See the original story in Japanese. Tokyo-based pLucky, the company behind service analysis platform Logbook, announced today it has fundraised an undisclosed sum from Japanese internet company Adways (TSE:2489) and startup-focused investment firm Global Brain. Logbook helps internet companies to conduct a data-driven improvement on their web services, offering easy-to-use tools for service analysis such as auto-setting performance indicators and object values in addition to proposing countermeasures for improvement according to the web service category. Since its launch in Alpha version back in April, pLucky has improved Logbook for almost a year and acquired over 300 users. See also: LogBook makes data analysis more accessible to startups Japanese data analysis startup pLucky raises funds from CyberAgent Ventures Supporting mobile apps Using the funds, pLucky plans to enhance the Logbook platform to service analysis in the mobile app space. While there are an increased number of players offering service analysis platforms for web services, very few platforms support mobile apps. In view of the recently increased number of web service companies developing mobile apps, pLucky wants to enhance Logbook so that people can easily make service analysis for their mobile apps without expertise. Following adding mobile app support to Logbook earlier this month, the…
Tokyo-based pLucky, the company behind service analysis platform Logbook, announced today it has fundraised an undisclosed sum from Japanese internet company Adways (TSE:2489) and startup-focused investment firm Global Brain.
Logbook helps internet companies to conduct a data-driven improvement on their web services, offering easy-to-use tools for service analysis such as auto-setting performance indicators and object values in addition to proposing countermeasures for improvement according to the web service category.
Since its launch in Alpha version back in April, pLucky has improved Logbook for almost a year and acquired over 300 users.
Using the funds, pLucky plans to enhance the Logbook platform to service analysis in the mobile app space. While there are an increased number of players offering service analysis platforms for web services, very few platforms support mobile apps.
In view of the recently increased number of web service companies developing mobile apps, pLucky wants to enhance Logbook so that people can easily make service analysis for their mobile apps without expertise. Following adding mobile app support to Logbook earlier this month, the company started accepting sign-ups from Android and iOS app developers.
Translated by Masaru Ikeda Edited by “Tex” Pomeroy
See the original story in Japanese. Tokyo-based Showcase Gig, the digital marketing startup best known for its mobile wallet and CRM (customer relationship management) platform ‘O:der’ (pronounced ‘order’), recently launched an IoT (Internet of Things) platform called O:der Connect, which connects the O:der app that consumers have on their smartphones with in-store hardware devices at retailers. See also: How a Japanese startup plans to disrupt the CRM industry with a mobile solution Japan’s digital marketing startup Showcase Gig fundraises from Loyalty Marketing Japan’s Showcase Gig invents new platform, aiming to streamline the restaurant business O:der Connect O:der Connect is an extensive feature of the O:der platform. By installing the O:der Connect app into cash registers, it will link up with the O:der platform so that store clerks can handle tasks such as mobile app-based payments, customer relationship management, and order management using a cash register. Customer visit notifications using Beacon as well as order and payment information from apps are shown on the screen of cash registers, enabling retailers to complete tasks, which previously required multiple devices, on a single device. Since order data will be analyzed online real-time, information such as more personalized coupons can now be sent out. Casio’s V-Regi is the…
Tokyo-based Showcase Gig, the digital marketing startup best known for its mobile wallet and CRM (customer relationship management) platform ‘O:der’ (pronounced ‘order’), recently launched an IoT (Internet of Things) platform called O:der Connect, which connects the O:der app that consumers have on their smartphones with in-store hardware devices at retailers.
O:der Connect is an extensive feature of the O:der platform. By installing the O:der Connect app into cash registers, it will link up with the O:der platform so that store clerks can handle tasks such as mobile app-based payments, customer relationship management, and order management using a cash register.
Customer visit notifications using Beacon as well as order and payment information from apps are shown on the screen of cash registers, enabling retailers to complete tasks, which previously required multiple devices, on a single device. Since order data will be analyzed online real-time, information such as more personalized coupons can now be sent out.
Casio’s V-Regi is the first model as a cash register linkable with the O:der Connect platform, which was exhibited at RetailTech Japan 2015 from March 3rd to the 6th in Tokyo.
The above screen will appear in a cash register using O:der Connect. When a customer places an order using the O:der app, a new order will be added to the ‘newly arrived orders’ section on the retailer’s interface. By tapping on the order in that, its details will appear on the next screen.
When a store clerk accepts receiving the order on this screen, the user will be notified with a confirmation that the order has been received, while the store begins preparing an item based the order. When the item has been prepared, retailers can send the user another notification simply using the cash register they usually use.
