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Investing in Payke, Inc., the Company Operating a Shopping Support App for Foreign Visitors to Japan

  • IR
  • Press Release
2025.01.16

The corporate mission of D-POPS GROUP Co., Ltd. (Shibuya, Tokyo; CEO: Kazuhiko Goto; referred to as “our group” from here on; URL: https://d-pops-group.co.jp/en), is to multiply the number of growth companies (so-called “unicorn companies”) that will revolutionize society. In accordance with this, our group has made an investment in Payke, Inc. (Headquarters: Naha, Okinawa; CEO: Keisuke Furuta; referred to as “Payke” from here on; URL: https://payke.co.jp/), the company responsible for operating a shopping support app for foreign visitors to Japan.

Background

Since 2017, our group has actively promoted the business strategies of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) and corporate venture capital (CVC), with the goal of “realizing a Venture Ecosystem”. Our group has now grown into a large-scale organization with 23 group companies and 28 investment companies (at the time of publishing), expanding its support for startup companies and businesses.

Payke develops and operates a shopping support app by the same name for foreign visitors to Japan. The Payke app allows users to scan existing product barcodes with smartphones or tablets to translate information into the user’s language and provide product details that cannot fit on the packaging. Additionally, they offer inbound tourism-focused advertising and data analysis services.

Our group has focused on real-world businesses, including our founding company D-POPS Corp., which operates approximately 50 mobile phone shops mainly in the Kanto area of Japan, and DIVE Inc., one of our group’s investment companies, which runs resort job placement services. Through this investment, we aim to develop stronger business collaborations and support the further growth of Payke, Inc.

(This graphic shows that Payke has the highest ranking in the app store in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau for inbound shopping guide apps, with over 5 million total users and over 650,000 supported products as of 2024.)

Comment from Keisuke Furuta, President and CEO of Payke, Inc.

I would like to express my sincere gratitude to D-POPS GROUP for recognizing Payke’s business vision and potential, and for supporting us through financial investment.

At Payke, we have continued to develop features that allow people around the world to enjoy cross-border shopping beyond language barriers. Through receiving this investment, we will learn together and achieve further service enhancement and technological innovation to deliver the Payke platform to more people.

Particularly in the rapidly growing inbound tourism market, we are fully committed to evolving our product to provide foreign visitors with more convenient and enjoyable shopping experiences. Additionally, through our advertising and data services, we aim to support the success of many companies and serve as a bridge for stimulating inbound consumption and foreign currency acquisition.

Our team is united in continuing our challenge to meet the expectations of D-POPS GROUP, which believes in Payke’s potential and supports us. We will strive for further growth and value creation to become an indispensable presence for our users and partner companies. We eagerly look forward to your continued support.

Comment from Kazuhiro Goto, President and CEO of D-POPS GROUP Co., Ltd.

I am very pleased that our investment in Payke means another wonderful partner has joined our Venture Ecosystem that we are promoting.

Japan is expected to see an increasing number of foreign visitors in the future. Payke’s shopping support app for foreign visitors is an excellent service that removes language barriers for tourists visiting Japan, allowing them to travel more comfortably. I greatly anticipate that the spread of such services will help to expand Japan’s cherished tradition of ‘omotenashi’ (hospitality).

Our company’s business stretches broadly across the areas of telecommunications, IT, and human resources, but we have always focused on what services we can provide to make our customers and clients more comfortable and satisfied. I believe that an app like Payke’s, which eliminates shopping barriers for foreign visitors, is essential for energizing inbound tourism throughout Japan. Above all, the CEO and founder of Payke, President Furuta, is a true entrepreneur who, despite being severely impacted during the COVID-19 pandemic, made a remarkable comeback and has powerfully moved his business forward. I decided to invest because I want to support CEOs such as President Furuta.

Our vision of “realizing a Venture Ecosystem” aims to contribute to society by supporting the growth of startups and ventures by providing stages and environments that serve as fertile ground where startup companies can grow. Going forward, we will grow together with Payke and strive to enhance the corporate value of both companies.

Comment from Genta Sugihara, Advisor to D-POPS GROUP Co., Ltd.

The number of foreign visitors to Japan will reach an all-time high in 2024, and this momentum is expected to increase further in 2025. While their purposes for visiting Japan vary widely, including dining, entertainment districts, and scenic tourism, shopping remains one of the primary objectives for all visitors. With the proliferation of social media, Japanese products are gaining attention overseas, and an increasing number of visitors look forward to purchasing these local products.

On the other hand, one of the challenges for Japan in becoming a tourism powerhouse is dealing with multiple languages. President Furuta, CEO of Payke, has taken on various challenges with his overflowing vitality and focused on barcodes early on as a universal product identification method to launch the Payke business. Thanks to this app, travelers can understand product features in their native language, read reviews from people in their country, and make informed purchases. The Payke app, which serves as a bridge between Japan and overseas, can be expected to work not only for physical products but also for restaurants, commercial facilities, and various other areas.

Through investment activities focused on the intersection of ‘Real Business x People x Technology’, D-POPS GROUP aims to create a Venture Ecosystem where synergies between our group companies naturally emerge. Together with Payke, which has newly joined our ecosystem, we will strive to enhance the travel experience of visitors from around the world and develop Japan’s real economy.

Investee Information

Company Name: Payke, Inc.
Company President and CEO: Keisuke Furuta
Address: 203 Clarion House, 2-5-16 Makabi, Naha, Okinawa
Established: November 26, 2014
Company Website: https://payke.co.jp/

Investor Information

Company Name: D-POPS GROUP Co., Ltd.
Company President and CEO: Kazuhiro Goto
Address: 32F Shibuya Hikarie Bldg., Shibuya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
Established: October 1, 2015 (Originally founded on February 4, 1998)
Company Website: https://d-pops-group.co.jp/en

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