LIGHTz

About LIGHTz

LIGHTz Inc. is a Japanese AI company founded in 2016 by Shingo Otobe, who serves as the CEO. Headquartered in the research city of Tsukuba, the company was established with the mission to create a "new way of tradition" by preserving and transferring expert knowledge. The founder's motivation stems from his experience as a volunteer after the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, which instilled in him a desire to create jobs and revitalize local economies. Before LIGHTz, Otobe worked at Canon Inc., where he was chief of 3D/CAD integration, and was the CTO at its parent company, O2 Inc., an engineering consulting firm for the manufacturing industry.

The company's core offering is an AI technology named "BrainModel®", which captures, visualizes, and systematizes the implicit knowledge and thought processes of seasoned experts. This process of turning specialist knowledge into a usable AI model is a concept the company calls "Hanchika®" (汎知化®). The primary application of this technology is to facilitate skill succession, reduce training costs, and improve quality and productivity for its clients. LIGHTz serves a client base that primarily consists of large corporations in the manufacturing, automotive, chemical, and electronics industries, but has expanded its application to professional sports, agriculture, and traditional crafts. Its business model includes DX consulting services, AI system development, and providing SaaS products.

Key products include "Indst Park®," a quality improvement service for manufacturing, and "blooplinter®," a system that links 3D model data with design rules and past troubleshooting knowledge. The company has received significant funding, raising a total of $11.4M over several rounds from investors including Toyota Tsusho, Omron Ventures, The Shoko Chukin Bank, and Organo Corporation. In October 2024, the company established a co-representative director structure, with Koki Unpoh, who has deep experience in the manufacturing industry, appointed as COO to lead the company's team of specialists alongside CEO Otobe.