Net Jinzai Bank is a new business team within Japanese staff-dispatching and outsourcing company Saint Media, primarily offering an executive and talent search service for tech and IoT (Internet of Things) startups in Japan. On Wednesday, the company officially launched a startup valuation and scoring database site called Cotobe. It gathers and scores information about startups’ corporate values, and provides them as a list. This service is available via the website, and also as a mobile app for Android and iOS.
The Cotobe site deals with listed and unlisted Japanese Internet companies as well as foreign companies run by Japanese entrepreneurs, gathers metrics like their amount of funding, annual sales, pageviews / unique visitors or the number of app downloads from publicly-available updates as well as the availability of stock options and average annual income by interviewing people involved. Then these metrics will be analyzed using a unique algorithm on the site so that users can easily compare startups at a glance. The breakdown of their targeted users is estimated to be job seekers (70%) and investors (30%), hence the service is seen being used for opportunities like finding new startups to work with or invest in.
Typical job seekers for startups in Japan may use a social recruiting service like Wantedly. According to the Cotobe team, in contrast to Wantedly focused on offering users with an intuitive approach by allowing them to feel the atmosphere and work environment of startups they are interested in working at, Cotobe can be defined as offering a data-proven standard in finding a new position. Especially for the convenience of job seekers, each profile of registered startups is linked to the one on Wantedly, if any.
Cotobe is provided free of charge, because it is part of activities to increase awareness of NET Jinzai Bank. Not just positive information for startups will be displayed on Cotobe so one can easily compare job information including average incomes from startups in the same industry. However, NET Jinzai Bank is going to publicize as much information as it can obtain, and contribute to improved status of startup workers by encouraging startup efforts to compete even under such an environment.
Translated by Taijiro Takeda Edited by “Tex” Pomeroy and Masaru Ikeda
This is a guest post authored by “Tex” Pomeroy. He is a Tokyo-based writer specializing in ICT and high technology. Startup Grind Tokyo, currently the only Google for Entrepreneurs community in Japan of the startup-focused group, held a meeting on 19 April at its new venue in Roppongi for the first time. Sponsor Pivotal provided the space for the group on the 20th floor of Roppongi Hills Mori Tower. It will also be the main site for subsequent meetups, with guests from Japan for the May and June events already lined up. The Tokyo City Chapter Director is Tamami Ushiki, with Satoru Kobayashi acting as Event Host. Japan-based Indian entrepreneur Shyam Pyarauk is the General Coordinator. As is usually the case, the April Startup Grind meeting in Tokyo featured a “fireside chat” with an interviewee, a prominent startup player, being asked to talk about their experience upon launching their business(es). The guest this time was Hallohallohome Founder Hiromasa Suzuki, a Japanese entrepreneur who found success in business in the Republic of Philippines (RP). He has recently written a book urging the Japanese to take a closer look at the market in RP and other “Emerging Markets” in addition to promoting land purchases in ASEAN centered upon the Filipino real estate….
This is a guest post authored by “Tex” Pomeroy. He is a Tokyo-based writer specializing in ICT and high technology.
Startup Grind Tokyo, currently the only Google for Entrepreneurs community in Japan of the startup-focused group, held a meeting on 19 April at its new venue in Roppongi for the first time. Sponsor Pivotal provided the space for the group on the 20th floor of Roppongi Hills Mori Tower. It will also be the main site for subsequent meetups, with guests from Japan for the May and June events already lined up. The Tokyo City Chapter Director is Tamami Ushiki, with Satoru Kobayashi acting as Event Host. Japan-based Indian entrepreneur Shyam Pyarauk is the General Coordinator.
As is usually the case, the April Startup Grind meeting in Tokyo featured a “fireside chat” with an interviewee, a prominent startup player, being asked to talk about their experience upon launching their business(es). The guest this time was Hallohallohome Founder Hiromasa Suzuki, a Japanese entrepreneur who found success in business in the Republic of Philippines (RP). He has recently written a book urging the Japanese to take a closer look at the market in RP and other “Emerging Markets” in addition to promoting land purchases in ASEAN centered upon the Filipino real estate.
In recounting his road to entrepreneurship, Suzuki said that he was working in apparel sales in RP when his Japanese employer decided the company should quit the market.
I first became an entrepreneur by default, when I asked my boss then not to fold the RP operation and was told ‘OK then, you run it!’… in the beginning things went quite well.
Then the mainstay business worsened and he faced major difficulties, including a huge debt. He notes that fortunately, “I had products in stock that could be monetized, so I continued on.”
By dint of hard work, he was able to regain success, by “playing smart and keeping an eye on the market conditions.” The Japanese entrepreneur in RP especially kept tabs on the financial field since RP was a country where “global currency abound due to Filipinos sending money back home from their workplaces abroad” not to mention the IT sector which he found to be the “game changer” both in RP and Japan. Regarding the Internet, he added that he learned a lot from his association with models, who used their blogs effectively upon marketing.
