Craif Inc. (Location: Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, CEO: Ryuichi Onose: hereinafter referred to as “Craif”) signed a loan agreement with MUFG Bank, Ltd. (President and CEO: Junichi Hanzawa, hereinafter referred to as “MUFG”) totalling JPY 1.52 billion. This loan is the first case in the three Tokai prefectures using the Credit Guarantee Program to Facilitate Businesses to Utilize the Results of Innovative Technology Research offered by Organization for Small & Medium Enterprises and Regional Innovation, JAPAN (SMRJ). This Credit Guarantee Program is based on the approval from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry for a business activity plan to utilize the results of innovative technology research based on the Industrial Competitiveness Enhancement Act.

^{From left to right: Takao Yasui (Scientific Adviser and Co-Founder), Ryuichi Onose (President and CEO), Mika Mizunuma (Chief Operating Officer), and Yuki Ichikawa (Chief Technology Officer)}

◾️ Outline of the Loan Agreement
Form of Loan ：Term Loan with an availability period
Date of Contract： September 28, 2022
Maximum Loan Amount：1.52 billion JPY
Purpose of Funds：Business expansion and capital expenditure

◾️Background and Purpose of the Loan Agreement
　Craif is a startup company founded in 2018. “NANO IP™ (NANO Intelligence Platform),” enables highly accurate detection of biological material such as microRNAs, related to diseases by using non-invasively collected bodily fluids, like urine. With this innovative platform, Craif is dedicated to developing screening tests using NANO IP™ to achieve early detection of cancer and provide the best medicine for everybody. As Craif is currently working to solve various issues in cancer treatment, the fundraising will be used to further expand the type of cancers which miSignal®︎ can detect, and to develop a home-completion test, thereby promoting our vision to “Ensure Lifelong Health for Everyone.”

◾️Comments from CEO
　
　The loan agreement we have signed with MUFG is a great milestone not only to our company, but also to the startup ecosystem. We will use the loan agreement to promote sales and expand product lineup as we strive to achieve our vision to “Ensure Lifelong Health for Everyone.”
　The financing of R&D in the deep-tech field, which requires a large amount of capital, is an epochal step for the startup ecosystem in Japan. We are determined to set a good precedent and to ensure that more active funding will be provided to this field.