Obihiro, Hokkaido-based Farmnote, developer of a cattle management system utilizing the cloud, this week announced the launch of a wearable device utilizing AI (artificial intelligence) for cows, called Farmnote Color. In addition, establishment of Farmnote Lab for research on utilization of AI / IoT (internet of things) was announced; it is not only for cattle management but also for the agricultural industry as a whole.
By affixing the Farmnote Color wearable device on a cow’s neck, real-time data about cow behavior is automatically acquired. The data is analyzed by AI on the cloud and the results are informed via user smartphone. This service aims to realize easier and smarter cattle management by owners.
It is especially important for users to spot estrus and signs of illness upon raising cows. Precise recognition of estrus and ovulation as well as the timing for artificial insemination can be specified.
Farmnote founder Shinya Kobayashi explains:
Farmnote CEO Shinya Kobayashi delivers a pitch at Zenkoku Startup Day in Sapporo, Hokkaido. (September 2014)
Once bovine estrus is observed, information will be sent to the user smartphone. By collecting various data including movement, sleep or rumination, estrous behavior is specified by detecting changes in the activity amount through algorithm use.
The Farmnote app developed by the firm tracks cow conditions by recording activities in logs. In addition, the wearable device Farmnote Color will support acquisition of more detailed information about real-time activities.
Although users have to record the log on smartphones because bovine activity conditions must be confirmed by humans, the sensors provide supplemental information.
The lifespan of Farmnote Color’s batteries is three years and users only have to affix them on cows during that period.
Farmnote Color costs 29,800 yen (about $290) each and is expected to increase the turnover by 20-30%, especially at a dairy farm that had lax management in place, according to Kobayashi. He elaborates that one cow generates 1 million yen ($9,800) as sales amount and 100,000 to 150,000 yen (about $980-1,450) as net profit. If an increase or stability in profit can be achieved by investment into Color, quite a few farmers may come to evaluate its investment value.
Farmnote Lab: leveraging huge data for agriculture
Farmnote has currently been developing services focused on cattle, but Kobayashi says that the final objective of the firm is ‘to become agriculture’s Google.’
Kobayashi concludes:
We aim to expand our system into fields other than cattle by aggregating data acquired by sensors on the cloud, analyzing it by AI, then informing it to user smartphones. In the future, by aggregating and analyzing huge data acquired from various channels including agricultural drones or other sensors, we will investigate what kind of data is valuable for farmers.
To realize this, the firm established Farmnote Lab inside group company Skyarc which is a system developer for business use, in order to research and develop AI / IoT for agricultural industry.
The firm has this time raised 300 million yen (about $2.9 million) as business loan from Obihiro Shinkin Bank and Japan Finance Corporation, totaling slightly under 600 million yen (about $5.9 million) so far. There are now 19 staffers working at its offices in Obihiro, Sapporo and Tokyo combined.
Translated by Taijiro Takeda Edited by “Tex” Pomeroy
See the original story in Japanese. Tokyo-based geo-analytics startup Nightley recently launched a web-based Pokémon Go tracking tool called Pokémon Go Insight, which shows Pokémon Go hotspots and advents of rare monsters on the map. It allows users to oversee where / what kind of Pokémon characters are appearing by analyzing social media conversations by Pokémon Go players. In order to find where Pokémon characters are appearing, players were typically using tools like PokéVision and PokéWhere, however these service became unavailable after July 31st since Niantic, the developer of Pokémon Go, shut down access from the third-party tracking apps to Pokémon Go servers and its data resources. In contrast, Pokémon Go Insight will be less affected by Niantec’s policy change since it adopts user-generated content voluntarily posted by players which is completely immune from the Pokémon Go platform. Nightley has developed several marketing solutions leveraging unique location-based analytics technologies, such as Nightley GIS Mesh Data and Inbound Insight. In late July, almost a week after the launch of Pokémon Go in Japan, the company released a Pokémon Go tracking tool called Pokémon Go Popular Spot. By adding the function to present advents of rare monsters on the map and improve…
Tokyo-based geo-analytics startup Nightley recently launched a web-based Pokémon Go tracking tool called Pokémon Go Insight, which shows Pokémon Go hotspots and advents of rare monsters on the map. It allows users to oversee where / what kind of Pokémon characters are appearing by analyzing social media conversations by Pokémon Go players.
