Murata and Tribe open MedTech startup programme for ASEAN and India

Murata Electronics Singapore has partnered with Tribe to launch KUMIHIMO Tech Camp Singapore 2026, a MedTech-focused open innovation programme for startups in Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam, and India.

The programme is the first Southeast Asia and India edition of Murata’s KUMIHIMO Tech Camp. It will run through 2026 and focus on healthcare technologies designed for regional needs, including chronic and infectious disease, environment-linked health risks, and affordable screening and diagnosis.

Selected startups will receive access to Murata’s hardware platforms, components, and core technologies, along with engineering and business guidance from Murata teams. Tribe will manage the programme structure, including startup selection, mentor pairings, technical onboarding, pitch coaching, and Demo Day preparation.

A healthcare programme built around hardware and software

KUMIHIMO Tech Camp Singapore 2026 is aimed at deep-tech and MedTech startups building disease-focused solutions that combine hardware and software. The programme is open to startups headquartered or operating in the eligible markets, with technologies at Technology Readiness Level 3 or above.

Murata said the programme will focus on three challenge areas. These are the prevention and detection of chronic and infectious disease, monitoring of health risks linked to pollution, heat, and climate change, and wider access to affordable screening and diagnosis outside major urban centres.

Startups may use Murata’s existing component technologies or work across three technical tracks: Downsizing Technology, Sensing Technology, and Information and Communications Technology. Pure lifestyle or wellness solutions, as well as pharmaceutical or biological approaches, are outside the programme’s scope.

DM Venkatesan, General Manager, Regional New Business Development, Murata Electronics Singapore Pte. Ltd, said: “The healthcare challenges across ASEAN and India are real and urgent, and off-the-shelf technology was not built to solve them. Startups that can combine hardware innovation with deep local context are best placed to change that. Tribe stood out as the right partner for KUMIHIMO Tech Camp Singapore because of how they approach open innovation, not as a one-off event, but as a living ecosystem that gives us confidence this programme will attract the right innovators and create lasting value, not just in 2026, but in every possible edition that follows.”

Selected teams will pitch in Singapore in November

Applications open in mid-June 2026 and close on 31 July 2026. The top 10 teams are expected to be selected by mid-August, before entering a development phase that runs from September to November.

The programme will end with Demo Day on 26 November 2026 in Singapore. Startups will present to a panel that includes Murata leadership, Tribe mentors, and invited industry partners. One winning team will receive a S$10,000 cash prize.

Murata said high-potential teams may also be considered for proof-of-concept projects, engineering engagements, and longer-term co-development opportunities where their solutions match Murata’s focus areas.

Yi Ming Ng, Co-Founder of Tribe Accelerator, said: “What Tribe brings to KUMIHIMO Tech Camp Singapore 2026 is the layer that sits around the technology. Alongside Murata Manufacturing’s hardware platforms and engineering depth, Tribe will put our extensive regional networks to work for selected teams, facilitating 1:1 sessions with strategists, subject matter experts, and investors who have shipped and invested in MedTech across Southeast Asia and India. That contextual guidance, combined with deep-tech collaboration, is what turns strong technical ideas into deployable, commercially viable solutions for the markets that need them most.”