Startups

On October 17th 2019, four Swiss start-ups and a research organization participated in a pitching session at Venture Café Tokyo in order to capture the attention of potential Japanese partners. The start-ups were exhibiting at the SwissTech Pavilion at CEATEC, one of Asia’s largest technology fairs in the CPS/IoT area taking place on October 15 until 18. Asyril, CREAL3D, Mandat International, Nomoko and Somniacs also showcased their products at the event.

Doors to Switzerland in Japan 2020 / Innovation: 17 companies and organizations presented Swiss innovations at one of Asia’s largest technology fairs.

Nikkei on Monday said it acquired a 14.79% stake in Singapore-based artificial intelligence startup DC Frontiers for an undisclosed sum.

Record levels of venture capital investment in Japan suggest that some of the nation's biggest companies are increasingly deploying some of their massive cash reserves into the country's fledgling tech start-up sector in a quest to create billion dollar tech "Unicorns".

Honda Motor has launched Japan's first scooter-sharing service, teaming with a SoftBank-backed startup in an effort to help offset falling motorbike sales in the country.

People living in areas without electricity in Africa are beginning to enjoy modern conveniences, thanks to solar powered gadgets they can rent from small shops.

In a rented office near Tokyo Tower, engineers toil away in a clean room, developing what look like small remote-controlled buggies. In a couple of years, the contraptions could wind up more than 350,000 km away, on the moon.

Last December, Nature Innovation Group launched an umbrella-sharing service. Customers simply register their credit card information through Line, one of Japan's most popular messaging apps.

It’s a challenging time in the digital media industry. BuzzFeed Inc. and Vice Media Inc., which defined a generation of news startups, dismissed hundreds of employees this year in cost-cutting maneuvers. But a glimmer of hope is coming from a software company in Tokyo.

Kamakura, a city about 50 km southwest of Tokyo, attracts some 20 million tourists a year, making it one of the most popular destinations in the metropolitan area.