Tear Exo

Name

Tear Exo

Legal name

株式会社TearExo

Website

https://tearexo.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Hyogo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Corporate tear testing service (法人向け涙液検査サービス): B2B service where TearExo provides on-site tear testing for corporate employees as part of employee wellness programs. Includes seminar, questionnaire, tear sample collection, and results report. Pricing and billing structure determined per corporate contract.
2. Individual at-home tear testing kit: D2C service offering home tear sample collection kit; user collects tears with Schirmer strip, returns via courier, receives results in ~3 weeks. Currently listed as Coming Soon.
3. Contract research / commissioned analysis (受託依頼分析): TearExo accepts commissioned analysis requests from clients for tear fluid and other body fluid samples, conducted by specialist technicians. Represents a service revenue stream.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

TearExo develops and sells the TearExo® Method, a non-invasive tear-fluid-based cancer detection service that analyzes extracellular vesicles (exosomes) using molecular imprinting and post-imprinting modification. The company delivers this technology through a Corporate Tear Test Service (on-site B2B wellness program for Japanese employers), a Personal Tear Test Service (D2C mail-in kit for individual women), breast cancer awareness seminars, and commissioned tear/body-fluid analysis.

Product overview

Tear Exo offers a suite of tear-based cancer detection products centered on the proprietary TearExo®法 technology. The core offering combines molecular imprinting-based exosome detection with an automated analysis device to deliver 100-1000x higher sensitivity than conventional methods. The product portfolio includes corporate (法人向け涙液検査) and personal (個人向け涙液検査) tear testing services, supplemented by breast cancer awareness seminars for corporate clients. The company is currently trialing AI image analysis integration (GeXeL) from KNiT for enhanced data processing and has partnered with Hankyu Hanshin Properties for demonstration testing of the technology in workplace settings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• TearExo® Method (TearExo®法)

Quantifiable outcome

• 100–1000× higher sensitivity than conventional immunoassays for cancer biomarker detection
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

AI capability2 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Hankyu Hanshin Properties Corp. (阪急阪神不動産株式会社)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 March 2026Demonstration test partnership to validate practical application of TearExo technology for breast cancer screening in corporate settings. Evaluation of effectiveness and operational feasibility of using tear testing to increase corporate screening rates.
• Hyogo Medical University (兵庫医科大学)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 March 2026Clinical research collaboration with Hyogo Medical University under the guidance of breast cancer specialists to advance clinical validation of tear exosome-based breast cancer detection, contributing to evidence generation required for regulatory and commercial milestones.
• Menicon Co., Ltd. (株式会社メニコン)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 January 2026Joint research contract initiated with Menicon Co., Ltd. for the development of tear-based diagnostic technologies leveraging Menicon's expertise in ophthalmology and contact lens technology.
• Kitakyushu City (北九州市)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 September 2025Selected for Kitakyushu City's FY2025 corporate transformation and startup growth support program (フェムテック枠). Two-year program to advance social implementation of tear-based cancer screening in partnership with local beauty salons, targeting integration into daily life settings.
• Soken Kagaku Co., Ltd. (綜研化学株式会社)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 May 2024Joint research agreement signed with Soken Kagaku to develop mass production processes for the sensing chip used in the TearExo method. Collaboration aimed at transitioning from laboratory-scale to commercial-scale chip manufacturing.
• Osaka Bureau of Commerce and Industry — Startup Incubation Program 'Kido' (起動)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 5 March 2024Selected for the 'Kido' (起動) startup incubation program run by the Osaka Bureau of Commerce and Industry. The program provides up to ¥10M in funding and 6 months of expert hands-on support, targeting startups in growth sectors ahead of the Osaka-Kansai Expo.
• J-Startup KANSAIminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 2 March 2023TearExo was selected for J-Startup KANSAI, a regional expansion of the national J-Startup program coordinated by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and Kinki Bureau of Economy, Trade and Industry. Provides networking, mentoring, and ecosystem access for Kansai-based startups.
• AstraZeneca i2.jpminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 27 February 2023Became a partner company of AstraZeneca's open innovation hub i2.jp, which connects startups, medical professionals, local governments, academia, and private companies to solve healthcare challenges through collective intelligence.
• O-Nexus / Osaka Life Science Nexus (大阪中之島未来医療国際拠点)coreGTM or Marketing Partner · 21 February 2023TearExo relocated its Osaka office to O-Nexus, a life science innovation campus co-developed by Nippon Life and CIC. The campus serves as a hub for connecting with healthcare startups, enterprises, research institutions, and support organizations, expanding TearExo's network in the Kansai life sciences ecosystem.
• Plug and Play JapanminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 December 2022Accepted into Plug and Play Japan's Winter/Spring 2023 Batch (Health track), a 3-month accelerator providing individual mentoring, networking, and business development content. Part of the global Plug and Play ecosystem.
• Japan Patent Office — IP Acceleration Program for Startups (IPAS)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 5 August 2022Selected for the Japan Patent Office's IP Acceleration Program for Startups (IPAS), providing support for intellectual property strategy development and execution to help startups commercialize technology while managing IP risk.
• Kobe University (神戸大学)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 April 2022TearExo is a Kobe University certified venture company (神戸大学認定ベンチャー), spun off from the university. The company's technology is based on Kobe University research, and the company maintains close R&D ties with the university at the BMO building.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Broad incumbents

