Startup
MMegakaryon
株式会社メガカリオン
Not ranked in the Japan Top 100 Startups: corporate subsidiary
Not ranked: a consolidated subsidiary of Sysmex (80.9% since 20 Dec 2023). Corporate subsidiaries are shown but excluded from rankings and totals.
| Founded / HQ | 2011 · Kyoto |
|---|---|
| Equity raised to date | ¥10.2B “計102億円” Company-stated cumulative · as of 17 Feb 2020 · Megakaryon (Series D release) |
| Last round | 17 Feb 2020 · Series D · ¥2.8B 28億円 |
| Latest public valuation | Not publicly disclosed (we do not estimate) |
| Key investors | INCJ |
| Unicorn | No |
| Website | www.megakaryon.com |
From Japanese sources
Findings from Japanese-language filings, government records, trade press, interviews and job posts, with our English analysis. Items tagged Japanese-only had no English coverage when we checked quickly. Most insightful first.
| 2026-06-17 | Regulatory filingJapanese-onlyMegakaryon's FY3/2026 accounts: negative net assets (−¥581M), ¥204M cash vs ¥800M short-term loans 株式会社メガカリオン 第15期 貸借対照表・損益計算書（2026年3月31日現在） The iPS-platelet developer is technically insolvent: net assets of −¥581M, ¥204M in cash and ¥800M of short-term bank loans, after a ¥471M loss (R&D ¥334M). That runway is very short. Rival CiRA (Koji Eto's team) won the state's ¥5B, five-year haemostatic-product project in 2024. Without new equity or a partner, a restructuring is likely. Source: Megakaryon statutory accounts (company data room) |
|---|---|
| 2025-06-17 | Trade pressJapanese-onlyNikkei: former iPS-platelet partners split; Kyoto's CiRA, not Megakaryon, won the ¥5B national project iPS細胞、かつての仲間が事業化で溝 治験1例で中止「あり得ない」 In Sept 2024 a government call for haemostatic-product development awarded ¥5B over five years to CiRA vice-director Koji Eto's team, beating Megakaryon. Eto's technology originally underpinned the startup. Losing the national flagship programme to its own scientific founders explains Megakaryon's funding squeeze. Source: Nikkei (paywalled; public lede) |
Overview
Megakaryon develops platelets made from iPS cells, aiming to supply blood products without relying on donors. It was founded in 2011. In February 2020 it raised ¥2.8B, with the government-backed INCJ among the investors, and reported cumulative funding of ¥10.2B.
Built from: Funding release
Company timeline
Founded
| Date | 2011-09-09· Saisei-iryo.net profile |
|---|---|
| Founders | Genjiro Miwa |
| Origin | Set up to commercialise iPS-cell-derived platelet technology developed by Hiromitsu Nakauchi and Koji Eto. |
Funding
| Date | Round | Amount | Lead / key investors | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-02-17 | Funding | ¥2.8B; cumulative ¥10.2B 計102億円 | INCJ | Company release |
Key hires & board
None compiled yet.
Milestones
None compiled yet.
News
| 2022-06-02 | First patient dosed in MEG-002 iPS-platelet trial ヒトiPS細胞由来HLAホモ型血小板（MEG-002） 治験における第一症例目の投与実施について· PR TIMES |
|---|---|
| 2021-04-26 | MEG-002 clinical trial notification: 30-day review complete ヒトiPS細胞由来HLAホモ型血小板（MEG-002） 治験計画届 30日調査終了のお知らせ· PR TIMES |
| 2020-02-17 | Funding: ¥2.8B; cumulative ¥10.2B· Company release |
Funding rounds in 2026
No 2026 rounds in our database yet. Earlier funding is summarised above from the cited source.