Innovation Kyoto 2021 Investment Limited Partnership ("KYOTO-ICAP No.2 Fund"), with Kyoto University Innovation Capital Corporation ("Kyoto iCAP") (Head Office: Sakyo-ku, Kyoto; Representative Director: Kimi Kusumi) as the general partner, has made a new investment in Kagawa University venture company Melody (Head office: Takamatsu City, Kagawa Prefecture; Representative Director: Yuko Ogata), a venture company originating from Kagawa University.

Outline of this investment
Melody is a Kagawa University venture that develops mobile delivery monitoring devices used in fetal monitoring for perinatal care.

Delivery monitoring devices use ultrasound Doppler technology to measure fetal heartbeats and are used for antenatal checkups and delivery monitoring. However, existing products are large and stationary, limiting the locations where measurements can be taken. Melody has therefore developed a compact, IoT-enabled mobile device that enables remote fetal monitoring anytime, anywhere, and launched it as a medical device in 2019.

In Japan, the number of obstetric facilities is decreasing, making regular checkups and other visits to hospitals a burden for pregnant women. In addition, the increase in the number of older women giving birth has made childbirth a high-risk activity. Emerging and developing countries face a shortage of specialist physicians and high maternal and infant mortality rates due to long-distance transport. Furthermore, the recent worldwide pandemic of new coronavirus infection has created a need for infection control measures for pregnant women. Telemedicine in the perinatal period is one of the solutions to these issues, and we hope that Melody's products will help realize safe and secure childbirth.

Kyoto iCAP has highly evaluated the potential of Melody's delivery monitoring device iCTG and perinatal telemedicine platform Melody i, and has made a new investment of 150 million yen through a third-party allocation of new shares. This is the first investment in a national university venture company other than Kyoto University by the KYOTO-iCAP No. 2 Fund, which is now able to support ventures originating from national universities other than Kyoto University.

Outline of Melody International, Inc.

Establishment	July 2015
Business	Manufacture, development, and marketing of platforms and medical equipment for telemedicine services
Head Office Location	Takamatsu City, Kagawa Prefecture
President & CEO	Yuko Ogata