Bizgene

What Bizgene does

Bizgene (株式会社ビズジーン) is a Japanese university spin-off founded in April 2018 from Osaka University's Institute of Scientific and Industrial Research, headquartered in Ibaraki City, Osaka Prefecture. The company commercializes proprietary nucleic acid analysis and high-sensitivity PCR technology to make genetic and microbiological information "visible" (見える化) to consumers and institutions. Its core products include the VisCheck line of direct-to-consumer genetic test kits (alcohol decomposition type, APOE dementia risk, folic acid metabolism, periodontal disease), the VisInact PCR non-inhibitory viral inactivation solution for clinical laboratories, FemTest Lactobacillus for vaginal flora, MilClear and MilAl for breast milk and saliva alcohol detection, and BizPerio for dental clinic periodontal screening. Bizgene also holds the world's first manufacturing approval for a dengue fever severity prediction diagnostic kit and is developing a chikungunya virus rapid diagnostic.

The company operates a hybrid go-to-market model: direct-to-consumer sales through Amazon Japan and Rakuten for individual test kits (priced from ¥1,628 for MilClear to ¥16,500 for the APOE dementia risk test), enterprise sales to corporations for employee health management programs, and municipal partnerships for community health initiatives such as Katano City's Coming-of-Age ceremony alcohol sensitivity education. Distribution is augmented by third-party FemTech platforms (Pillmotto), strategic manufacturing partnerships with Yamayo (cotton swab specialist) and Kyoei Sangyo (plastics processing), and a wholly-owned Thai subsidiary (VisGene Thailand, established 2024) for Southeast Asian market entry. The company also runs a contract analysis and antiviral testing services business (受託解析事業) and is a registered cosmetics manufacturer.

Revenue is generated primarily through one-time unit sales of consumer genetic test kits, recurring enterprise contracts for corporate genetic testing services, and B2B sales of viral inactivation reagents to medical institutions. Bizgene supplements product revenue with Japanese government R&D grants (METI, AMED), crowdfunding (¥25M raised in 2020), and multiple innovation awards (Photonics Challenge 2021, AMED infectious disease countermeasures, FemTech awards in 2024). The firm's scale remains small (1-10 employees) and no revenue figures have been publicly disclosed.

Name

Bizgene

Legal name

株式会社ビズジーン

Website

https://visgene.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Bizgene is a Japanese biotech spin-off from Osaka University that commercializes proprietary nucleic acid and PCR-based diagnostic technologies through direct-to-consumer genetic test kits (alcohol sensitivity, APOE dementia, FemTech, periodontal disease), B2B viral inactivation reagents, and the world's first dengue severity prediction kit, sold via Amazon Japan, Rakuten, corporate wellness contracts, and a Thai subsidiary.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Ibaraki

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Genetic Testing Kits (Consumer): Sale of direct-to-consumer genetic testing kits (alcohol decomposition, APOE dementia risk, periodontal disease, folic acid metabolism) through Amazon and Rakuten marketplaces. One-time purchase model with results delivered via dedicated web portal within ~15 business days.
2. B2B Corporate Genetic Testing Services: Enterprise services for corporations offering employee health management programs including alcohol sensitivity genetic testing, APOE dementia risk screening, and other health risk assessments. Targets corporate wellness and health management initiatives.
3. Viral Inactivation Solutions: Sale of PCR non-inhibitory viral inactivation liquid (VisInact) to medical institutions and testing facilities for safe sample handling and simplified PCR workflows.
4. Cosmetics Manufacturing: Registered cosmetics manufacturer (27CZ200910) and cosmetics distribution/license business.
5. Antiviral Testing Services: Contracted antiviral testing services for third parties including livestock virus detection systems.
6. Femtech Consumer Products: Sale of Femtech products including MilClear (breast milk alcohol checker), MilAl (saliva alcohol checker), and FemTest Lactobacillus (vaginal health check kit) targeting nursing mothers and women's health.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Bizgene develops and sells proprietary nucleic acid analysis technology and consumer genetic test kits for personal health risk assessment, including alcohol metabolism, APOE dementia risk, periodontal disease, and folic acid metabolism. The company also markets femtech products such as Lactobacillus vaginal flora testing and breast milk alcohol detection, supplies a PCR non-inhibitory viral inactivation solution (VisInact) that enables direct PCR testing without RNA extraction, and operates B2B genetic testing services for corporate employee wellness and municipal public health programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• VisCheck: Brand name for COVID-19 antigen test kits and alcohol decomposition genetic test kits sold on Amazon Japan.

