This is a guest post authored by “Tex” Pomeroy. He is a Tokyo-based writer specializing in ICT and high technology.
Mamorio exhibits their botth at the Gift Show’s Life x Design exhibition. Image credit: “Tex” Pomeroy
The Gift Show’s Life x Design exhibition was held from August 30 to September 2 at Tokyo Big Sight, where the startup role in the fast-growing Internet of Things (IoT) as related to gifts and other items closely related to daily life was underscored by a specialized corner which brought together several startups offering IoT solutions.
At this corner, planned in cooperation with Japanese IT publisher ASCII, in addition to Mamorio, which keeps tabs on such items in one’s possession as keys and other products one might be liable to misplace, there were three other startups showcasing their products such as those monitoring infants.
Of particular interest was the startup Yukai Engineering, which engineers dental hygiene-use items such as robot-like toothbrush which is designed to motivate children as well as the elderly to brush their teeth and ensuring they are kept track of. As the average Japanese lifespan is extended, dental hygiene is said to be a benchmark to Quality of Life.
Of particular interest was the startup Yukai Engineering, which offers IoT products as exemplified by BOCCO robot-linked toothbrush for children and even the elderly, enabling them to be monitored. Speaking of toothbrushing generally in an observation unrelated to this specific product… especially with the average Japanese lifespan continuing to be extended, dental hygiene built up from early on can be considered to indicate the level of Quality of Life.
In addition, there were other startup exhibitors providing items that uses design to market itself and even those not design-oriented but able to use unique features as stressing traditional Japanese customs and utilizing brands from the past. Collaborations among different companies from various sectors were especially eye-catching.
This is a guest post authored by “Tex” Pomeroy. He is a Tokyo-based writer specializing in ICT and high technology. Singapore-based micro-survey firm Happi is launching its 2.0 app over the Asia-Pacific region, starting with Southeast Asia, Oceania, India, Sri Lanka and Japan as well as Columbia. It has other locations in the pipeline now. Available in 11 languages, the app includes a self-service portal to enable partners and clients to conduct market research and consumer activation quickly, easily and inexpensively. Happi was founded by Greg Lipper in January of 2016 and has to date processed over 2.5 million survey responses from over 20,000 users – mostly university students – in Singapore and Manila. The Happi founder says, What turns this around from a marketing perspective is its ease and frequency. Instead of sitting through a 45-minute survey where you never hear from the company again, respondents only take a minute to answer questions, win prizes, and we can touch base with them anytime we want. This micro-survey app enables clients to understand, engage and converse at scale with precisely defined consumer segments. The surveys are quick and regular, enticing respondents back with opportunities to win prizes and contribute to their favorite causes…
This is a guest post authored by “Tex” Pomeroy. He is a Tokyo-based writer specializing in ICT and high technology.
Happi
Singapore-based micro-survey firm Happi is launching its 2.0 app over the Asia-Pacific region, starting with Southeast Asia, Oceania, India, Sri Lanka and Japan as well as Columbia. It has other locations in the pipeline now. Available in 11 languages, the app includes a self-service portal to enable partners and clients to conduct market research and consumer activation quickly, easily and inexpensively.
Happi was founded by Greg Lipper in January of 2016 and has to date processed over 2.5 million survey responses from over 20,000 users – mostly university students – in Singapore and Manila.
The Happi founder says,
What turns this around from a marketing perspective is its ease and frequency. Instead of sitting through a 45-minute survey where you never hear from the company again, respondents only take a minute to answer questions, win prizes, and we can touch base with them anytime we want.
Happi CEO Greg Lipper
This micro-survey app enables clients to understand, engage and converse at scale with precisely defined consumer segments.
The surveys are quick and regular, enticing respondents back with opportunities to win prizes and contribute to their favorite causes in return for answering 5-question surveys.
Chief Happiness Officer Lipper said,
We have a relationship based on daily conversations with consumers – not a drive-by survey.
Happi recruits users through alliances with a wide range of charities, teams, clubs, community and student activity groups, offering them a risk-free, cost-free and community-building way to raise funding.
Lipper adds,
This gives businesses and individuals around the world the power to ask precisely profiled consumers what they really want, and then deliver a tailored promotion to them based on those exact preferences, adds Lipper.
