Japanese payments startup Coiney started out back in March of 2013, now just over a year later the company has released an infographic outlining some of their key metrics during that period.
You can view the graphic, which is in Japanese, below, but here are some selected points that stand out:
42.7% of the service’s users are from the capital Tokyo.
the average age of a Coiney user is about 45. That seems surprisingly old to me, as I’d have guess their demographics to skew a little younger.
81% of their users are male.
53% are corporate users, while 47% are small businesses
19% of users fall in the so-called ‘gourmet’, which we assume means restaurants and other food-related retailers.
At the Global Mobile Internet Conference 2014 in Beijing this week, we had a chance to speak with Leap Motion co-founder & CEO Michael Buckwald. As many of our readers are likely aware, Leap Motion is a gesture-based motion controller that lets users interact with a computer by making gestures in a given space over the Leap Motion sensor. Since its launch back in 2011, the company has raised a total of $44 million over several rounds. Companies here in Japan like Kadinche and Cinemacraft have already been working on new ways to use Leap Motion. Buckwald tells us that while about 50% of all their product orders come from the US, they also see many pre-orders from Japan, China, and South Korea. One of the biggest reason he attended GMIC is to build a reliable distribution channel in China. We’re making a different market approach in every single country. In Japan, we have partnered with companies like Softbank and Yodobashi Camera, and are expecting them to facilitate distribution channels to reach out our potential users better. In Korea, we have several partners but are conducting a [more] direct approach than what we are doing in the Japanese market. In…
At the Global Mobile Internet Conference 2014 in Beijing this week, we had a chance to speak with Leap Motion co-founder & CEO Michael Buckwald. As many of our readers are likely aware, Leap Motion is a gesture-based motion controller that lets users interact with a computer by making gestures in a given space over the Leap Motion sensor. Since its launch back in 2011, the company has raised a total of $44 million over several rounds. Companies here in Japan like Kadinche and Cinemacraft have already been working on new ways to use Leap Motion.
Buckwald tells us that while about 50% of all their product orders come from the US, they also see many pre-orders from Japan, China, and South Korea. One of the biggest reason he attended GMIC is to build a reliable distribution channel in China.
We’re making a different market approach in every single country. In Japan, we have partnered with companies like Softbank and Yodobashi Camera, and are expecting them to facilitate distribution channels to reach out our potential users better. In Korea, we have several partners but are conducting a [more] direct approach than what we are doing in the Japanese market. In China, we have no formal partnership with any company for now, but we think it’s significant for us to find a way to expose our actual product.
In order to encourage third-party developers to create Leap Motion apps using the company’s SDK, Leap Motion has set up an app market called AirSpace where the developers can publish their apps. Buckwald tells us the market has about 200 apps for now, and about 50% of them are paid, with many gaming apps ranked among the top downloads.
We understand that the company has launched an incubation program called LEAP.AXLR8R in San Francisco (of course, in partnership with Shenzhen-based HAXLR8R), where several startups are committed to developing Leap-integrated apps. The first class from the program will be graduating in just a few months. A number of unofficial meetups are being organized by the company and its developer communities in cities in the world. Buckwald expects such efforts will really help establish user/developer ecosystem based around their device.
NTT Broadband Platform, an NTT Docomo subsidiary operating public wi-fi services, recently announced the launch of its complimentary wi-fi service for iOS, intended to serve international travelers to Japan. This service is called ‘Japan Connected-free Wi-Fi’ and was initially launched for Android users back in November. All you need to do is to install the app on your smartphone and sign up when you launch the app for the first time. It lists over 16,000 free wi-fi hotspots nationwide in Japan, including 7-Eleven stores, Denny’s restaurants, JR railway stations, and many other public places. Unfortunately when you’re offline, you can’t use the map to find the nearest location from where you are. But the app shows you several signs that designated internet accessible areas which you can probably find around town, so it will be relatively easy to get a connection. The service is available in English, Chinese (simplified and traditional), Korean, and Japanese. On a somewhat related note, our readers may recall the Tokyo Bureau of Transportation also started in-train and in-bus complimentary wi-fi service aboard their bus and subways, specifically intended for serving international travelers. [via Mobile & Apps]
NTT Broadband Platform, an NTT Docomo subsidiary operating public wi-fi services, recently announced the launch of its complimentary wi-fi service for iOS, intended to serve international travelers to Japan. This service is called ‘Japan Connected-free Wi-Fi’ and was initially launched for Android users back in November.
All you need to do is to install the app on your smartphone and sign up when you launch the app for the first time. It lists over 16,000 free wi-fi hotspots nationwide in Japan, including 7-Eleven stores, Denny’s restaurants, JR railway stations, and many other public places. Unfortunately when you’re offline, you can’t use the map to find the nearest location from where you are. But the app shows you several signs that designated internet accessible areas which you can probably find around town, so it will be relatively easy to get a connection. The service is available in English, Chinese (simplified and traditional), Korean, and Japanese.
On a somewhat related note, our readers may recall the Tokyo Bureau of Transportation also started in-train and in-bus complimentary wi-fi service aboard their bus and subways, specifically intended for serving international travelers.
The creative folks over at Tokyo-based TeamLab have developed an interesting video solution that lets you transform any given location into your own three-dimensional graphical space over a green screen. What’s remarkable about it is that when the camera moves, the virtual space will adjust to the viewing angle in real time. Dubbed TeamLab Studio, the technology is currently in the beta phase, but has been put into use at Cure Studio in Ikebukuro, Tokyo. The studio can be used by anyone to create cosplay videos in virtual worlds, and you can even add things like magic effects to accentuate your movement. One such video sample can be viewed below. Cure Studio can be used for free, although visitors will have to pay admission for Haco Stadium Ikebukuro where the studio is located. While a TeamLab rep couldn’t disclose too much details about the technology behind the real-time synchronized camera movement and visualized space, I understand that the software to interface with the camera was developed in-house at TeamLab. This is just the latest digital work from the very prolific TeamLab, which is also responsible for ingenious projects like the interactive TV game that was played by a million people…
The creative folks over at Tokyo-based TeamLab have developed an interesting video solution that lets you transform any given location into your own three-dimensional graphical space over a green screen. What’s remarkable about it is that when the camera moves, the virtual space will adjust to the viewing angle in real time.
