THE BRIDGE

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SynchroLife, blockchain-based restaurant discovery app from Japan, raises $720K

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See the original story in Japanese. Tokyo-based Ginkan, developing and offering an AI-powered social restaurant discovery app called SynchroLife, announced on Friday that it has fundraised 80 million yen ($720,000 US) in a seed round. Tokyo-based internet marketing company Ceres (TSE:3696) and Fujio Komura, former chairman of Cybird Holdings, participated this round. For Ginkan, this follows their angel fundraising of 30 million yen (about $280,000 US) back in September of 2017. Komura, one of the investors participating in this round, has also participated in the previous round. The company has raised a total of 110 million yen (about $1 million US) since its foundation. Coinciding with the funding, Ginkan has partnered with Ceres to explore synergy with the latter’s mobile point media platforms serving 3.5 million active members as well as aim to develop a blockchain-based service which can be connected with offline businesses. SynchroLife is a mobile social networking app that allows users to connect with each others by sharing restaurant reviews. Ginkan rolled out a major update on the app earlier this month so that it can guarantee the accuracy and transparency of the reviews leveraging blockchain technologies. Users are incentivised by receiving SynchroCoin tokens in accordance with…

GInkan and Ceres teams
Image credit: Ceres / Ginkan

See the original story in Japanese.

Tokyo-based Ginkan, developing and offering an AI-powered social restaurant discovery app called SynchroLife, announced on Friday that it has fundraised 80 million yen ($720,000 US) in a seed round. Tokyo-based internet marketing company Ceres (TSE:3696) and Fujio Komura, former chairman of Cybird Holdings, participated this round.

For Ginkan, this follows their angel fundraising of 30 million yen (about $280,000 US) back in September of 2017. Komura, one of the investors participating in this round, has also participated in the previous round. The company has raised a total of 110 million yen (about $1 million US) since its foundation.

Coinciding with the funding, Ginkan has partnered with Ceres to explore synergy with the latter’s mobile point media platforms serving 3.5 million active members as well as aim to develop a blockchain-based service which can be connected with offline businesses.

SynchroLife
Image credit: Ginkan

SynchroLife is a mobile social networking app that allows users to connect with each others by sharing restaurant reviews. Ginkan rolled out a major update on the app earlier this month so that it can guarantee the accuracy and transparency of the reviews leveraging blockchain technologies. Users are incentivised by receiving SynchroCoin tokens in accordance with how much their contributed articles are evaluated by other users.

SynchroLife boasts over 17,000 reviews with 420,000 pictures while about 20% out of all the users have posted their reviews. Available in English, Korean and Chinese as well as Japanese since July of 2017, the app can accept reviews of restaurants in 155 countries from around the world. The company has received user registrations from 82 countries and review posts from 48 countries.

SynchroLife’s business model
Image credit: Ginkan (click to enlarge)

Ceres has recently accelerated investments in blockchain startups including cryptocurrency exchanges such as Bitbank and Coincheck in addition to blockchain startups like Orb (Distributed Ledger Technology developer) and Sivira (blockchain app developer). In addition, the firm announced in April that it has partnered with Good Luck 3, the developer of a dApp game called Crypto-Oink.

Furthermore, Ceres has been offering ways to turn online value into real one by allowing users to convert rewards into real money or e-money. With regard to this context, Ceres recently unveiled it has partnered with Japanese crowdfunding platform Campfire to allow users to back campaigning projects using rewards within this year.

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Edited by “Tex” Pomeroy

Good Luck 3 to launch Ethereum game app Crypto-Oink, Japan’s answer to CryptoKitties

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See the original story in Japanese. Fukuoka, Japan-based Good Luck 3, jointly with Tokyo-based internet marketing company Ceres (TSE:3696), held a press conference on Friday in Tokyo, where they will be soon releasing Ethereum-based game DApp called Crypto-Oink. The app will be available on the web and via mobile app but the exact launch date is not yet confirmed. The app allows users to collect pig characters to breed and create new species, or buy and sell them with other users. With the crypto-wallet function, the app can prove these transactions and store them on a blockchain so that users can buy/sell cryptos at Ethereum exchanges or trade pigs with other users. Good Luck 3 plans to monetize by selling characters and auction commissions. With the Crypto-Oink app, the company wants to help even non-blockchain savvy people get familiar with DApps by leveraging a familiar topic like games to lower the hurdles. Ceres has recently invested in crypto exchanges such as Bitbank and Coincheck in addition to blockchain startups like Orb (Distributed Ledger Technology developer) and Sivira (blockchain app developer). Kazuhisa Inoue, CEO of Good Luck 3, said in the conference that his company wants to make the DApp successful…

From left: Kazuhisa Inoue (CEO of Good Luck 3), Satoshi Takagi (CEO of Ceres)
Image credit: Masaru Ikeda

See the original story in Japanese.

Fukuoka, Japan-based Good Luck 3, jointly with Tokyo-based internet marketing company Ceres (TSE:3696), held a press conference on Friday in Tokyo, where they will be soon releasing Ethereum-based game DApp called Crypto-Oink. The app will be available on the web and via mobile app but the exact launch date is not yet confirmed.

The app allows users to collect pig characters to breed and create new species, or buy and sell them with other users. With the crypto-wallet function, the app can prove these transactions and store them on a blockchain so that users can buy/sell cryptos at Ethereum exchanges or trade pigs with other users.

Good Luck 3 CEO Inoue introduces Crypto-Oink
Image credit: Masaru Ikeda

Good Luck 3 plans to monetize by selling characters and auction commissions. With the Crypto-Oink app, the company wants to help even non-blockchain savvy people get familiar with DApps by leveraging a familiar topic like games to lower the hurdles.

Ceres has recently invested in crypto exchanges such as Bitbank and Coincheck in addition to blockchain startups like Orb (Distributed Ledger Technology developer) and Sivira (blockchain app developer). Kazuhisa Inoue, CEO of Good Luck 3, said in the conference that his company wants to make the DApp successful by joining the forces of their capability of an entertainment content developer with those of Ceres owning multiple blockchain startups.

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Crypto-Oink
Image credit: Good Luck 3

Since its launch back in February of 2013 in Japan’s western city of Fukuoka, Good Luck 3 has released outstanding game apps like Touch Gudetama! and Aerial Legends, and also recently been developing a blockchain-focused social platform called LuckyMe (to be launched this summer).

While blockchain transactions generally take some time to confirm, Good Luck 3 has also developed a private blockchain network called LuckyMe Reward System, expecting to reduce user churn with a smooth in-app purchase process for blockchain-based game apps. Going forward, they try to form an ecosystem involving third-party developers of DApps.

With an aim to promote Crypto-Oink and LuckyMe globally, Good Luck 3 plans to exhibit at Latitude 59, a global startup conference in Tallinn, Estonia on May 24 and 25th.

Edited by “Tex” Pomeroy