フードテックグランプリ2025 | TECH PLANTER by リバネス

NEWS

News

【開催報告】フードテックグランプリ2025：最優秀賞はCaramelersが受賞 ―歯磨きスイーツで世界の歯磨き弱者を救う

2025/10/14 Foodtech Grand Prix 2025: Grand Prize Won by Caramelers -Toothpaste Sweets Save the World's Toothbrush Victims

Grand Prix
News
Food Tech Grand Prix

2025/10/08 Foodtech Grand Prix 2025 to be held

Food Tech Grand Prix

領域別TECH PLANTER 2025 パートナー、ファイナリスト決定のお知らせ -全国から集結した84チームのファイナリスト、45のパートナー企業と共に世界の課題解決に挑む-

2025/09/20 Announcement of TECH PLANTER 2025 Partners and Finalists by Domain - 84 finalist teams from across Japan, together with 45 partner companies, will take on the challenge of solving global issues.

Agritech Grand Prix
Ecotech Grand Prix
Grand Prix
Deep Tech Grand Prix
News
Biotech Grand Prix
Food Tech Grand Prix
Marintec Grand Prix
Lifetech Grand Prix

TECH PLANTER 2025 デモデイ開始のお知らせ -国境を超えた課題解決プロジェクトを集合体の知を持って挑む-

2025/09/13 Announcement of the start of TECH PLANTER 2025 Demo Day -Taking on cross-border problem-solving projects with collective knowledge

Agritech Grand Prix
Ecotech Grand Prix
Grand Prix
Deep Tech Grand Prix
News
Biotech Grand Prix
Food Tech Grand Prix
Marintec Grand Prix
Lifetech Grand Prix

ABOUT

Outline of the event

point (e.g. of a statement)

Scientific and technological "seeds" are being created in universities, research institutes, and corporate laboratories, but it takes a lot of effort before they sprout into practical applications. The "Tech Planter," organized by LIVERNESS and its partners, is an ecosystem that aims to serve as a planter to discover these seeds and help them sprout into businesses. The Foodtech Grand Prix is a program aimed at discovering and fostering technological seeds and entrepreneurs in the real tech field (food production, processing technology, distribution systems, etc. that can realize a sustainable food industry).

Related Grand Prix :. Foodtech Grand Prix List

subject (of taxation, etc.)

Those who have a vision to change the world or improve the world based on the technological seeds in the real tech field and have a will to establish or develop a new business.
Individuals and teams are both welcome to participate, even before incorporation.
No limitation on the number of years of establishment, even if you are already a corporation. Even if you are close to mass production or PMF establishment, if you are planning to collaborate with partner companies, etc., it is acceptable.

Application Theme

Technology that contributes to the realization of a sustainable food industry

Application period

Monday, December 2, 2024 - Friday, July 4, 2025 23:59

Screening Criteria

A panel of judges composed of LIVERNESS and its partners will review the following items

01novelty (patentability)
02feasibility
03Overseas Expansion Capabilities
04Are you going to change the world?
05passion

commendation

Grand Prize: (300,000 yen cash prize + right to receive 5 million yen business investment) 1
Corporate Prize: (200,000 yen) Approximately 10 prizes will be awarded.

SCHEDULE

Schedule

12/2[MON]: Entry Start

this way (direction close to the speaker or towards the speaker)Please register as a member and fill out the web form to apply.
We also hold information sessions on a college-by-college and individual basis to encourage determination to enter and to teach tips on document preparation. Please feel free to contact us for more information.

6/7[SAT]: kickoff

RIVANES and its partners, as well as entered teams, will meet and mingle.
Business consultation and partnership development with each other will be available. Participation or lack of participation on the day of the event will not be considered.

7/4[FRI].: 1st round: Application Screening

A panel of judges composed of LIVERNESS and its partners will review the documents.
You will be asked to submit information about your team, skills, passions, and vision for the future via web form and video.
All applicants will be notified of the screening results and provided with feedback on their applications.
In addition, individual interviews (also online) for presentation review will be conducted for those who wish to participate.

