SoftBank Corp. announced on Thursday results for the third round of its SoftBank Innovation Program, which is a program that seeks a wide range of innovative solutions and technologies from around the world to consider for commercialization. SoftBank reported it will tie up with eight companies from Japan and abroad to conduct test marketing and consider future commercialization.
SoftBank stated that the innovation program aims is to create new value by combining the innovative solutions and technologies of other companies with SoftBank’s own resources.
“SoftBank selects applications that it deems to be innovative and superior and then provides funding for prototype development, environments for test marketing and other forms of assistance. Based on the test marketing results, SoftBank considers product or service commercialization. In addition, starting with this round, SoftBank may also consider investing in applicant companies.”
SoftBank also reported that the SoftBank Innovation Program’s aim is to create new value by combining the innovative solutions and technologies of other companies with SoftBank’s own resources. The third round of the SoftBank Innovation Program was open to five categories—AI as a Service, Disrupt, EdTech, Home, and AR (augmented reality) / VR (virtual reality). SoftBank received approximately 300 entries and selected eight from the AI as a Service, Disrupt and AR / VR categories to consider for commercialization.
The winners of the program are listed below.
| Theme | Company | Overview | ||
| AI as a Service | Retrieva |
1) AI x Operation |
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| Disrupt | uLikeKorea |
2) IoT x Livestock |
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| UsideU |
3) AI x Sales/Customer Support |
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| Nihonshu Oendan |
4) IoT x Sake |
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| AR/VR | eyecandylab |
5) AR x Media |
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| ObEN |
6) VR x Avatars |
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| wrnch |
7) VR x Motion |
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| Salin |
8) VR x Social Platforms |