PRESS RELEASE: 07/09/2020
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Japan-US Innovation Awards Program selects MUSCA for 2020 Innovation Showcase AwardTOKYO—July 9, 2020—MUSCA Inc. (hereinafter “MUSCA”), isrecognized at the Japan-US Innovation Awards Program,organized by the Japan Society of Northern California incooperation with the Stanford University US-Asia Technology
Management Center. MUSCA is chosen for the 2020
Innovation Showcase Award for its exceptional potential for
major worldwide impact, leveraging insect technology forhighly efficient biomass-recycling.
Masa Ando, Co-CEO and COO & CSO of MUSCA, will present at the 2020 Innovation Showcase on July22, 2020 – 8:30-10:30AM (Japan Time). For more information regarding the agenda, see here.
Masahide ANDO

Masa brings extensive experience to MUSCA from a distinguishedcareer at Mitsui & Co., Ltd. His leadership and management drovecommercial, business and financial development, contributing tosuccessful investment decisions in the energy sector. Following his
appointment as Managing Director of Mozambique Finance at
Anadarko Petroleum Corporation, Masa served as Head of PMO,
Fundraising and Planning for a public-private joint venture led byMEXT, government ministry in Japan. Masa holds an MBA from MIT
Sloan School of Management, and a BSocSc from Hitotsubashi
University.

Press release from the Japan-U.S. Innovation Awards Program below:
San Francisco, CA – The Japan – US Innovation Awards Program <https://www.usjinnovate.org/>proudly announces the selection of five exciting Japanese startup companies to be featured in the 2020
Innovation Showcase. The Innovation Showcase connects Silicon Valley audiences with young, rapidly
growing companies in Japan built around exciting technologies and business ideas that have exceptional
potential for major worldwide impact. The Showcase thus highlights the rapidly growing but sometimes
overlooked landscape of highly innovative entrepreneurship in Japan.
Founders and top executives of the 2020 Innovation Showcase companies will present their companies
at the 10th annual Japan-US Innovation Awards Symposium. This year, the Showcase will be held online
on July 21 from 4:30 - 6:30 pm, with following breakout networking sessions until 7:30 pm, Pacific Time( = Wednesday July 22 from 8:30 am in Japan). The July 21 session of the Symposium will additionallyfeature a keynote presentation by a leader of a key Silicon Valley company with extensive success inJapan.

Registration for the Symposium is open at <https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2020-japan-us-innovationawards-symposium-tickets-85704210601> Registration also includes admission to the first week of thisyear’s Symposium on July 14, from 4:30 - 6:30 pm, at which the Innovation Awards Program will present
the 2020 SunBridge Emerging Leader Awards to Beyond Meat (U.S. winner) and Spiber (Japan winner).
The Japan - US Innovation Awards have been produced each year since 2011 by the Japan Society ofNorthern California <https://www.usajapan.org/> in cooperation with the Stanford University US-Asia
Technology Management Center <https://asia.stanford.edu/>. Accordingly, it is the longest-runningannual program in the Bay Area that highlights the links between Silicon Valley and Japan innovation.
The five Innovation Showcase Companies for 2020 are:
AC Biode <https://www.acbiode.com/> is developing the world’s first standalone Alternating Current
battery and special electric circuits for e-mobility and energy storage of renewable energy. By
integrating a new type of intermediate electrode, the “Biode,” AC Biode eliminates the need to convert
AC to DC between the battery and the devices it powers. Accordingly, the AC Biode system has morecapacity, lasts longer, and is safer than prior generation Li ion batteries. AC Biode has alsocommercialized catalyst technologies for low temperature processing of organic waste while mixed withplastics.
BionicM <https://www.bionicm.com/en/top/> combines advanced robotics technology with medical
prosthetics to enhance human mobility. A venture from the University of Tokyo, BionicM uses robotic
engineering to create small, lightweight, high-performance prosthetic legs that capture natural human
movement and so greatly increase users’ safety and ability to negotiate paths that pose major
challenges for traditional devices .
Empath <https://webempath.com/> is developing Emotion AI, an AI-driven emotion identificationengine based on voice input. Emotion AI works in real-time, regardless of language, by analyzing
multiple physical properties of the voice. It can detect four emotions - joy, calm, anger and sorrow –and their intensity. Empath’s SDK and API have been used by more than 2,400 corporate customers inover 50 countries
MUSCA <https://musca.info/en/> uses highly productive thoroughbred house-fly larvae to upcycle
waste into sustainable organic fertilizer, natural protein feed, and other products. The circular economy
concept lies at the heart of the company’s business model, as it seeks to address the global challenges ofpollution, protein deficit, and food crisis.
QD Laser <https://www.qdlaser.com/en/company.html> uses quantum dot laser technology for
applications in semiconductor manufacturing and eyewear. The firm’s RETISSA Medical retinal laser
scanning eyewear has recently been approved as a new medical device in Japan. By precisely projecting
images directly onto the retina, their product can correct irregular astigmatism that is beyond correction
by traditional eyeglasses or contact lenses.

The Symposium will be hosted by Awards Program Steering Committee Chair Dr. Richard Dasher,
Director of the US-Asia Technology Management Center at Stanford, who notes that “the five Showcase
companies represent a remarkable range of innovation breakthroughs across several fields.”
Japan Society of Northern California www.usajapan.org Since its founding in 1905, the Japan Societyof Northern California has advanced US-Japan mutual understanding in a global context. The Society
offers an array of programs and networking opportunities for people and organizations in the Bay Area
with a strong interest in Japan. It is the go-to place for US-Japan insights, opportunities, collaborationand networking. The Japan Society is a dynamic link connecting the world-renowned innovation andentrepreneurial ecosystem of San Francisco/Silicon Valley to a resurgent Japan.
Stanford University US-Asia Technology Management Center www.asia.stanford.edu The US-Asia
Technology Management Center (US-ATMC), is an industry-funded center in Stanford University under
the Center for East Asian Studies. Established in 1992, the US-ATMC conducts education and research
into innovation and emerging business trends in technology-intensive industries that provide Stanford
students and the Silicon Valley community at large, with knowledge and analytical capabilities that will
be important to global success in high-tech fields in the 21st century.
For more information on the Symposium, click here:+14158003555
To register, click here:
Media Contact:
Jamila Hawkins jamila@usajapan.org--About MUSCA Inc.-“Highly Efficient Biomass Recycling in 1 Week” Insect technology firm, MUSCA, uses highly productive
house-fly larvae to upcycle biomass into organic fertilizer and insect-protein feed in a one-week-cycle.
With the circular economy concept at the heart of its business model, MUSCA is one of few pioneers ofelite housefly-farming technology, rearing houseflies that have been selectively bred 1200 generations
for almost 50 years. With more products on the horizon, MUSCA seeks to address the global challengesof pollution, protein deficit, and food crisis.
About MUSCA : https://musca.info/en//

Media Contact : pr＠musca.info