SalivaTech Inc. (Headquarters: Tsuruoka City, Yamagata Prefecture, CEO: Makoto Sunamura), which provides the saliva-based cancer risk test "Saliva Checker®", held a dialogue-based workshop titled "Serious, Honest, Essential Growth Potential Meeting" for all employees on June 15 (Mon.) and 16 (Tue.), 2026.

This event was conducted with the aim of improving the quality of the testing services provided by resolving communication gaps within the company due to organizational expansion, building common language, and ultimately strengthening the organization and fostering individual growth.

Mr. Tomohiro Sawada explaining the workshop overview to employees on the day.

Background and Objectives of the Event

While SalivaTech has grown as a bio-venture contributing to society through saliva analysis technology, challenges have arisen due to a lack of daily communication and insufficient common understanding and language within the company.

Therefore, this workshop was planned as the first step to formulate a "Credo (Code of Conduct)" that will serve as a guideline for improving SalivaTech in the future, by allowing each employee to express their genuine feelings and thoughts about the company.

The workshop is imbued with the strong belief that individual growth and organizational strengthening are the foundations for elevating the quality of services delivered to customers to the highest level.

Overview of the Company-Wide Workshop "Serious, Honest, Essential Growth Potential Meeting"

Creative Director Tomohiro Sawada, who has handled numerous social impact projects and diversity-driven organizational development, was invited as the facilitator.

The workshop involved discussions and company-wide sharing in small teams, divided across roles and departments, using a unique 4-step structure that transforms "dissatisfaction and complaints" into future "growth potential."

[Workshop's 4-Step Structure]

Emotional Inventory: "My Best Emotions (Joy, Anger, Sorrow, Pleasure)"

Employees inventoried their personal emotions related to their careers, from childhood to their motivation for joining the company, thereby re-recognizing their own core values.

Verbalizing Questions: "Motivation for Working" Born from Emotions

Based on personal experiences and emotions, such as "Why wasn't there a way to detect illnesses earlier?", employees articulated the "questions" they truly want to cherish while working at SalivaTech.

Exploring Ideals: "The Ideal State of SalivaTech"

Employees thoroughly explored the ideal company image to confront the verbalized questions, covering aspects such as organizational structure, management, communication, business, research and development, and culture.

Verbalizing Growth Potential and Creating a Credo

The gap between the current state and the ideal was viewed as "growth potential," and teams formulated a credo (SalivaTech is ○○) to bridge this gap and translate it into action.

Through this workshop, valuable opinions (seeds for common language) were gathered, fostering an open corporate culture, as everyone engaged in earnest and honest discussions as stakeholders. SalivaTech plans to further verbalize, systematize, and scrutinize the honest opinions shared during this event to ultimately codify them into a company-wide "Credo."

Endorsement from Facilitator Tomohiro Sawada

I was deeply impressed by the earnest desire of everyone at SalivaTech to contribute to global health through the services and products you offer, which was evident in every word spoken during the workshop. I look forward to your continued contributions as a leading healthcare company in Japan.

[Tomohiro Sawada Profile]

Copywriter / Creative Director. Representative Director of the General Incorporated Association "World Slow Sports Association." Alongside his advertising work, he has spearheaded the development of "Slow Sports," which anyone can enjoy, as well as Paralympics support focused on diversity and the planning of welfare and barrier-free projects. He advocates for "Minority Design," transforming minority perspectives into societal assets. His books include "Minority Design" and "Loosening a Rigid World."

Saliva-Based Cancer Risk Test "Saliva Checker"

"Saliva Checker" is a test that evaluates cancer incidence risk by analyzing metabolites in saliva and processing the data with AI. It can assess the risk of 5 types of cancer for men (pancreatic, lung, stomach, colorectal, and oral cancer) and 6 types for women (including breast cancer) in a single test. It was developed based on research findings from the Institute of Advanced Biosciences, Keio University. To date, it has been used by over 110,000 people.

SalivaTech's Mission

To contribute to the early detection and intervention of diseases through the screening test business.

To propose a system to society that protects people's "lives" and "bodies" as a bridge between self-care and medical care.

To collaborate with academia, advance continuous technological development and clinical research, and quickly return the results to society.

[SalivaTech Overview]

Company Name: SalivaTech Inc.

Representative: Makoto Sunamura, President and CEO

Business Activities:

- Saliva-based cancer risk testing business

- New risk test development business

- Research and testing contract business

Corporate Site: https://salivatech.co.jp/

Service Site: https://sc.salivatech.co.jp/

<Contact Information>

SalivaTech Inc.

E-mail: info@salivatech.co.jp

FACT BOX

  • Source: PR TIMES
  • Category: Event