When the user visits the store, Beacon will detect the approach so that retailers can promptly hand the item over to the user. Store clerks can check out profile details of O:der customers visiting at storefront, which allows retailers to issue a discount coupon for a customer’s birthday purchase or understand how often or frequently the customer has visited their store.
Showcase Gig wants to expand the applicable scope range of the O:der Connect platform from cash registers beyond to hardware devices, wearable devices, and connected cars.
As more smart devices will be introduced in the future, the O:der connect app will allow more consumers to easily place orders and payments, while it will also enable retailers to make a different promotional effort to every single customer thanks to the analysis from acquired data about customer behaviors.
These are good enough to excite us, but the Showcase Gig team still have some more news releases which will give us a big surprise. They have been proposing new forms of in-store retail practices every year, so it will be really interesting to see what they will bring next.
From the right: Showcase Gig CEO Takefumi Nitta, producer Akira Nakano
This is the abridged version from our original article in Japanese. Fuller, a Japanese startup that provides market survey and analytics focused on mobile apps, announced today that it has fundraised 230 million yen ($1.9 million) from Global Catalyst Partners (vc firm), Colopl (gaming company), Opt (digital ad agency), The Asahi Shimbun (newspaper publishing), Nihon Kotsu (cab operator), Infoteria (system integrator), and unnamed individual investors. This follows their previous round funding 100 million yen from UK-based m8 capital and Tokyo-based internet service provider Asahi Net in 2012. See also: Amazing gesture control Ring wins Tokyo pitch event, moves on to SF Japan Night Fuller is based out of KOIL (Kashiwa-no-ha Open Innovation Lab), a startup hub in Tokyo’s suburb, has developed Mr. Mobile, the battery saver (previously known as I’m Joe, the battery saver) and a mobile app-focused audience rating and analytics service called App Ape. App Ape allows app developers to conduct a market survey and a competitive research, and has acquired over 2,000 app developers as users since its launch in November 2014. App Ape uses a methodology similar to an audience rating for TV programs like Nielsen does to measure viewership, acquiring data from randomly-selected mobile users…
This is the abridged version from our original article in Japanese.
Fuller, a Japanese startup that provides market survey and analytics focused on mobile apps, announced today that it has fundraised 230 million yen ($1.9 million) from Global Catalyst Partners (vc firm), Colopl (gaming company), Opt (digital ad agency), The Asahi Shimbun (newspaper publishing), Nihon Kotsu (cab operator), Infoteria (system integrator), and unnamed individual investors. This follows their previous round funding 100 million yen from UK-based m8 capital and Tokyo-based internet service provider Asahi Net in 2012.
Fuller is based out of KOIL (Kashiwa-no-ha Open Innovation Lab), a startup hub in Tokyo’s suburb, has developed Mr. Mobile, the battery saver (previously known as I’m Joe, the battery saver) and a mobile app-focused audience rating and analytics service called App Ape. App Ape allows app developers to conduct a market survey and a competitive research, and has acquired over 2,000 app developers as users since its launch in November 2014.
App Ape uses a methodology similar to an audience rating for TV programs like Nielsen does to measure viewership, acquiring data from randomly-selected mobile users who have acknowledged to provide information like what apps they have installed on their mobile or how often these apps are used, using App Ape’s monitoring app installed on their device.
According to Fuller CEO Shuta Shibuya, the App Ape service has been adopted by notable Japanese internet companies such as Gunosy, Eureka, and Adways. They plan to expand to mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong, as well as launching the survey service in Korea and three US cities by the end of this year. Also they will introduce a usage optimization app for global smartphone users and the next generation version of the Mr. Mobile, the battery saver app.
Fuller CEO Shuta Shibuya
Translated by Masaru Ikeda Edited by Kurt Hanson Proofread by “Tex” Pomeroy
This is the abridged version from our original article in Japanese. Tokyo-based Schoo, the company that provides e-learning solutions using online lecture movies, announced that it has fundraised 340 million yen (about $2.9 million) in January from Dentsu Digital Holdings and Link and Motivation with participation from existing investors; Itochu Technology Ventures, Anri, and Incubate Fund. See also: School in your pocket: Japanese startup launches iPhone app for live lecture participation Schoo: Japanese startup wants to set the standard for online learning (Part 1 of 2) Schoo: Japanese e-learning startup strives for excellence in content (Part 2 of 2) This is the third round for the company, following their previous funding worth 150 million yen ($1.5 million) back in June 2013. Schoo CEO Kenshiro Mori told us his team has been verifying a hypothesis theory in since the previous funding round. As part of this verification process, they adopted a new system establishing four departments (web design, business English, startup, and programming) in the e-learning platform like a typical university, where they selected highly-acclaimed lecture videos and sorted them out by subject. After establishing these departments, their conversion rate for premium services and user activity rate were improved, in addition…
This is the abridged version from our original article in Japanese.
