Cogsmart

What Cogsmart does

CogSmart is a Tokyo-based healthcare technology company founded on October 30, 2019 as a spin-off from Tohoku University's Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer. It commercializes brain-aging research into a two-product platform targeting dementia prevention through hippocampus health: BrainSuite, an AI-driven MRI analysis service that measures hippocampus volume for early cognitive decline risk detection, and BrainUp, a smartphone app that integrates with Fitbit and Apple Watch wearables to prescribe and track exercise routines grounded in scientific evidence on hippocampal neurogenesis. The company's stated thesis is that roughly 40% of dementia risk factors are modifiable through lifestyle, addressing Japan's projected ¥24.26 trillion dementia social cost by 2060.

The technology stack combines AI-based hippocampus volumetry on MRI images, a cloud-based encrypted personal health data store, and a longitudinal dashboard for year-over-year brain health tracking. The underlying science originates from CSO Yasuyuki Taki's research lab at Tohoku University, which leads large-scale cohort studies in brain science and provides ongoing clinical research input to the AI models. CogSmart holds Privacy Mark and JIS Q 15001:2017 certifications for healthcare/welfare personal data handling.

CogSmart operates a hybrid revenue model: consumer-facing one-time BrainSuite MRI examination tickets purchased online and redeemed at partner medical institutions, monthly and annual BrainUp subscriptions sold via self-serve app channels, bundled Nouiku Lab programs (8- or 16-week brain training with MEGALOS personal training) priced ¥103,785–¥197,010, and B2B enterprise solutions targeting corporations, local governments, and medical institutions. Distribution combines self-serve B2C (app stores, online ticket shop), channel partnerships (MEGALOS fitness clubs, 6 Kanagawa medical institutions), and enterprise sales including the BIPROGY-led DiCE dementia prevention ecosystem with Asahi Life Insurance. The company is led by CEO Akira Higuchi (also serving as CDXO) and CSO Yasuyuki Taki, and has raised approximately $3.02M in disclosed funding alongside support from Google for Startups and IT-Farm.

Name

Cogsmart

Legal name

株式会社CogSmart

Website

https://cogsmartglobal.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

CogSmart is a Tokyo-based health-tech company spun out of Tohoku University that offers BrainSuite, an AI-driven MRI hippocampus volume measurement service, and BrainUp, a wearable-linked exercise app for cognitive decline prevention, serving consumers, medical institutions, corporations, and local governments in Japan.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Brain Health Diagnostics and Preventive Healthcare Software

NAICS

Testing Laboratories and Services (54138)

SIC

Services-Medical Laboratories (8071)

akta.pro primary industry

Neurological Monitoring (EEG, Seizure/Sleep/Neuro Wearables) (HLAHACAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Neurology RPM (epilepsy, Parkinson’s, MS monitoring) (HLALAFAJ)

Keywords

• Brain health screening
• MRI image analysis
• Hippocampus measurement
• Cognitive health apps
• Dementia prevention

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. BrainSuite MRI Examination Tickets: One-time purchase tickets for hippocampus measurement MRI examinations. Customers purchase tickets online and visit partner medical institutions for the scan. AI analysis of MRI images provides hippocampus volume report.
2. BrainUp App Subscription: Monthly or annual subscription for the hippocampus cultivation app. Includes exercise prescription, activity tracking with wearable devices, and personalized coaching. Auto-renews unless cancelled.
3. Nouiku Lab Program: Bundled 8-week or 16-week brain training program combining BrainSuite MRI, BrainUp app subscription, and personal training sessions at MEGALOS fitness clubs. Crowdfunding pre-sales model transitioning to direct sales.
4. B2B Enterprise Solutions: Corporate wellness programs, local government partnerships for preventive healthcare, and medical institution integrations for advanced brain health screening services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

CogSmart provides an integrated brain health management platform that combines AI-based hippocampus measurement (BrainSuite MRI examination service) with a hippocampus cultivation smartphone application (BrainUp). BrainSuite analyzes MRI brain scans using proprietary AI to quantify hippocampus volume and assess dementia risk, while BrainUp delivers personalized exercise prescriptions derived from Tohoku University brain-aging research, integrated with Fitbit and Apple Watch wearable data. Together the two products form a closed-loop "measure to cultivate" prevention model, additionally bundled with in-person personal training through the Nouiku Lab program at MEGALOS fitness clubs.

Product overview

CogSmart offers a dual-product portfolio centered on hippocampus health: BrainSuite is an MRI-based diagnostic service that measures hippocampus volume using AI image analysis to assess brain health and dementia risk, while BrainUp is a companion smartphone app that promotes exercise habits for hippocampus cultivation. These products work in sequence—BrainSuite measures and visualizes brain health status, then BrainUp supports users in maintaining lifestyle habits that can grow and maintain hippocampus volume over time. The recent 脳育ラボ program integrates both products with personalized personal training at MEGALOS sports clubs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• BrainSuite (ブレインスイート): Hippocampal volume measurement MRI examination service using AI to analyze brain health and visualize the hippocampus.
• BrainUp (ブレインアップ)

