Top 12 emerging Japanese startups in 2015

Every year, San Francisco-based marketing and design agency btrax gathers the top emerging startups from Japan to participate in a demo competition – JapanNight – the oldest demo competition for Japanese entrepreneurs held in San Francisco and Tokyo. JapanNight began in 2010, and by hosting the event annually, the agency aims to support Japanese entrepreneurs and create a robust startup ecosystem.

Now in its eighth edition, JapanNight has become the premiere showcase for Japanese hardware and software innovations with global potential. Some well-known startups that were a part of JapanNight in the past include WHILL, Ring and FOVE.

Picked from hundreds of entries, the 12 startups highlighted in this article will battle on October 3, 2015 to be among the 5 finalists at the San Francisco event in November. Qualifying semi-finalists represent some of the best emerging Japanese startups today.

In no particular order, check out the the 12 semi-finalists of JapanNight VIII below.

1) DriveMode

DriveMode is focused on making technology safer and easier to use in the car, starting with the smartphone. The Drivemode app transforms your phone into the car’s central computing device. Our “no look” interface allows you to focus on the road ahead, not your phone, while accessing music, navigation, calls, texts and more.

The beauty of Drivemode is that it works in any car, eliminating the need for a pricey upgrade, and it is free. The startup envisions a future where you will be able to customize and upgrade your car with the latest apps and services as well as safety features like backup cameras or blind spot sensors, all through your smartphone.

2) Space Market

Space Market is an online venue marketplace that provides a large and unique selection of locations for all types of events. Users are able to search and book directly on the website or app. You can filter venues in three ways: date, budget and location. One of Space Market’s key selling points is their unique venue selection which includes spaces like traditional temples, movie theaters or sail boats.

Below is an example of one of the spaces you can rent: a train carriage for a daily rate of 300,000 yen.

3) Hiragana

Hiragana letters are unique to the Japanese language, and this synonymous startup creates earrings using phrases written in Hiragana. Hiragana’s founder Saori Kunihiro hopes to display the beautiful curvature of the Hiragana script and put Japanese culture in front of a global audience.

4) YAMAP

5) Comic English

6) Colavi

7) Eagle Eye

8) HiNative

9) Yunomi

10) KAGURA

11) POLYGLOTS

12) Inflo