Japan’s tech IPO market has been drying up dramatically in recent months, but there are still some IPOs happening. Today it was announced that Tokyo-based Japan Medical Net Communications, which operates several sites for medical services in this country (full list here), is next. The company has received approval to list on the Tokyo Stock… Continue reading Medical Net Communications Goes IPO On Tokyo Stock Exchange
Author: Serkan Toto
Social Apps Provider Istpika Gets $2.5 Million From DeNA-Backed IncubateFund
I wonder in what shape the Japanese venture capital industry (and entrepreneur scene) would be without social games. Yesterday, TechCrunch Japan reported about Tokyo-based social apps provider gumi getting a “multi-million dollar” sum from GREE, which counts 21 million members in its mobile gaming network. And today, Japan- and Australia-based Istpika says it received $2.5… Continue reading Social Apps Provider Istpika Gets $2.5 Million From DeNA-Backed IncubateFund
New Location-Based Service: Mixi Sees 2 Million “Check Ins” In First Month
Mixi, Japan’s Facebook, last month introduced a new function, “Check-In”. As the name suggests, Check-In works much like Facebook Places does: press the “Check In” button on Mixi Mobile (the site’s cell phone version) to broadcast your current location to let your friends know where you are or share info on certain points of interests… Continue reading New Location-Based Service: Mixi Sees 2 Million “Check Ins” In First Month
Connection Search: Facebook Japan And Recruit Launch Job Service For College Grads
Facebook has over 500 million members worldwide, but only 1.4 million of these live in Japan. The company established a subsidiary in Tokyo earlier this year, localized its site in 2008, and released a special version optimized for Japanese cell phones a few weeks back. And now it seems to be time to partner up… Continue reading Connection Search: Facebook Japan And Recruit Launch Job Service For College Grads
be amie: Social Network Starts Off With 5,500 Actresses And Models
What can you do when you establish a new social network in Japan but want to distinguish yourself from Mixi, the current No. 1 (21 million members)? Answer: You start off by pre-populating it with a total of 5,500 actresses and models. That’s what Isao and Oscar Promotion (one of Japan’s biggest artist agencies), the… Continue reading be amie: Social Network Starts Off With 5,500 Actresses And Models
China’s Rekoo To Distribute Social Games In Japan Through Cell Phone Address Books
Last summer, Beijing-based social games maker Rekoo launched “Sunshine Ranch” on Japan’s biggest social network, Mixi, and caused a sensation (with 5.1 million users today, it has basically become Japan’s “Farmville”). After Sunshine Ranch, Rekoo capitalized on the success by releasing a number of other simulations on Mixi and other platforms (just like Zynga did… Continue reading China’s Rekoo To Distribute Social Games In Japan Through Cell Phone Address Books
PostSell Adds Personalized Product Recommendations To Email Receipts
Singapore-based startup PostSell has one goal: boosting sales of online retailers through product recommendations in email receipts. In other words, it’s just like Amazon’s “Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought” being built into emails that you get from shops after buying something online. What’s interesting is that PostSell says 70% of buyers actually open… Continue reading PostSell Adds Personalized Product Recommendations To Email Receipts
InMyBag Shows What People Carry In Their Bags
It’s very hard to churn out truly unique web services these days, but here’s a new one from Japan: InMyBag, which asks one question: “What’s in your bag?” The idea is to shoot a picture (or movie) of stuff you carry in the bags you use privately, for business, travel, sports etc. and share the… Continue reading InMyBag Shows What People Carry In Their Bags
Itochu Technology Ventures Invests $2 Million In Ooyala’s $22 Million Series D Round
As TechCrunch reported yesterday, video publishing platform Ooyala from the US plans to bolster its activities in Asia after raising a $22 million series D round (the company is now funded with $42 million in total). TechCrunch quotes CEO Fulcher as saying that future markets include places like Japan, Taiwan, China, and Korea. What’s interesting… Continue reading Itochu Technology Ventures Invests $2 Million In Ooyala’s $22 Million Series D Round
Which Twitter Clients Is Japan Using? Here Are The Top 20.
Twitter is Japan country. Just take these stats: it’s estimated that currently around 10 million Japanese are registered and that 16.3% of all web users in this country tweet (considerably more than the 9.8% in the US). 14% of all tweets out there are in Japanese, more than Portuguese (9%) or Spanish (4%). But what… Continue reading Which Twitter Clients Is Japan Using? Here Are The Top 20.