Happi’s new self-service portal enables clients to define their segments, check on the number of responders who meet that profile, launch surveys and see their results in interactive reports.
Notes Lipper,
Traditional market research is expensive, complex, and resource intensive, meaning only the largest of Asian companies and multinationals are able to include formal market research in their planning and development. Happi makes market research faster, easier and cheaper so that a broader range of companies can use it. This ‘Research Lite’ approach is the first step on the path to more sophisticated marketing plans and digital engagement strategies for SMEs across the region.
This is a guest post authored by “Tex” Pomeroy. He is a Tokyo-based writer specializing in ICT and high technology. The Award for Academic Startups, marking its fourth year, held its presentation ceremony at Tokyo Big Sight’s East Hall 1 on the opening day of “Innovation Japan.” The annual two-day event is sponsored by the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) in cooperation with the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO). The 2017 ceremony in particular was special in that the award category came to include an “Early Edge” Award which is for startups that had been launched within the last three years and headed by someone aged 30 years old or younger. The winner of this newly-instituted award was Lily MedTech, headed by Shiho Azuma with support provided by the University of Tokyo. The firm is offering a system for an easier-to-use breast cancer screening based on research results from JST’s Center Of Innovation program. The fact that the young lady CEO’s mother had passed away from breast cancer added extra weight to the need to promote this new technology. Conventional screening methods are detested by women despite the fact that it is a prevalent form of cancer…
This is a guest post authored by “Tex” Pomeroy. He is a Tokyo-based writer specializing in ICT and high technology.
L to R: Takashi Azuma (Prof. of Mechanobio Engineering, the University of Tokyo), Shiho Azuma (CEO of Lily MedTech), Shuichi Matsuda (Chair of Award Selection Committee / Prof. Emeritus, Waseda University)
The winner of this newly-instituted award was Lily MedTech, headed by Shiho Azuma with support provided by the University of Tokyo. The firm is offering a system for an easier-to-use breast cancer screening based on research results from JST’s Center Of Innovation program. The fact that the young lady CEO’s mother had passed away from breast cancer added extra weight to the need to promote this new technology. Conventional screening methods are detested by women despite the fact that it is a prevalent form of cancer which can be life-threatening.
There are some two thousand university-linked startups in Japan but the country is still far behind the US for example in terms of robustness and vigor for this category of startups. The Award for Academic Startups looks to find and highlight technologies based on “own ground” research and development rather than relying on non-Japanese work. Minister Motoo Hayashi in charge of the industry portfolio were among the dignitaries in attendance at the ceremony this year.
Cyfuse Biomedical presented their proprietary 3D bio-printing technology.
Other awards, categorized after the heads of JST, NEDO and the Japan Venture Society as well as the ministers in charge of Education/Science & Technology and of Economy, Trade & Industry, were given to such medical field startups like ORTHOreBIRTH which in tandem with Nagoya Institute of Technology produced an artifical sponge-like bone product – cleared by FDA for use in the United States – as well as Cyfuse Biomedical, along with Saga University, realizing 3D printing of blood vessels and internal organs.
Of interest for me were the power device development plans announced by FLOSFIA as backed by Kyoto University and the University of Tokyo’s Edge Capital plus the development of a new transparent (thermal) insulation material (called SUFA) by tiem factory utilizing Kyoto University research findings and working with materials company YKK AP. The remaining award was given to the University of Tokyo-affiliated PKSHA Technology using an algorithm for furthering Deep Learning.
Benjamin Joffe from Shenzhen-based accelerator HAX shared the latest trends in hardware startups.
