In advance of our next Asia Innovation Tour, we reached out to Narimasa Makino, CEO and Co-Founder of Makers Boot Camp based in Kyoto, Japan and a member of the expert community on the HWTrek platform. Makers Boot Camp is co-host of the Kyoto segment of the tour with HWTrek. Makino-san generously spared some time to respond to our many questions to learn more about his background and Makers Boot Camp.
Please tell us about your background and Makers Boot Camp. What inspired you to start it and what’s your vision for it?
As a Venture Capitalist, my mission has been supporting startups. Talking to makers, both Japanese and foreign ones, brought me insights of how IoT enterprises face a series of gaps in terms of prototyping – some interesting Kickstarter lessons, pointing out that around 70% of tech projects had failed to deliver their product on time, add an expressive number to all testimonials I collected, so I decided to find ways to support solving common problems related to hardware.
As I strongly believe in the collaboration between individuals and industries, after asking both engineers and VCs, we realised there was a huge opportunity to connect the current global hardware community to the Japanese SMEs, where excellence is the basis of Project Management.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzdpc2kYwnw
Meeting Kenshin, who later became one of our Co-Founders, was an opportunity to understand deeper how Kyoto expertise could bridge the gaps for hardware startups. His experience as an Engineer at Sony and also a serial entrepreneur brought more useful insights to make our first program – he is a never-ending maker, currently working on his new hardware product, Hacarus (a unique smart scale).
We had a common idea of spreading Japanese expertise overseas when we reached out to Masatoshi Takeda, who joined us as our Third Co-Founder, bringing his Manufacturing view to our business. Takeda is running crossEffect (Resin Mould Experts), and also a board member of Kyoto Shisaku Net, a group of 100+ SMEs from Kyoto that got together to complement each other and face daily industrial challenges as a group.
Our vision is to help to develop a competent makers movement into a more complete and consistent environment, aligning existing universities & institutes with industrial know-how and investors to support startups.
As a hardware accelerator, our main mission is to support IoT startups to be able to reach mass manufacturing and being successful in their next steps.
Bonbouton team (NYC) Anton Zalutsky, Linh Le and Thuy Pham met Yuya Kikukawa, no new folk studio CEO (Tokyo). Both startups are bringing IoT to fashion – Photo by Kengo Osaka
What are the main benefits for young hardware companies when joining your accelerator?
Together with our strategic partners, we’re a Bilingual team involved in the process of providing professional advice, analysing specific needs and offering a cost-effective tailor-made solution. Our focus on small lots is perfectly for startups that don’t have a lot of resources to produce in large scale, as most manufacturers in rest of Asia usually request. Japanese hardware SMEs are known for being fast, cost effective, always on time and trustable, so startups can now take advantage of their capabilities: machinery, software and specialty professionals.
Kyoto Shisaku Net prototype experts join our monthly meet ups to support IoT startups. Photo by Kengo Osaka
Our mentors are a team of qualified and experienced prototype makers, suppliers for most of the well-known hardware brands in Japan, and working together with international certificates that guarantee environment and social safety. Provided by Kyoto City, we have access to unique places like Kyoto Design Lab, part of Kyoto Institute of Technology, a fully equipped fabrication space run by highly qualified professionals.
Design for Manufacturing (DFM) is a key point for hardware startups: an optimised method of fabrication to assembly and tests, in order to assure the best cost, respecting high quality and reliability standards, as well regulatory compliance and safety. Kyoto Shisaku Net, our well succeed collective hub with 100+ Manufacturers, saves time and money with DFM – so we invite KSN Experts to guide promising startups.
What kind of companies should apply to your program and what stage should they be at?
We’re searching for startups with a great vision for a new product, and we’re challenged by design. A working prototype is required, together with a product design + Bill of Materials, in order to drive our mentors about the project. The fact we work with +100 manufacturers give us a possibility to support startups in many areas: consumer oriented and IoT, healthcare and medical devices, robotics, agriculture, energy, environment, infrastructure, factory automation, automotive, drug discovery, chemistry and fusion of traditional crafts and technology.
Can you share some DFM best practices or some stories that could help others to prepare better for DFM?
- Make sure to have at least one Co-Founder onboard, and include an experienced Mechanical Engineer on your team. It’s easier for a hardware startup to get support when one member has the technical background to make decisions.
- Don’t expect manufacturers to solve your product issues: do your homework. If as a Co-Founder, you can’t find your own path, don’t expect outsiders to have your vision.
- Find the right partners, either an Accelerator or a trusted network of suppliers with successful cases. Check the credentials and their ability to manage many projects at the same time – especially the ones involving much more money than yours. If a more important project arrives together with yours, they might not give your the right attention and your product might be delayed.
- Be careful when considering only industrial fees, as they usually don’t show all the extra expenses will have to cover later.
- Check your supplier’s ability to work together without having you intermediating every little conversation. You should be busy caring for your Marketing & Sales and not on managing multiple suppliers.
- Manufacturers and startups have different visions, no matter where they are. Some makers think speaking the native language is the only concern, but it’s more about learning industries have procedures and requests for a reason – they’ve managed a lot of projects before yours.
Monozukuri Bootcamp: in a partnership with FabFoundry, we were honored to introduce to Japanese key players our special guests from NYC: LOOMIA and Bonbouton – Photo by Kengo Osaka
What is the most innovative project you have been involved with lately?