In retrospect, he asserts “I am lucky to be supported by very many people.” Today, he handles the marketing for Hallo Hallo Alliance which is a network of businesses centered upon his companies, involved in diversified fields such as housing, human resources and travel. The Aichi-born Suzuki concluded,
I am now spending much time in Tokyo but I found my way here via Manila. RP reminds me of Japan of yore, back when it was full of vim and vigor. Hopefully this energy will transfer here in part, as my colleagues and I shuttle back and forth.
After the meetup, Startup Grind Tokyo’s General Coordinator Pyarauk stated that hopefully the group can become even more international as time goes on.
If there are potential sponsors out there, hope they can contact us. Perhaps English-language speakers can also be lined up in the future. And of course there are other cities in Japan so the Tokyo City Chapter need not be alone in this country.
See the original story in Japanese. Tokyo-based Wantedly, the Japanese startup offering a social recruiting platform under the same name to connect startups with their potential employees, has launched a portfolio showcase platform called Case, aiming to connect creators and companies via products or artworks. Coinciding with the launch, products made by various startups or creative companies in Japan such as Party, Bascule, Bracket, 1->10design, Fablic and Vasily have as launch partners been displayed on the Wantedly website. Case allows users to team up and submit ‘projects.’ Any team already formed at Wantedly can submit projects as that team. When submitting projects, names of people concerned in the artworks or products can be put in the ‘credits.’ Although that is common practice in the advertisement field, names have not been visualized in product development so far. Visualization of names on Case will be appreciated by designers or engineers. Case aims to assist creators upon gaining inspiration or finding companies that provide excellent works through the displaying of products or artworks. However, there already have been many websites available for exhibition of creators’ portfolios or acquisition of inspiration. To distinguish Case itself as a later player from others, Wantedly will hold…
Tokyo-based Wantedly, the Japanese startup offering a social recruiting platform under the same name to connect startups with their potential employees, has launched a portfolio showcase platform called Case, aiming to connect creators and companies via products or artworks.
Coinciding with the launch, products made by various startups or creative companies in Japan such as Party, Bascule, Bracket, 1->10design, Fablic and Vasily have as launch partners been displayed on the Wantedly website.
Case allows users to team up and submit ‘projects.’ Any team already formed at Wantedly can submit projects as that team. When submitting projects, names of people concerned in the artworks or products can be put in the ‘credits.’ Although that is common practice in the advertisement field, names have not been visualized in product development so far. Visualization of names on Case will be appreciated by designers or engineers.
Case aims to assist creators upon gaining inspiration or finding companies that provide excellent works through the displaying of products or artworks. However, there already have been many websites available for exhibition of creators’ portfolios or acquisition of inspiration. To distinguish Case itself as a later player from others, Wantedly will hold the key to success.
Previously on the Wantedly webpages, it was not easy for user companies to provide information about their products or artworks visually. By displaying their own products on Case, these companies can promote their activities more easily. On each company webpage at Case, a button for ‘view job’ is available, in addition to the follow button within Case. Accordingly, user companies will obtain more opportunities to acquire new customers or to recruit creators that match them.
Due to this launch, about 300 pieces of products were collected. The service plans to increase the number of users as targeting creators by having many opportunities to create products, and to attract 2,000 products within several months.
Translated by Taijiro Takeda Edited by “Tex” Pomeroy and Masaru Ikeda
Cluster, the Japanese startup behind a virtual reality(VR)-based event and environment platform under the same name, announced on Tuesday that it has fundraised 50 million yen (about US$460,000) from Skyland Ventures, East Ventures and several angel investors. Upon obtaining this funding, the company was rebranded from its previous name Fictbox. Skyland Ventures participated in the previous funding round in January. The firm apparently is targeting relative small event organizers that cannot afford to commit much money or withstand losses. The Cluster platform allows event organizers to hold meet-ups, events, and other gathering opportunities using VR without fear of booking a venue or paying a high rent. For participants, they can virtually participate in an event by wearing a headgear and communicate with each others, even from home. Thanks to recent advances in server integration technologies and a protocol optimized for Internet of Things (IoT), even if more than 1,000 connections are established simultaneously, users are unlikely to feel a heavy load on the system. via TechCrunch Japan Edited by “Tex” Pomeroy
Cluster, the Japanese startup behind a virtual reality(VR)-based event and environment platform under the same name, announced on Tuesday that it has fundraised 50 million yen (about US$460,000) from Skyland Ventures, East Ventures and several angel investors.
Upon obtaining this funding, the company was rebranded from its previous name Fictbox. Skyland Ventures participated in the previous funding round in January.
