This is part of international campaign promoting the FMCG’s toothpaste products in Japan, Thailand, Singapore, and Taiwan. The campaign started today in Japan, and will launch in the other three countries on November 1st.
As we write this, the special frames are only available when your mobile is set to the Japanese language environment. (It will likely be available for any language setting after November 1st.)
When you launch the latest version of the app, there will be a button to choose the frame on the app’s home screen. In addition to a sample frame, 17 other frames will be available when you scan a barcode printed on the product package.
To date the startup has collaboratively worked with brands such as All Nippon Airways, Lawson, and smartphone homescreen decoration app Cocoppa in an effort to help Japanese culture reach the global audience. The app is available via the App Store and Google Play.
This is a part of our coverage of B Dash Camp Osaka 2013. One of the four Japanese startups that pitched at B Dash Camp in Osaka was InnoBeta, the creator of UIscope, a service for testing usability of smartphone-based media. The company’s CEO Daisuke Hiraishi explained a little more about their service on Tuesday, and revealed more about their plans moving forward. He highlighted the need for qualitative market research to be brought online, noting that the market size is about $3.3 billion globally [1]. UI Scope matches developers and testers, providing the latter with web cameras to explain and comment on a user interface as they test it out. The result that developers will see is a video and a questionnaire. They have 5000 testers, with each tester costing 3000 yen (about $30), with UI Scope taking 2500 yen and 500 yen going to testers. So far the startup has accumulated over registered 500 clients over 10 months, including the likes of Yahoo, Capcom, GungHo, and many startups [2]. Readers may recall that previously featured InnoBeta back in April when they partnered with Mixi’s Deploygate to create ‘DeployGate Scope’ to help developers crowdsource usability testing, not only for…
One of the four Japanese startups that pitched at B Dash Camp in Osaka was InnoBeta, the creator of UIscope, a service for testing usability of smartphone-based media.
The company’s CEO Daisuke Hiraishi explained a little more about their service on Tuesday, and revealed more about their plans moving forward. He highlighted the need for qualitative market research to be brought online, noting that the market size is about $3.3 billion globally [1].
UI Scope matches developers and testers, providing the latter with web cameras to explain and comment on a user interface as they test it out. The result that developers will see is a video and a questionnaire. They have 5000 testers, with each tester costing 3000 yen (about $30), with UI Scope taking 2500 yen and 500 yen going to testers. So far the startup has accumulated over registered 500 clients over 10 months, including the likes of Yahoo, Capcom, GungHo, and many startups [2].
Readers may recall that previously featured InnoBeta back in April when they partnered with Mixi’s Deploygate to create ‘DeployGate Scope’ to help developers crowdsource usability testing, not only for live apps, but also for prototypes still in development.
So what does the future look like for UI Scope? Hiraishi pointed to three strategies in particular:
Global expansion, starting with Korea where they will provide testing for 30 different apps. They are also planning China expansion as well. Local partners will help them bring in new testers.
Expand testing methods: Interview and group discussion can be done online as well.
Currently they focus mobile but they can also test things like hardware or even consumer products such as shampoo.
Hiraishi closed his pitch by predicting that his company will be the number one online qualitative research company in the world. That’s certainly a lofty goal, but their first few steps have been promising.
In online quantitative research, they point out Macromill and Survey Monkey as existing market solutions. ↩
I wonder if a corporate testing plan, or some sort of premium offerings, might be a way to increase their revenue. ↩
As we return from our trip down to Osaka for B Dash Camp, there’s more news emerging from Western Japan, this time from Kyoto. A new venture fund of $60 million was officially announced today, initiated by Kyoto University with the goal of supporting entrepreneurial activity from that university and the Kyoto area. The sectors of focus for the fund will be information/communication technology, life science and biotech, agricultural food, and environment and energy. Kyoto University has designated the newly formed Miyako Capital to manage the fund. I recently had a chance to speak with Hiroaki Okahashi (managing partner) and Kenshin Fujiwara (partner) to learn more about this initiative. Their team will also include director Norihiko Ishihara, and the president of the company will be Satoshi Yamaguchi, who brings much cross-border experience from his years at JAFCO. Unlike many VCs with primarily a finance background, many on the Miyako Capital team have experience starting and managing companies, which they see as a big differentiation with other VCs. A Cultural Edge Kyoto is typically known as a prime sight-seeing spot, rich in history, with a unique aesthetic, and a zen atmosphere. Okahashi explains that he’s very interested in Western Japan, in…
As we return from our trip down to Osaka for B Dash Camp, there’s more news emerging from Western Japan, this time from Kyoto. A new venture fund of $60 million was officially announced today, initiated by Kyoto University with the goal of supporting entrepreneurial activity from that university and the Kyoto area. The sectors of focus for the fund will be information/communication technology, life science and biotech, agricultural food, and environment and energy.