In order to find where Pokémon characters are appearing, players were typically using tools like PokéVision and PokéWhere, however these service became unavailable after July 31st since Niantic, the developer of Pokémon Go, shut down access from the third-party tracking apps to Pokémon Go servers and its data resources. In contrast, Pokémon Go Insight will be less affected by Niantec’s policy change since it adopts user-generated content voluntarily posted by players which is completely immune from the Pokémon Go platform.
Nightley has developed several marketing solutions leveraging unique location-based analytics technologies, such as Nightley GIS Mesh Data and Inbound Insight. In late July, almost a week after the launch of Pokémon Go in Japan, the company released a Pokémon Go tracking tool called Pokémon Go Popular Spot. By adding the function to present advents of rare monsters on the map and improve the whole look-and-feel of it, the app has been officially released as Pokémon Go Insight at this time.
According to the tool, Pokémon Go hotspots in Japan include Ougimachi Park in Osaka, Setagaya Park in Tokyo as well as Tsuruma Park in Nagoya as of this writing. Regarding the freshness of the stats, the company says that analytics are being conducted at all times but applied to the website once a week because positions of the monsters are drastically changed. The service is only available for Japan at this time but the team may expand abroad city by city if such a request is received.
See the original story in Japanese. Tokyo-based VRize, developing ad business in the virtual reality (VR) space, last week announced the closed beta launch of a VR ad network named VRize Ad. With the network, ads can be distributed in three different formats: 360-degree video ad, over 150-inch large-screen feel video ad and 3DCG video ad. The VRize team started looking for developers to try out closed beta, and plans an official launch this fall. Participant developers can start distributing ads by integrating VRize’s SDK (software developer kit) into their gaming or other mobile apps. The pricing is based on CPM (cost per mille) while most of ads distributed through the network may be initially treated as a kind of “pure ads” due to the limited number of advertisers. Well, an aggressive startup has appeared. VR advertising is a solution to help VR content and game developers better monetize. The idea was brought in from ad network in the web field to the VR field, and some cases like Immersv have already been appearing overseas. In Japan, although Japanese gaming developer Colopl (TSE:3668) had set up a 360-degree video distribution platform named 360channel, this VRize Ad may be the first…
Tokyo-based VRize, developing ad business in the virtual reality (VR) space, last week announced the closed beta launch of a VR ad network named VRize Ad. With the network, ads can be distributed in three different formats: 360-degree video ad, over 150-inch large-screen feel video ad and 3DCG video ad. The VRize team started looking for developers to try out closed beta, and plans an official launch this fall.
Participant developers can start distributing ads by integrating VRize’s SDK (software developer kit) into their gaming or other mobile apps. The pricing is based on CPM (cost per mille) while most of ads distributed through the network may be initially treated as a kind of “pure ads” due to the limited number of advertisers.
Well, an aggressive startup has appeared.
VR advertising is a solution to help VR content and game developers better monetize. The idea was brought in from ad network in the web field to the VR field, and some cases like Immersv have already been appearing overseas. In Japan, although Japanese gaming developer Colopl (TSE:3668) had set up a 360-degree video distribution platform named 360channel, this VRize Ad may be the first case of as a true VR ad network in Japan.
According to VRize CEO Hideyuki Shoda, the large-screen ad with more than 150-inch feel is close to Immersv’s creation while the 3DCG video ad is close to Budweiser’s one by Jaunt (see below video clips).
Budweiser’s ad by Jaunt is more optimized to VR spaces, having a feature which enables experiences that approximate sojourns at actual locations. The excellence of each ad can be experienced by equipping HMD.
The market for VR or 360-degree content is expected to grow over the next few years from now. Highly-functional HMDs like Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and PlayStationVR have fully entered the market, leading some people to call 2016 ‘the commencement year for VR.’
On the other hand, in an early stage of the market as shown above in the VR/AR industry landscape, tools which back the industry such as dedicated hardware or authoring tools precede as to business formation. Generally, realization of content or ad-network monetization takes a while.
Shoda answered the question as to whether it is too early in terms of timing: he had chosen to drive the field as a pioneer after understanding this point.
Exactly two years ago, Shoda had launched a flea marketplace app called 10sec which enabled product exhibits via Instagram. He went over to the US to take on challenges, but unfortunately it was not easy to succeed there. He gave up the next fundraising and returned to Japan. After dissolving that company, he took on this new challenge.
