Tokyo-based Nightley, the Japanese startup developing geo-analytics solutions, announced on Monday that they raised a total of 130 million yen (around $1.2 million US) from Nissay Capital, SMBC Venture Capital, and Legend Partners in a series A round. This follows their previous funding of an undisclosed sum from NetAge and Altovision (now known as Experian Japan) in a seed round back in May of 2011.
Yutaka Ishikawa, previously of NetAge, founded Nightley in 2011. Initially, the company operated the Milcle app which facilitated communication between shop operators and customers, but then pivoted their business to data collection and analysis specializing in location information. In addition to Inbound Insight, a tool capable of analyzing the behaviors of visitors for inbound businesses launched in July of 2015, they have released a series of services including ABC Lunch, an app that connects users and regional restaurants using SNS big data; ZouZou, a tourism support app for visitors to Japan; and Pokémon GO Insight, which shows popular areas for Pokémon GO on a map.
Of these, in particular the B2B service Inbound Insight contributes to the company’s sales. This service collects and analyzes data based on posts published on SNS such as Twitter and Weibo, and clients can then get a taste of user tendencies (facilities visited, types of movement, routes taken) based on nationality. The company offers a premium service with more than 4,000 clients including major advertising companies, convenience stores, rail companies, and marketing research companies.
It appears that after one and a half years since the launch, the company will expand the variation of services offered through Inbound Insight.
He explained:
Nightley CEO Yutaka Ishikawa
We started with an SNS (social network service-based) analysis plan. From there we have expanded the variations using stats other than SNS, for example, partnering with NTT DoCoMo to collect anonymous data from inbound tourists (users of roaming in), and negotiating with the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry to gather and analyze data on the trends of visitors to Japan.
We are putting out a plan with Val Laboratory [known as Ekisupaato, the expert on stations] that multiplies station data and location analysis data, as well as developing a plan with the Mitsubishi Research Institute, who are skilled in tourism analysis, that can predict the future of inbound visitors.
For a diagnostic plan of priorities, for example, if you input the address list of a chain of stores, you can see which store has a large number of Chinese tourists, so providers know whether introducing the Alipay terminal is a priority or not.
They have also advanced statistically visible content by tracing the trends based on the price of the accommodations chosen by users, making it possible to see where users with more money are choosing, as well as the routes backpackers are taking. Recently, there are also increasing numbers of automobile and rental car companies, etc., requesting analyses of their raw trend data from customers, including location information, in order to obtain context from the data.
Nightley plans to use the funds raised this time around to expand their app and location intelligence business. Specifically, they are looking to improve and increase the plans for Inbound Insight, targeting companies looking to promote visiting foreigners to Japan and companies providing solutions for inbound actions.
This guest post is authored by Mark Bivens. Mark is a Silicon Valley native and former entrepreneur, having started three companies before “turning to the dark side of VC.” He is a venture capitalist that travels between Paris and Tokyo (aka the RudeVC). You can read more on his blog at http://rude.vc or follow him @markbivens. The Japanese translation of this article is available here. Last Friday I had the pleasure of attending the remote webcast of Zeroth.ai accelerator’s class pitch day. Here in The Bridge you’ll find a more comprehensive recap of the event. In contrast, I’ll hone in on three AI startups which struck me as particularly relevant for the European market. Rocco.ai – an AI-powered social media manager. Rocco’s key selling point is improving the efficiency of managing myriad social media campaigns in the saturated space of platforms. Sounds worthwhile. However, I could already imagine another killer app: tweak the Rocco bot to suffer through the countless productivity-sapping meetings which are all-too-common in many Southern European business environments. Impress.ai – an AI-powered candidate screening tool for employers. One of Europe’s strengths is is deep base of diverse talent in the job-seeking pool. Hiring managers are inundated with…
This guest post is authored by Mark Bivens. Mark is a Silicon Valley native and former entrepreneur, having started three companies before “turning to the dark side of VC.” He is a venture capitalist that travels between Paris and Tokyo (aka the RudeVC). You can read more on his blog at http://rude.vc or follow him @markbivens. The Japanese translation of this article is available here.
Last Friday I had the pleasure of attending the remote webcast of Zeroth.ai accelerator’s class pitch day.
Here in The Bridge you’ll find a more comprehensive recap of the event. In contrast, I’ll hone in on three AI startups which struck me as particularly relevant for the European market.
