November 17, 2014
The Takeda Foundation

THE TAKEDA YOUNG ENTREPRENEURSHIP AWARDThe Takeda Foundation announces the Awardees of the Takeda Young
Entrepreneurship Award 2014. The highest award, the Best Entrepreneur Award
goes to Mr .Tanapon Phenrat of Naresuan University, Thailand, for his proposalof TERI-Thailand’s environmental restoration initiative for reclamation ofcontaminated natural resources, quality of life of affected community, andsustainability of industry. He works not only in his laboratory, but also organizes
various stakeholders, develops guidelines for environmental restoration, andconducts field tests for water and soil remediation. His versatile activities in thearea of environmental restoration deserve the Best Entrepreneur Award. Themonetary prize for the Best Entrepreneur Award is one million yen.
The Entrepreneur Awards go to Mr. Azran Azhim Noor Azmi, Universiti
Teknologi Malaysia, Malaysia, Mr. Keita Yasutomi, Shizuoka University, Japan,Moses Musalaki Kima, Hogave Conservation Inc, Papua New Guinea, Mr.
Shinya Shimizu, AgIC Inc, Japan, and Mr. Venkatech Seshasayee, Stellapps
Technologies Private Limited, India. The monetary prize for each of theEntrepreneur Awards is 200,000 yen. The Awards Ceremony will be held onFebruary 7, 2015, in conjunction with the Takeda Symposium in the Takeda Hallof the Takeda Building, the University of Tokyo.
The purpose of the Takeda Young Entrepreneurship Award is to assist thedevelopment of young human resources who bring well-being to people as wellas to cultivate entrepreneurship. The Award is positioned between awards forbest papers selected by peer review and business awards selected from thepoint of view of economic success. The Award requires the submission ofsupporting letters from beneficiaries who will benefit from the success of theproposed project as well as the project proposal itself. Candidates should beyoung individuals under forty years of age regardless of sex, organization ornationality.
This year, the Foundation received 65 applications from 16 countries.
Awardees were selected by a Selection Committee (Chair, Dr. Kunihiro Asada,Director of VLSI Design and Education Center and Professor, the University ofTokyo) consisting of outside intellectuals. Finalists were selected following firstand second panel discussions by the selection committee; the Awardees werechosen following video presentations by the finalists.

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The Takeda Foundation

・ THE BEST ENTREPRENEUR AWARD: Tanapon Phenrat, Naresuan
University (Thailand), “TERI-Thailand’s environmental restoration initiative forreclamation of contaminated natural resources, quality of life of affected
community, and sustainability of industry”
・ THE ENTREPRENEUR AWARD: Azran Azhim Noor Azmi, Universiti
Teknologi Malaysia (Malaysia), “Engineered biological scaffolds using
sonication decellularization system for medical implant application”
・ THE ENTREPRENEUR AWARD: Keita Yasutomi, Shizuoka University(Japan), “High range resolution time-of-flight imager for contactless 3Dscanners”
・ THE ENTREPRENEUR AWARD: Moses Musalaki Kima, Hogave
Conservation Inc (Papua New Guinea), “Hogave Micro Hydro (Single wireearth return system)”・ THE ENTREPRENEUR AWARD: Shinya Shimizu, AgIC Inc. (Japan),“AgIC-democratization of electric circuits”
・ THE ENTREPRENEUR AWARD: Venkatesh Seshasayee, Stellapps
Technologies Private Limited (India), “SmartMooTM-Small farm automation
solutions”

CONTACT
Norio Ohto, Senior Managing Director (ohto@takeda-foundation.jp)
orYuzo Mizobuchi, Director (mizo@takeda-foundation.jp)
The Takeda Foundation
The Takeda Building 4th Floor
The University of Tokyo
2-11-16 Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo
113-0032 JAPANTEL: +81-3-3868-0160
FAX: +81-3-3868-0161
URL: www.takeda-foundation.jp

