VARYTEX

VARYTEX Inc., positioning itself as the world's first "Kampo tech" startup, was founded on March 31, 2021, by Kiichiro Hirano. The company aims to digitalize the practice of Kampo, a traditional Japanese medicine system with over a thousand years of history. The founder and CEO, Kiichiro Hirano, was inspired to start the company from a young age, influenced by his granduncle, the founder of AIWA, known for the world's first radio-cassette player. Hirano's extensive experience at Tsumura & Co., a major Kampo pharmaceutical company, where he handled advertising, strategic PR, and corporate planning, provided him with deep insights into the industry's challenges and potential. He recognized that while nearly 90% of clinical doctors in Japan prescribe Kampo medicines, very few are experts, as mastering its diagnostic methods is a significant hurdle.

The core of VARYTEX's business is the development and sale of software designed to support physicians in Kampo treatment. Its primary product, the "KAMPO 365 works" diagnostic support software, is being developed to suggest appropriate Kampo medicines and diagnostic methods, which have traditionally been difficult to master. This Software as a Medical Device (SaMD) analyzes patient interview data to propose the most suitable Kampo medicine, addressing the gap between the widespread use of Kampo and the scarcity of specialized practitioners. The software is intended to assist physicians who are not Kampo specialists in providing effective, personalized treatments for conditions often unaddressed by Western medicine, such as medically unexplained symptoms (MUS).

VARYTEX operates on a B2B model, targeting physicians and medical institutions as its primary clients. Revenue is generated from the sale of its software and through complementary services, including Kampo business consulting, production of medical and health content, and marketing support. The company has secured notable funding, raising a total of 210 million JPY by its pre-series A round in April 2024, with backing from investors like PKSHA Algorithm Fund, NES, and SMBC Venture Capital. This capital is being used to enhance the software with AI, further develop the product based on user feedback from doctors, and accelerate market adoption.

Keywords: Kampo tech, healthtech, medical software, clinical decision support, Japanese medicine, SaMD, digital health, physician support tools, personalized medicine, medically unexplained symptoms, VARYTEX, Kiichiro Hirano, Tsumura, medical DX,漢方, ヘルステック, 漢方薬, 医療DX, 診断支援