Brain-Computer Interface Startup LIFESCAPES Secures JPY 6bn to Accelerate Global Expansion and Clinical Trials
LIFESCAPES, a medical technology startup spun out of Keio University, has raised 600 million yen (approx. $3.8 million USD) through a third-party allotment of shares. The funding round saw participation from a mix of existing shareholders and new investors, with strong financial services participation, including MSIVC2025V, Golden Asia Fund III, SUMISEI-SBI, Deep 30 Tech Angel 2025, PARAMOUNT BED-SBI Healthcare Fund, Fidea Corporate Growth Support Fund, and Mitsubishi UFJ Life Science Fund.
Based in Minato-ku, Tokyo, and led by CEO Junichi Ushiba, LIFESCAPES specializes in developing medical devices utilizing Brain-Machine Interface (BMI/BCI) technology. The company’s core focus is on neurorehabilitation, specifically targeting severe hand and arm paralysis caused by strokes and other central nervous system diseases.
Strategic Allocation of Capital
According to company officials, the newly secured capital will be deployed across three primary strategic initiatives:
- Global Expansion & ASEAN Market Penetration: Following its regulatory approval in Malaysia, LIFESCAPES marked its first international deployment with PERKESO, the social security organization under Malaysia's Ministry of Human Resources. The company intends to leverage this milestone to establish sales networks in Singapore, Indonesia, and Thailand within fiscal year 2026, anchoring its broader push into the ASEAN and North American markets.
- Domestic Clinical Trials: In December 2025, Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare designated the company’s tentative "LIFESCAPES Therapeutic BMI" device as a "Pioneering Medical Device". Capital will be allocated to launch investigator-initiated clinical trials in the summer of 2026 to verify safety and efficacy, with the ultimate goal of securing public insurance coverage.
- Private Pay Medical Services: LIFESCAPES aims to expand its business model beyond standard insurance-covered treatment. The company plans to roll out private-pay services tailored to chronic-phase patients who have already been discharged from acute and recovery rehabilitation hospitals.
Investor Commentary Highlights
The investment round underscores growing venture confidence in the intersection of deep tech and medical applications:
"LIFESCAPES’ BMI technology provides a unique and highly anticipated solution for severe post-stroke paralysis where no effective conventional treatments currently exist. We see significant potential for sustainable, global growth as they target Asian and U.S. markets." — Katsuhiro Ueshima, Mitsubishi UFJ Capital (Golden Asia Fund III, L.P.)
"Startups, particularly in deep tech, require exceptional engineering paired with a clear vision of the problem they are solving. LIFESCAPES’ commercialized BMI technology represents a core future link between humans and machines." — Shingo Tsuda, INDEE Capital (Deep Tech Angel 2025)
LIFESCAPES was founded in May 2018. This latest capital injection positions the unlisted firm to transition from a domestic research-oriented startup into an international medtech contender.
Norbert Gehrke