This is the third round for the company, following their previous funding worth 150 million yen ($1.5 million) back in June 2013. Schoo CEO Kenshiro Mori told us his team has been verifying a hypothesis theory in since the previous funding round. As part of this verification process, they adopted a new system establishing four departments (web design, business English, startup, and programming) in the e-learning platform like a typical university, where they selected highly-acclaimed lecture videos and sorted them out by subject.
After establishing these departments, their conversion rate for premium services and user activity rate were improved, in addition to users spontaneously starting to form a community in each department.
Translated by Masaru Ikeda Edited by Kurt Hanson Proofread by “Tex” Pomeroy
See the original story in Japanese. Line Pay, the payments solution-focused subsidiary of Japanese messaging company Line, has agreed to buy out Tokyo-based WebPay Holdings [1] in order to accelerate Line Pay’s business expansion. See also: Japanese startup Fluxflex launches easy-to-install card payment solution WebPay provides a Stripe-compatible payment processing solutions for e-commerce, web services, and mobile developers in Japan. The company raised 110 million yen (about $1.1 million) from CyberAgent Ventures, Architype, and GMO Payment Gateway in February 2014. Meanwhile, Line Pay was launched by Line to provide payment solutions for Line’s affiliated services, third-party services, and real-store retailers. Line wants to improve usability and enhance functions of the payment solution by leveraging the expertise under WebPay’s belt. Translated by Masaru Ikeda Edited by “Tex” Pomeroy Previously known as FluxFlex. ↩
Line Pay, the payments solution-focused subsidiary of Japanese messaging company Line, has agreed to buy out Tokyo-based WebPay Holdings [1] in order to accelerate Line Pay’s business expansion.
WebPay provides a Stripe-compatible payment processing solutions for e-commerce, web services, and mobile developers in Japan. The company raised 110 million yen (about $1.1 million) from CyberAgent Ventures, Architype, and GMO Payment Gateway in February 2014.
Meanwhile, Line Pay was launched by Line to provide payment solutions for Line’s affiliated services, third-party services, and real-store retailers. Line wants to improve usability and enhance functions of the payment solution by leveraging the expertise under WebPay’s belt.
Translated by Masaru Ikeda Edited by “Tex” Pomeroy
See the original story in Japanese. The Asahi Shimbun, one of Japan’s leading newspapers, announced today that it will launch a crowdfunding platform called A-port in March. Tokyo-based Motion Gallery, a startup that has been operating crowdfunding sites focused on campaigns around movie productions and art projects, will support the publisher to launch and operate the platform. A-port is a business project born out of the publisher’s new business creation competition “Start Up!” in 2013. The award-winning team personnel was transferred to Asahi Media Lab, the news publisher’s incubation department, where their members have been preparing for the launch of the crowdfunding platform. Prior to the launch in March, they are receiving applications for crowdfunding campaigns. Because the platform is operated by leading news media such as Asahi Shimbun, which typically has a high information transmission capacity, crowdfunding project owners can expect to better draw people’s attention to their campaigns. These campaigns are meant to have a promotional aspect as well as providing means of raising money from backers, so the platform is expected to give a huge advantage to campaign owners. Translated by Masaru Ikeda Edited by Kurt Hanson Proofread by “Tex” Pomeroy
The Asahi Shimbun, one of Japan’s leading newspapers, announced today that it will launch a crowdfunding platform called A-port in March. Tokyo-based Motion Gallery, a startup that has been operating crowdfunding sites focused on campaigns around movie productions and art projects, will support the publisher to launch and operate the platform.
A-port is a business project born out of the publisher’s new business creation competition “Start Up!” in 2013. The award-winning team personnel was transferred to Asahi Media Lab, the news publisher’s incubation department, where their members have been preparing for the launch of the crowdfunding platform. Prior to the launch in March, they are receiving applications for crowdfunding campaigns.
Because the platform is operated by leading news media such as Asahi Shimbun, which typically has a high information transmission capacity, crowdfunding project owners can expect to better draw people’s attention to their campaigns. These campaigns are meant to have a promotional aspect as well as providing means of raising money from backers, so the platform is expected to give a huge advantage to campaign owners.