See the original story in Japanese. Tokyo-based Anri, the startup-focused investment fund led by Anri Samata, revealed on Thursday that it has formed Anri Investment Fund Limited Partnership No.3. Participating investors in this fund include Yahoo Japan, SME Support JAPAN, Mizuho Bank, and Seibu Shinkin Bank as well as existing investors such as Mixi, Gree, Adways in addition to Voyage Group. The fund is worth about 6 billion yen, or $55.6 million US. The fund also unveiled that it will form an in-house team with expertise necessary to build and manage companies, aiming to give their portfolio companies intensive follow-on support from the aspects of legal affairs, intellectual property, team management, public relations, marketing strategy, among others, which we have seen at US firms like Andreessen Horowitz offering to their investee companies. The fund currently has two offices in Shibuya (Tokyo’s largest startup neighborhood) and Hongo (near the University of Tokyo), each of which has teams undergoing incubation. It plans to add some locations to nourish more seed startups which are typically comprised of one to three team members. Samata says that his firm has invested in 47 companies through its No.1 and No.2 funds. Renowned investees include UUUM (multichannel…
Tokyo-based Anri, the startup-focused investment fund led by Anri Samata, revealed on Thursday that it has formed Anri Investment Fund Limited Partnership No.3. Participating investors in this fund include Yahoo Japan, SME Support JAPAN, Mizuho Bank, and Seibu Shinkin Bank as well as existing investors such as Mixi, Gree, Adways in addition to Voyage Group. The fund is worth about 6 billion yen, or $55.6 million US.
The fund also unveiled that it will form an in-house team with expertise necessary to build and manage companies, aiming to give their portfolio companies intensive follow-on support from the aspects of legal affairs, intellectual property, team management, public relations, marketing strategy, among others, which we have seen at US firms like Andreessen Horowitz offering to their investee companies. The fund currently has two offices in Shibuya (Tokyo’s largest startup neighborhood) and Hongo (near the University of Tokyo), each of which has teams undergoing incubation. It plans to add some locations to nourish more seed startups which are typically comprised of one to three team members.
Samata says that his firm has invested in 47 companies through its No.1 and No.2 funds. Renowned investees include UUUM (multichannel network offering business opportunities to YouTubers), Raksul (on-demand printing), Coincheck (bitcoin exchange), Coiney (SaaS-based credit card processor), Smart Drive (automobile data tracking), Schoo (online learning for business skills), Kanmu (rewarding platform for credit card holders), Clue (drone service), and Hacosco (instant VR solution). The firm has made an exit regarding five startups from the No.1 fund by selling their stake, namely Mery (women-focused fashion curation site), Mamari (mom-focused Q&A app), U-note (collaborative event summary platform), and Anydoor (crowdsourced translation).
Six years since the establishment of Anri’s first fund, it was Uuum, which IPO-ed on the TSE Mothers Market on August 30th, that began to attract significant attention to the company. Four years ago and before YouTuber-related businesses heated up, Uuum secured seed round funding from Anri and successfully led the Japanese livestreaming sector. According to Uuum’s securities report, Anri has a about 17% stake in the YouTuber management startup.
Samata explained that the company’s style will not change, holding 10% in the seed round, raising that to 15% to commit to the business as the lead investor, and after additional follow-on investment their plan is to keep the final shareholding ratio at about 25%. It is a concept that includes actively engaging in the business without taking over the big corporate decisions.
On one hand, this method requires a lot of work. If we look at the investment style of other funds, the IPO (TSE) ranges from a 10 billion yen ($91M US) to 20 billion ($181M US) yen scale, or with acquisitions the range is in the tens of billions of yen. By making a big commitment to businesses, investors can expect a big return upon exiting, or they can invest many times and take a hands-off approach.
However, at the young age of 33, Samata chose such a thorny path out of the desire to show himself working hard as an entrepreneur. Since the size of the fund increased this time around, the company is prepared to offer up to 500 million yen (about $4.5M US) as a follow-on investment.
The potential of collaborations with ICO funding
Eiji Tsukiyama, CEO of Sapeet, one of Anri’s portfolio companies
Another characteristic of Anri is their belief in aggressive investment in technology-centric seed companies. Some of these examples include Hacosco (instant VR solution) and Smart Drive (car telematrics), as well Sapeet (avatar-based 3D try-on) launched by Eiji Tsukiyama, a student majoring in fluid mechanics at the University of Tokyo. According to Samata’s explanation, although seed companies in these technological and research areas have administrative funding support, for most there is a deep “valley of death” situated between them and a series A round when these startups can finally turn their idea into a market-ready product.
According to Samata’s explanation, although seed companies in these technological and research areas have administrative funding support, for most there is a deep “valley of death” situated between them and a series A round when startups can finally turn their idea into a market-ready product.
