Company

iPresenceCompany

Corporate Philosophy

Social progress and self-fulfillment of customers and employees through the spread of a better communication culture
Contribution to the manufacturing industry in Japan

Company Info

Company name iPresence Co., Ltd.
President Christopher's Chris Francis
Capital 2,040 million yen
Major shareholder Board Member
BCC Co., Ltd. (TSE Growth: 7376)
Address
[Kobe Head Office]
〒658-0032 Kobe Fashion Mart, 6-9 Koyocho Naka, Higashinada-ku, Kobe City, Hyogo Prefecture
[Tokyo branch]
Ginza Ohtake Residence 22F, 11-2-XNUMX Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo
[Tokyo Office]
Hatchery Shibuya, 150-0031 Sakuragaoka-cho, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo XNUMX-XNUMX
[Osaka development base]
540F COBOX, 0012-3-XNUMX Tanimachi, Chuo-ku, Osaka XNUMX-XNUMX, Japan
Related company iPresence Ltd. (UK)
Architwin Inc.
URL https://ipresence.jp
Business content Provision of advanced technology equipment, robot equipment, communication equipment, software and related services
Financial institution Minato Bank
Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation
Rakuten Bank
Amagasaki Shinkin Bank
Kobe Shinkin Bank
Nissin Shinkin Bank
Japan Finance Corporation
Others Privacy Mark Certification
June 5, 6nd year of Reiwa-August 7rd, 7nd year of Reiwa
Privacy mark
Initiatives for SDGs iPresence Inc. supports Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
  • 3 Good health and well-being for all
  • 4 Quality education for all
  • 7 Affordable and clean energy
  • 8 Decent work and economic growth
  • 9 Build a foundation for industry and innovation
  • 10 Reduce inequalities among people and countries
  • 11 Creating a city where people can continue to live
  • 12 Responsible production Responsible consumption

Intellectual property right

Our company owns the patents and trademarks listed below.
We regard intellectual property rights as an important management resource, and will continue to focus on the protection and utilization of intellectual property rights.

patent right

Title of invention patent number
Communication robot and communication system Patent No. 6560725
Communication robot and communication system Patent No. 6749711
Robot System Patent No. 7012272
Information provision system, program, information provision method Patent No. 7088526

Trademark

iTOUR
Registered trademark name iTOUR
Registration number 6055443
moving phone
Registered trademark name moving phone
Registration number 6509574
Telepii
Registered trademark name Telepii
Registration number 6509575
iPresence
Registered trademark name iPresence
Registration number 6078869
telerobo
Registered trademark name telerobo
Registration number 6709573

History

July 2014
Opened a business as a remote presence specialist in Kobe City, Hyogo Prefecture Started sales of Double
July 2014
Started sales of desktop version telepresence avatar robot kubi
July 2014
Construction of iPresence Network started
July 2015
Telepresence avatar robot use site support service sales start
July 2015
Developed and announced digital signage integrated telepresence avatar robot IZZY
July 2015
Established UK company iPresence Ltd.
July 2015
Developed and announced telepresence avatar robot ANKO
July 2016
Adopted for the Tokyo Metropolitan Robot Industry Revitalization Project Open Recruitment Joint Research and Development Project with Tokyo Metropolitan Industrial Technology Center
July 2016
Started selling PadBot
July 2017
Started sales of ORIHIME
July 2017
Adopted subsidy for practical development cost of nursing care/rehabilitation robot in Kobe
July 2017
Developed and announced iTOUR, a tourism/shopping system using a telepresence avatar robot (commissioned by the Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Technology)
July 2018
iTOUR® won the 6th Knowledge Capital Innovation Award Semi-Grand Prix
July 2018
Developed and announced CARE-JIRO, a telepresence patrol robot for nursing homes (subsidized by Kobe City)
July 2018
Announced and started development of Teleportation as a Service (TaaS) Platform
July 2019
Entered the avatar robot development contest ANA AVATAR XPRIZE as Team X:Presence
July 2019
CARE-JIRO won the 6th Knowledge Capital Innovation Award Semi-Grand Prix
July 2019
Hyogo Prefecture Management Innovation Plan "Development and sales of mobile monitoring robots equipped with unique applications" approved
July 2019
Developed and started providing TaaS application AVATAR Robot for ZOOM
July 2019
Started sales of AI-equipped mobile telepresence avatar robot temi
July 2019
Passed XPRIZE XNUMXst selection and advanced to the semi-finals
July 2020
Announced and started providing telerobo work solutions
July 2020
Established ArchiTwin Co., Ltd. specializing in digital twin solutions in the architectural field
July 2020
Launched new event app Airmeet in Japan
July 2020
Announcement of "moving phone telepy" and implementation of crowdfunding
July 2020
Received the Excellence Award at the Hyogo Prefecture Creative Business Grand Prix
July 2021
Announcement of "moving phone telepy" and crowdfunding achieved at 353%
July 2021
Announced and started providing remote meeting service "Tele Robo Meeting" solution
July 2021
Efforts on X:Presence won the 8th Knowledge Capital Innovation Award
July 2021
Started mass production and sales of "Moving Phone Telepi"
July 2021
Avatar robot development contest ANA AVATAR XPRIZE challenged semi-finals in Miami, USA
July 2021
Tokyo branch established
July 2022
Started sales of "Telerobo School Life Participation" service and dedicated application "Telepotalk" for remote education for the sick
July 2023
Changed company name from "iPresence LLC" to "iPresence Co., Ltd."
July 2024
Announced capital and business alliance with BCC Co., Ltd., a company listed on TSE Growth.
July 2024
DigiRobo remote welding system won the Kinki Bureau of Economy, Trade and Industry Director-General's Award at the 11th Knowledge Capital Innovation Awards.