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The Takeda Foundation

THE BEST ENTREPRENEUR AWARD
Tanapon Phenrat (Naresuan University, Thailand)
TERI-Thailand’s environmental restoration initiative for reclamation ofcontaminated natural resources, quality of life of affected community, andsustainability of industry
Tanapon Phenrat has been promoting an environment restoration initiative,TERI(Thailand’s Environmental Restoration Initiative), by organizing various
stakeholders including the Thai government, private companies, local people,universities, institutes, and media outlets. His activities include the development
and dissemination of guidelines for environment restoration, conducting fieldtests of several restoration technologies he has developed, reducing phenol
concentrations in well water using vetiver grass and an ozone generator, andrestoring cadmium contaminated soil based on magnetic adsorption. He hasbeen involved in 15 restoration projects over 4 years in 5 local communities andan NGO, and has succeeded in remedying 4 major contaminated areas out of 10in Thailand. He not only works in his laboratory but also organizes various
stakeholders, develops guidelines for environmental restoration, and conducts
field tests for water and soil remediation. His versatile activities in environmental
restoration deserve the Best Entrepreneur Award.
THE ENTREPRENEUR AWARD
Azran Azhim Noor Azmi (Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Malaysia)
Engineered biological scaffolds using sonication decellularization system
for medical implant application
Azran Azhim Noor Azmi has been working on a new preparation method forbiological scaffolds for use in tissue engineering. Scaffold is essential for the
preparation of tissue-engineered medical implants such as valves, patches, andconduits. Biological scaffolds have many advantages over biodegradable
synthetic polymers in terms of short and long-term complications, butconventional preparation methods for biological scaffolds such as
high-hydrostatic pressure technology require high investment costs. The
Awardee employs sonication decellularization technology that does not require ahigh investment, and has the merit of versatile applications. He learned thetechnology while studying at Tokyo Denki University from 2008 to 2012. Whenhe returned to Malaysia, he started his own laboratory at Universiti Teknologi
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Malaysia to improve the technology. The technology has the potential forindustrial applications but there are many hurdles to be overcome in order toprovide patients with safe and inexpensive biological scaffolds including clinicalstudies and compliance of medical regulations. The Foundation recognizes hisdedication to the development of safe and low cost biological scaffolding
technology in Malaysia, and presents him with the Entrepreneur Award.
THE ENTREPRENEUR AWARD
Keita Yasutomi (Shizuoka University, Japan)
High range resolution time-of-flight imager for contactless 3D scanners
The Awardee has developed a new imager that can scan the 3D structures ofobjects. The new imager will be used as the heart of a 3D scanner. The device
can calculate a distance between the light source and target objects byirradiating impulse laser light to target objects and measuring the flight time of
the reflected light. A high resolution 3D image can be obtained by integrating thedistance between the light source and all areas of the object. He has developed
a new pixel structure that can repeatedly store charges without loss, and has
enabled high-speed imaging. He has obtained a highest range resolution of 0.3mm among reported time of flight imagers by developing a new correction circuitthat can minimize the effects of control clock time delay that arise when pixels
are arrayed two-dimensionally The Awardee reported his imager at ISSCC andsubmitted a patent application for the invention of a new imager. He has licensed
the imager to Brookman Technology, which has a plan to manufacture and sell
the new imager to 3D scanner makers. The new imager can also be used forgames and industrial usages.
THE ENTREPRENEUR AWARD
Moses Musalaki Kima (Hogave Conservation Inc, Papua New Guinea)
Hogave Micro Hydro (Single wire earth return system)
The development of a small scale hydroelectric generation and electricity
supply network using single wire earth return system was started in a mountainvillage of Papua New Guinea in March 2010. The project has been supported
financially by the Hans Wilsdorf Foundation, a Swiss based private foundation.
The Awardee, Moses Kima, is the son of David Kima who started the project.
Following his graduation from the Papua New Guinea University of Technologyin 2010, he joined the project and has been playing a central role in surveying
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The Takeda Foundation

river conditions, selecting the generator and installation point, designing thewater reservoir and conduit, and procuring a generator system. He also has
been active in management and the development of human resources for theproject. The project has been making a great contribution to the quality of
everyday life in Hogave and neighboring villages by providing electricity forelectric appliances including cellular phones, welding and grinding tools andrefrigerators.
THE ENTREPRENEUR AWARD
Shinya Shimizu (AgIC Inc, Japan)
AgIC-democratization of electric circuits
The project provides people with an inexpensive preparation method forprinted-circuit boards using commercially available printers. The Awardee
learned that circuit boards can be easily printed out on paper with commerciallyavailable printers using special conductive silver ink while working for McKinsey& Company. He saw it as a business chance, left the company, and founded hisown start up company, AgiC Inc. in January 2014. AgIC sells cartridges forhome inkjet printers filled with special conductive silver ink. Users can easily
prepare circuit boards by printing on paper with this cartridge ink. With thismethod, users do not need to order for breadboards. They can print out circuitboards for experiments or educational purposes. The method has the possibilityof making a significant contribution to the improvement of the educational
environment of electric engineering. AgIC Inc has been able to collect funds fromseveral sources including $80,000 dollars from Kickstarter and a $360,000 loan
from the Japan Finance Corporation and Shinkin Bank. The company has apartnership with Benesse Corporation, and is trying to expand into a globalbusiness.
THE ENTREPRENEUR AWARD
Venkatesh Seshasayee (Stellapps Technologies Private Limited, India)
SmartMooTM-Small farm automation solutions
India is one of the largest milk producing countries, but 70% of the milk
producers are small-scale cattle farmers. They cannot make sufficient profits
because the milk production processes, such as pumping, rely heavily on
manual labor, and because cannot maintain milk at proper low temperature,
which means the milk spoils easily. The Awardee has developed an automatic
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The Takeda Foundation

milk production management system, SmartMoo, which consists of an automatic
milk production management program and small production and storage
equipment including mechanical pumps and a low temperature storage tank.
The system enables small-scale cattle farmers to automatically manage milk
production, storage, and data control, thus making it possible to increase theirprofits. The Awardee received starting funds from a venture capital with thesupport of the Rural Technology Business Incubator of the Indian Institute ofTechnology, Madras, with which he started Stellapps Technologies in 2011 as achannel to market SmartMoo. With SmartMoo, small-scale farmers can pumpmilk mechanically, control storage tank temperature remotely, check cattle
conditions, manage peak yield of milk production, and get the latest daily farmmanagement and livestock information. SmartMoo has been employed by 20
small-scale cattle farmers and has made a significant contribution to increasingin their quality of life.

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