Kyoto University has designated the newly formed Miyako Capital to manage the fund. I recently had a chance to speak with Hiroaki Okahashi (managing partner) and Kenshin Fujiwara (partner) to learn more about this initiative.
Their team will also include director Norihiko Ishihara, and the president of the company will be Satoshi Yamaguchi, who brings much cross-border experience from his years at JAFCO. Unlike many VCs with primarily a finance background, many on the Miyako Capital team have experience starting and managing companies, which they see as a big differentiation with other VCs.
A Cultural Edge
Kyoto is typically known as a prime sight-seeing spot, rich in history, with a unique aesthetic, and a zen atmosphere. Okahashi explains that he’s very interested in Western Japan, in particularly Kyoto, where famous technology innovators like Steve Jobs and Larry Ellison have sought and found inspiration. He adds that the city’s cultural edge helps “give it the potential to be a center of innovation,” a place where cultural authenticity and new business ideas can merge.
Kyoto’s Kinkakuji, or Golden Pavillion
Of course, the image of an industrial East (Tokyo) contrasted with a creative-minded West sort of brings to mind the dichotomy that exists in the US.
Kyoto, of course, has a long way to go, but Kyoto University is renowned for its advanced research, even beyond Japan’s borders. Okahashi says that while Miyako Capital’s first few investments will likely be from Kyoto University (or some Kyoto entrepreneurs), they will not limit their investment criteria domestically:
If there are any companies that might represent synergies by adding the Kyoto brand or Kyoto University technology, we are willing to invest in technologies outside Japan.
He adds that there are many potential investors to this fund, like manufacturers looking for new technologies and businesses, lacking the experience to invest or source such businesses. Miyako Capital will aspire to fill that gap for them, given that they have access to IP derived and accumulated at Kyoto University.
In the technology world these days, Kyoto is perhaps best known as the home of giant companies like Nintendo and Kyocera. But it is also the home of internet company Hatena, which has a new office in Tokyo leading to its expected IPO coming soon [1]. Fujiwara says that that’s the kind of movement that they’d definitely like to see more Kyoto companies follow. When I inquired about promising Kyoto startups these days, both he and Okahashi pointed to Nota, whose Gyazo screenshot service is currently seeing heavy use by many here in Japan.
Both Okahashi and Fujiwara say they would like to see more entrepreneurs coming to Kyoto as well, and I really don’t think that’s a very difficult sell. Kyoto is a pretty incredible place, and I think given the chance, entrepreneurs the world over would love a chance to spend some time there. Hopefully this new fund can be a catalyst for more interest in the city — via Kyoto University — from both here in Japan as well as abroad.
Coincidentally, we had a chance to hear Nintendo president Satoru Iwata speak earlier this week in Osaka. You can read all about that here. My personal favorite Kyoto company right now is game developer Ponos. Their Battle Cats game is incredible. We’re also big fans of QOOQ and its Yesterscape app. ↩
See the original story in Japanese. Tokyo-based Hachimenroppi (named after the eight faces and six arms seen on many Buddhist statues) is a startup that does something rather unusual. It delivers fish, handling distribution services for restaurants. And apparently that business has some serious potential, as the company announced recently that it has raised 150 million yen (approximately $1.5 million) from VC firm Value Create, PR agency Vector, and logistics company Winroader. The startup’s founder and CEO Masanari Matsuda has had a unique career since he started working in the banking industry, moving on to a VC firm, and then launching two companies prior to this one. He launched this startup back in September of 2010 when he thought there was great potential in evolving fish distribution. The company buys fish from markets and brokers across the country and delivers it to Japanese izakaya restaurants or diners, according to their specific needs. The fish products industry in Japan has an annual volume of 3 trillion yen ($30.9 billion), and the startup expects to meet the demands of 300 billion yen ($3.09 billion) by the year of 2020, accounting for a 10% market share. Every single restraurant has a different need…
Tokyo-based Hachimenroppi (named after the eight faces and six arms seen on many Buddhist statues) is a startup that does something rather unusual. It delivers fish, handling distribution services for restaurants. And apparently that business has some serious potential, as the company announced recently that it has raised 150 million yen (approximately $1.5 million) from VC firm Value Create, PR agency Vector, and logistics company Winroader.