Rocco.ai – an AI-powered social media manager. Rocco’s key selling point is improving the efficiency of managing myriad social media campaigns in the saturated space of platforms. Sounds worthwhile. However, I could already imagine another killer app: tweak the Rocco bot to suffer through the countless productivity-sapping meetings which are all-too-common in many Southern European business environments.
Impress.ai – an AI-powered candidate screening tool for employers. One of Europe’s strengths is is deep base of diverse talent in the job-seeking pool. Hiring managers are inundated with résumés in countries which have punishingly high unemployment rates. Impress.ai’s tool strikes me as a remedy to optimizing these hiring processes. One open question for bots like these is how do we ensure that our human biases do not become integrated into the AI tools humans build?
Sero.ai – a clever application for deep learning to improve rice crop yields. By taking photos of their rice fields with their smartphones, farmers can obtain AI-driven analytics and disease diagnoses in real-time in order to optimize usage of pesticides, fertilizers, water, and energy on their crops. This led me to thinking: would a similar application be appropriate for vineyards? For example, could a winemaker minimize pesticide usage based on an AI-informed recommendation of insect susceptibility? Or perhaps even the harvest date could be optimized? It would seem to me that a startup from one of the major wine regions in France, Italy, or even Germany would have some legitimacy in this area.
To reiterate what I had mentioned in my predictions post, I believe 2017 will be a breakout year for the deployment of AI applications. By this I mean that AI companies will start to master the processes of expectation management and social engineering in order to bring AI across the chasm of consumer perception. This excites me as an investor.
[On a related note: my favorite venue for meeting AI entrepreneurs in Tokyo is the aptly-named Deus Ex Machina, a surf shop that doubles as a café (or vice versa). If you appreciate AI (or even just a well-balanced Gibraltar, albeit brewed by a human), Deus is worth a stop. If you bump into me there, I’m probably meeting with an AI entrepreneur, so please introduce yourself. However, please don’t “out” me as a VC since the staff of the Deus only know me as the California surfer dude.]
Tokyo-based Compath.me, the startup behind family photo service Kiddy, announced on Monday that it had been recently acquired by Japanese internet company Mixi (TSE:2121). Financial terms regarding the deal have not been disclosed but Compath.me’s founder and CEO Hiromichi Ando plus his some colleagues will join Mixi upon the acquisition. Mixi’s ‘Vantage Studio’ department, the new business development team directly led by Mixi co-founder and chairman Shinji Kasahara, has been offering a family photo service called Mitene (meaning ‘Check out this!’ in Japanese) since 2015. The company announced earlier this month that the app has acquired over 1 million users. According to the statement from Compath.me, the Kiddy app is expected to be merged into the Mitene app soon with the user migration. The Kiddy app will be completely shutting down in late April. Meanwhile, Mixi recently started broadcasting TV commercials across Japan to boost user acquisition for the Mitene app (see video below). Compath.me was originally launched back in 2011, graduating from Tokyo-based startup incubator Open Network Lab. Starting with a photo-sharing app aiming to help users discover locations and events around them, they subsequently pivoted to the family photo service in 2013.Compath.me was originally launched back in 2011,…
Tokyo-based Compath.me, the startup behind family photo service Kiddy, announced on Monday that it had been recently acquired by Japanese internet company Mixi (TSE:2121). Financial terms regarding the deal have not been disclosed but Compath.me’s founder and CEO Hiromichi Ando plus his some colleagues will join Mixi upon the acquisition.
Mixi’s ‘Vantage Studio’ department, the new business development team directly led by Mixi co-founder and chairman Shinji Kasahara, has been offering a family photo service called Mitene (meaning ‘Check out this!’ in Japanese) since 2015. The company announced earlier this month that the app has acquired over 1 million users. According to the statement from Compath.me, the Kiddy app is expected to be merged into the Mitene app soon with the user migration. The Kiddy app will be completely shutting down in late April.
Meanwhile, Mixi recently started broadcasting TV commercials across Japan to boost user acquisition for the Mitene app (see video below).
Compath.me was originally launched back in 2011, graduating from Tokyo-based startup incubator Open Network Lab. Starting with a photo-sharing app aiming to help users discover locations and events around them, they subsequently pivoted to the family photo service in 2013.Compath.me was originally launched back in 2011, graduating from Tokyo-based startup incubator Open Network Lab. Starting with a photo-sharing app aiming to help users discover locations and events around them, they subsequently pivoted to the family photo service in 2013.
