COMPANIESFrom Osaka to the world
What is the root cause of the water problem plaguing the rural parts of Africa?
The main problem is not poverty; rather it stems from the unfair methods of collecting fees for water supply pumps. Ms. Tsuboi, who is taking on the challenge of solving this problem using a new fee system in Uganda, envisions a future in which water problems throughout Africa are solved.
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Due to the decreasing number of farmers and their aging population, Mr. Sugai has a sense of impending crisis in Japan’s agriculture industry.
Calling himself an “agriculture geek”, Mr. Sugai has developed a fully controlled, low-cost plant factory. He also creates cultivation manuals and provides support for the commercialization of plant factories to encourage SMEs to enter this industry.
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One major social problem in Japan is abuse of disabled people by the staff working at welfare facilities for disabled people.
Many people working in that field are part-time staff with no professional certifications, and their lack of knowledge is a huge factor in them committing abuse. Shunsuke Shimura has developed the online training service “Special Learning”, so that people who support disabled people can take classes anytime, anywhere, by watching videos that last about 3 minutes each. He is undertaking new challenges, establishing the new concept of “inclusion technology” with the aim of using technology as a tool to realize inclusion of diversity.
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Microwave Chemical Co., Ltd. has developed microwave platform technology which delivers cost reductions across all aspects of manufacturing processes, including energy consumption, heating time, and space required.
The company recently conducted an IPO on the Growth market of the Tokyo Stock Exchange in June 2022. CEO Yoshino embraces the ongoing challenge of leveraging the company’s technology to contribute to carbon neutrality and promote innovation in the chemical industry.
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BABY JOB Inc. won the Grand Prix in “Japan Subscription Business Awards 2020” for its “Let’s go to daycare with empty hands,” Japan’s first diaper subscription service for daycare centers.
This service aims to alleviate the burden on working mothers by reducing the number of items they need to bring to the daycare centers so they can go there hand-in-hand with their children. We asked Mr. Ueno, who recently raised 500 million yen in 2021, about his next goal.
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Bringing about a rewarding future through a platform that supports diverse workstyles
ACALL offers business ideas that harness technology to create a society in which people can freely choose where and when they work and enable an exciting future, like that seen in science fiction.
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Akiya Katsuyo is applying an innovative business model in an effort to find solutions to the problem of vacant houses, which has become a pressing social issue in Japan, with the number having doubled in 30 years.
Takamitsu Wada, the CEO, started the business with the desire to do work that make people happy. He addresses the problem of vacant houses head on by collecting data on them, proposing ways to utilize them, and disseminating information about them.
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Helping nullify the threat of deadly diseases faced by humanity with innovative products that accelerate research in the fields of virology and drug discovery
COVID-19, an urgent issue for everyone around the world, continues to spread in 2021 and beyond. As the virus have been mutating in unexpected ways, we find ourselves at a critical juncture in human health.Identifying effective treatments for COVID-19 is of paramount importance, and MiCAN Technologies is accelerating the research process by providing innovative solutions based on regenerative medicine technology. The company’s products allow for more efficient discovery of drugs useful in treating infectious diseases, paving the way to a healthier global society, free from fear of COVID-19 and numerous other major health threats faced by humanity today.
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Supporting communication between people through the use of AI that analyzes videos
After contributing to the development of IT for more than 10 years at a major telecommunications company, Shozo Kamiya chose to become an entrepreneur for the sake of his son and the children who will be building the society of tomorrow.
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A company that solves social issues that contributes to SDGs with robots and AI
Experiencing a catastrophe triggered a former engineer to set up a company that uses robot and AI technology to solve social issues such as aging and labor shortages.
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Enabling Safe Data Use for Companies Through AI and Secure Computing
Secure computing is a technology that that allows for the analysis and processing of data while maintaining confidentiality and security. It enables the retrieval of only the necessary confidential data, as well as safe computation and analysis without the risk of revealing the entire dataset. This idea has its roots in the frustration that the founder experienced in Silicon Valley as a data scientist.
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Development of Nanodevices That Starve Cancer Cells: The Quest to Establish a New Method of Treatment
Around 500,000 people throughout the world are not receiving treatment for cancer. They are forced to forgo treatment due to the physical and financial tolls and/or the absence of effective treatment. The revolutionary therapy that MediGear International Corporation is working on uses nanodevices to starve cancer cells. This approach has the potential to do more than simply reduce the many demands on the patients. It is starting to alter the nature of medicine throughout the world.
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Developing the World’s First Standalone AC Batteries for a Greener Energy Future
All battery-powered electrical devices in the world today use direct current (DC) batteries. So why is AC Biode. developing alternating current (AC) batteries? The answer: an urgent desire to solve the world’s environmental problems and the recognition that standalone AC batteries could become a crucial part of our energy infrastructure.
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Commoditized AI is the Key to Global Innovation Led by Entrepreneurs and Researchers
"Benefits of AI to all" - Driven by this founding idea, Pegara Japan, LLC is an up-and-coming provider of creative solutions for fast-evolving AI research, for which they raised $104 million in a 2019 seed round.
