[QFF] Quantum Flowers & Foods Wins Pitch Contest at SusHi Tech Tokyo 2026 "INVESTOR NIGHT"

Quantum Flowers & Foods Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Mito City, Ibaraki Prefecture; Representative Director CEO: Hakuro Kikuchi; hereinafter "QFF") exhibited at "SusHi Tech Tokyo 2026," Asia's largest innovation conference, from Monday, April 27 to Wednesday, April 29, 2026.

We are pleased to announce that Mr. Kikuchi, CEO & CTO, participated in the pitch contest at the official side event "INVESTOR NIGHT" on Tuesday, April 28, during the conference, and won the contest.

Mr. Kikuchi, the developer, presented QFF's unique technology, "Neutron Beam Speedy Breeding®," which enables non-GMO rapid breeding, and received high praise from the judges. We would like to express our gratitude to everyone who showed interest in our technology at the booth and pitch venue, and to everyone who supported us.

QFF won the pitch contest at the official side event "INVESTOR NIGHT."

◆ About SusHi Tech Tokyo 2026 and INVESTOR NIGHT

SusHi Tech Tokyo 2026 is Asia's largest global innovation conference hosted by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. It was held at Tokyo Big Sight from Monday, April 27 to Wednesday, April 29, 2026, bringing together startups, investors, large corporations, universities/research institutions, and government agencies from Japan and abroad to co-create technologies and businesses for a sustainable urban and industrial future. QFF also exhibited this year, following its participation last year.

"INVESTOR NIGHT" was a networking event for global investors held as an official side event of SusHi Tech Tokyo 2026. Key players in the global startup ecosystem, including international venture capitalists, CVCs, institutional investors, domestic and international startups, large corporations, and government officials, gathered to connect promising startups from Japan and Asia with global investors.

QFF participated in the pitch contest held during INVESTOR NIGHT, showcasing the technical features of its non-GMO rapid breeding technology, "Neutron Beam Speedy Breeding®," and its potential applications in agriculture, food, and biotechnology. This award provided an important opportunity for QFF to communicate the potential of its technology and business to the domestic and international startup and investor ecosystem.

Mr. Kikuchi, the developer, explained the advantages of Neutron Beam Speedy Breeding® and presented his vision for business growth strategy and social implementation.

◆ Background and Significance of the Award

QFF is a deep tech company that provides plant and microorganism breeding services, centered on its non-GMO rapid breeding technology, "Neutron Beam Speedy Breeding®," which induces random mutations with accelerator-derived neutron beams to create useful traits in a short period.

Neutron Beam Speedy Breeding® is a technology that induces diverse mutations in plants and microorganisms, enabling the discovery of useful traits that are difficult to obtain with conventional breeding and improvement methods. It is expected to be applied in a wide range of fields, such as climate change adaptation for crops, improvement of useful microorganisms in food and fermentation, and productivity improvement in biomaterial manufacturing.

In this pitch contest, QFF's technological superiority and business development potential were highly evaluated, leading to this victory.

Mechanism of non-GMO rapid breeding technology, Neutron Beam Speedy Breeding®

*Plants create new strains in about 1-3 years, approximately half the traditional time, and microorganisms in about 2 months, about one-sixth the traditional time. Reference: Speedy Breeding in 5 minutes

◆ Future Outlook

Building on this award, QFF will continue to contribute to the realization of a sustainable society in the agriculture, food, and biotechnology sectors through its non-GMO technology-based breeding and improvement services.

Furthermore, QFF will further strengthen collaboration with domestic and international operating companies, research institutions, local governments, and the startup ecosystem to accelerate the social implementation of Neutron Beam Speedy Breeding®.

◆ Comment from Hakuro Kikuchi, Representative Director CEO & CTO of QFF

I am deeply honored to have won the pitch contest at SusHi Tech Tokyo 2026 official side event "INVESTOR NIGHT."

The Neutron Beam Speedy Breeding® that QFF is working on is a technology that brings out the inherent potential of plants and microorganisms and contributes to the creation of new value in the agriculture, food, and biotechnology sectors.

Taking this award as an opportunity, we will strive to make this new technology known to even more people and deliver it to the forefront of various developments, thereby contributing to the realization of a sustainable society and global environment.

Hakuro Kikuchi, Representative Director CEO, QFF

<Contact for this matter>

Quantum Flowers & Foods Co., Ltd.

CMO (Marketing & Sales Manager): Naito

E-mail: shunsu