Products and services

• BrainSuite (ブレインスイート) MRI-based brain health examination service that uses proprietary AI to measure hippocampus volume from MRI scans, enabling early dementia risk detection and visualization of brain health status. Tickets are purchased online and redeemed at partner medical institutions (including 6 Kanagawa Prefecture clinics as of March 2024 and Toranomon Hospital). Target users are health-conscious individuals aged 40+ as well as early-stage dementia and MCI patients.
• BrainUp (ブレインアップ) Smartphone application that supports hippocampus cultivation through exercise habit formation, automatically setting personalized exercise intensity and duration targets based on scientific research on hippocampal neurogenesis. Compatible with Fitbit and Apple Watch for activity tracking and offered as a monthly or annual auto-renewing subscription.
• 脳育ラボ (Nouiku Lab / Brain Training Lab) Bundled brain-training program that combines BrainSuite MRI hippocampus measurement, a 1-year BrainUp subscription, and either 8 or 16 personal training sessions at MEGALOS fitness clubs, delivered as an industry-first integrated cognitive-test, brain-measurement, and personalized exercise offering.

Quantifiable outcome

• Reduction in dementia social costs
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

AI capability5 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• 野村不動産ライフ＆スポーツ株式会社 (Nomura Real Estate L&S / MEGALOS)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 March 2026Joint development of Nouiku Lab brain training program with MEGALOS fitness clubs. Combines BrainSuite MRI, BrainUp app, and personal training sessions. Industry-first brain-focused training combining cognitive tests, BrainSuite examinations, and personalized exercise programs.
• マクアケ (Makuake)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 27 March 2026Cloud crowdfunding platform for pre-launch of Nouiku Lab brain training program. Enables early customer acquisition and market validation before general availability.
• メガロス (MEGALOS)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 June 2024MEGALOS offers CogSmart-approved 'brain activation x personal training' service. Unique content combining strength training, aerobic exercise, and stress reduction for hippocampus health. Program includes cognitive tests and BrainSuite at preferential pricing.
• エルピクセル株式会社 (Elpixcel)coreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2024Collaboration on advanced brain health screening at Toranomon Hospital. CogSmart provides hippocampus volumetry via BrainSuite AI; Elpixcel provides white matter hyperintensity analysis and scoring. Joint effort for comprehensive brain health assessment combining multiple AI-powered metrics.
• 株式会社湘南ベルマーレフットサル (Shonan Bellmare Futsal)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2024Chance & Empowerment partnership for sports promotion, regional development, and SDGs achievement. Collaboration on brain health promotion and regional creation initiatives.
• BIPROGY株式会社 (BIPROGY)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Through BIPROGY's DiCE (Digital Chain Ecosystem) project, collaborated with Asahi Life Insurance to conduct demonstration experiments for dementia prevention using BrainSuite and BrainUp. Aims to build comprehensive dementia care ecosystem from early detection to care support.
• 東北大学 加齢医学研究所 (Tohoku University Institute for Development of Aging Society)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Spinoff venture originating from Tohoku University's brain aging research. Dr. Yasuyuki Taki (CSO) leads 50+ researcher laboratory and serves as PI for clinical research. Source of core AI hippocampus analysis technology.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Winterlight Labs: Winterlight Labs analyzes speech patterns using AI to detect cognitive impairment and monitor brain health. Comparable to CogSmart as a digital-health modality for non-invasive cognitive screening and ongoing monitoring.
• Altoida: Altoida develops digital biomarkers and AR-based cognitive assessments for early detection of Alzheimer's disease. Comparable to CogSmart's mission of deploying non-invasive, AI-driven tools to identify cognitive decline risk earlier than traditional methods.
• Neurotrack: Neurotrack offers digital cognitive assessments for early Alzheimer's detection and brain health management. Highly comparable to CogSmart's BrainSuite in targeting cognitive decline screening with a consumer-friendly digital assessment layer.
• Linus Health: Linus Health provides a digital brain health platform combining cognitive testing with AI-based analysis to enable early dementia detection. Directly comparable to CogSmart in using AI to translate brain assessments into actionable cognitive-health insights.
• Cambridge Cognition: Cambridge Cognition delivers computerized cognitive assessments for clinical trials, research, and health applications. Comparable to CogSmart's evidence-based cognitive measurement platform tied to research-grade science.
• Posit Science (BrainHQ): Posit Science offers BrainHQ, a brain training platform built on neuroscience research. Comparable to CogSmart's evidence-based, scientific-pedigree approach to brain health and cognition improvement.
• C2N Diagnostics: C2N Diagnostics provides blood-based biomarker tests for early Alzheimer's detection. Comparable to CogSmart in enabling earlier, less-invasive identification of dementia risk as a foundation for downstream lifestyle and therapeutic intervention.

Broad incumbents

• MindMaze: MindMaze builds digital therapeutics and brain health platforms for neurological recovery and cognitive assessment. Comparable as a broader digital brain-health incumbent with overlapping cognitive assessment capabilities, though focused on rehabilitation.
• GE HealthCare: GE HealthCare provides MRI scanners and AI-driven imaging analytics used by hospitals worldwide, including in neurology. Comparable as a broad incumbent that owns much of the MRI infrastructure CogSmart depends on for BrainSuite.
• Philips Healthcare: Philips Healthcare offers advanced MRI imaging systems and AI-enabled clinical decision support, including neurology workflows. Comparable to CogSmart's MRI-based brain assessment pipeline as a broad incumbent in brain imaging infrastructure.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/CogSmart
• Xx.com/cogsmart

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors6 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cogsmart