The Intersection of Japanese Tech Companies and Startups in the USA

Japan and the USA are two of the world’s largest and most advanced economies, with strong ties in trade, investment, culture, and innovation. Both countries are home to some of the most influential and successful tech companies and startups, such as Apple, Google, Amazon, Microsoft, Sony, Panasonic, Toyota, and SoftBank. These companies have shaped the global markets and industries with their cutting-edge products and services, ranging from electronics, gaming, automotive, robotics, telecommunications, to e-commerce.

However, the tech landscape in both countries is not static. There are also many emerging and promising tech companies and startups in Japan and the USA that are creating new value and solving various challenges with their innovative solutions. Some of these companies and startups are collaborating across borders, leveraging the strengths and opportunities of both markets. In this article, we will introduce some of these tech companies and startups in Japan and the USA that are intersecting at the forefront of global innovation.

Light Touch Technology

Light Touch Technology is a Japanese startup that has developed a prototype noninvasive blood glucose sensor that lets people with diabetes check their blood glucose without needing to prick themselves. The sensor uses an infrared laser to check blood glucose. Users touch the sensor, mounted on a portable device, for five seconds while a laser shines on blood in the fingertip. In seconds, the results are transmitted to smartphones or dedicated displays.

Light Touch Technology was founded in 2017 by Yamakawa Koichi, a former engineer at Sony Music Entertainment. He wanted to create a tool that would democratize blood glucose monitoring and enable anyone to manage their health more easily and safely. Light Touch Technology has raised $1.2 million in seed funding from CyberAgent Ventures and other investors. The company aims to become the global standard for noninvasive blood glucose sensing and expand its user base worldwide.

Light Touch Technology has also established a subsidiary in the USA, where it is conducting clinical trials and seeking regulatory approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The USA is one of the largest markets for diabetes care products, with over 34 million people living with diabetes. Light Touch Technology hopes to launch its product in the USA by 2024.

SIVA

SIVA is a Japanese startup that runs an online platform that helps companies manage their digital marketing. SIVA’s platform uses AI and big data to analyze the online behavior of consumers and provide personalized marketing campaigns and recommendations to its clients. Clients can choose from various marketing channels and tools, such as email, social media, web push notifications, chatbots, landing pages, and coupons. SIVA also provides data analysis and insights to help clients optimize their marketing strategies and performance.

SIVA was founded in 2015 by Kato Shuhei, a former engineer at Rakuten. He wanted to create a platform that would make digital marketing more accessible and effective for small and medium-sized businesses. SIVA has raised $13 million in series B funding from JAFCO and other investors. The company aims to become the leading digital marketing platform in Japan and Asia.

SIVA has also expanded its business to the USA, where it has partnered with Shopify, a leading e-commerce platform for online stores. SIVA’s platform is integrated with Shopify’s app store, where it offers its services to over 1 million merchants using Shopify. SIVA hopes to grow its presence in the USA by providing more value-added services to Shopify users.

Cogent Labs

Cogent Labs is a Japanese startup that provides AI-based software solutions for various industries and domains. Cogent Labs’ flagship product is Tegaki (meaning "handwriting" in Japanese), an AI-powered handwriting recognition service that can accurately read handwritten text in various languages, formats, and styles. Tegaki can be used for various purposes, such as digitizing paper documents, extracting data from forms, invoices, receipts, contracts, etc., automating data entry processes, improving customer service quality, etc.

Cogent Labs was founded in 2014 by Juan Carlos Alvarez del Cueto, a former researcher at the University of Tokyo. He wanted to create a company that would apply AI to solve real-world problems and challenges. Cogent Labs has raised $29 million in series B funding from SBI Investment and other investors. The company aims to become the leading AI company in Japan and the world.

Cogent Labs has also established a subsidiary in the USA, where it is developing new AI products and services for the global market. One of these products is Chabot, an AI-powered chatbot platform that can understand natural language and generate natural responses. Chabot can be used for various scenarios, such as customer support, sales, marketing, education, etc. Cogent Labs hopes to launch Chabot in the USA by 2023.

Fragcolor

Fragcolor is a US-based startup that is building the first interoperability and moddability native game engine to empower builders of games, virtual worlds, and metaverses. Fragcolor’s game engine allows users to create and modify games and virtual worlds using various tools and languages, such as Python, JavaScript, C#, Rust, etc. Users can also import and export assets and code from other platforms, such as Unity, Unreal Engine, Roblox, etc. Fragcolor’s game engine enables users to unleash their creativity and collaborate with others across different platforms and devices.

Fragcolor was founded in 2021 by Alexandre Trottier, a former engineer at Google. He wanted to create a game engine that would make game development more accessible and fun for everyone. Fragcolor has raised $3 million in pre-seed funding from Sequoia Capital India and other investors. The company aims to become the leading game engine for the metaverse and expand its user base worldwide.

Fragcolor has also partnered with several Japanese tech companies and startups, such as Carnot, Light Touch Technology, and SIVA. Fragcolor’s game engine integrates with Carnot’s LLM platform to generate high-quality content for games and virtual worlds. Fragcolor’s game engine also uses Light Touch Technology’s noninvasive blood glucose sensor to monitor the health of gamers and provide personalized feedback and recommendations. Fragcolor’s game engine also leverages SIVA’s digital marketing platform to promote games and virtual worlds to potential users.

Conclusion

These are just some of the examples of the tech companies and startups in Japan and the USA that are intersecting at the forefront of global innovation. There are many more tech companies and startups in Japan and the USA that are collaborating across borders, leveraging the strengths and opportunities of both markets. Japan and the USA are not only allies and partners, but also innovators and pioneers in technology.