SoftBank Group-backed AI Medical Service Inc., which specializes in endoscopy analysis, is taking steps for a possible initial public offering in Tokyo as early as next year.
The Japanese startup, which develops software to scan endoscopy images and identify potential cancers, has selected a lead manager for the IPO and is in talks with the Tokyo Stock Exchange, founder and Chief Executive Officer Tomohiro Tada said in an interview.
The company — whose peers include U.S.-based Iterative Scopes Inc. — will begin supplying software that detects potential stomach cancers to medical institutions later this year at a monthly subscription fee of about ¥200,000 ($1,500) including updates, Tada said.