Inviting patrons again, he restarted by raising funds from TLM (run by venture capitalist Keisuke Kogure), East Ventures and other individual investors.
Translated by Taijiro Takeda Edited by “Tex” Pomeroy
See the original story in Japanese. Japanese translation service giant Rosetta (TSE:6182) announced today that it would take the entire stake in Tokyo-based Anydoor, the company behind crowdsourced translation service Conyac, for about 1.4 billion yen (about $14 million). In this deal, the startup plans to exchange its 49.88% stake for the acquirer’s share and receive a value for the remaining 50.12% stake in cash. Established in February of 2009 by Naoki Yamada, who had studied abroad, Conyac is a product of his experience as he was often asked to translate short messages. According to the company’s website, it has acquired over 80,000 crowdsourced translators across 100 countries as of this month. After winning seed money at a business competition hosted by Skylight Consulting, Yamada paired up with his buddy Tomohiro Onuma and kicked it into gear by encountering Tokyo-based startup accelerator Samurai Incubate. Since then, Anydoor has successfuly secured funds totaling $600,000 from Mitsubishi UFJ Capital and SMBC Venture Capital in October of 2013 while receiving funding from Japanese VC firm ngi group (now known as United) as well as venture capitalist Anri Samata. See also: Japan’s Conyac now provides more than translation, better helping companies go global Japan’s…
Japanese translation service giant Rosetta (TSE:6182) announced today that it would take the entire stake in Tokyo-based Anydoor, the company behind crowdsourced translation service Conyac, for about 1.4 billion yen (about $14 million). In this deal, the startup plans to exchange its 49.88% stake for the acquirer’s share and receive a value for the remaining 50.12% stake in cash.
Established in February of 2009 by Naoki Yamada, who had studied abroad, Conyac is a product of his experience as he was often asked to translate short messages. According to the company’s website, it has acquired over 80,000 crowdsourced translators across 100 countries as of this month.
After winning seed money at a business competition hosted by Skylight Consulting, Yamada paired up with his buddy Tomohiro Onuma and kicked it into gear by encountering Tokyo-based startup accelerator Samurai Incubate.
Since then, Anydoor has successfuly secured funds totaling $600,000 from Mitsubishi UFJ Capital and SMBC Venture Capital in October of 2013 while receiving funding from Japanese VC firm ngi group (now known as United) as well as venture capitalist Anri Samata.
See the original story in Japanese. Tokyo-based Abeja, the company offering solutions for retail stores to improve customer path or traffic based on image analysis and machine learning technologies, announced today that it has fundraised 200 million yen (about $2 million) from Inspire PNB Partners. Inspire PNB is the joint venture between Japanese investment firm Inspire and Malaysia’s state-run firm Permodalan Nasional Berhad (PNB), managing a Sharia-compliant private equity fund called PNB-INSPiRE Ethical Fund 1 (formed in April of 2014, valued around 6 billion yen = $60 million). The fund recently invested in Japanese private cloud platform developer Keepdata. The fund was raised in a series B round, meaning that the company has secured approximately a total of $7 million in this round combined with their $5 million funding last month. The company obtained funding in a seed round from Inspire, the parent company of Inspire PNB. In Islamic countries, since Sharia (Islamic law) prohibits acceptance of specific interest or fees for loaning money, hedge funds or other financing schemes common in Western countries are unlikely to be accepted. Meanwhile, Malaysia has now become an Islamic finance hub offering Sharia-compliant financing schemes. Startups receiving funds from such schemes can expand…
Tokyo-based Abeja, the company offering solutions for retail stores to improve customer path or traffic based on image analysis and machine learning technologies, announced today that it has fundraised 200 million yen (about $2 million) from Inspire PNB Partners. Inspire PNB is the joint venture between Japanese investment firm Inspire and Malaysia’s state-run firm Permodalan Nasional Berhad (PNB), managing a Sharia-compliant private equity fund called PNB-INSPiRE Ethical Fund 1 (formed in April of 2014, valued around 6 billion yen = $60 million). The fund recently invested in Japanese private cloud platform developer Keepdata.
The fund was raised in a series B round, meaning that the company has secured approximately a total of $7 million in this round combined with their $5 million funding last month. The company obtained funding in a seed round from Inspire, the parent company of Inspire PNB.
