Keio Innovation Initiative (KII), established in 2015, is a latecomer to the university VC scene, but we are proud to be a pure industry-academia collaboration between a private organization and a university. KII focuses on investments in the areas of digital technology and medical/health care, and its activities are consistent with our vision of "Society 5.0," a human-centered society that balances economic development with the resolution of social issues. There are many companies that have invested in KII that have a social impact, and I hope that KII will do its best to achieve its mission of creating new industries based on the results of research in academia and pursuing social contribution and profitability. As a university and research institution that creates research results, Keio University will continue to strongly support KII's activities as a shareholder that invested in the establishment of KII and as a partner that has invested in KII's funds. We hope that society's understanding of KII's activities, which was established in the spirit of Dr. Yukichi Fukuzawa's "independence and self-respect," will deepen and that opportunities to challenge the future will expand.

When the SFC first opened and the Internet was still in its infancy, the university brought forth a large number of startups and talented individuals, creating industries that would become the backbone of Japan's Internet society. Thirty years on, digital society has evolved, with an all-new world brought about an exponential pace from 2021 because of a global pandemic and DX. The startups of this era will be at the forefront of a once-in-a-lifetime historical revolution in all industries, including primary, secondary, and tertiary industries, as well as in the financial, environmental, medical, and educational fields. We hope that the Keio Innovation Initiative (KII) , which create the future of the university, will support outstanding venture companies that use the results of research in academia to create new industries and contribute to the development of society.