Products and services

• BizPerio (ビズペリオ) Oral pathogenic enzyme visualization diagnostic product intended for dental clinics to detect and visualize periodontal pathogens.
• MilClear (ミルクリア) Breast milk alcohol detection kit priced at ¥1,628 per box (2 sets) for nursing mothers to test breast milk for alcohol content before breastfeeding.
• MilAl (ミルアル) Saliva-based alcohol detection kit for personal use, detecting alcohol consumption through saliva samples.
• FemTest ~Lactobacillus~ (フェムテスト) Vaginal check kit for women to self-test their Lactobacillus (lactic acid bacteria) flora levels, addressing vaginal health concerns.
• VisInact (ビズイナクト) PCR non-inhibitory viral inactivation reagent that allows direct PCR testing of virus samples without RNA extraction, simplifying infectious disease diagnostics.
• VisCheck COVID-19 Antigen Test Kit COVID-19 antigen test kit sold under the VisCheck brand on Amazon Japan as a consumer diagnostic.
• Alcohol Decomposition Type Genetic Test Kit Genetic test kit for assessing individual alcohol metabolism capacity, sold under the VisCheck brand on Amazon Japan.
• APOE Dementia Risk Genetic Test Kit Genetic test kit analyzing APOE genotype to assess individual risk of dementia, priced at ¥16,500 per kit.
• Folic Acid Metabolism Genetic Test Kit Genetic test kit analyzing polymorphisms related to folic acid metabolism, supporting nutritional health planning.
• Periodontal Disease Genetic Test Kit Genetic test kit analyzing genetic susceptibility to periodontal disease for preventive dental care.
• Antiviral Testing Services Contract antiviral testing service for B2B clients needing efficacy assessment of antiviral materials and products.
• B2B Corporate Genetic Testing Services Subscription-based genetic testing service for corporations and municipalities to deploy as part of employee health checkups and community health programs.
• Contract Analysis Services (受託解析事業) Outsourced genetic and nucleic acid analytical services provided to research institutions and partner companies.

Quantifiable outcome

• ¥25,019,000 raised from 1,527 backers in 2020 crowdfunding campaign for COVID-19 test kit development
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 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

