12 Innovative Japanese Startups Showcased at Infinity Ventures Summit 2012
The Infinity Ventures Summit (IVS) Fall 2012, hosted by Infinity Venture Partners, brought together Japan’s brightest startup minds in Kyoto. This biannual event (with a spring edition in Sapporo) featured 12 cutting-edge startups pitching to a panel of judges and an audience of 550+ industry professionals.
Grand Prix Winner & Top Contenders
🏆 Kids’n Books – Grand Prix Winner
Developed by Tokyo-based Smart Education, this award-winning educational app targets children aged 8+ months, offering:
- Interactive fairy tales with animations & sound effects
- 500K–1M downloads on Android alone (per Google Play)
- 600K monthly active users
- Free on iOS & Android (with in-app purchases)
[youtube=http://youtu.be/34GOYyjFOl4]
🥇 DesignClue – 1st Runner-Up
A multilingual crowdsourcing platform for logos/icons:
- Connects clients with designers from 50+ countries
- Money-back guarantee if unsatisfied
- Contest-based pricing model
🥈 Stores.jp – 2nd Runner-Up
Japan’s answer to Shopify:
- 10,000 stores launched since August 2012
- Freemium model: ¥980/month (~$12) for premium features
- Blog-like simplicity for e-commerce setup
🥉 Smakul & Webpay – Tied for 3rd
- Smakul: iPhone app for zero-code mobile sites (auto-generates from phone numbers)
- Webpay: Developer-friendly payment gateway (3.4% + ¥30/transaction)
Other Notable Startups at IVS Kyoto 2012
- mana.bo: Interactive learning platform for tablets/smartphones
- Omiai: Facebook-based dating service (600 daily matches)
- MUSE & Co: Fashion marketplace with 400+ brands
- Kinderpan: Parent-child social gaming app (Free iOS download)
- log: Social platform for movie/music enthusiasts
- Sumally: Community-driven wishlist-to-eCommerce platform
- Benly: Cross-border shopping solution for Japanese users
This showcase highlighted Japan’s thriving startup ecosystem, blending education, e-commerce, fintech, and social innovation. Many of these startups continue to influence Japan’s tech landscape today.
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