Compath.me has fundraised an undisclosed sum in a seed round from DG Incubation (the company operating Open Network Lab as well as the investment arm subsidiary of Digital Garage), Architype and Netprice.com (now known as Beenos, TSE:3328). Subsequently the startup raised 50 million yen (about $492,000) from Japanese internet company United (TSE:2497) in May of 2014.
Japanese C2C(consumer-to-consumer) marketplace app producer Mercari announced today that it will acquire Zawatt, the startup behind a Japan-based online auction site catering in brand goods, called Smaoku. The deal takes effect as of Feb.27 but financial details thereof have not been disclosed. Smaoku (short for Smart Auction) allows users to buy/sell authentic second-hand items vis-a-vis other users. Last May, English and traditional Chinese interfaces became usable in addition to the Japanese one, aiming to serve U.S., Hong Kong, Taiwanese and Singaporean buyers. Since being established in May of 2011, Zawatt has released several web services including WebScope (social list bulletin board) and Ohako (karaoke companion finder). The company launched Smaoku in October of 2013 and won KDDI Mugen Labo’s 5th batch demo day with the ‘real-time auction’ concept that makes users feel as if they are at a real auction site when buying items online. In 2015, Zawatt raised 250 million yen(USD 2 million) from IMJ Investment Partners (IMJ-IP), plus China’s SIG Asia Investments and its partner VC firm MS Capital of Japan. Upon the acquisition at this time, Zawatt co-founder and CEO Daisaku Harada will join Mercari while Smaoku will continue to be run by the current staff. See…
Japanese C2C(consumer-to-consumer) marketplace app producer Mercari announced today that it will acquire Zawatt, the startup behind a Japan-based online auction site catering in brand goods, called Smaoku. The deal takes effect as of Feb.27 but financial details thereof have not been disclosed.
Smaoku (short for Smart Auction) allows users to buy/sell authentic second-hand items vis-a-vis other users. Last May, English and traditional Chinese interfaces became usable in addition to the Japanese one, aiming to serve U.S., Hong Kong, Taiwanese and Singaporean buyers.
Since being established in May of 2011, Zawatt has released several web services including WebScope (social list bulletin board) and Ohako (karaoke companion finder). The company launched Smaoku in October of 2013 and won KDDI Mugen Labo’s 5th batch demo day with the ‘real-time auction’ concept that makes users feel as if they are at a real auction site when buying items online.
In 2015, Zawatt raised 250 million yen(USD 2 million) from IMJ Investment Partners (IMJ-IP), plus China’s SIG Asia Investments and its partner VC firm MS Capital of Japan.
Upon the acquisition at this time, Zawatt co-founder and CEO Daisaku Harada will join Mercari while Smaoku will continue to be run by the current staff.
See the original story in Japanese. Municipal governments of Japan’s Fukuoka and Taiwan’s Taipei earlier this month signed an MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) on mutual support by Japanese and Taiwanese startups upon expanding their businesses to the respective markets. Fukuoka Mayor Soichiro Takashima visited the Taipei City Hall to sign the MoU with Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je, which was followed by a joint press briefing. Taipei City has established Taiwan Startup Hub and other incubation facilities to encourage entrepreneurship among the younger generation while Fukuoka City has set up several similar venues such as Startup Cafe (planned to be moved soon to the former Daimyo Elementary School site from the current Tenjin area premise in Fukuoka’s city center). Some of our readers may recall that Fukuoka City held a competition to choose Taiwanese startups to be invited to the former at Taiwan Startup Hub back in July of 2016. Mayor Takashima said that Fukuoka City has introduced these nine Taiwanese startups to a major Japanese department store and other firms through business collaboration and matchmaking opportunities like Fukuoka Startup Selection. Along Mayor Takashima, startup founders and entrepreneurs from Fukuoka were participate in the MoU signing ceremony. Taipei City Mayor Ko…
Fukuoka city mayor Soichiro Takashima and Taipei city mayor Ko Wen-je shake hands after signing the MoU. Image credit: Fukuoka City Office
Municipal governments of Japan’s Fukuoka and Taiwan’s Taipei earlier this month signed an MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) on mutual support by Japanese and Taiwanese startups upon expanding their businesses to the respective markets. Fukuoka Mayor Soichiro Takashima visited the Taipei City Hall to sign the MoU with Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je, which was followed by a joint press briefing.