AI capability3 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Kita-Osaka Hosen Hospital (北大阪ほうせんか病院)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Clinical collaboration for validation study of PCR non-inhibitory viral inactivation solution using actual patient saliva samples. The hospital provided clinical specimens to verify that the inactivation solution does not interfere with PCR test accuracy for COVID-19 detection.
• Yamayo (株式会社山洋)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Japan's largest cotton swab manufacturer to develop MilClear (breast milk alcohol checker) and MilAl (saliva alcohol checker) products. Yamayo provides specialized cotton swabs for sample collection in consumer test kits.
• Kyoei Sangyo (共栄産業株式会社)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with plastic products processing company for development of MilClear and MilAl test kit components including breast milk collection cups and test devices. Also partnered for municipal health education programs (e.g., Katano City '二十歳のつどい').
• Nihon Jigyou Kaihatsu (日本事業開発株式会社) - racine brandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint development partnership to create FemTest ~Lactobacillus~ (vaginal check kit). Japan Business Development contributed FemTech market expertise and the 'racine' brand while Bizgene provided cost-optimized targeted genetic analysis technology for vaginal flora Lactobacillus ratio testing.
• Osaka University Graduate School of Human Sciences / NEO no Mura (緒方洪庵プロジェクト)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipation in the NEO no Mura project to revive the 'Ogata Koan' sake brand associated with Osaka University's origin. Bizgene contributed yeast research expertise and served as sales distributor for the revived sake, which sold out immediately after launch achieving 312% of crowdfunding target.
• Pillmotto (ピルメント)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThird-party online retailer and FemTech platform for women's health products. Pillmotto's online store and editorial content featuring FemTest ~Lactobacillus~ for feminine/vaginal health. Bizgene's FemTest products are sold through Pillmotto's e-commerce platform.
• Osaka Prefecture Katano City (大阪府交野市)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership with Katano City to provide alcohol sensitivity genetic test kits to participants at the municipal '二十歳のつどい' (Coming-of-Age ceremony) as responsible drinking education, in collaboration with local industry association Kyoei Sangyo.
• Ogata Shuzo (緒方酒造)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEhime University partner brewery in the Ogata Koan sake revival project. The brewery's facilities were damaged in the 2018 Western Japan floods, and the project aimed to revive the traditional sake brand connected to Osaka University's founder.
• Ehime University Social Co-Creation Headquarters (愛媛大学社会共創本部)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner in the NEO no Mura regional revitalization project working to establish the Ogata Koan sake brewery as a cultural hub in rural Ehime Prefecture.
• Nomura Regional Autonomy Promotion Council (野村地域自治振興協会)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal community organization in Ehime Prefecture's Nishiyo City managing the NEO no Mura project for regional revitalization centered on the Ogata Koan sake cultural initiative.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• 23andMe: Global DTC genetic testing pioneer offering health-risk and ancestry reports. Direct comparison for Bizgene's consumer-facing genetic health-risk tests (APOE, alcohol metabolism, periodontal disease), though at far greater scale.
• MyHeritage: Global consumer genetic testing and family-tree platform offering health-related DNA tests. Direct peer in the DTC genetic health-risk testing business model Bizgene operates, including online results delivery and subscription-tier services.
• Genesis Healthcare Co., Ltd. Japan's leading DTC genetic testing company offering health-related and ancestry genetic test kits through GeneLife and similar consumer brands. Most direct comparable for Bizgene's VisCheck alcohol/APOE/FemTest DTC genetic testing motion in the Japanese market.
• Cykinso, Inc. Japan-based DTC microbiome testing company offering gut flora and Lactobacillus-related kits through Mykinso and similar consumer brands. Closest peer to Bizgene's FemTest Lactobacillus targeted-analysis product and DTC marketplace motion.

Broad incumbents

• Hologic, Inc. US-based molecular diagnostics leader with strong PCR and women's health franchises (Panther system, Aptima). Comparable in technology (high-sensitivity PCR) and women's health (FemTest) focus, though at vastly greater scale and global reach.
• QIAGEN N.V. Global molecular sample-prep and diagnostics company with broad PCR reagent and infectious-disease testing portfolios. Comparable to Bizgene's VisInact viral inactivation and PCR workflow products, though at vastly greater scale and global distribution.
• H.U. Group Holdings: Major Japanese clinical diagnostics services group operating SRL and other lab brands. Comparable to Bizgene's contract antiviral testing services and clinical laboratory ambitions, though H.U. operates at national scale across thousands of clinical sites.
• Sysmex Corporation: Global Japan-headquartered IVD and molecular diagnostics giant with broad hematology, clinical chemistry, and life-science portfolios. Comparable to Bizgene's VisInact PCR reagent and registered IVD manufacturing capabilities, but at much greater scale and product breadth.

Regional players

• Tauns Laboratories, Inc. Japan-based IVD company focused on infectious disease diagnostic kits including dengue, Zika, and other tropical disease rapid tests. Closest comparable for Bizgene's dengue severity prediction kit manufacturing approval and infectious disease testing ambitions.
• Eiken Chemical Co., Ltd. Japan-based IVD manufacturer specializing in clinical chemistry, immunology, and molecular diagnostics including infectious disease test kits. Comparable to Bizgene's IVD manufacturing registration and infectious disease testing focus, though Eiken is far more established in clinical channels.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Bizgene