-style innovation agencies, BiTS trains Fellows to identify critical societal challenges, design coordinated R&D programs, and build pathways from scientific discovery to real-world deployment.
In Japan, BiTS serves as a key talent pipeline for the Global Startup Campus (GSC) initiative, helping prepare future leaders for the International Research Program (IRP), spanning AI and robotics, biotechnology, and climate technology.
Building Japan’s First Cohort
Throughout the program, Fellows were supported by 10 mentors, including former ARPA-style Program Directors, and six science-to-venture advisors providing translation support and professional guidance.
Together, they challenged Fellows to sharpen their visions, strengthen their program designs, and think beyond traditional academic research toward large-scale societal impact. The inaugural cohort developed programs spanning climate, manufacturing, biotechnology, neuroscience, AI, mental health, and environmental resilience. The programs reflect the remarkable diversity of challenges being tackled: reshoring pharmaceutical biomanufacturing, removing toxic plastic additives from the human body, physical intelligence for next-generation manufacturing, phytoplankton pathways for next-generation carbon removal, and more.
The cohort’s programs are:
Richard Egan Eliminating drug shortages caused by supply chain disruptions
Emi Furukawa Building socially intelligent support infrastructure for neurodivergent children
Max Kanwal Building the measurement infrastructure for mental health
Jeremy S. Knopp Physical intelligence for Japan's manufacturing future
Rotem Gura Sadovsky Removing toxic plastic additives from the human body
Tomohito Shibata Accelerating climate tech deployment in Japan
Quico Toro Developing new sensor and ocean modeling technology for carbon dioxide removal
Masaki Umeda Developing self-acting climate adaptation systems to save lives
Masataka Watanabe Unlocking the promise of brain machine interfaces with AI-based restoration
Hide-Fumi Yokoo Leveraging industrial robots to establish a rare earth recycling ecosystem
“We identify what we call future leaders, and these BiTS Fellows are excellent examples of the kind of leaders we are looking for — people who have identified an important problem and have the passion and skills to tackle it.”
The Summit extended beyond Fellow presentations.
An afternoon fireside chat featuring Yet-Ming Chiang (MIT), Tadahisa “Hardy” Kagimoto (Healios), and Cheryl Martin (a member of the founding team of ARPA-E) explored one of the central questions facing modern science:
How do breakthrough discoveries become real-world impact?
Drawing on experience spanning startups, venture creation, government, and research leadership, the panel discussed what it takes to translate scientific ambition into deployable technologies, scalable ventures, and lasting societal benefit.
The day’s format was intentionally interactive, giving Fellows, Mentors, Advisors, and attendees ample opportunity to engage directly with one another. The conversations reinforced one of BiTS’s core principles: scientific excellence and entrepreneurial thinking must go hand in hand if breakthrough research is to create lasting impact.
“We’re grappling with really hard, interdisciplinary problems in the world, and I truly believe it’s not that we can’t solve these problems.”
“BiTS and the Summit were energizing, pushing me beyond familiar boundaries and toward new partnerships. Mentors sharpened my thinking and communication, while Renaissance Philanthropy’s generous support gave me the connections, momentum, and confidence to pursue my ambitions.”
Looking Ahead
While the Summit celebrated the conclusion of the inaugural accelerator, it also marked the beginning of the Fellows’ next chapter.
The ideas presented at the Summit are now moving toward partnerships, funding, and implementation, supported by an expanding network of mentors, advisors, investors, policymakers, and research leaders committed to advancing ambitious science.
Beyond the Fellows' individual journeys, the Summit also marked the transition from training to implementation. One Fellow will be selected as a Venture Director to lead an IRP under Japan's GSC Initiative, translating the BiTS methodology into a large-scale, mission-driven R&D program with the potential to influence how such programs are designed and funded in Japan.
Learn more about our Fellows, including their concept notes, biographies, and presentation videos.