Innovation Kyoto 2021 Investment Limited Partnership ("KYOTO-ICAP No.2 Fund"), with Kyoto University Innovation Capital Corporation ("Kyoto iCAP") (Head office: Sakyo-ku, Kyoto; Representative Director: Kimi Kusumi) as general partner, has made a new investment in BiPSEE Inc. (Head office: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Masayo Matsumura), a start-up company that utilizes the results of research at national universities.

Outline of this investment
(BiPSEE), a med-tech startup developing VR therapy for treatment-resistant depression, is a startup founded by Masayo Matsumura, a specially-appointed professor in the Department of "Medicine x VR" at Kochi University School of Medicine, as a founding researcher, and aims to solve a serious social issue in the field of mental health by utilizing digital therapeutics (DTx) BiPSEE aims to solve a serious social issue in the area of mental health by utilizing Digital Therapeutics (DTx).

BiPSEE's VR therapy for treatment-resistant depression has already shown promising results in clinical studies and has been granted priority review status by the Japanese government. We highly evaluated BiPSEE's potential to provide a new treatment option for patients who have had an inadequate response to conventional pharmacotherapy.

Kyoto iCAP believes that BiPSEE's VR therapy and DTx development technology can be applied not only to treatment-resistant depression, but also to a wider range of psychiatric disorders, thereby contributing significantly to reducing social losses caused by psychiatric disorders, reducing patient burden, and improving quality of life. We believe that this could make a significant contribution to reducing social losses caused by mental illness, reducing the burden on patients, and improving their quality of life.

Outline of BiPSEE Corporation
Establishment : July 2017
Business: Development of VR digital solutions for medical departments (psychosomatic medicine, psychiatry, pediatrics, respiratory medicine, gastroenterology), corporations, and medical education institutions.
Head office: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
CEO: Masayo Matsumura
HP: https://bipsee.co.jp/

About Kyoto University Innovation Capital Corporation (Kyoto iCAP)
As a wholly-owned subsidiary of Kyoto University, KYOTO-iCAP provides investment and other business support to companies that utilize research results generated by Kyoto University and other national universities. We currently operate the Innovation Kyoto 2016 Investment Limited Partnership ("KYOTO-iCAP 1 Fund") (established in January 2016) with a total value of 16 billion yen and the KYOTO-iCAP 2 Fund (established in January 2021) with a total value of 18.1 billion yen. The KYOTO-iCAP No. 1 Fund has a maturity of up to 20 years, and the KYOTO-iCAP No. 2 Fund has a maturity of up to 17 years, making it possible to provide long-term support for the practical application of research results from Kyoto University, which has strengths in basic research. In addition, KYOTO-iCAP No. 2 Fund will invest a portion of the funds in ventures originating from national universities other than Kyoto University.

Contact information for inquiries
Kyoto University Innovation Capital Co., Ltd.
36-1 Yoshida Honmachi, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8317, Japan
Osami Kono, Senior Officer, Business Development Department
TEL: 075-753-7588 FAX: 075-753-7592
E-mail: info@kyoto-unicap.co.jp