Masahiro Sameshima, a partner participating in Anri, is originally from the University of Tokyo’s Edge Capital and has a deep knowledge of technical fields. Nonetheless, seed investment is difficult in that there is no guarantee of success 100% of the time.
I asked Samata about the possibility of using ICO (Initial Coin Offering) funding, which has become increasingly popular recently. In the US there is information that firms like Union Square Ventures and Winklevoss Capital are seeking to form a “hybrid” with VC funding.
In regards to this, Samata expressed his thoughts by referencing the investments in Branch, a matching service for children with developmental disorders and experts.
I believe a fund is a product of venture capital. For example, I, myself, am donating 10 million yen annually, but the problems that can be solved in the non-profit and for profit sectors are different. However, at first glance, it looks like even problems that can only be solved through donations may also be able to use VC funding. Currently information regarding this is being gathered through making donations.
The method of token sales is also fundraising, which also leads to the possibility of exit (management buy-out for entrepreneurs and, in some cases, dividends) for investors and backers.
This is my personal opinion, but I think that the destiny of the stock market includes always being under pressure from shareholders to “rise”. However, it is difficult to confirm every company involved in social activities, such as the above-mentioned Branch, with their advanced technologies in specialized areas, as a “rising” one. If the business is rich in variety, it stands to reason they should have more funding and exit options.
While the conversation never drifted to the discussion of concrete information this time around, Samata definitely demonstrated his deep knowledge of token sales. Anri aims to support 100 companies with their 3rd fund.
Translated by Amanda Imasaka Edited by Masaru Ikeda
Tokyo-based Money Forward, Japan’s leading SaaS (software as a service) accounting startup, announced today that its IPO application to the Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE) has been approved. The company will be listed on the TSE Mothers Market on 29 September with plans to offer 1,617,700 shares for public subscription and to sell up to 382,300 shares in over-allotment options, for a total of 931,000 shares. SMBC Nikko Securities will lead the underwriting. Led by the company’s CEO Yosuke Tsuji (19.95%), its major shareholders include Jafco (TSE:8595, 14.90%), board member Chihiro Asano (9.47%), CISO Takashi Ichikawa (6.60%), Monex Ventures (4.78%), Credit Saison (TSE:8253, 4.11%), and the company board member Toshio Taki (3.36%). According to the consolidated statement as of November 2016, they posted a revenue of 1.54 billion yen (about 14 million) with an ordinary loss of 882.6 million yen ($8 million) and a net loss of 890 million yen ($8.1 million). Money Forward was founded in May of 2012 under its previous name of Money Book. Since December of 2012, the company has been providing online personal accounting for individuals called Money Forward, allowing them to easily manage their daily expenses by integrating their bank passbook and credit purchase history…
Image credit: Takeshi Hirano
Tokyo-based Money Forward, Japan’s leading SaaS (software as a service) accounting startup, announced today that its IPO application to the Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE) has been approved. The company will be listed on the TSE Mothers Market on 29 September with plans to offer 1,617,700 shares for public subscription and to sell up to 382,300 shares in over-allotment options, for a total of 931,000 shares. SMBC Nikko Securities will lead the underwriting.
Led by the company’s CEO Yosuke Tsuji (19.95%), its major shareholders include Jafco (TSE:8595, 14.90%), board member Chihiro Asano (9.47%), CISO Takashi Ichikawa (6.60%), Monex Ventures (4.78%), Credit Saison (TSE:8253, 4.11%), and the company board member Toshio Taki (3.36%).
Yosuke Tsuji, founder / CEO of Money Forward Image credit: Takeshi Hirano
According to the consolidated statement as of November 2016, they posted a revenue of 1.54 billion yen (about 14 million) with an ordinary loss of 882.6 million yen ($8 million) and a net loss of 890 million yen ($8.1 million).
Money Forward was founded in May of 2012 under its previous name of Money Book. Since December of 2012, the company has been providing online personal accounting for individuals called Money Forward, allowing them to easily manage their daily expenses by integrating their bank passbook and credit purchase history with information obtained from their web bank and credit accounts. The service is also available for desktop, as well as iOS and Android platforms.