The startup’s founder and CEO Masanari Matsuda has had a unique career since he started working in the banking industry, moving on to a VC firm, and then launching two companies prior to this one. He launched this startup back in September of 2010 when he thought there was great potential in evolving fish distribution.
The company buys fish from markets and brokers across the country and delivers it to Japanese izakaya restaurants or diners, according to their specific needs. The fish products industry in Japan has an annual volume of 3 trillion yen ($30.9 billion), and the startup expects to meet the demands of 300 billion yen ($3.09 billion) by the year of 2020, accounting for a 10% market share.
Every single restraurant has a different need regarding what kind of fish or how many fish are needed day to day. On the other hand, what fish are available very much depends on changing [environmental] conditions. So matching the needs of restaurants with supplies from the market can be compared to doing a huge jigsaw puzzle. We facilitate this by making the most of digital technologies.
From an outsider’s perspective, the fish distribution business is fiercely competitive because of the abundance of Japanese izakaya restaurant chains. But according to Matsuda, this intense competition is happening only in the area inside Tokyo’s Yamanote loopline (the center of Tokyo), and the whole distribution system works based on supply in the rest of the country. He added:
When we get an order from restaurants, we’ll not be able to refuse their orders because there was a poor catch. A direct delivery from ports is good in providing fresh fish to restaurants, but it’s not good at all times because a poor catch directly results in unavailable dishes on their menus. We can understand the needs of restaurants and propose alternative options to them. This is our value.
Hachimenroppi’s app for restaurant chefs and cooks
In order to do this the startup’s employees periodically visit restaurants/clients to establish better communications with their chefs. Interestingly, no specific personnel is assigned to each client, but any updates about restaurants collected by the employees are shared within their startup using Evernote. This means that any of their employees can visit clients, translating into greater potential for their business scalability.
Matsuda thinks that delivering top quality fish to consumers is their duty. With these new funds raised, they plan to develop a system that proposes fish recipes to chefs or cooks using smart tablets.
Instead of removing middlemen from the distribution process, which typical discount retailers often do, the company attempts to evolve the entire industry using digital solutions. If their service helps consumers eat better quality fish and if it helps fishermen earn more, it should certainly boost the fishing industry as a whole.
Similar to Hachimenroppi, we’ve seen more than a few Japanese startups trying to evolve conventional businesses using digital technologies, including Raksul (printing) and LeNet (laundry). We’ll feature a more comprehensive list of such startups soon, so stay tuned!
A few days ago, Yahoo Auction here in Japan made transactions free for individual users. The company is also getting rid of the 18,900 yen (roughly $194) monthly fee for store-owners. With more and more competitors joining the second-hand products market, this is Yahoo’s attempt to retain the users it already has. But that is not stopping other companies from joining the already busy market. A new auction app called Smaoku (a short for ‘smart auction’) was released at the beginning of this month, targeting working women in their 20s and 30s. Many such women have busy lives, and some don’t even have the time to organize their closet. But many are willing to consider an online auction as a way to clear out their closet and get some extra cash in the process. But many online auctions have problems like poor usability, and offline options like pawn shops leave no room for price negotiation. These problems have resulted in an opportunity for services like Smaoku. Any women over 20 can open their own store on Smaoku, uploading photos taken with their smartphones. The service is invite-only for now, with the limited user base already buying and selling high-end brand…
A few days ago, Yahoo Auction here in Japan made transactions free for individual users. The company is also getting rid of the 18,900 yen (roughly $194) monthly fee for store-owners. With more and more competitors joining the second-hand products market, this is Yahoo’s attempt to retain the users it already has. But that is not stopping other companies from joining the already busy market. A new auction app called Smaoku (a short for ‘smart auction’) was released at the beginning of this month, targeting working women in their 20s and 30s.
Many such women have busy lives, and some don’t even have the time to organize their closet. But many are willing to consider an online auction as a way to clear out their closet and get some extra cash in the process. But many online auctions have problems like poor usability, and offline options like pawn shops leave no room for price negotiation. These problems have resulted in an opportunity for services like Smaoku.
Any women over 20 can open their own store on Smaoku, uploading photos taken with their smartphones. The service is invite-only for now, with the limited user base already buying and selling high-end brand products.