Executive profile

Christopher's Chris Francis

Christopher's Chris Francis
(Christophers Chris Francis)
Founder/President

Born in 1980 (Kobe City). At the age of 14, he moved to England with his family.
During his GAP year before university, he worked as a volunteer supporting disabled children in southern India.After studying architecture at the University of Sheffield in the UK and working as an architectural architect, designer, and human resources consultant, he became the head of sales for the world's largest foreign-affiliated remote communication service company, starting with the establishment of its western Japan base (Osaka and Nagoya) and managing sales nationwide.After that, he came across the concept of telepresence avatar robots, which is a new method of remote communication, and in 2014 he launched Japan's first remote presence specialist company, iPresence LLC, which became a corporation in 2023.

By being able to exist as a robot avatar in a remote space and as a digital avatar in a virtual space, and teleport from avatar to avatar in multiple spaces, the experience of augmenting human communication abilities will be realized in a wide range of fields, from education to telemedicine, telework, and hybrid events. We are currently expanding our business with the concept of “Teleportation as a Service”.

In 2021, the simplest form of avatar robot "Telepii" will be successfully crowdfunded, and mass production sales will start in the summer of 2021. ANA AVATAR XPRIZE Semi-Finalist.

Takahiro Ohta

Takahiro Ohta
(Takahiro Ohta)
Chief Technology Officer

Born in 1972.
Master of Engineering, Osaka Prefecture University

He has been interested in programming since his school days and continues to create his own work.
After graduating, he joined a telecommunications company.
After joining the company, he was engaged in the development of information sharing ASP infrastructure for the manufacturing industry at the research institute for five years.
After that, he engaged in infrastructure development as an infrastructure engineer in Osaka.While he was an infrastructure engineer, he also wrote his own automation scripts.

In 2016, he left his previous job and worked at iPresence LLC, the predecessor of the current iPresence Corporation. He will develop iPresence's first mobile app and in-house developed robot.
Currently, as an executive employee, he is focusing on the development of the next main business, while working as CTO to create a better engineering organization.

Advisor Advisor

Advisor Teruaki Yokoyama
Professor Teruaki Yokoyama Teruaki Yokoyama
- Biography -
In March 2007, completed doctoral course at Nara Institute of Science and Technology.
Obtained doctorate (engineering).At Cyber ​​University, as a lecturer, involved in opening and teaching at his online university.
Since 2013, he has been engaged in research and development of Internet-related technology and industry-academia collaboration as a lecturer at Kobe Institute of Computing.
Nara Institute of Science and Technology, Internet Engineering Course External Researcher, Asian Satellite Internet Project AI3 member.
Currently, he is interested in remote communication targeting depopulated areas and is experimenting.
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