The firm apparently is targeting relative small event organizers that cannot afford to commit much money or withstand losses. The Cluster platform allows event organizers to hold meet-ups, events, and other gathering opportunities using VR without fear of booking a venue or paying a high rent. For participants, they can virtually participate in an event by wearing a headgear and communicate with each others, even from home.
Thanks to recent advances in server integration technologies and a protocol optimized for Internet of Things (IoT), even if more than 1,000 connections are established simultaneously, users are unlikely to feel a heavy load on the system.
This article is a contribution from New York-based journalist / translator Kasumi Abe. The Bridge reformatted and reproduced the article submitted to Nulab Blog, by courtesy of both Nulab and Abe. On 11 April, an event called If Conference (‘If Con’ for short) was held in New York City, aimed at connecting the tech scenes of Japan and the US. The venue was filled with some 250 visitors. The event got particularly lively in which many questions were thrown among the participants. Keynote 1: Pathway to Success in America for Japanese Companies If Con started from 12:30pm on 11 April, at Microsoft Technology Center in Times Square. First of all, William Lohse, who is founder / general partner of Social Starts and founder / CEO of Pivot Conference in addition to also being an investor, gave the keynote speech about tips for Japanese startups upon developing in the US and gaining success there. Lohse garnered much attention due to his familiarity with tech trends in both Japan and the US. Although it was a weekday and on a Monday afternoon to boot, the venue was filled to capacity from the onset! As he frequently flies back and forth between the…
This article is a contribution from New York-based journalist / translator Kasumi Abe. The Bridge reformatted and reproduced the article submitted to Nulab Blog, by courtesy of both Nulab and Abe.
On 11 April, an event called If Conference (‘If Con’ for short) was held in New York City, aimed at connecting the tech scenes of Japan and the US. The venue was filled with some 250 visitors. The event got particularly lively in which many questions were thrown among the participants.
Keynote 1: Pathway to Success in America for Japanese Companies
First of all, William Lohse, who is founder / general partner of Social Starts and founder / CEO of Pivot Conference in addition to also being an investor, gave the keynote speech about tips for Japanese startups upon developing in the US and gaining success there.
Lohse garnered much attention due to his familiarity with tech trends in both Japan and the US. Although it was a weekday and on a Monday afternoon to boot, the venue was filled to capacity from the onset!
As he frequently flies back and forth between the two countries as well as is renowned for being knowledgable about Japan’s tech scene, questions for the keynoter from the audience centered on Japanese entrepreneurs or Japan’s tech community within the US.
Nulab CEO Hashimoto presents “The Tech City Fukuoka”
From 2pm, Nulab CEO Masanori Hashimoto took to the stage and introduced Japan’s Startup Visa system which has been newly implemented for issuance of visa for foreign entrepreneurs coming to the City of Fukuoka as the initial case for Japan, or the collaborative event between ‘tech’ and ‘creative’ called Myojo Waraku organized by Hashimoto and others.
His speech peppered with jokes sometimes drew laughter from the audience, with active discussions taking place during Q&A afterwards. He appeared to be very nervous, but the staff was relieved that he was able to contribute to the promotion of Nulab and the City of Fukuoka.
The Nulab CEO answered a question as to whether Myojowaraku will be held also in New York City or not:
The reason why we could carry out the event in Taiwan and London other than in Fukuoka was the support provided by the respective city. If New York City will support us, then I would like to hold it as well.
In retrospect, he noted:
I was very nervous because it was my first speech in New York City, but receiving good responses to a story about Ramen noodle as an introduction of the City of Fukuoka allowed me to speak as usual after that.
Meanwhile, other sessions regarding ‘Tips to Work with International Startups in New York’ was held in another place within Microsoft Technology Center, and that enlivened the venue as well.
Panel Discussion: Global Macro Trends / Launching Products in Japan
From 3pm to 5pm, two large panel discussions were held. One was on the theme of ‘global macro trends’ as mulled by CEOs of New York-based Japanese / US startups or analysts. The other was about perspectives on business development into Japan, by CEOs of startups which had actually developed their business into Japan.
Moderated by Ash Ryan (Developer Evangelist, Adobe), joining this panel were Ada Gries (CEO, OKPanda), Yoki Gibo (Director, Noom), and Odile Baneiflah (Head of International Operations, Meetup.com).
In another hall, several sessions having ‘Mental Game for Innovation’, ‘Structuring Your Startup for Success’ or ‘Trends in Japanese / US Startups’ as themes were held.
Keynote 2: How to Disrupt Personal Mobility Industry
As a finale to the event, CEO of Silicon Valley-based Whill Satoshi Sugie gave an evening keynote speech about development and future of next-generation powered wheelchairs. This session was also very well attended, with standing audiences!
