TOPICS

Startup
【Series】JIC VGI investee
startup’s DE&I
Vol.4 Instalimb, Inc.
JIC Group has been actively promoting DE&I with the belief that DE&I helps us utilize diverse points of view, trigger innovation, and strengthen competitiveness. To promote DE&I in the Japanese fund sector and startup ecosystem, JIC officially announced its position on DE&I in July 2023, and since then has been implementing a variety of initiatives, including the introduction in December 2024 of a DE&I Promotion Policy describing why JIC Group promotes DE&I and its DE&I Goals. This series features JIC VGI portfolio companies that demonstrate the practical application of DE&I principles through: advanced initiatives that empower diverse talents regardless of gender, nationality, or disability; support employees seeking to balance work and childcare; or promote unique careers or ways of working. Interviews also include comments from JIC VGI venture capitalists.

Yutaka Tokushima
CEO and Representative Director, Instalimb, Inc.
After entering university, Yutaka learned product development know-how at a hardware venture company. At the age of 25, he started his own company developing web systems and hardware. He then studied industrial design at Tama Art University and established a career as an industrial designer. At the age of 34, he was a member of the Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers, and led a project to set up and expand across Asia the Philippines’ first digital fabrication lab. He won a Good Design Award in 2014, and founded Instalimb in 2018.
Kenji Wasada
Business Development Div. Director / Venture Capitalist, JIC Venture Growth Investments Co., Ltd.
Kenji joined the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) in 2005. He worked on demonstration projects for the international development of renewable energy at the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. He was part of new project planning at the NEDO New Energy Department, Silicon Valley Office, and the NEDO Robot and AI Department, and served as project manager for multiple robot technology development projects. He joined VGI in November 2021.Expanding possibilities worldwide by making immobility a thing of the past
Tokushima, CEO of Instalimb, says that diversity is integral to the success of this business manufacturing and marketing prosthetic legs made with 3D printers. He also discusses his relationship with JIC VGI.
What is Instalimb’s business?
Tokushima Instalimb manufactures and sells affordable prosthetic legs for Global South markets. We are the first company in the world to succeed in social implementation of 3D printed prosthetic legs. We offer the same level of quality as existing prosthetics at one-tenth the price. By using a digital solution, orthotist productivity has been improved by a factor of 10. We have already provided more than 4000 prosthetic legs, mainly in the Philippines and India.
Are prosthetic legs expensive?

Tokushima Manufacturing prosthetic legs requires advanced technology and a single prosthetic can cost 500,000 yen. The most difficult part is matching the prosthetic to the user’s leg. How users feel and how a prosthetic leg works depends on the shape of the amputation point, the person’s weight and other factors. Prosthetic legs that accommodate all of these factors are beyond the means of most people in the Global South.
What motivated you to start this business?
Tokushima Prior to starting the company, I was dispatched to the Philippines to launch a “Monozukuri (manufacturing) Lab” as a member of the Overseas Youth Cooperation Volunteers in 2013. In the Philippines, a lot of people suffer from diabetes and are forced to have their gangrenous legs amputated. Many of them have had to give up reintegrating into society, and have been searching for a way to obtain high quality prosthetic legs. So I created a prototype, got a very positive response, and decided to start the company.
Was there an existing source of prosthetic legs in the Philippines?

Tokushima There were some. For example, a few prosthetic legs were donated, but they were made of a material used for plumbing water (photo), and did not fit the amputation point precisely. People would often stop using them because they were inconvenient or caused too much pain if used for extended periods of time. So we came up with an approach that uses a 3D scanner to map the amputation point, designed the socket – the junction between the prosthetic leg and the human leg – using 3D modeling software, and used a 3D printer to produce prosthetics offering a perfect fit. We continue to refine and update the 3D modeling software using an AI that learns from the 3D data we have accumulated. This has made the design process much easier, reducing the time it takes for beginners in developing countries to learn how to create prosthetic legs. It has also made it possible for local people to mass produce low-cost, qualified prosthetic legs.
How did the relationship with JIC group start?
Tokushima We asked JIC VGI to make an investment so that we could increase the scale of the business in line with our aspirations to become the global standard.
Wasada, venture capitalist, JIC VGI When I met with CEO Tokushima for the first time, I felt that it would be difficult to expand a business targeting the Global South, where prosthetic legs were considered welfare devices, using 3D printers and relying on insurance systems that were not yet mature. As our discussions progressed, however, I came to believe that Instalimb’s products, technology and services could challenge the conventional wisdom and demonstrate that a Japanese manufacturing startup could be welcomed and appreciated overseas. Ultimately, I decided to invest in the company. While we were in discussions over the investment, Instalimb became the biggest provider of prosthetics in the Philippines and started to expand into India.
Tokushima JIC VGI supports us not only with financing, but also in terms of business plans, hiring, and using its extensive network to introduce us to large companies and financial institutions. Advice on government relations and introductions to UN organizations have also been very helpful.
Do you have any initiatives for human resource diversification?
Tokushima We have around 200 employees, with around 30 in Japan – the development base – another 70 in the Philippines and approximately 100 in India. A lot of women work at Instalimb, and each country has female executives. We are actively hiring people with disabilities. We rely on employees with limb issues for the development of new prosthetic leg products. They conduct the initial fittings and provide feedback.
Participating in product development must be huge motivation for them.
Tokushima Absolutely. They were working before being disabled due to accident or illness. The prosthetic legs allow them to reintegrate into society. We definitely wants to hire people with excellent skills.
Wasada I heard from a person in the Philippines who said, “I got the prosthetic legs and rejoined society. My family also can go to work because they no longer need to support me.” This means that the family can overcome its financial difficulties.
They can be independent in society as well as financially! This business is strongly related to Diversity.
Tokushima We believe that customers are our partners. We are both challengers. Our customers are trying to get their lives back using prosthetic legs, while we are trying to create business by manufacturing them. We will continue to prioritize their feedback and incorporate new ideas with open mind.