Taipei City has established Taiwan Startup Hub and other incubation facilities to encourage entrepreneurship among the younger generation while Fukuoka City has set up several similar venues such as Startup Cafe (planned to be moved soon to the former Daimyo Elementary School site from the current Tenjin area premise in Fukuoka’s city center). Some of our readers may recall that Fukuoka City held a competition to choose Taiwanese startups to be invited to the former at Taiwan Startup Hub back in July of 2016. Mayor Takashima said that Fukuoka City has introduced these nine Taiwanese startups to a major Japanese department store and other firms through business collaboration and matchmaking opportunities like Fukuoka Startup Selection.
Along Mayor Takashima, startup founders and entrepreneurs from Fukuoka were participate in the MoU signing ceremony. Taipei City Mayor Ko said he wanted to invite them to the city’s brand new incubation hotspots such as Center for Innovation Taipei (CIT), Taipei Co-Space and digiBlock, which will be completed in Taipei Metro’s Yuanshan station neighborhood by the end of this year.
While Fukuoka City has unveiled what kind of support can be offered to Taiwanese startups in Japan through the partnership, the press briefing this time around unveiled how the Taipei City Government can help Japanese startups in Taiwan as follows:
Offering overseas business expansion support by partnering of Startup@Taipei and Fukuoka’s Startup Cafe.
Offering financial support including grants to entrepreneurs to set up a business
Offering support for exhibiting at events and conferences in Taipei
L to R: Masanori Hashimoto (CEO of Nulab), Asuka Tsuzuki (President of Tsuzuki Education Group), Shuhei Ishimaru (Director General of Fukuoka Directive Council), Soichiro Takashima (Mayor of Fukuoka City), Ko Wen-je (Mayor of Taipei City), Lin Chin-rong (Deputy Mayor of Taipei City), Lin Chong-jie (Head of Taipei City’s Department of Economic Development Office) Image credit: Fukuoka City Office
Previously known as MyBanker, Tokyo-based One Tap Buy has been focused on developing a mobile app that specifically helps people manage their savings and investments more easily. The firm announced on Tuesday that it has fundraised 1.5 billion yen (about $13.3 million) from Mizuho Capital, Mobile Internet Capital, Softbank and Mizuho Securities. This follows their previous 1 billion yen funding from Softbank back in July of 2016. Prior to that, the firm also secured an undisclosed sum from Mobile Internet Capital, DBJ Capital and Mitsui Life Insurance’s Sansei Capital, as well as other undisclosed VC firms in June of 2015. Followed by closed beta testing for almost an year, the app was officially launched in last June. The company claims that they have acquired over 150,000 downloads to date, especially from users in their 20s and 30s, while 70% of them have not tried any investment opportunity before. The app allows users to easily choose then buy US-listed stocks and Japanese exchange traded funds rather than using conventional trading platforms. The company says that the new funds will be used to accelerate system development efforts for new services in addition to strengthen marketing efforts to make more people recognize the…
Previously known as MyBanker, Tokyo-based One Tap Buy has been focused on developing a mobile app that specifically helps people manage their savings and investments more easily. The firm announced on Tuesday that it has fundraised 1.5 billion yen (about $13.3 million) from Mizuho Capital, Mobile Internet Capital, Softbank and Mizuho Securities.
This follows their previous 1 billion yen funding from Softbank back in July of 2016. Prior to that, the firm also secured an undisclosed sum from Mobile Internet Capital, DBJ Capital and Mitsui Life Insurance’s Sansei Capital, as well as other undisclosed VC firms in June of 2015.
Followed by closed beta testing for almost an year, the app was officially launched in last June. The company claims that they have acquired over 150,000 downloads to date, especially from users in their 20s and 30s, while 70% of them have not tried any investment opportunity before.
The app allows users to easily choose then buy US-listed stocks and Japanese exchange traded funds rather than using conventional trading platforms. The company says that the new funds will be used to accelerate system development efforts for new services in addition to strengthen marketing efforts to make more people recognize the service.
Edited by “Tex” Pomeroy
One Tap Buy CEO Hayashi made his pitch at Startupbootcamp FinTech FastTrack in Tokyo in 2015. Image credit: “Tex” Pomeroy