We had a chance to speak with Daisaku Harada, the CEO of Zawatt, the company behind Smaoku. When asked about the major differentiator between other flea market apps and this one, he explained:
Flea markets and auctions are two different things that provides completely different user experiences. Flea markets are about the fun of being a pretend store owner, and it’s also about communication. So its [generally] suited for younger people. But auction are about excitement and a game-like feeling where sellers try to find the most appropriate price to sell at. Smaoku is an auction site, which we designed to satisfy busy working women with no extra time on their hands.
Smaoku plans to officially go live at the beginning of November, and in December they’ll roll out an Android app. It is a member of KDDI Labo, and Zawatt will leverage KDDI’s marketing and business development experience to enhance its product.
See the original story in Japanese. This is a part of our coverage of B Dash Camp Osaka 2013. Recently we have seen more than a few Japanese companies disappearing from the market. According to a 2011 white-paper on Japanese SMEs and Industry, 30% of companies will be gone in ten years, and as many as 50% of them in 20 years [1]. It might be relatively easy to launch a startup, but it’s still very hard to keep running one. So advice for experienced entrepreneurs is very useful for all of us. On day one of B Dash Camp Osaka, we had a chance to hear such advice from Drecom CEO Yuki Naito and Crooz CEO Koji Obuchi. The session was moderated by Septeni Holdings CEO Koki Sato. Sato started the session by noting that even though M&A activities are increasing, IPOs are decreasing. Obuchi says that selling off your company is one of the necessary steps to accelerate the startup ecosystem, but he couldn’t say definitively that entrepreneurs should choose an acquisition as an easier option. When I look at faces of my employees, I feel I wouldn’t be able to let them down. I’m probably very typically…
Recently we have seen more than a few Japanese companies disappearing from the market. According to a 2011 white-paper on Japanese SMEs and Industry, 30% of companies will be gone in ten years, and as many as 50% of them in 20 years [1]. It might be relatively easy to launch a startup, but it’s still very hard to keep running one. So advice for experienced entrepreneurs is very useful for all of us. On day one of B Dash Camp Osaka, we had a chance to hear such advice from Drecom CEO Yuki Naito and Crooz CEO Koji Obuchi. The session was moderated by Septeni Holdings CEO Koki Sato.
Sato started the session by noting that even though M&A activities are increasing, IPOs are decreasing. Obuchi says that selling off your company is one of the necessary steps to accelerate the startup ecosystem, but he couldn’t say definitively that entrepreneurs should choose an acquisition as an easier option.
When I look at faces of my employees, I feel I wouldn’t be able to let them down. I’m probably very typically Japanese in that I wouldn’t be able to take a buy-out option.
Naito also says he really wants to keep running his business, explainging that if he sold off his company, it would be hard to find something else to do.
Looking at recent M&As in the Japanese startup scene, he pointed out that prices for startup buyouts are still low.
Mostly the prices ranging from 500 million yen to 1 billion yen, right? (from $5 million to $10 million) For startup founders, if you still hold half of your company’s shares, the amount is much more than what you can spend on your petty expenses. Your startup is what you want to do, but you will lose it after the sell-off. And you probably wouldn’t be able to spend the money so easily because it represents the fruit of your contnuous efforts. I’m not sure how one can so easily sell off a company.
Tough times
Naito reflected back on the times when he suffered the most:
Drecom CEO Yuki Naito
One year after the IPO of my company Drecom, it still showed a loss. In 2006, we took over a company for 1.3 billion yen ($13 million) but we were forced to borrow money from the bank for it because Drecom had a low evaluation due to the Livedoor Shock. When I looked at the acquired company’s fiscal report, it still had 2 billion yen ($20 million) in short-term debt. If your company shows a loss for more than two consecutive fiscal periods, your bank will take something in security for your future pay-back and attempt to collect money from you.
At the time, Naito was in his 20s but had to make his company profitable, even lending the company money from his personal account. When they got investment from Rakuten, a total acqusition by the e-commerce giant was one of their possible options. But he rejected the proposal since he would not really be motivated to keep running the business if he lost ownership.
Obuchi let his social gaming business mature after pivotting seven times. The moderator asked him if his employees were confused with those pivots, and he said they were very tolerant, and probably understood it was necessary for the company to survive.
Naito emphasized the importance of quick execution in business, explaining:
If you know your business in feature phone content (for example) will suffer, you need to take action as soon as possible. If you start working on it when you see a loss, that might be too late.
Issued by the Japanese Ministry of Trade, Economy.↩
Junya Mori
Rick Martin
Masaru Ikeda
Yukari Mitsuhashi
Takeshi Hirano
