Masaru IKEDA

WISH2010 Event Report – Panel Discussion by Heads Of Gree, Mixi And Twitter’s Japan Operation

Agile Media Network, a Tokyo-based marketing company using blog and word-of-mouth media and led by A-list blogger Motohiko Tokuriki who also serves an adviser for Asiajin, held the second edition of annual tech and social media conference WISH in Roppongi this weekend. 550 attendees joined. The event started with a panel discussion titled “How Japanese… Continue reading WISH2010 Event Report – Panel Discussion by Heads Of Gree, Mixi And Twitter’s Japan Operation

You Can Participate In Fishery Auctions At Tsukiji From Home

DoHouse[J], a Tokyo-based marketing research company devoted to monitor surveys by housewives, launched on their food-oriented e-commerce site a program[J] that allows consumers to bid for fish with watching a live streamcast hosted by a middleman from Tsukiji Fish Market. Now we can participate in the auction at home and post a bid price for… Continue reading You Can Participate In Fishery Auctions At Tsukiji From Home

Smartphone Ad-optimizer Nobot Partners With Singapore-based Network BuzzCity

Nobot, a Tokyo-based tech start-up who has introduced a smartphone ad-optimization SDK called AdMaker that enables to display the best set from multiple ad networks for the iPhone/Android users, partnered with Singapore-headquartered smartphone ad network BuzzCity last Thursday. App developers using Nobot’s SDK will be allowed to distribute BuzzCity’s ads without language barriers and currency… Continue reading Smartphone Ad-optimizer Nobot Partners With Singapore-based Network BuzzCity

Web-based Translation Start-up myGengo Fundraises USD585,000 From Ten Angel Investors

myGengo, a web-based multilingual human translation service start-up in Japan, announced convertible note fundraising of approximately 50 million yen from ten angel investors including: Felix Miller, Last.fm co-founder Brian Nelson, Japan’s affiliate provider Value Commerce CEO Dave McClure, 500 Startups Christoph Janz, Deal Pilot and Page Flakes founder Benjamin Joffe, Plus 8 Star founder Joshua… Continue reading Web-based Translation Start-up myGengo Fundraises USD585,000 From Ten Angel Investors

Startup Saturday 2010: Asian Start-up Entrepreneurs Meet Together In HK (2/2)

Continued from Startup Saturday 2010: Asian Start-up Entrepreneurs Meet Together In HK (1/2) Startup Showcase Round 2: Nanbeijie.com Nanbeijie (南北街) is an entertainment focused social shopping company that transforms online shopping into a social gaming experience. Utilising social gaming, virtual currencies and merging it with entertaining shopping games to create a new experience in the… Continue reading Startup Saturday 2010: Asian Start-up Entrepreneurs Meet Together In HK (2/2)

Startup Saturday 2010: Asian Start-up Entrepreneurs Meet Together In HK (1/2)

On August 7, at Cyberport in Hong Kong, there was a one-day conference giving Hong Kong and Asian entrepreneurs the opportunities to present their services and discussing the future of tech start-up communities in the region. There are two hubs for incubating tech start-ups in Hong Kong. One is Cyberport, which is located on the… Continue reading Startup Saturday 2010: Asian Start-up Entrepreneurs Meet Together In HK (1/2)

KDDI Promotes Brand New Products And Collects User-Generated Parody Songs

Japan’s second largest mobile operator KDDI’s au introduced several new lineups for their design-oriented feature phone series last month, and they have been running a promotion campaign collecting user-generated parody songs via Twitter. When you post a set of lyrics consisting of five-seven-five syllables (which has a similar rhythm to Haiku or Senryu) via Twitter… Continue reading KDDI Promotes Brand New Products And Collects User-Generated Parody Songs

Daily Deal Service For Movie Watching To Be Launched Next Monday

Bluem[J], the Tokyo-based tech start-up which have been founded by the person who worked formerly with Japan’s second largest ad agency, expects to launch a Groupon-like daily deal service for cinemas next Monday, which is called Drepass[J]. First of all, a cinema puts a special programming notice on their website and broadcasts it on Twitter. … Continue reading Daily Deal Service For Movie Watching To Be Launched Next Monday

Vending Machines Get More Intelligent, They Recommend You What To Drink

Wherever you go in Japan, vending machines are serving drinks and beverages at every corner of the country. We’re experiencing the hottest summer for the first time in a long time, which devotes to almost 50% increase in beverage sales at vending machines compared to their average sales revenue. A subsidiary of a public transport… Continue reading Vending Machines Get More Intelligent, They Recommend You What To Drink