See the original story in Japanese. In Bangkok, Thailand, there is a community made up of Japanese serial entrepreneurs. While being enthusiastic about their own startups management, they are also devoted to intermediary activities between startup communities in Japan and Thailand. Kazuki Kamiya moved to Thailand in November of 2013, and established a Skype-based Thai language school in May of 2014. Later, he engaged in managing crowdsourced translation / interpretation and business portal website, and now has newly started an on-demand real business. Bangkok-based Flare, Kamiya’s newest startup, officially launched a car advertising service under the same name last week, which pairs drivers willing to wrap their car with companies looking for a unique way to advertise. The team provides the service within Thailand for the time being, and will consider expansion into other market in accordance with its business growth. The Flare users owning automobiles log onto the service via a mobile app available for iOS / Android, and selects a desired one from among campaigns offered by advertisers. After applying for the campaign through uploading photos of the auto and driver license, wrapper comes and wraps the auto in the ad. The GPS information of driving record while…
In Bangkok, Thailand, there is a community made up of Japanese serial entrepreneurs. While being enthusiastic about their own startups management, they are also devoted to intermediary activities between startup communities in Japan and Thailand. Kazuki Kamiya moved to Thailand in November of 2013, and established a Skype-based Thai language school in May of 2014. Later, he engaged in managing crowdsourced translation / interpretation and business portal website, and now has newly started an on-demand real business.
Kazuki Kamiya
Bangkok-based Flare, Kamiya’s newest startup, officially launched a car advertising service under the same name last week, which pairs drivers willing to wrap their car with companies looking for a unique way to advertise. The team provides the service within Thailand for the time being, and will consider expansion into other market in accordance with its business growth.
The Flare users owning automobiles log onto the service via a mobile app available for iOS / Android, and selects a desired one from among campaigns offered by advertisers. After applying for the campaign through uploading photos of the auto and driver license, wrapper comes and wraps the auto in the ad. The GPS information of driving record while putting the ad will be sent to Flare via the app. Each campaign budget is set by advertisers in advance and when an auto with the ad drives on a busy main street on a weekend, the budget will be greatly spent. Conversely, the budget will be spent less in local areas having minimal traffic under Flare’s charge system. Advertisers can confirm the spending pace of the budget or the progress of the campaign via the dashboard.
From 15 years ago, BTS (Bangkok Skytrain) and subway lines were opened in Thailand. I often use public transportation in Bangkok and did not know that Bangkok is ranked as the world’s second worst traffic city as announced annually by the Dutch car navigation company TomTom. Of course, clean up traffic congestion is important but Kamiya took advantage of the situation and created Flare from the idea of “a service to reduce drivers’ stress” during the world’s second most jammed traffic. Since its pre-launch a month ago, more than 500 autos have signed up with Flare.
Auto with campaign wrappingAuto with campaign wrapping
Interestingly, Flare users can earn more than expected. An average Flare driver earns 3,000 to 5,000 Baht (about $90 to $150) in a month. The monthly per capita GDP of Thailand is about $490 and the drivers can earn 1/4 to 1/5 of the average monthly income. This amount is equivalent to the rent of a standard apartment house in Thailand even if spending a part of the income as auto maintenance costs. Without requiring additional labor, this service makes these citizens life comfortable.
Kamiya commented on Flare’s vision:
Some drivers of Grab or UberX are using our app too. We will launch Flare available for tuk-tuk and bike taxi in addition to private cars!
Dashboard image for advertiser
In the world, there are some similar services: San Francisco-based Wrapify conducts business in 10 cities in the U.S., while Carvertise based in Wilmington, Delaware and Sti-car based in Jakarta, Indonesia carry on such activities. There are currently no competition in Thailand, but car-sharing service majors such as Grab or Uber may enter this field for the purpose of providing an additional income source to user drivers in the future. It is worth keeping an eye on how Flare will acquire the market as a pioneer.
Flare had fundraised from some of the Japanese angel investors in its angel round but it must not be a too distant future for it to undertake additional fundraising with a view of the market growth because it is common for startups in Thailand to expand their service into other Asian countries due to the small size of domestic market. Currently, the ad wrapping is offered only to autos driving in Thailand and the team will invite advertisers from Japanese companies conducting business in Thailand as well.
Translated by Taijiro Takeda Edited by “Tex” Pomeroy
The Bridge
The winner of this newly-instituted award was 
Takeshi Hirano
Masaru Ikeda