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SAgri is an agricultural tech startup regarded as an emerging star. They are based in Japan and India and have already won multiple international awards, including the SingularityU Japan Global Impact Challenge 2019 and Get in the Ring Osaka 2019.
This young serial entrepreneur started his first company on space education to empower kids in Japan to dream big. With his passion for space fused with his background in science and engineering, he encountered modern-day agricultural issues in Japan and rural India, after which he devised appropriate solutions.
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In Japan, the number of people aged 65 years or older, has reached a total of 35 million, accounting for 28.1% of the nation’s population, which is the highest ratio in the world. By 2025, as the baby boomers enter into their late 70s, the demands for medical and elderly care services are expected to rise exponentially.
KURASERU, an IT-based care facility matching service, solves one of the problems that impede collaboration between hospitals and nursing homes—information gap. How did a teen who once dreamt of starting a company in the industry realize his vision?
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In 2018, ad spending for the Internet media neared $200 billion worldwide, of which 10% or more was lost to ad fraud. According to the World Federation of Advertisers, by 2025 online ad fraud will rise to a whopping $50 billion. It has been a major threat worldwide because the beneficiaries are mafias and antisocial organizations.
Phybbit is one of the hottest startups from Japan that is driving out online bandits. CEO Satoko Ohtsuki graduated with a Master’s in Atomic/Molecular Physics and founded the company in 2011 to create a space where the best technologists can thrive to their full potential.
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In 2009, Osaka was named the fastest-growing destination by Mastercard (Global Destinations Cities Index 2017). FREEPLUS was established by the then 22-year-old founder and has focused on the needs of international travelers from 2010.
Insights accumulated through their success as a land operator inspired the travel startup to open FP HOTELS, a hotel chain that is tailored for global guests, to create lifelong memories.
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mui Lab taps into the most fundamental part of us human beings: we love getting in touch with the nature as much as we embrace the evolution of technology and lifestyle.
Their product “mui” is an interface for smart devices, made of a natural material that has been the foundation of traditional Japanese design and craft, but is not necessarily the cheapest or most convenient for manufacturing. Why would they do that?
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Triple W is an award-winning startup, including a CES 2019 Innovation Awards for DFree, the first health tech wearable device for incontinence that monitors how full your bladder is and notifies you when it’s time to go to the bathroom.
What inspired this ex-business consultant and overseas corporation volunteer to develop this innovative product was his own “shitty” accident as an international student at UC Berkeley.
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akippa is rapidly scaling up their shared parking app, aiming to build the world’s largest mobility platform by 2030.
Genki Kanaya’s journey from giving up his long-held dream to become a pro soccer player to building a successful business that counts 1.3 million users and 28,000 locations is inspiring top young talents to join his startup in Osaka.
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PLEN Robotics is developing unique service robots for professional and personal use, including one that perfectly fits in the palm of your hand.
A former professional skier turned relentless robotics entrepreneur is leading a team of international engineers in Osaka to help businesses and enrich people’s lives around the world with their innovative products.
Read Their StoryCompanies List* Link to Japanese website
akippa *
akippa provides a sharing service app that allows drivers to easily find and reserve a parking space.
Sharing Service
ArchiTek
Architek's AI edge processor technology enables the safety of human life with image processing and AI.
Development of AI edge processor
Aromajoin
Aromajoin digitalizes and controls scents based upon space and time via PCs, smartphones or IoT devices
Communication
At
At developed the world’s first capillary condition analysis system and device that gives a diagnosis in 3 seconds based on an image without blood sampling.
Healthcare
Dank1*
Dank1 offers an online platform to connect amateur dancers and athletes with professional coaches.
Sports Ed Tech
FREEPLUS
FREEPLUS is a pioneer in the tourism industry in Japan, focusing on the needs of international travelers.
Tourism
i-plug *
i-plug empowers college students in their career building through its interactive and direct job sourcing platform.
HR tech
TouchJapan
TouchJapan develops multilingual e-ticketing service to make eating out stress-free for foreign visitors.
Tourism
mui Lab
mui Lab develops award-winning smart home devices with a natural wooden interface
Smart home
Next Innovation *
Next Innovation offers a variety of telemedical apps to efficiently connect people in need with domain experts.
Healthcare
PLEN Robotics
PLEN Robotics develops unique service robots that can help businesses and enrich our everyday lives.
Robotics
PIJIN
PIJIN provides a QR code-based translation service and app for tourist sites, restaurants and companies.
Tourism / Multilingual Support
SAKURA internet *
SAKURA internet is now a listed IT server company that was founded by a then high school student.
Server / IoT
Triple W
Triple W developed an award-winning healthcare device that notifies when to go to the bathroom.
Healthcare
Warrantee
Warrantee digitalizes warranty documents and allows consumers to manage the data easily with an app.
Personal data management
WEFABRIK *
WEFABRIK developed SMASELL, an online BtoB marketplace allowing companies to sell their dead stock easily and cost-efficiently.
Apparel Marketplace