8monthfirst 10 days of month: Finalists determined

Interviews will be held for applicants who pass the document screening to brush up their presentations for the final round.
In addition, meetings can be set up with partner companies for the purpose of business consultation and developing partnerships.

10/11[SAT]: Food Tech Grand Prix

The 12 finalist teams that pass the document screening will be screened for presentation.

10Month～: Cooperation Discussion

After the Demo Day, the contact point between the venture and LIBANES will continue to be open for discussions on commercialization.
We handle a wide range of start-up issues, from incorporation to prototype development, financing, R&D, and more.
In addition, collaborative matching between ventures and partner companies has become more active to support business development.

PARTNER

ASSET

asset

ASSET01Riverness Communicator
ASSET02Partners
ASSET03Professional Supporter
ASSET04superfactory group

SUPPORT

Support

SUPPORT01Organize the purpose and vision of starting a business
SUPPORT02Brush up on your presentation
SUPPORT03Providing opportunities for business company collaboration
SUPPORT04Support for R&D and prototype development
SUPPORT05Support for knowledge and IP strategies
SUPPORT06finance

DEMO DAY

Grand Prix Outline

Grand Prix Name

Foodtech Grand Prix 2025

Location

center of a garage (1-16-3 Yokogawa, Sumida-ku, Tokyo)

Date & Time

Saturday, October 11, 2025, 13:00-19:00

Application period

Monday, December 2, 2024 - Friday, July 4, 2025 23:59

Participation Target

Held on a closed, pre-registration basis (finalists, partner companies, professional supporters, Super Factory Group)

organizing

Leave a Nest Co., Ltd.

timeline

12:30-13:00: inauguration
13:00-13:30: Greetings from the Organizer
13:30-17:00: Presentation (Presenter①～⑫)
17:00-17:50: Review Time
17:50-19:00: Announcement of Judging Results and Award Ceremony
19:00-19:30: (cultural) exchange meeting

JUDGE

judge

head judge
Executive Officer, LIVERNESS Co.
Shuhei Tsukada

D. in Agriculture. D. in Agronomy, Dr. Kikuchi studied soil microbiology at the University of Tokyo and joined LIVERNESS in 2003, where he was engaged in creating a system to implement the results of his research in society. He contributed to the expansion of the "Tech Planter" deep tech ecosystem, launched a regional acceleration in Kumamoto, and expanded it to Okayama, etc. In 2020, he established the "Food Tech Grand Prix" to build a new industrial foundation in the food sector. Currently promoting "Food Alpha" with UR Urban Renaissance Agency. Executive Officer and Director of Liverness Capital.
CEO, UnlocX Corporation / Founder, SKS JAPAN
Hirotaka Tanaka

After working at Panasonic, he spent 8 years at McKinsey & Company, mainly in the high-tech and telecommunications industries, where he was involved in growth strategy planning and execution, M&A, new business development, and venture collaboration. In 2005, he joined Sigmaxyz and launched the global food tech summit "SKS JAPAN". In October 2023, he founded UnlocX Inc. with the aim of creating a food ecosystem while working on food-related business development and community building. Co-author of "Food Tech Revolution" (Nikkei BP, 2008), "Food Tech de Changen Shoku no Mirai" (Food Tech de Changen Shoku no Mirai, 2012/PHP Shinsho). Director of General Incorporated Association SPACE FOODSPHERE / Outside Director of Base Food Corporation / Outside Director of TechMagic Corporation / Representative Director of General Incorporated Association Next Prime Food
Director, Lake Biwa Research Institute, Otsuka Foods Co.
Takuya Okamoto

Born in Kyoto City, Japan. After completing graduate studies at Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, worked at Otsuka Chemical before joining Otsuka Foods. He was responsible for a variety of domestic and international operations, including consumer product development, marketing, corporate planning, and new business planning. He has also been involved in the Otsuka Group's overseas expansion, including the establishment of a Chinese operating company, a secondment to a U.S. operating company, and concurrently serving in the Global Strategic Planning Division of the NC Business of Otsuka Holdings Co.
Deputy General Manager, Corporate Strategy Department, DAIDOH LIMITED ╱ Director, Future Co-Creation Institute
Shinya Umegaki