• Sysmex Corporation: Sysmex is the leading Japanese in-vitro diagnostics company with growing liquid biopsy initiatives. Comparable to TearExo as a Japanese diagnostics player, but operating as a broad incumbent across hematology, oncology, and life-science research rather than a focused tear-based screening startup.

Emerging players

• MiRXES: MiRXES is a Singapore-based liquid biopsy company developing microRNA-based cancer screening tests (e.g., GASTROClear for gastric cancer). Comparable to TearExo as an Asia-Pacific emerging liquid biopsy startup targeting population-scale cancer screening.

Regional players

• Eiken Chemical: Eiken Chemical is a Japanese diagnostics company with fecal occult blood tests (OC Sensor) for colorectal cancer screening. Comparable to TearExo in non-invasive cancer screening via body fluids, though Eiken operates in stool-based testing for colorectal cancer rather than tear-based breast cancer.
• H.U. Group Holdings: H.U. Group Holdings (parent of SRL and BML) is a major Japanese clinical laboratory and diagnostics provider. Comparable to TearExo in Japanese diagnostics infrastructure and cancer screening, though H.U. operates as an established reference lab rather than an exosome-based startup.
• Denka: Denka is a Japanese chemical and diagnostics company with life-science operations including IVD reagents. Comparable to TearExo as a Japanese life-sciences player, though Denka operates as a diversified incumbent across chemicals, rubber, and diagnostics rather than a focused tear-based cancer screening startup.

Direct peers

• GRAIL: GRAIL develops Galleri, a multi-cancer early-detection blood test for population-scale screening. Most directly comparable to TearExo as a cancer-screening platform using a minimally invasive biofluid-based assay, though GRAIL uses blood and is more mature commercially.
• Exact Sciences: Exact Sciences markets Cologuard (colorectal cancer screening) and Oncotype DX, pioneering direct-to-consumer cancer screening. Comparable to TearExo in pursuing non-invasive, compliance-friendly screening tests targeting large under-screened populations.
• Guardant Health: Guardant Health is a liquid biopsy leader with Guardant360 and Reveal assays for oncology. Comparable to TearExo in biomarker-based cancer detection using cell-free DNA, with a more mature commercial footprint in precision oncology.
• Exosome Diagnostics (Bio-Techne): Exosome Diagnostics, a Bio-Techne brand, developed ExoDx Prostate IntelliScore, an exosome-based liquid biopsy test for prostate cancer. Highly comparable to TearExo as an exosome-based cancer diagnostic platform, with the key difference that ExoDx uses urine rather than tear fluid.
• Natera: Natera develops cell-free DNA tests including Signatera for tumor-informed MRD monitoring and Empower for hereditary cancer screening. Comparable to TearExo as a non-invasive cancer detection/monitoring platform using biofluid sampling.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors7 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 Tear Exo