We had an amazing experience hosting our Monozukuri Boot Camp, in a partnership with FabFoundry, with two startups from NYC involved in the smart apparel industry. Bonbouton (graphene sensors) and LOOMIA (conductive inks) are part of a leading group of fashion entrepreneurs trying to add value to a very traditional industry with many opportunities for innovation.
In the fashion industry, conductive inks and sensors seem to be developing towards a new paradox. Meisha Brooks, LOOMIA’s Head of Product, presented a shirt with a new technology for conductive inks. – Photo by Kengo Osaka
Japanese-built Orphe brings a smart footwear system that uses motion sensors and LED to enable new forms of expression. – Photo by Kengo Osaka
What is your experience with hardware tech startups? Tell us about the ecosystem for small hardware companies in Kyoto specifically, but also Japan generally. How does it differ from Silicon Valley for instance?
Working for incubators in Kyoto (ASTEM and Future Venture Capital), and Osaka (Sunbridge), within the second largest industrial area of Japan (Kansai region), home to Panasonic, Sharp, Sanyo, and many other global player’s headquarters, brought me a range of different kinds of hardware tech startups.
Japan is known to be an island where most of the population tend to live longer, and technology can allow them to also live better. It’s common to see elderly people adapted to the latest technologic devices, and they usually see the value of IoT.
Monozukuri Hub meet ups sponsored by Kyoto City, our series of events bring makers, experts and investors together, in order to find ways to partner. – Photo by Kengo Osaka
As Financial Times pointed out, Kyoto is a Japanese hub driving hardware innovation in the world, from the most famous Nintendo to key Kyocera, Omron, Horiba, Murata, and Shimadzu. A fascinating ecosystem for creators, with a population of around 1.5 million and 38 universities and technical colleges, plus investments from both public and private sector on maker’s facilities. We currently collaborate with key local players (Kyoto City as the main one), in order to offer outstanding local workspaces for startups. Kyoto Design Lab (part of Kyoto Institute of Technology), ASTEM, and Kyoto Research Park.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hCR5kz1aYh8
How’s the hardware manufacturing ecosystem for small hardware companies in Japan?
Japan is worldwide known for its best practices of “Monozukuri”: a state of mind – the spirit to produce not only outstanding products but also having the ability to constantly improve the production system and its processes. Project Management excellence is a Japanese style of business, and it does include many techniques to guarantee the best quality.
Design for Manufacturing, a cost-effective solution to optimize hardware production (still known as the “valley of failure” for makers) is a strategic point for hardware startups, as most of them aren’t prepared to plan a reasonable goal in terms of schedule and costs. So we see the high value of offering a professional Master Plan to any project – that’s part of Makers Boot Camp DNA.
What kind of trends within the hardware ecosystem have you seen lately?
The hardware ecosystem seems to be moving from a consumer-oriented to industrial uses, particularly in robotics, where there is still a huge opportunity for growth (humanoids and industry automation). AR, VR, and drones can still develop more and more. Healthcare devices are always a top priority, from R&D to industry, due to population ageing. Traditional industries as fashion are also a big thing in places like NYC.
Julio Terra, Kickstarter Director of Technology and Design, came to check Kyoto ecosystem. Photo by Kengo Osaka
What advice would you give to someone who has an idea, but hasn’t started out yet?
– Make a working model to use an existing module, like Arduino. If you can’t make it by yourself, join a team and get it done. Avoid bringing only ideas before making sure your design is feasible – build a proof-of-concept. Then later you can invest some time and money to build a complete, functional prototype, using free design tools, 3D printing, laser cutters and PCBs.
And now for something completely different—some fun questions:
What are your ‘go-to’ sources for tech information and news? (Do you have any recommendations for a must-read/watch/listen to article, book, blog, film, or podcast, etc.?)
I read many things, in both Japanese and English, to get different points of view. Sources like TechCrunch, Medium, and Wired are a must.
What’s currently on your playlist, what are you listening to these days?
I spend a lot of my commuting time (from Kyoto to Osaka) listening to podcasts. Right now my playlist consists of 500 Startups podcasts and cases from startups from the rest of the world.
What fuels you (coffee, tea, or….)? When you’re low on creative juice, what is your #1 method to get back on track?
I usually drink some coffee but try to avoid overdosing. My secret is meditating early in the morning – before 7 am, to get some balance to start the day, and hitting the gym after work when I can read and get inspired with some adrenaline. I recommend our team to exercise and take small breaks when the concentration level is low.
What do you recommend (place to go/see, what to eat) for a visitor to Kyoto?
Fushimi-Inari Taisha is TripAdvisor number 1 among foreigners. Photo by Tugi Guenes.
- Temples and shrines for sure: Kiyomizudera is a classic, Ryoanji if you want to get some Zen Buddhist atmosphere. Fushimi Inari Shrine with its famous toris (red gates) and Kinkakuji (Golden Pavilion) are also very popular.
Ryoanji: the Zen -Buddhist temple becomes colorful during fall. Photo by Tugi Guenes.
- Forest bathing around Arashiyama Bamboo Forest, near a river where you can hear the birds and the waterfalls. Check the monkey park, where the animals are wild and us humans stay in the cage.
Arashiyama Bamboo Forest is a 30-min train ride. Photo by Tugi Guenes.
- Public baths: sento or onsen for some spa in a real Japanese experience.
- Eat and drink with the locals: we’re way less serious when we have the chance to share a casual drink.
What gadget would you love to have from your favorite science fiction film or book?
- James Bond: 007 car
- Doraemon: dream item
