◆We held a press conference regarding the fundraising efforts of "Kochi IOP Plus Co., Ltd.," a startup spun off from Kochi University
Release Date:
On Monday, April 21, 2025, Kochi IOP Plus Co., Ltd., a startup spun off from Kochi University, held a press conference to announce that it had received investment from the “Kochi Prefecture Venture Investment Limited Partnership” (Kochi Prefecture Venture Fund).
Kochi IoP Plus Co., Ltd. was established in September 2023 as a company dedicated to applying the research findings of the Kochi University IoP Co-creation Center to real-world applications. The center serves as an educational and research hub for the IoP (Internet of Plants) project, which is being advanced through industry-academia-government collaboration by Kochi Prefecture.Under the slogan “Creating the region’s future and hope together through DX,” the company is working to utilize AI technology developed by the Center to provide crop yield forecasts and efficient collection and shipping systems.
The "Kochi Prefecture Venture Investment Limited Partnership" is an industry-academia collaboration fund established in 2022 that invests in companies and other entities utilizing research findings held by higher education institutions in Kochi Prefecture.
Attendees at the press conference included Masanori Tanaka, President of Kochi Industry-Academia Collaboration Capital Co., Ltd. (the fund’s managing entity); Tadashige Iwao, Chief Technology Officer of Kochi IOP Plus Co., Ltd.; Katsuhiko Kaiji, President of Kochi Bank, Ltd.; and Koichi Honke, Executive Director (in charge of Research, Medical Affairs, Evaluation, and IR) of our university.At the press conference, it was stated that this investment is expected to accelerate growth, including the nationwide expansion of Kochi IOP Plus’s business and the expansion of the range of crops it targets.
Going forward, our university will continue to work in collaboration with relevant organizations to support startups, with the aim of fostering new industries and revitalizing the local economy.
), regarding the investment
Business Presentation by Chief Technology Officer Tadashige Iwao