Relic's Toyama fund backs Second Heart in bid to end diabetic amputations
What's the deal? Japan's Second HeartDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → has raised an undisclosed seed extension led by the Toyama Co-Accel Fund (T-CAF), the deep-tech vehicle managed by business-creation company RelicDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →. The Kyoto-based healthtech startup is working to prevent severe diabetic foot complications and, ultimately, eliminate amputations.
What's the endgame? Second Heart's main product, Steplife, is a foot-management system combining a web app for medical institutions with a smartphone app for patients. It lets clinicians photograph and record foot conditions while prompting patients to run daily self-checks, linking clinical care with everyday monitoring.
What's the money for? Proceeds are earmarked for regional medical partnerships, product upgrades, and research. RelicDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → says it will pair the capital with business-development support to help Second Heart scale at home and expand across Southeast Asia, starting with Malaysia.
By the numbers: Second Heart reports about 2,000 registered patients. It has pursued clinical research with Kyoto University and signed a cooperation agreement with Malaysia's Social Security Organization, though wider adoption and clinical impact remain the key tests.
Why now? The round follows earlier financing, including a 2025 investment from Leave a Nest CapitalDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → and a 2026 equity-crowdfunding campaign, signalling continued fundraising to develop Steplife and push overseas.
What could go wrong? The deal is a small, undisclosed extension rather than a large disclosed raise, so its value is strategic. As Relic executive Keiichi Kaneko put it, "superior technology and social significance alone do not grow a business" (translated from Japanese) — Second Heart still has to prove it can win and keep customers.
The signal: The investment gives T-CAF an early life-sciences deployment. The Toyama University–rooted fund, with Relic as general partner and Hokuriku BankDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → as lead limited partner, began operations in June 2026 and aims to back roughly 25 companies over five years — a test of whether regional deep-tech capital can turn research into scalable ventures.
Read more: prtimes.jp