Sugie shared the corporate philosophy of Whill which had just started in 2012 and episodes from the development of the Whill wheelchair. He concluded that what he wants to create is not just a powered wheelchair, but a personal mobility in a new category, which makes everyone want to ride it.
After 6pm, a networking event was held with light meals and drinks, where participants were asking speakers many questions, or discussing ideas among themselves.
The visitors were mainly entrepreneurs or students, and the ratio of men to women looked nearly equal.
I obtained the impression of the event from one of the If Con organizers, Masato Okunishi, after this.
He said:
The event was successful thanks to a lot of participants, more than we had imagined. Through this event, we could sense afresh the necessity or importance of the need for such events or communities, even in New York City.
We had received many testimonials like “It was worthwhile to come here today.” From US tech-related people, it was highly evaluated with comments like ‘I could come in contact with Japanese things for the first time’ including Japan-originated or Japanese startups through this event.
From Japanese or Japan-related people living in the US, we heard their impressions that it was nice to attend such a local event in New York. The common point in both feedbacks was that it was a new type of event that was not to be found before.
As an ambition for the future, we want to have more New Yorkers know about Japanese / US startups, and also have the Japanese become familiar with the tech situation in New York. We are happy if the community of If Con or our regular meet-up event Japan NYC Startups will enhance the circumstances for Japanese / US startups in New York.
It is expected that the relationship on the tech side between Japan and New York, or the US overall will be strengthened further in the future.
Photos taken at If Conference 2016
Light exercise during the intermission to become refreshed, with a cooldown to followThe participants are treated to various drinks and snacks from sponsoring companies, such as green tea by Ito-en, draft beer by Sapporo and baumkuchen by Baum’s Sho.
Translated by Taijiro Takeda Edited by “Tex” Pomeroy and Masaru Ikeda
This is the abridged version from our original article in Japanese. The Asahi Shimbun, a leading national newspaper publisher in Japan, announced on Thursday that it will acquire the entire stake in Somewrite, a Japanese content marketing and “owned media” production startup. The purchase will be completed in late April when all the shares from Somewrite founder and Chairman Yasunari Shibata, COO Satoru Ikedo, Soraseed Startups and Gree Ventures are transferred to the Asahi side. Soraseed Startups is an investment fund owned by Shibata. Financial details of the deal have not been disclosed but it is estimated to be around several million US dollars, comparing to the amount of the previous funding back in October of 2014. Soraseed is also an investor along with Gree Ventures, Incubate Fund and B Dash Ventures in Spika, a startup behind nail art photo app Nailbook. Since September 2013, Somewrite has been offering outsourced ‘owned media’ content production services for about 100 major companies in total, ranging from HR firm Adecco to beermaker Sapporo Breweries. Somewrite Ad, the company’s native advertising network platform, picks up advertorial articles from owned media sites and distributes them to other partnering news media sites as a native ad…
This is the abridged version from our original article in Japanese.
The Asahi Shimbun, a leading national newspaper publisher in Japan, announced on Thursday that it will acquire the entire stake in Somewrite, a Japanese content marketing and “owned media” production startup. The purchase will be completed in late April when all the shares from Somewrite founder and Chairman Yasunari Shibata, COO Satoru Ikedo, Soraseed Startups and Gree Ventures are transferred to the Asahi side. Soraseed Startups is an investment fund owned by Shibata.
Financial details of the deal have not been disclosed but it is estimated to be around several million US dollars, comparing to the amount of the previous funding back in October of 2014. Soraseed is also an investor along with Gree Ventures, Incubate Fund and B Dash Ventures in Spika, a startup behind nail art photo app Nailbook.
Since September 2013, Somewrite has been offering outsourced ‘owned media’ content production services for about 100 major companies in total, ranging from HR firm Adecco to beermaker Sapporo Breweries.
Somewrite Ad, the company’s native advertising network platform, picks up advertorial articles from owned media sites and distributes them to other partnering news media sites as a native ad so that these articles match the form with other regular articles in which they are placed. The platform has a tracking engine which learns the preference of users in real time.
After the acquisition, Somewrite Chairman Shibata and COO Ikedo will remain on the board of directors and continue managing the company while Asahi Shimbun will dispatch a director from their side.
According to Ikki Yamakawa, senior administrator of Asahi’s Media Lab startup collaboration initiative, the media giant will restructure their Advertisement Department in May to form a Media Business Department where they will start offering owned media marketing services to clients alongside with existing ad products, with the support from the Somewrite team.
Translated by Masaru Ikeda Edited by “Tex” Pomeroy
From the left: Somewrite Chairman Yasunari Shibata and COO Satoru Ikedo
Masaru Ikeda
The Bridge
Junya Mori
Takeshi Hirano