Translated by Masaru Ikeda Edited by Kurt Hanson Proofread by “Tex” Pomeroy
This is the abridged version of our original article in Japanese. Tokyo-based Fogg launched a mobile app called Cheerz for Android and iOS in early December, which allows users to “cheer” their favorite J-pop idols. The company has partnered with All Blue, a startup that provides idol-focused online media site Tokyo Girls’ Update, for global expansion. Cheerz is a fan engagement app for budding idols, allowing them to share their selfies and snapshots to receive “cheer” endorsements from users. Idols that acquire a large number of “cheer” endorsements can then expand their exposure by appearing on live performances or TV shows. Since its December launch, the Cheerz app has sent over 1 million “cheers” endorsements to participating idols in just three days, followed by 5 million in two weeks, and 10 million “cheer” endorsements in a month. Idols that acquire “cheer” endorsements have the chance to promote themselves via the app’s partnering media, including Tokyo Girls’ Update. Tokyo Girls’ Update will launch a TV show focused on J-pop idols on NHK World/JibTV in April, where budding idols will have a chance to be featured. Fogg and All Blue will work together to help J-pop idols raise their appeal globally, including…
This is the abridged version of our original article in Japanese.
Tokyo-based Fogg launched a mobile app called Cheerz for Android and iOS in early December, which allows users to “cheer” their favorite J-pop idols. The company has partnered with All Blue, a startup that provides idol-focused online media site Tokyo Girls’ Update, for global expansion.
Cheerz is a fan engagement app for budding idols, allowing them to share their selfies and snapshots to receive “cheer” endorsements from users. Idols that acquire a large number of “cheer” endorsements can then expand their exposure by appearing on live performances or TV shows.
Since its December launch, the Cheerz app has sent over 1 million “cheers” endorsements to participating idols in just three days, followed by 5 million in two weeks, and 10 million “cheer” endorsements in a month.
Idols that acquire “cheer” endorsements have the chance to promote themselves via the app’s partnering media, including Tokyo Girls’ Update. Tokyo Girls’ Update will launch a TV show focused on J-pop idols on NHK World/JibTV in April, where budding idols will have a chance to be featured. Fogg and All Blue will work together to help J-pop idols raise their appeal globally, including holding live performances for their global fan base.
See the original story in Japanese. Japanese leading toiletries manufacturer Sunstar has recently developed a smart device attachment to a toothbrush on a prototyping basis, called G.U.M Play. The device has a motion sensor that detects the motion of the toothbrush, and transfers data to mobile apps via Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE). There will be three mobile apps available supporting the attachment device: “Mouth Band” plays music while users brush their teeth “Mouth News” reads aloud news stories while users brush their teeth “Mouth Monster” is an educational app for children while they brush their teeth All these apps record transversal motions and how much time spent upon brushing. Sunstar says it will adopt more advanced sensing technologies, planning to introduce the product to market later this year. Meanwhile, Proctor & Gamble (P&G) announced at the Mobile World Congress 2014 last July that it would introduce Bluetooth 4.0-enabled Oral-B interactive electric toothbrush. The P&G product is already available in stores. Compared to the new Oral-B toothbrush, G.U.M Play will likely cost less because the latter is an attachment device rather than a toothbrush. More devices designed for synchronization with smartphones in acquiring data are seen appearing. While this trend will be further enhanced so that more things will be enabled, the key…
Japanese leading toiletries manufacturer Sunstar has recently developed a smart device attachment to a toothbrush on a prototyping basis, called G.U.M Play.
The device has a motion sensor that detects the motion of the toothbrush, and transfers data to mobile apps via Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE).
There will be three mobile apps available supporting the attachment device:
“Mouth Band” plays music while users brush their teeth
“Mouth News” reads aloud news stories while users brush their teeth
“Mouth Monster” is an educational app for children while they brush their teeth
All these apps record transversal motions and how much time spent upon brushing. Sunstar says it will adopt more advanced sensing technologies, planning to introduce the product to market later this year.
Meanwhile, Proctor & Gamble (P&G) announced at the Mobile World Congress 2014 last July that it would introduce Bluetooth 4.0-enabled Oral-B interactive electric toothbrush. The P&G product is already available in stores. Compared to the new Oral-B toothbrush, G.U.M Play will likely cost less because the latter is an attachment device rather than a toothbrush.
More devices designed for synchronization with smartphones in acquiring data are seen appearing. While this trend will be further enhanced so that more things will be enabled, the key is how device developers can offer the experience that users really need.
