Living Best, in collaboration with Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute International (ATR), has introduced the Living Best Japan Gateway, a pioneering venture aimed at facilitating the entry of international longevity, agetech, and health-technology companies into the Japanese market. This initiative is designed to provide these companies with a platform to test their innovations, form strategic partnerships, and extend their operations within Japan. The Gateway is set to make its debut at the Kyoto Smart City Expo, which will take place on October 8-9, 2026, at Keihanna Plaza. During this event, selected companies will have the opportunity to showcase their products, engage with Japanese corporate partners through ATR’s extensive business-matching network, and potentially join ATR’s KGAP+ business-development accelerator, which is slated to start its next cohort in December.
The core of this initiative is Living City Keihanna, an innovation hub focused on longevity and developed jointly by ATR and Living Best. This platform is crafted to connect international startups with researchers, Japanese enterprises, investors, care providers, and local communities. Unlike short-term pilot projects or initial introductions, it aims to offer sustained support to companies. Living Best’s role is to assist participating ventures in evaluating the demand within the Japanese market, identifying potential implementation and funding partners, validating their products with users, and developing evidence to support broader commercial growth.
Since 2021, Living Best claims to have assessed over 2,000 ventures from more than 40 countries. Their evaluation process has produced upwards of 17,000 assessments from Japanese consumers, enhanced by feedback from clinicians, care operators, investors, and policy experts. Dominic Carter, CEO and co-founder of Living Best, emphasized that the partnership’s goal is to support international companies throughout the entire process of entering the Japanese market, from market validation to implementation, securing funding, and eventual expansion.
ATR’s Senior Executive Vice President and Representative Director Hiroyuki Suzuki highlighted Keihanna’s unique combination of research capabilities, infrastructure, and networks across industry, academia, government, and local communities. This combination, he noted, can effectively bridge overseas innovation with practical application in Japan. The Gateway is now open for applications from international ventures in longevity, agetech, and health-technology fields that already have market-ready products or are in advanced development stages. Selection will be conducted by Living Best and ATR.
The deadline for the October 2026 venture intake is set for September 25, 2026. Interested parties can find more information on the Living Best website or schedule introductory calls through the provided links. For further inquiries, Adam Claydon-Platt at Living Best/The Carter Group can be contacted via the provided phone number or email.
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