Beyond Next Ventures, Inc. (Headquarters: Chuo-ku, Tokyo; Founder CEO / Managing Partner: Tsuyoshi Ito) has invested in Kanjin Therapeutics, Inc. (Headquarters: California, USA ; CEO : Caleb B. Bell III; hereinafter “Kanjin Therapeutics”).

About Kanjin Therapeutics

Kanjin Therapeutics is a biotech startup built on research of Professor Masanori Nakayama and colleagues at Okayama University, working to make kidney disease a curable condition. Through new treatments that eliminate the need for dialysis and offer the potential to restore kidney function, the company aims to reduce the burden on patients with kidney disease. It pursues a cross-border business model that brings leading-edge science originating in Japan directly to the global market, operating from bases in both Japan and the United States.

Kanjin Therapeutics targets a novel liver-kidney signaling pathway to modulate podocytes, with the potential to restore glomerular structure and kidney function. The company’s lead candidate is designed to address severe kidney diseases with no current curative treatments, including focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) and diabetic nephropathy. Moving beyond simply slowing disease progression, Kanjin aims to deliver a transformative therapy capable of preserving and improving overall kidney health.

Its lead candidate is nucleic acid therapeutics and pre-clinical studies have produced data demonstrating restoration of podocyte number and kidney function.

Kanjin Therapeutics website: https://www.kanjin-tx.com/

Background of the Investment

Kidney diseases, including FSGS and diabetic nephropathy, affect large numbers of patients worldwide and represent large unmet medical needs, as they typically progress to require dialysis or kidney transplantation. FSGS and diabetic nephropathy in particular are conditions where existing treatments alone may not achieve sufficient efficacy, creating a need for new therapies that not only slow progression but also help maintain and restore kidney function.

A distinctive feature of Kanjin Therapeutics’ R&D is its focus on the interaction between the liver and the kidney, rather than the kidney in isolation. This approach offers strong differentiation from existing treatments and has the potential to fundamentally change the quality of life for renal patients, by eliminating the need for dialysis or transplant.

Beyond Next Ventures decided to invest based on the potential of a team pursuing global drug development from a base in the United States and Japan, the significant unmet medical need in kidney disease and the distinctiveness of the science grounded in research from Okayama University. We look forward to continuing to work alongside Kanjin Therapeutics as it advances its R&D and grows its business.

Comments from Beyond Next Ventures

Takehiko Sawabe (MBA / Director) / Keigo Yato（Ph.D. / Principal）
We are delighted to have invested in Kanjin Therapeutics, which is developing the research seeds of Professor Nakayama at Okayama University—work we have walked alongside since before the company’s founding. Although still at the non-clinical stage, the company’s nucleic acid therapeutics show striking efficacy in in vivo studies and a clear link between the clinical data and the target. We believe they hold the potential to transform the treatment of podocytopathy—kidney disease caused by damage to the podocytes, the cells responsible for filtration in the kidney—which can progress to dialysis or kidney transplantation.

Through development based on a “direct-to-world” cross-border model, we aim to maximize the potential of the company’s pipeline, and we will continue to work alongside Kanjin Therapeutics so that it can become a role model for bringing research seeds from Japanese universities to the world.

About Beyond Next Ventures Inc.

Creating the beyond next society; enabling exceptional people solving global challenges.
Beyond Next Ventures is a deep-tech venture capital firm dedicated to translating scientific breakthroughs into real-world impact and building a virtuous cycle in which the value created fuels the next wave of innovation. We manage JPY 48 billion (approximately US$320 million) in funds focused on deep-tech startups. Through our proprietary company creation capabilities, executive talent matching, and the TECHNIUM Global Conference that convenes key stakeholders from Japan and around the world, we strengthen a deep-tech innovation ecosystem and accelerate the commercialization of research outcomes in collaboration with industry, academia, and government.

• Head Office: Nihonbashi Honcho Showa-dori Building 3F, 3-7-2 Nihonbashi-honcho, Chuo-ku, Tokyo
• Subsidairy: Galaxy-Wework, 43, Residency Road, Shanthala Nagar Ashok Nagar, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India – 560025
• Representative: Founder CEO / Managing Partner Tsuyoshi Ito , Managing Director / General Partner Kengo Ueha
• Established: August 2014
• Business: Investment and growth support for deep tech startups in Japan and India, support for the commercialization of research seeds, cultivation and formation of management talent and teams, operation of shared wet labs, etc.
• Website: https://beyondnextventures.com