Tag - startups

 
 

STARTUPS

Akinori Ishii, of startup Tsubame Industries Co., sits inside the cockpit of ARCHAX, a giant human-piloted robot developed by him and CEO Ryo Yoshida, in Yokohama on Sept. 27.
BUSINESS / Tech
Oct 2, 2023
Japan startup develops 'Gundam'-like robot with $3 million price tag
The 3.5-ton robot has two modes: the upright "robot mode" and a "vehicle mode" in which it can travel up to 10 kilometers per hour.
The Nvidia headquarters in Santa Clara, California
BUSINESS / Tech
Sep 28, 2023
AI chip crunch: Startups vie for Nvidia's vital component
Generative AI's lifeblood is a book-sized semiconductor known as the graphics processing unit (GPU) — built by one company, Nvidia.
MUFG Bank is aiming to foray into space by investing in startups.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 27, 2023
MUFG Bank among firms to lead $290 million Sierra Space fundraising
Sierra Space is among a handful of space industry players attempting to build a private space station.
A new tooth is seen in a ferret's mouth after it was administered a drug to stimulate the growth of tooth buds.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Sep 24, 2023
Japan pharma startup developing world-first drug to grow new teeth
Toregem Biopharma, funded by Kyoto University, is expected to begin clinical trials on healthy adults in around July 2024 to confirm the drug's safety.
The official U.S. Space Force flag is held during a presentation in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington in May 2020.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 23, 2023
Japan startup unit to develop refueling satellite for U.S. Space Force
U.S. Space Force to develop a satellite capable of providing in-space refueling services to other satellites.
Iwaya's high-flying craft is equipped with a machine capable of sustaining those inside by maintaining a breathable atmosphere, through controlling components such as the cabin's oxygen and water vapor levels.
BUSINESS
Sep 14, 2023
Hokkaido startup aims for the stars with high-altitude balloon trips
Iwaya's balloon is expected to attain its final target of reaching a height of 25 kilometers by the end of this year.
Aillis CEO Sho Okiyama receives the first place award from Pegasus Tech Ventues founder and CEO Anis Uzzaman at the Startup World Cup Tokyo preliminary on Friday.
BUSINESS / Tech
Sep 12, 2023
Two Japanese startups to compete in Startup World Cup 2023 final
Smart homes and AI-assisted medical devices took top prizes, with the winners now set to attend the final competition in San Francisco.
Nvidia's corporate headquarters in Santa Clara, California. The company dominates the market for chips that work with massive amounts of language data.
BUSINESS / Tech
Sep 12, 2023
Nvidia's dominance in AI chips deters funding for startups
Nvidia's supremacy in building computer chips for artificial intelligence has chilled venture funding for would-be rivals, investors have said.
Shuhei Abe, founder of Sparx Group, is seeking to put his ideas into action with a so-called engagement fund to invest in well-run but undervalued Japanese businesses.
BUSINESS
Sep 11, 2023
Buffett spurs Japan activist pioneer to seek $2 billion for fund
Shuhei Abe is seeking to put his ideas into action with a so-called engagement fund to invest in well-run but undervalued Japanese businesses.
An autonomous truck in Stack AV’s test fleet
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 8, 2023
SoftBank backs autonomous trucking firm started by ex-Ford execs
The new firm, named Stack AV, is led by three executives who previously ran Argo AI, the self-driving operation that Ford and VW shut down last year.
Construction workers repair a street during a heat wave in Corpus Christi, Texas, in July.
BUSINESS
Sep 1, 2023
Startups are inventing cooling clothes for a hotter future
With 2023 on track to be the hottest year on record, a number of startups are exploring new technologies and textiles for keeping people cool.
The initial public offering for Arm Holdings is set to be the biggest in the United States this year.
BUSINESS / Markets
Aug 22, 2023
SoftBank’s planned IPO for Arm set to be biggest of 2023
Arm didn’t disclose proposed terms for the share sale in the document, but it’s expected to seek a valuation of $60 billion to $70 billion.
Jasmy President Kazumasa Sato (center), Executive Officer Hidehiko Kakinuma (left) and head of software development Takashi Hagiwara at the company's office in Tokyo in July
BUSINESS / Tech
Aug 9, 2023
Ex-Sony execs take on tech giants with blockchain security gambit
Kazumasa Sato aims to give people control over their personal data at a time when big tech firms have obtained vast amounts of it.
A year of restraint in investments has helped SoftBank regain its financial footing, accumulating a cash pile of almost ¥6 trillion.
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 9, 2023
SoftBank begins making investments again but ‘timidly with fear’
A year of restraint in investments has helped SoftBank regain its financial footing, accumulating a cash pile of almost ¥6 trillion.
Softbank's Vision Fund unit swung to a profit of ¥61 billion in the quarter ended June, compared with a ¥2.33 trillion loss for the same period a year ago.
BUSINESS
Aug 8, 2023
Global tech stock rebound lifts SoftBank Vision Fund into profit
The fund logged a ¥61 billion profit in the quarter ended June — its first in over a year — compared with a ¥2.33 trillion loss a year ago.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / FOCUS
Jul 17, 2023
Japan ramps up support for startups venturing overseas
Private-sector and government initiatives are seeking to equip young companies with the knowledge and contacts to be successful outside Japan.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jul 12, 2023
Japan’s bid to nurture startups lags global rivals on tax breaks
Struggling with a far lower business entry rate than the U.S. or Europe, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s government in 2022 launched a five-year plan to encourage new ventures.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jun 27, 2023
Young Chinese entrepreneurs starting new businesses in Japan
The trend is being fueled by increased support for entrepreneurs through the hosting of startup business contests.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Markets
Jun 22, 2023
Japanese startups are catching up to broader market rally
An upcoming rush of initial public offerings has lifted sentiment toward startups, with more than 10 new stocks expected to start trading in Tokyo between now and the end of June.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jun 21, 2023
SoftBank’s Son goes back on offense to cement his tech legacy
The billionaire is ending years of relative dormancy after his Vision Fund, the world’s largest pool of tech capital, racked up billions of dollars of losses.

Longform

Rows of irises resemble a rice field at the Peter Walker-designed Toyota Municipal Museum of Art.
The 'outsiders' creating some of Japan's greenest spaces