Dubbed TeamLab Studio, the technology is currently in the beta phase, but has been put into use at Cure Studio in Ikebukuro, Tokyo. The studio can be used by anyone to create cosplay videos in virtual worlds, and you can even add things like magic effects to accentuate your movement. One such video sample can be viewed below. Cure Studio can be used for free, although visitors will have to pay admission for Haco Stadium Ikebukuro where the studio is located.
While a TeamLab rep couldn’t disclose too much details about the technology behind the real-time synchronized camera movement and visualized space, I understand that the software to interface with the camera was developed in-house at TeamLab.
This is just the latest digital work from the very prolific TeamLab, which is also responsible for ingenious projects like the interactive TV game that was played by a million people in real time last year, or the two-ton, 4D animated tree that was displayed in Fukuoka last Christmas.
See our report in Japanese Adways Korea, the subsidiary of Tokyo-based Adways Inc, has announced the official launch of its Yoyaku Top 10 service in Korea. It lets users pre-register for mobile game apps, and has been available in Korea in the beta phase since January. For developers, it serves as a medium to reach fans before the launch of an app, or even provide push notifications for new updates or events. During that three month beta, the service has been used by 150 apps from 50 different developers, with as many as 10,000 pre-registrations coming on a single app. The company claims a 56% conversion rate, which they say is far better than PC-based pre-registration services [1]. Yoyaku Top 10 was initially launched for the Japanese market in January of 2013, and Adways apparently has experienced enough success with it to warrant localization into Korean to explore that market. After Korea, the company aspires to expand service elsewhere in Asia. Adways says this figure is 20% for PC services, though we don’t have any verification for this. ↩
Adways Korea, the subsidiary of Tokyo-based Adways Inc, has announced the official launch of its Yoyaku Top 10 service in Korea. It lets users pre-register for mobile game apps, and has been available in Korea in the beta phase since January. For developers, it serves as a medium to reach fans before the launch of an app, or even provide push notifications for new updates or events.
During that three month beta, the service has been used by 150 apps from 50 different developers, with as many as 10,000 pre-registrations coming on a single app. The company claims a 56% conversion rate, which they say is far better than PC-based pre-registration services [1].
Yoyaku Top 10 was initially launched for the Japanese market in January of 2013, and Adways apparently has experienced enough success with it to warrant localization into Korean to explore that market.
After Korea, the company aspires to expand service elsewhere in Asia.
Adways says this figure is 20% for PC services, though we don’t have any verification for this. ↩
See the original story in Japanese. Japanese startup 10sec operates a mobile flea market mobile for the US market. Today the company announced today that it has raised 160 million yen (about $1.6 million) from Japanese internet company CyberAgent (TSE:4751). According to the startup’s CEO Hideyuki Shoda, this follows their previous funding from Tokyo-based Incubated Fund. The app, which will be available on the US App Store from mid-May, lets you to sell items using your Instagram photos. Shoda told us how the app is different from existing flea market apps: When you use conventional flea market apps, you may need to input your price, description, and delivery method for what you sell. But our app allows lets you list your item on our platform in as little as 10 seconds. The platform doesn’t as you to specify a price when you sell an item, but you simply wait until a potential buyers propose one. Users can purchase your item through the app or the website, and payment is collected by 10sec when the deal is made. The seller is subsequently paid via their banking account upon the confirmation that the buyer has received the item. Shoda also elaborated on…
Japanese startup 10sec operates a mobile flea market mobile for the US market. Today the company announced today that it has raised 160 million yen (about $1.6 million) from Japanese internet company CyberAgent (TSE:4751). According to the startup’s CEO Hideyuki Shoda, this follows their previous funding from Tokyo-based Incubated Fund.
The app, which will be available on the US App Store from mid-May, lets you to sell items using your Instagram photos. Shoda told us how the app is different from existing flea market apps:
When you use conventional flea market apps, you may need to input your price, description, and delivery method for what you sell. But our app allows lets you list your item on our platform in as little as 10 seconds.
10sec CEO Hideyuki Shoda
The platform doesn’t as you to specify a price when you sell an item, but you simply wait until a potential buyers propose one. Users can purchase your item through the app or the website, and payment is collected by 10sec when the deal is made. The seller is subsequently paid via their banking account upon the confirmation that the buyer has received the item.
Shoda also elaborated on the advantage of their Instagram integration:
We have many users who have been buying and selling items on Instagram just by adding a #forsale tag to their item photos. But they need to handle payments or inventory by themselves. Our app lets them eliminate these time-consuming tasks, since we provide payment processing, receipt of orders, and inventory management features.
The team wants to bring in these flea market sellers who are already using Instagram. That’s why they choose the US as their target market where Instagram users account for 35% of the network’s global user base. Shoda hinted at their future plans:
We’re going to make our app available on photo sharing apps other than Instagram. So we expect to build a buy-and-sell platform using various photo apps.
This funding was triggered when they won an award at ‘Startup-ban Ashita Kaigi’, a day-long startup camp program recently held by CyberAgent. The company will set up an office in the US to better serve local users.
Rick Martin
Masaru Ikeda
Miyako Yoshizawa
