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Investing in X-Locations Inc., a Company Providing Analytical Platforms and Distributing Advertising Services Based on Smartphone Users’ Location Data

  • IR
  • Press Release
2024.08.01

The corporate mission of D-POPS GROUP Co., Ltd. (Shibuya, Tokyo; CEO: Kazuhiko Goto; referred to as “our group” from here on), 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 X-Locations Inc. (Shibuya, Tokyo; CEO: Kazusuke Obi), the company responsible for providing a people flow data analysis platform (Location AI Platform®; referred to as “LAP” from here on) and advertisement delivery services utilizing smartphone location data (Location Marketing Service; referred to as “LMS” from here on).

Background

Since 2017, our group has actively promoted the business strategies of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) and corporate venture capital (CVC) with the intention of realizing a Venture Ecosystem. We have now grown into a conglomerate with 20 group companies and 25 investment companies (at the time of publishing), resulting in an expansion of our ability to support venture companies (i.e., startup companies).

X-Locations is a tech company that visualizes diverse location-based big data using advanced AI analysis technology, supporting business expansion and efficiency improvement through the utilization of “people flow data”. The company provides a people flow analysis platform that analyzes high-precision GPS data (location-based big data) from smartphones using proprietary AI technology to visualize “real-world people flow and trade areas”. Furthermore, it provides strong support for marketing activities using this analytical technology.

Our group has focused on location-based real businesses, operating approximately 50 mobile phone retail stores primarily in the Kanto region through D-POPS Corp. (our founder’s first startup), and supporting the development of THE SALONS (a chain of completely private salon studios) through our capital and business alliance partner The Salons Japan Inc. Within our group’s Venture Ecosystem, we will learn and research marketing strategies that utilize X-Locations’ people flow data while applying it to business growth.

Based on this investment, we will advance stronger business collaboration to support X-Locations’ further growth.

(Image text: Analyzing location big data through AI and pioneering business applications for real-world people flow data)

Comment from Kazusuke Obi, President and CEO of X-Locations Inc.

We are extremely pleased that D-POPS GROUP Co., Ltd., which pushes for investment and business development support for numerous startup companies with the slogan of “realizing a Venture Ecosystem”, has participated as a new share subscriber in our fundraising round.

Since our establishment, our mission has been “to combine and visualize diverse location and spatial information through AI analysis of location-based big data, making it accessible to everyone.” To this end, we provide our proprietary Location Engine™, an AI analysis engine for location-based big data, and our Location AI Platform®, a people flow data analysis and visualization platform. We also provide our “Location Marketing Service”, a smartphone advertising delivery service utilizing people flow data, to numerous companies.

Going forward, we hope to contribute to the further development of the Ecosystem by providing these proprietary services to D-POPS GROUP’s businesses and to the other startup companies participating in D-POPS GROUP’s Venture Ecosystem.

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

We are extremely pleased to have invested in X-Locations Inc. and to welcome another outstanding member to the Venture Ecosystem we are promoting.

We decided to invest because we believe X-Locations’ people flow data will provide added value to companies within our group that develop location-based businesses.

The value of people flow data became clear during the COVID-19 pandemic, and we believe it can be utilized in marketing for various businesses. Practical application of people flow data has become standard for large corporations engaged in retail store businesses and real estate both domestically and internationally; however, this is starting to become commonplace for mid-sized companies and even for small enterprises. Going forward, we will advance utilization and research within our Venture Ecosystem to support X-Locations’ business growth.

Our group’s vision of “realizing a Venture Ecosystem” aims to contribute to society by supporting the development of startup and venture companies through creating the stage, environment, and platform that will serve as the fertile ground on which those startups can flourish. Moving forward, we will grow together with X-Locations under the leadership of President Obi and work to enhance X-Locations’ corporate value.

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

In my previous role at AppsFlyer, I worked with a platform that tracked app users’ online behavior. X-Locations’ “people flow data analysis engine” is a platform that measures “location value” based on real human movement, enabling even deeper analysis. Additionally, while the digital advertising industry has evolved from keyword targeting to cookie-based retargeting, “geo-targeting” provides advertising based on where people are actually visiting on earth. This makes it a field worth researching for our group, which places importance on the real world.

Through investment activities built upon the foundational combination of “Real World × People × Technology”, our group aims to build a Venture Ecosystem. X-Locations, which works on utilizing people flow data, seemed like an ideal investment target. Together with our group companies, we want to discover more practical applications for the development of society.

Company Information

Company Name: X-Locations Inc.
Company President and CEO: Kazusuke Obi
Address: 6F Kobayashi Bldg., 1-2-9 Ebisuminami, Shibuya, Tokyo
Established: January 2018
Company Website: https://www.x-locations.com/

Here is a link to the official press release (Japanese only):
https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000006.000143719.html

☆[Entrepreneur Interview #03] Kazusuke Obi (X-Locations): The Challenge of Turning Location Information into “Big Data” in the Age of Smartphones
https://d-pops-group.co.jp/en/column/x-locations-interview/

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