Tokyo Wellness Impact Fund Invests in HICKY Inc., Developer of a Treatment Device for Central Sleep Apnea

The Tokyo Wellness Impact Fund (General Partner: Toranomon Impact Capital LLC, Minato-ku, Tokyo; Representative Partners: Takeshi Aoki, CEO of Capital Medica Ventures Inc., and Atsushi Mandai, CEO of Monex Ventures Co., Ltd.), which practices impact investing, has announced its investment in HICKY Inc. (Headquarters: Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo; CEO: Kentaro Hayashi), a company developing an innovative medical device to treat Central Sleep Apnea (CSA).

■Social Issue to be Solved and Investment Background

Heart failure is a leading cause of death worldwide, with approximately 1.2 million patients in Japan, a number projected to increase by 2030. "Central Sleep Apnea (CSA)," a comorbidity affecting about 40% of heart failure patients, is a serious disease that not only reduces sleep quality but also directly impacts the prognosis of these patients. CSA is known to increase re-hospitalization and mortality rates in heart failure patients, significantly affecting their outcomes. However, current treatment options for CSA are limited and have high hurdles for implementation, leaving many heart failure patients untreated.
HICKY is developing a next-generation device to fundamentally solve these issues. By adopting a leadless stent-type shape, it aims to reduce procedural difficulty and shorten the time required. Furthermore, by using wireless power supply technology, it eliminates the need for re-operation for battery replacement, thereby reducing the burden on patients.

[Logic Model for HICKY's Realization of Social Impact]

This project, which captures the urgent needs of the clinical field through the University of Tokyo Biodesign program, is being developed by a team with both expertise and drive. Convinced that the realization of this project will be a major turning point in improving the prognosis of heart failure patients, we have decided to invest. The fund will unite to support HICKY in its quest to create social impact.

[About the Tokyo Wellness Impact Fund]

This fund was launched after Toranomon Impact Capital LLC was selected as the operator for the Tokyo Metropolitan Government's Social Impact Investment Fund project. It invests in startups in the wellness domain that aim to solve social issues. For details on our activities, please see the "Tokyo Wellness Impact Fund 2024 Impact Report" to be published in May 2025.
https://capitalmedicaventures.com/cms/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/TWIF2024.pdf

[About HICKY Inc.]

Established: 2022
Representative: CEO Kentaro Hayashi
Location: 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo
Business: Development of a stent-type device for treating Central Sleep Apnea
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