Born in 1976. After joining Daido Drinko in 2012, he worked in the Marketing Department and Corporate Communications Department before assuming his current position in 2022. After leading the identification of Group materiality during the formulation of the Medium-Term Management Plan 2026, he has been engaged in building a management foundation for the realization of sustainability management. 2023 he will concurrently serve in the Strategic Investment Group, and in 2025 he will launch the Future Co-Creation Institute, focusing on the creation of new value for the entire Group as its director.
Manager, Business Management Department, Takara Holdings Co.
Manabu Osaki

In April 2006, he joined Takara Shuzo Co. After joining Takara Shuzo, he was engaged in basic research on alcoholic beverages at the company's Research and Development Center. Since April 2025, he has been in charge of new business development in the Business Management Department of Takara Holdings Co. Born in Tochigi Prefecture.
Chief, Central Research Institute, Nipun Corporation
Hiroyuki Haraguchi

After completing the Graduate School of Agriculture at Kyushu University, he joined Nippon Flour Milling Co. (now Nipun Co., Ltd.), where he was involved in genetic research support business, technical support for bio-research such as DNA chips, food analysis business, R&D and market development of analytical methods using molecular biological methods, and the launch of HACCP consulting business. He has been in his current position since April 2025. He is responsible for research related to food safety and security. Doctor of Science.
Manager, D-LAB, Japan Tobacco Inc.
Yuya Takeuchi

Through data science and DX consulting, he has driven industrial transformation in diverse organizations. Currently, at the corporate R&D organization (D-LAB) of Japan Tobacco Inc. (JT), he is engaged in exploring and creating business creation starting from "spiritual richness". Specializing in behavioral change and systemic design, he promotes activities that support people's passionate "Day 0" aspirations.
Director and CFO, Metagen, Inc.
Yoshinori Mizuguchi

2015 Co-founded and became a director of Metagen, Inc. while a master's student at the Graduate School of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Tokyo University of Science. 2018 Completed the doctoral program at the same graduate school and the MEXT/JSPS Leading Program for Doctoral Education in Information and Life Sciences, Tokyo University of Science. D. in Engineering. He has served as COO and CSO of the company before assuming his current position. 2020 Temporary member of the Industrial Structure Council, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry; from 2023, Temporary member of the Council for Science and Technology, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. Specialized in biological tissue engineering.
Director and Managing Executive Officer, UR Linkage, Inc.
Hiroyuki Matsunaga

After 10 years of experience in the private sector, he joined the Japan Housing and Urban Development Corporation (now Urban Renaissance Agency) in 1997. Utilizing his experience in new town development, he was responsible for the creation of various projects such as urban renewal, earthquake reconstruction, and overseas expansion. Most recently, he served as Deputy General Manager of the East Japan Urban Renaissance Headquarters for four years, where he was involved in the coordination, project formation, and promotion of about 100 projects, promoting variable and non-decisional urban development. Currently, as the director in charge of corporate planning and innovation promotion at UR Linkage, he is working on the future of the company.
President and Representative Director, Yoshinoya Holdings Co.
Tetsuya Naruse

(now Yoshinoya Holdings Co., Ltd.) in 1988. He was appointed Representative Director of Hanamaru in 2012, and in 2018, he was appointed President and Representative Director of Yoshinoya Holdings Co.

FINALIST

finalist

Yoshinoya Prize

AdFunctions, Inc.

Representative] Shoko Nishizono

Development of exercise support food utilizing bitter gourd juice powder
Since bitter gourd promotes lipid burning even in low-intensity exercise, it is expected to support exercise for the elderly and those who are inactive in exercise and to improve the endurance of athletes. Through the development of functional foods and other products containing the active ingredients of the bitter gourd, we will contribute to healthy longevity and the promotion of agriculture.
Takara Holdings Award

F-EAT Corporation

Representative] Naoyuki Ito

Changing the world with next-generation food ingredients x 3D x XR
The challenges of not being able to enjoy food due to dysphagia or allergies will be solved through the collaboration of frozen pulverized hydrous gel powder made from unused ingredients, 3D food printers, and XR technology to create a new sustainable food culture that can be enjoyed freely and heartily by everyone.
UnlocX Award

Dishwill Inc.

