Ultiracer Wins First Place at the Korea-Japan Startup Pitch in Kobe

On Thursday 29 October 2026, RealDesignTech CEO John Lee took the stage at SHINKA Hyogo in Kobe to pitch Ultiracer at the Korea-Japan Business Seminar & Networking in KOBE (韓日・日韓ビジネスセミナー＆交流会 in KOBE). By the end of the afternoon, Ultiracer had won first place in the startup pitch, and John was presented with the Kobe Chamber of Commerce and Industry Award.

It was a proud day for our whole team and a wonderful welcome to the Kansai region. In this post we introduce the event, share what John presented, and thank the people who made the day possible.

The event: Korea-Japan Business Seminar & Networking in KOBE

The seminar was organised by the Kobe Chamber of Commerce and Industry and KOTRA Osaka, the Osaka office of the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency, as a business-matching forum between Kobe and Korea (Kobe CCI listing). Its purpose was to share the latest picture of business in Korea, give startups from both countries a stage, and spark new collaborations and new markets. The listing also names the Korean Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Japan (Hyogo), the Kansai Association of Corporate Executives, the Kansai Economic Federation and the Osaka International Business Promotion Center as supporting organisations.

The venue was SHINKA Hyogo, Hyogo Prefecture's hub for starting and growing startups, on the second floor of the SMBC Kobe Head Office Building, about a ten-minute walk from Sannomiya Station (SHINKA Hyogo event page). The afternoon ran from 14:00 to 17:30 and moved from talks to pitches to networking:

• What are Korea's strengths? An opening talk by the Director-General of KOTRA Osaka.
• The Kobe Chamber of Commerce and Industry's initiatives.
• Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City: the region's business and investment environment and its support for startups.
• Hancom open innovation: a programme to grow business exchange between Korea, Kobe and Kansai, presented by Hancom InSpace.
• A first step into Korea: cross-border e-commerce between Japan and Korea, from CAFE24 JAPAN.
• Doing business in Korea: points to consider when entering the market, from the law firm Kim & Chang.
• Connecting with Korea's major companies: OceanJay Korea on building business relationships.
• Korea-Japan startup pitch: Jeonnam-Gwangju vs Kobe, followed by networking.

Jeonnam-Gwangju vs Kobe: six startups on one stage

The pitch session brought three Korean startups representing Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City together with three startups from Kobe:

From Jeonnam-Gwangju, Korea

• FINTKOREA: functional biodegradable composite materials made with a low-temperature sol-gel process, for medical, health and beauty care products.
• GHOSTPASS: passwordless, hands-free identity verification built on AI, biometrics and security technology.
• RealDesignTech (Ultiracer): in the listing's words, a system that measures and analyses whole-body cognitive and motor responses in several dimensions to provide health care for seniors. That system is Ultiracer.

From Kobe

• iPresence: telepresence robots, AI and digital twins that automate work and reduce staffing needs.
• LIFESHOT: Cheiz, a photography service for international visitors to Japan.
• MEDIA0: marketing support that combines brand strategy, creative work and AI.

It was a strong and varied field, and we enjoyed hearing how each team sees its market. Congratulations to every company that pitched.

Our pitch: keep moving under your own power, for life

John's pitch was about healthy ageing and a lifetime of independence. Under the banner "Aging Smart, Aging Better", the message on the opening slide was simple: a future where you can keep moving under your own power, for life.

At the heart of the pitch was the ability to move your body the way you intend. Every movement in daily life starts with seeing what is around you, deciding what to do and then moving by your own will, and Ultiracer trains that whole chain at once. The rider sits on a real bicycle mounted on a motion platform that lets it lean, sway and steer, follows a riding course on screen and keeps the bicycle balanced all the way, while our motion analysis turns each ride into readouts such as Balance Quality, sway and steering steadiness. We call this Neurocycling: exercise that works the brain's balance and coordination systems as much as the legs.

For older adults, the goal John set out is to maintain balance and coordination and, through that, to contribute to fall prevention. Because every ride is recorded, riders, families and care staff can follow progress over weeks and months, and people can see their own progress, ride by ride. That turns training into something people look forward to, which is what keeps them coming back. Riding is also something you can start at almost any age, so Ultiracer fits a lifelong view of health: not a programme for one stage of life, but a habit that can stay with you for decades.

First place and the Kobe Chamber of Commerce and Industry Award

When the results were announced, Ultiracer took first place in the pitch, and John received the Kobe Chamber of Commerce and Industry Award on stage.

Winning in Kobe, in front of business leaders from both countries, means a great deal to us. Japan has thought longer and harder than almost any country about how to age well, so this recognition from Kobe's business community tells us that the idea behind Ultiracer, lifelong balance training that people actually enjoy, speaks to people here too.

Thank you

Our heartfelt thanks go to the Kobe Chamber of Commerce and Industry and KOTRA Osaka for organising the seminar and for this award, and to Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City for bringing Korean startups to Kansai and placing its trust in us. Thank you to SHINKA Hyogo for a wonderful venue, to every speaker for sharing their experience, to our fellow startups from Korea and Kobe, and to everyone who stayed to talk with us during the networking session.

Looking ahead: Ultiracer in Japan

Japan is the world's most experienced super-aged society. In 2025, 36.22 million people in Japan, or 29.4% of the population, were aged 65 or over, and the Cabinet Office projects that share to reach 38.7% by 2070 (Cabinet Office, Annual Report on the Ageing Society 2026). Helping people stay steady on their feet and sharp in mind for as long as possible matters here as much as anywhere in the world.

The conversations in Kobe did not end with the pitch. Several companies, including businesses in Japan's care sector, approached us afterwards to talk about working together, and we look forward to continuing those conversations. Japan is not entirely new to us either: in December 2025 we installed two Ultiracer units at a town-run fitness facility for older residents in Nakanojo, Gunma, as one of our first pilots in Japan (read that story). John's week in Kansai continues in Osaka, where he pitches again at the Korea-Japan Business Seminar at QUINTBRIDGE on 30 October (event preview).

We are open to exploring business opportunities and partnerships across Japan: with care and rehabilitation providers, day-service centres, fitness and wellness operators, municipalities, distribution partners and research collaborators. If you would like to talk about what Ultiracer could do for your facility, your community or your business, please get in touch through our contact page. We would be glad to meet in Japan or online.

Kobe gave us a first place. We hope it is also the beginning of many lasting partnerships. Thank you, Kobe!