NEWSWORTHY
A quantum computing startup tries to live up to the hype
Few corners of the tech industry are as tantalizing or complex as quantum computing. For years its evangelists have promised machines capable of breaking the most impenetrable coded messages, unlocking the secret properties of the physical world and putting supercomputers to shame. But Rigetti Computing, ...
Foreign entrepreneurs pitch business ideas in Japan startup competition
Amid increased efforts to help non-Japanese talent launch businesses in Japan to boost foreign investment and international competitiveness, the domestic startup scene saw a contest for entrepreneurs with an overseas background last week. Hosted by Tokyo Star Bank Ltd., seven finalists from 48 contenders for ...
SoftBank Group Corp. plans to announce within days that it will start a mobile digital payments service in Japan by the end of 2018, as billionaire founder Masayoshi Son seeks to expand in the sector, people familiar with the matter said. The service, a collaboration ...
U.S. startups involved in 'critical' technologies at risk from Chinese influence
Danhua Capital has invested in some of Silicon Valley's most promising startups in areas like drones, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity. The venture capital firm is based just outside Stanford University, the epicenter of U.S. technology entrepreneurship. Yet it was also established and funded with help ...
AI-equipped recruiter tries to mobilize Japan's static labor market
Hiroki Shimada can trace the genesis of his company, Scouty Inc., back to a time when he was on the outside of the job market looking in. During his graduate studies in artificial intelligence at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, Shimada was surprised to ...
Mercari's IPO raises over ¥60 billion on Mothers, putting Japanese flea market app in spotlight
Mercari Inc., Japan’s first unicorn to go public, made its debut Tuesday on the Tokyo Stock Exchange’s Mothers section, becoming the largest IPO this year.
A company was founded in southwestern Japan in April to make pharmaceutical materials using silkworms. The company, based in the city of Fukuoka, is called Kaico, which means silkworm in Japanese. It was established using financial assistance from Kyushu University. Kaico plans to make raw ...
Venture companies to form new hub for startups in Tokyo's Gotanda district
About 10 venture firms headquartered in Tokyo's Gotanda area will form a mutual support group called Gotanda Valley, aiming to turn the district into the capital's newest hub for entrepreneurs, sources close to the move say. The firms setting up Gotanda Valley include cloud-based accounting ...
Mercari's blockbuster IPO shows Japan's startups are turning a corner
One of the year's most spectacular startup payoffs isn't in Silicon Valley or China, it's in Japan. Mercari Inc.'s $3.7 billion coming-out party will deliver a 149-times return to early investor United Inc., which engineered a ¥300 million ($2.7 million) round in the flea-market app ...
Mercari's top-of-range IPO set to make founder Shintaro Yamada Japan's newest billionaire
Mercari Inc. priced its initial public offering at the top of the range to sell ¥130.5 billion ($1.2 billion) worth of shares, a valuation that's set to make its 40-year-old founder a billionaire. The online marketplace plans to sell 43.5 million shares at ¥3,000 apiece, ...
Japan launches entrepreneurial matching platform to boost space startups
In a bid to boost investment in domestic space startups, the government launched on Thursday an online platform to help connect investors with entrepreneurs seeking funds to put unique ideas into action. The platform, named S-Matching, invites entrepreneurs in the space sector to post their ...
Infostellar aims to knit together a global network of satellite antenna stations
Ever since broadband internet access prevailed throughout the world, constant connectivity has been vital to every part of people's lives. Now, Naomi Kurahara, founder and CEO of satellite antenna-sharing startup Infostellar Inc., aims to bring about innovation in how people can access information — from ...