In Islamic countries, since Sharia (Islamic law) prohibits acceptance of specific interest or fees for loaning money, hedge funds or other financing schemes common in Western countries are unlikely to be accepted. Meanwhile, Malaysia has now become an Islamic finance hub offering Sharia-compliant financing schemes. Startups receiving funds from such schemes can expand their services into Islamic markets more smoothly, just as Halal-approved restaurants can.
Abeja claims that the company will use the funds to strengthen their ASEAN expansion effort and to gain competitive power in the market globally. They haven’t specified which market to target but huge Islamic markets in the ASEAN region include Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei.
See the original story in Japanese. IDEASShow, one of the largest startup conferences in Taiwan, was held in the island’s biggest city of Taipei in July. Around the same time, the Mayor of Fukuoka City, Japan – Soichiro Takashima – visited Taipei, and various events to promote invitational activities for Taiwanese startups available from Fukuoka City were held. See also: All the Signs Say Welcome (Highlighting Japan) Startup Visa: Entrepreneurial Incentives for Foreigners in Fukuoka (Fukuoka Now) Fukuoka City National Strategic Special Zone for Global Startups & Job Creation (Fukuoka City) On July 21st, an event called Fukuoka Night was held at Taiwan Startup Hub (TSH) which was established by the Taiwanese Executive Yuan. At this event, Mayor Takashima went onstage and presented the support plans offered by Fukuoka City, such as startup visa issuance or renting of office plus salary support scheme for foreign startups, which all became available under Japan’s national strategic economic zone operation. Also he exhorted the audience to take part in a matching event for Japanese investment funds and startups known as Fukuoka Startup Selection, which is scheduled for November 10th. From the day after Fukuoka Startup Selection, another startup festival called Myojo Waraku will…
IDEASShow, one of the largest startup conferences in Taiwan, was held in the island’s biggest city of Taipei in July. Around the same time, the Mayor of Fukuoka City, Japan – Soichiro Takashima – visited Taipei, and various events to promote invitational activities for Taiwanese startups available from Fukuoka City were held.
On July 21st, an event called Fukuoka Night was held at Taiwan Startup Hub (TSH) which was established by the Taiwanese Executive Yuan. At this event, Mayor Takashima went onstage and presented the support plans offered by Fukuoka City, such as startup visa issuance or renting of office plus salary support scheme for foreign startups, which all became available under Japan’s national strategic economic zone operation. Also he exhorted the audience to take part in a matching event for Japanese investment funds and startups known as Fukuoka Startup Selection, which is scheduled for November 10th. From the day after Fukuoka Startup Selection, another startup festival called Myojo Waraku will be held.
In addition, Mayor Takashima announced that a startup support base in Fukuoka Startup Café and Taiwan Startup Hub will cooperate and start mutually supporting both the Japanese startups expanding into Taiwan and the Taiwanese startups expanding into Japan. The startups under support by either of the organizations will be allowed to use office spaces in Fukuoka and Taipei.
At a pitch competition held during Fukuoka Night, five Taiwanese startups made pitches. The competition winner was SkyRec, providing in-store analytics and solution for retailers, after winning this year’s Slush Asia. Two members from the team are invited to Fukuoka City, to be supported for full-scale business development. The other four teams, namely a provider of golf course information support Golface; a game developer utilizing augmented reality (AR) and location-based service (LBS) Toii; an installment payment service for C2C (consumer-to-consumer) trading Installments; and a developer of an app showing shortest routes in subway stations Thinktank, will be invited to Fukuoka Startup Selection, as transportation and accommodation costs will be covered by Fukuoka Directive Council.
Four teams failed to win the competition but will be invited to the Fukuoka Startup Selection
On July 22nd, Mayor Takashima made a courtesy call on Mayor Ko Wen-je of Taipei City, who is known for utilizing social media during the election campaign. They confirmed the establishment of mutual contact points for startup support. The cooperation between Fukuoka City and the Taiwanese startup ecosystem dependent on grassroots activities is seen developing into a cross-border support system at local administration levels.
From the left: Mayor of Fukuoka City Soichiro Takashima, interpreter and Mayor of Taipei City Ko Wen-jeLeading members of Fukuoka startups also made a courtesy call on the Mayor
Translated by Taijiro Takeda Edited by “Tex” Pomeroy
Yuki Sato
Masaru Ikeda
Takeshi Hirano
