Won Grand Prix in the 7th IP BASE AWARD Startup Category Hosted by the Japan Patent Office

On March 3, 2026, the award ceremony for the “7th IP BASE AWARD” hosted by the Japan Patent Office was held at the Tokyo Metropolitan Industrial Trade Center Hamamatsucho Building, where Epistra Inc. won the Grand Prix in the startup category. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to everyone who has supported us.

About the IP BASE AWARD

The IP BASE AWARD is a recognition program built on “IP BASE,” an intellectual property community portal site established by the Japan Patent Office in 2018. It honors startups and startup supporters that demonstrate excellence in strategic acquisition and utilization of intellectual property. Positioned as a gateway to the Japan Patent Office’s Intellectual Property Achievement Award, this was the seventh edition of the program.

Grand Prix Award

The IP BASE AWARD consists of two categories: the “Startup Category” and the “Startup Supporter Category.” In this round’s startup category, numerous applications were received from unlisted companies established within the past 10 years, and four finalists were selected through document review.

Based on the combined results of the public pitch review held on the day of the ceremony and prior review, Epistra was selected as the Grand Prix winner.

The award recognized Epistra’s “track record of optimizing experimental processes in the life sciences using AI,” collaboration achievements with major corporations, and the intellectual property strategy underpinning these efforts.

We extend our heartfelt gratitude to everyone who has supported us.

Ceremony Archive

You can watch the archive of the four finalists’ pitches and the award ceremony on the YouTube live stream archive (IP BASE channel).

Event Information

• Name: 7th IP BASE AWARD
• Organizer: Japan Patent Office (IP BASE Secretariat)
• Date: Tuesday, March 3, 2026, 15:30-18:30
• Venue: Tokyo Metropolitan Industrial Trade Center Hamamatsucho Building (within JID2026 by ASCIISTARTUP venue)
• Official Website: https://ipbase.go.jp/award/