Japanese startups aren’t afraid to scale globally. At the latest edition of our TIA Tour in Japan, five young startups competed for the chance to win free access and an exhibiting booth at TIA Jakarta 2016. The winner also receives free transport via Japan Airlines and accommodation.
Take a look at the participating teams, listed in order of appearance. Whether in Tokyo or Jakarta, be sure to keep an eye on them.
Bespoke
Though Japan’s stature as a popular tourist destination continues to rise, visitors still face a significant language barrier that limits their enjoyment of the country. Similarly, hotels are typically unable to fully support their guests as staff tend to be monolingual. Bespoke thinks it can be the solution to these twin problems by providing a concierge bot that can handle information requests for activities, dining, and more.
Currently available in English, the startup will be adding Chinese language support by early next year.
Brend
The team at Brend offers an alternative to the convenience store specials and UberEats packages that many busy Tokyoites rely on for dinner. They believe that reliance is due to time constraints and as well as uncertainty about how to prepare a proper home-cooked meal.
So they created TastyTable. For US$60 a week, customers will receive ingredients and instructions for two distinct sets of high-end meals.
Tenkyu
Internet of Things (IoT) products have been populating Japan’s startup scene all year, and Tenkyu is the latest one to get noticed. A smart lightbulb, Tenkyu is currently designed to be placed at the entrance of an apartment or house. When someone goes to leave, the light will automatically turn on and change color depending on the expected weather of the day.
In the future, the light will have additional features like detecting intruders. Though not publically available yet, Tenkyu will first turn to a crowdfunding campaign to get started.
DeBit
Bitcoin has lost luster amid doubts regarding widespread consumer adoption. DeBit seeks to change this narrative by linking bitcoin to regular debit cards. Physical stores that accept bitcoin are rare, but almost all of them accept debit cards backed by brands like Visa and MasterCard.
It is a unique strategy for Japan, but also validated by Xapo, a similar product backed by major investors including Yuri Milner.
Infostellar
As private satellite use rises, companies are running into a problem. Firms typically build a communication station on the ground to communicate with the device. Because the satellite is orbiting the earth, it is typically only in range of the station for short periods of time each day. To defray the considerable cost of building and maintaining such stations, Infostellar is working with operators to make the stations shareable. When the original satellite is out of range, the stations can be rented to communicate with a different satellite that happens to be in range.
With sufficient partners on board, the costs for satellite operations will fall and their efficiency will rise.
The winner is…
The judges discussed the companies at length, but ultimately came to settle on Infostellar as the winner. Be sure to look for founder Naomi Kurahara and team at TIA Jakarta 2016, taking place November 16-17.
Special thanks to our judging panel:
Masatoshi Fukusawa, 8 Roads Ventures
Takashi Kato, Global Brain
Takashi Chiba, IMJ Partners
And to our sponsors, Japan Airlines and i-mercury.
The contestants, judges, and sponsors of Tokyo’s Road to Jakarta 2016.
This post ‘Airbnb for satellites’ wins TIA pitch contest appeared first on Tech in Asia.
from Tech in Asia https://www.techinasia.com/infostellar-road-to-jakarta
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