See the original story in Japanese. Tokyo-based hardware startup Cerevo announced today that it has co-developed a new product called Listnr as a first effort from a joint project with new startup Interphenom. This follows their recent introduction of Snow-1 snowboard bindings from their smart sports gear series XON. See also: Japan’s hardware startup Cerevo unveils smart sports gear for snowboarding Cerevo has launched a Kickstarter campaign for Listnr, and is exhibiting it at 2015 International CES underway in Las Vegas. Listnr is a cloud-based listening device equipped with a microphone and Internet connectivity, which sends notifications to smartphones or other connected devices according to certain sound patterns such as an infant’s cry, as well as giving users control over Philips Hue connected light bulbs by the snap of a finger. Listnr uses a sound and voice-based emotion recognition engine invented by Panasonic. Cerevo and Interphenom will offer an API so that third-party developers can develop new services or products integrating with the listening device. The Interphenom project The Interphenom project was started by a concept by Rie Ehara illustrating a communication device using sounds following her discussions with Cerevo and hardware startup incubation initiative ABBALab, both of which reside…
Tokyo-based hardware startup Cerevo announced today that it has co-developed a new product called Listnr as a first effort from a joint project with new startup Interphenom. This follows their recent introduction of Snow-1 snowboard bindings from their smart sports gear series XON.
Cerevo has launched a Kickstarter campaign for Listnr, and is exhibiting it at 2015 International CES underway in Las Vegas.
Listnr is a cloud-based listening device equipped with a microphone and Internet connectivity, which sends notifications to smartphones or other connected devices according to certain sound patterns such as an infant’s cry, as well as giving users control over Philips Hue connected light bulbs by the snap of a finger.
Listnr uses a sound and voice-based emotion recognition engine invented by Panasonic. Cerevo and Interphenom will offer an API so that third-party developers can develop new services or products integrating with the listening device.
The Interphenom project
The Interphenom project was started by a concept by Rie Ehara illustrating a communication device using sounds following her discussions with Cerevo and hardware startup incubation initiative ABBALab, both of which reside in Tokyo’s notable hardware incubation lab DMM.make Akiba.
Panasonic’s R&D department had been exploring ways to commercialize the technology of the voice-based emotion recognition engine, and started developing a prototype with Cerevo in the summer of 2014. Because of the high affinity between the concept and the Listnr concept, Cerevo proposed to Ehara that she collaborate on a new product.
The team subsequently kicked off full-scale development after winning the ABBALab Scholarship program. This enclosure was designed by UK-based Japanese product designer Satoshi Yanagisawa, who is famous for having designed the portable power generator Cyclus as well as the futuristic smart power strip Otto.
See the original story in Japanese. Tokyo-based Cerevo, the Japanese startup known for its Cerevo Cam and IoT crowdfunding site Cerevo Dash, unveiled a new smart sports device series called XON today, announcing functional snowboard bindings called Snow-1 as the first product from the series. In our previous interview with Cerevo CEO Takuma Iwasa, he said that the company was planning to expand the range of products, especially in the IoT and “high amateur” spaces where this new product is categorized. Snow-1 is sensor-enabled snowboard bindings and transmits data to smartphones via BLE (BlueTooth Low Energy) in real-time so that users can analyze their snowboarding technique. Eight load balance sensors under the footpads of the device detect the center of gravity and how users distribute their weight on each of their legs. Two sensors measure the bending of the snowboard. Snowboarding recorded via smartphone allows for data to be displayed in synchronization with the video clip so you can analyze your stance from an objective viewpoint. Leveraging the GPS data, the device allows you to track your snowboarding trail. High-luminance LEDs in the toes and heels help you improve your form while snowboarding. Snow-1 will be exhibited at 2015 CES…
Tokyo-based Cerevo, the Japanese startup known for its Cerevo Cam and IoT crowdfunding site Cerevo Dash, unveiled a new smart sports device series called XON today, announcing functional snowboard bindings called Snow-1 as the first product from the series.
In our previous interview with Cerevo CEO Takuma Iwasa, he said that the company was planning to expand the range of products, especially in the IoT and “high amateur” spaces where this new product is categorized.
Snow-1 is sensor-enabled snowboard bindings and transmits data to smartphones via BLE (BlueTooth Low Energy) in real-time so that users can analyze their snowboarding technique. Eight load balance sensors under the footpads of the device detect the center of gravity and how users distribute their weight on each of their legs. Two sensors measure the bending of the snowboard.
Snowboarding recorded via smartphone allows for data to be displayed in synchronization with the video clip so you can analyze your stance from an objective viewpoint. Leveraging the GPS data, the device allows you to track your snowboarding trail. High-luminance LEDs in the toes and heels help you improve your form while snowboarding.
Snow-1 will be exhibited at 2015 CES Unveiled to be held on 24 January, and 2015 International CES to be held on 6 January in Las Vegas, followed by a planned release this year.
