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<figure class="media"><oembed url="https://vimeo.com/962799539?share=copy"></oembed></figure>A panel discussion event "Nordic Talks" was held on Tuesday, June 11 at Moon Tokyo Studio. 60+ people from the startup community gathered to discuss how to increase startup success with a large audience of 150+ people watching online via Zoom.&nbsp;Pitch event organizers, VCs, and entrepreneurs shared their experiences and prospects from a variety of perspectives. The entire event was recorded, and you can watch the archive on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zfuR0u4pmDY">YouTube</a>.<figure class="image"><img style="aspect-ratio:1600/820;" src="https://moon-website-prod-images.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/DSCF_7329_1_1_e7c9c68387.jpg" alt="DSCF7329 1 (1).jpg" width="1600" height="820"><figcaption>From left to right: Niklas Karvonen, Antti Sonninen, Tobias Mathiasen, Amina Sugimoto, Shintaro Ishida.</figcaption></figure>Speakers included Niklas Karvonen (Community Director, Nordic Innovation House Tokyo), Antti Sonninen (Co-founder and CEO, Takeoff Tokyo), Tobias Mathiasen (Founding Partner, SKB.vc), Amina Sugimoto (Public Health Phd, CEO of fermata KK), and Shintaro Ishida (COO of Uninomics KK). In addition, many participants, including guests from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), discussed and exchanged opinions on Tokyo's startup environment. &nbsp;<figure class="image"><img style="aspect-ratio:1600/818;" src="https://moon-website-prod-images.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/DSCF_0607_1_b3931b7f7f.jpg" alt="DSCF0607 1.jpg" width="1600" height="818"><figcaption>At the center in this photo: Yuki Obata (Moon Creative Lab), founder of ISSHO, a Work Tech SaaS tool that visualizes each person's valuable contributions, asked about the expectations and ideals for the startup environment 10 years from now.</figcaption></figure>“We believe that the Nordic startup infrastructure and the Japanese ambition are a match made in heaven." said Reetta Purontakanen, Press Counselor, Finnish Embassy in Tokyo. The discussion heated up, focusing on how the startup environment in Japan has improved so far, and the differences between the global and Tokyo startup environment in terms of the relationship between investors and entrepreneurs. The importance of direct support for seed and early-stage startups when considering global expansion was also a focus of attention.<hr>Moon Creative Lab also hosts many other events. Please check our <a href="https://www.mooncreativelab.com/ja/stories/page/1">Moon Stories Blog</a> and <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/moon-creative-lab/">Official LinkedIn Account</a> for latest news!

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Key learnings:<ol><li>Human-centered solutions to a critical problem</li><li>Building stronger communication and support</li><li>A solution supporting key users’ needs&nbsp;</li></ol>&nbsp;The recent pandemic put a strain on all of us, but especially on those who needed hospital care even before the COVID virus became prominent. Patients who required continuous care after a hospital stay suffered as medical facility shutdowns and restrictions increased. And without that kind of in-person support, patients grew more and more isolated as conditions remained. The healthcare sector became progressively understaffed, making it challenging for healthcare workers to maintain a proper work-life balance.&nbsp;The team behind Tomopiia recognized this problem and wondered, “How can we support patients online?"Junichiro Shigemura pitched his venture idea to Moon Creative Lab: a platform that helps patients with chronic illnesses track their care and communicate directly with nurses. The platform, which he named&nbsp;<a href="https://www.tomopiia.com/">Tomopiia</a>, provides a new form of communication inspired by the needs of both nurses and patients.<h3>There aren’t enough hours in the day to handle each patient individually&nbsp;</h3>Improving patients’ quality of life is a nurse’s true purpose. As some of the closest healthcare professionals to patients,&nbsp;nurses can often become optimistic cheerleaders, giving patients hope in dark and despairing times.&nbsp;Unfortunately, the pandemic caused hospitals to hit an all-time high with patients filling more hospital beds than ever before. Rather than taking time with each patient to make sure their physical and emotional needs were met, the focus shifted to treating and discharging patients as quickly as possible.&nbsp;Because of these new conditions, an increasing number of nurses started to leave the healthcare field, overwhelmed by their everyday tasks. It became more and more difficult for nurses to find enough hours in the day to thoughtfully care for each patient and still maintain their own lives outside of the hospital.&nbsp;Seeing all of these changes for both patients and nurses, Entrepreneur-in-Residence (EIR) Junichiro Shigemura knew he had to create something that could dramatically improve the lives of both parties.&nbsp;<h3>Tomopiia creates dialogue between patients and nurses&nbsp;</h3>Shigemura set out to create a platform where patients can communicate directly with nurses anytime, anywhere. Many issues can be solved through remote communication, allowing patients to get the care and information they need without the hassles and obstacles of going to the hospital in person.In fact, patients who share their concerns with their nurse actually find that the communication helps them better express their thoughts and feelings. Through user feedback, the Tomopiia team found that some patients tell nurses things they had never told their doctor, family, or even friends. Opening up to a nurse can give patients peace of mind and build a trusted line of communication and mental support.&nbsp;This new form of interacting with patients also allows more flexibility for nurses and the ways in which they provide care, allowing the opportunity for better work-life balance.&nbsp;<img src="https://moon-website-prod-images.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/tomopiia_blog2_a03d61aa60.jpg" alt="tomopiia blog2.jpg"><h3>Engaging patients with communication&nbsp;</h3>At its start, Tomopiia’s intention was to support patient independence and improve their quality of life through better medical guidance. But through a series of conversations and open dialogue, Shigemura realized that it was the communication line itself that engaged potential users.&nbsp;"One patient told me, 'I realized my true feelings by speaking up for myself.’ That's when I realized the importance of listening to what the patient wants to say rather than asking what they needed to know.&nbsp;It meant a lot to the patients that the nurses were the ones listening to them from a comfortable distance."&nbsp;As a result, Tomopiia’s goal and purpose has shifted to focusing more on closer and more direct communication between patients and medical professionals rather than knowledge and consultation.<h3>Expanded opportunities for nurses to play an active role</h3>Tomopiia's aim is to create a platform that supports patients, creating an environment where each patient feels valued – something that can be hard to do with existing medical practices. Additionally, the intent of Tomopiia is to create an environment that enables nurses to provide enhanced levels of care and communication.In the future, Tomopiia plans to collaborate with local governments, companies, and hospitals that share the mission of improving the quality, efficiency, and accessibility of medical care. Shigemura expressed, "I would like to contribute to both the psychological care of patients and the expansion of opportunities for nurses to play an active role.”&nbsp;For&nbsp; the latest information about Tomopiia, please visit&nbsp;<a href="https://www.tomopiia.com/">Tomopiia's official website</a>.

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Nordic Talks Event Report

Connecting Hospital Patients and Nurses: Venture Spotlight on Tomopiia

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Our Programs

About Moon

Our Stories

innovation - Moon Stories Blog

Nordic Talks Event Report

Connecting Hospital Patients and Nurses: Venture Spotlight on Tomopiia

In The News

Moon Welcomes Community of Individuals, Corporations, and Startup Teams To Build Innovative New Businesses

Moon Opens Doors to Palo Alto Startup Community

What Does Artificial Life Reveal About Us?