NEWS

Announcement of Capital and Business Alliance with Pioneer Corporation to expand Field Assist Service

2019/12/11
Nain Inc. (Headquarters: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo/CEO and Representative Director: Kentaro Yamamoto) has entered into an agreement for a capital and business alliance with the Pioneer Corporation (Headquarters: Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo/President and Representative This alliance aims to expand the Field Assist Service in the industrial market, as well as applying Nain's proprietary voice UI technology to in-vehicle mobility. As a result, Nain, following its collaboration via investment from Takasago Thermal Engineering Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo/President and Representative Director: Atsushi Ouchi) (October 2019, https://www.nain.jp/ja/news/tte-capital-allocation-20191012/), entered a collaboration as well as a capital and business alliance for a total of 260 million yen this round. We, Nain, will continue to raise funds for the expansion of our projects, such as our AR Service, which utilizes  Hearable technology in addition to the Field Assist Service. Nain was founded in 2014 under the key phrase, "Sa Yo Na Ra Screens." Nain is also the industry's pioneer in planning, developing, and delivering Zeeny, a B2C-friendly Hearable device with Voice notifications. We’ve been providing Apps and services that apply technology cultivated by Zeeny to many audio equipment manufacturers both domestically and globally. We believe in making people's daily lives more effective by using Hearables, saving their precious time from being consumed by taking too long tinkering with smartphone screens. Field Assist Service provides solutions that intuitively convey information via sound to field workers who cannot take their hands and eyes off their work, improving safety and productivity.  AR Service for Travelers delivers more accurate, intuitive, and customized information through the development of new positioning technology using 3D sensors and computer vision, relieving the traveler's worry of not knowing the way or local language. Concerning this project, some products under development will be exhibited at the Portable Audio Festival held in Akihabara on December 14 (Sat) and 15 (Sun). https://www.paudiofes.com/ Details of the projects Nain is strengthening in the future are as follows.  
  • Field Assist Service
Amidst the rushing promotion of DX(Digital Transformation) across all industries, the Labor Market Future Estimate 2030, a research report compiled at the Persol Research Institute and Chuo University, states that making up for the 6.64-million-person shortage in 2030 would mean improving productivity by at least 4%, in addition to utilizing women, seniors and foreigners. (Reference: https://rc.persol-group.co.jp/roudou2030/)We, Nain, are aiming to improve work efficiency by at least 10% through operation and communication services via Hearable x Voice UI for field workers who cannot take their hands and eyes away from their work, such as those under manufacturing, railway, energy, road, and medical and nursing care, in addition to construction and building maintenance with Takasago Thermal Engineering. Furthermore, we aim to promote the visualization of effects such as dynamic and health management via sensor technology.  
  • AR Service
Based on the provisions of the Tourism Nation Promotion Basic Law, the target number of foreign tourists in 2030 is approximately 60 million people, 1.5 times the current number. (Reference: http://www.mlit.go.jp/common/001126601.pdf)We develop new positioning technology by merging Wearable development technology with 3D sensors, maps, and computer vision technology, enabling every traveler to enjoy sightseeing and have pleasant and stress-free trips, and are creating a new form of information unbound by screens. Specifically, our goal is to implement intuitive guidance using voice AR, multilingual guidance, and even more intuitive payment methods at stations, and commercial and tourist facilities.   A Comment from Kentaro Yamamoto, the Representative Director of Nain Inc.  ”Face The World”. Grounded in this philosophy, we, since our founding, have continued to grow with the help of our supporters in realizing our vision of creating a world merged with the virtual world, where people are free from the screens of their smartphones. Nain is taking the lead from other companies in developing Hearable technology, and we’re very happy that our technical capabilities are being recognized once again as a result of the recent launches of Hearable products by major IT  companies. During this time where trends are changing, we are very excited to be nearing the realization of our vision through the strengthening of our technical foundation in the domain of XR via the funds raised in this round.  We shall carry out our business alliance in a way which enables us to complement each other with our enthusiasm for solving social issues as a startup company, speedy execution, the technologies that we have delved into for implementation, intellectual properties, abundant resources, and technology assets unique to that of a major company. We believe this will enable us to create technologies that will help us grow together and challenge the world. By accelerating this challenges, we strive to lead the trend capable of fighting globally, born from Japanese companies.   A Comment from Masato Sakamoto, the CTrO of Pioneer Corporation Pioneer has made many innovations in the field of car electronics. We made our investment hoping that Nain's technologies and business assets will contribute to Pioneer's growth. We are accelerating the promotion of change through this alliance, and are aiming for business growth beyond the mutual support of effective assets.