Representative] Akio Nakamura

Correlation between Soy Protein and Soy Breeding and its Commercialization
The goal is to systematize soy protein suitable for making plant-based foods acceptable to the market and soy varieties suitable for producing such soy protein, and to provide them in a vertically integrated manner to reduce costs and expand the size of the plant-based market.
Otsuka Foods Award

NEXT NEW WORLD Co.

Representative] Kotaro Takashima

Changing the world with silk protein research
With its innovative silk protein technology at its core, the company is currently promoting a medical prevention infrastructure for chronic kidney disease as Kidney Tech 3.0. With its proprietary raw material, Karada Silk®, which adsorbs and promotes the elimination of kidney-damaging waste products in the gastrointestinal tract, the company is bringing innovation to health and industry around the world.
JT Award / Real Tech Fund Award

MED R&D Co.

Representative] Hiroko Isoda

Development of Functional Foods by Food-Drug Seeds and Bioassays
The company develops new functional foods and medicinal cosmetics by utilizing a library of more than 1,000 functional foods and medicines built based on more than 20 years of research and a comprehensive bioassay platform that links ingredient analysis to human clinical trials.
special award

MISOVATION Inc.

Representative] Yuto Saito

Building a Preventive Medical Infrastructure through High Functional Miso Soup
Taking advantage of the nationwide miso brewery collaboration that the representative has, he has developed a highly functional miso soup with a complete nutritional design based on a salt-free, highly nutritious paste made by koji fermentation of soybeans with no added salt, in response to the declining vitality of the miso and other Japanese food industries. With miso soup as a starting point, the company aims to build a global preventive medicine food infrastructure.
Storyline Inc.

Representative] Junko Iwai

High quality decaffeinated coffee by supercritical carbon dioxide extraction
Utilizing supercritical CO₂ technology, which can freely adjust the amount of caffeine without sacrificing flavor, decaffeinated coffee production facilities will be set up in coffee-producing regions. A system will be established to deliver high-quality, caffeine-controlled coffee to consumers around the world, who are becoming increasingly health-conscious.
Grand Prize / DAIDOH LIMITED Group Institute for Future Co-Creation Award

Caramelers

Representative] Masahiro Hirama

Saving the world's toothpaste wimps with toothpaste sweets
To assist people who have difficulty brushing their teeth, the company developed "toothpaste sweets" using sweeteners and cyclic oligosaccharides, which are unavailable to bacteria and utilize the power of saliva. This project proposes a new oral care alternative to toothbrushes.
FlavoSense Lab

Representative] Hiroaki Iwata

Prediction model for bitter and sweet tastes by GNN
Based on known taste molecule data with bitter and sweet tastes, a taste prediction AI model using graph neural networks (GNN) was constructed to achieve molecular taste (bitter/sweet) classification. In addition, evidence supporting the structural validity of the model was obtained.
ScatLight

Representative] Hiroyuki Fujii

Near-infrared scattering spectroscopy for nondestructive evaluation of various food qualities
We are aiming to develop a spectroscopic method to non-destructively and quantitatively evaluate quality derived from chemical composition (sugar content, acidity) and quality derived from structure (texture, degree of deterioration), which have not been evaluated by conventional spectroscopic methods. The developed method will make it possible to add brand value through quality evaluation.
VegOral.lab

Representative] Hirotaka Naito

Ingredient exploration and functional food application for oral care
Development of a technique for quantitative screening of the effect on periodontal bacteria in accordance with the General Bacteria Test Method, using samples of pressed juice and components of agricultural crops and waste materials. Development of beverages and other products to maintain oral hygiene of humans and pets, focusing on samples that have shown efficacy, is envisioned.
Nipun Award

citrus skin

Representative] Akihiro Hideno

Utilizing Microorganisms and People in the Primary Wall of Waste Biomass
The "waste biomass-derived primary wall nanofiber gel" prepared with energy saving by applying proprietary technology will be applied to the lactic acid bacteria-related market, which has been rapidly expanding recently. It will also be developed as a probiotic material applicable to aquaculture, livestock breeding, and agriculture.