NEWS

2022.11.15

AWL, the Leading Edge AI Camera Solutions Provider Announces Financing by TOHOKU University Venture Partners

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AWL, Inc. (Head Office: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, President, Representative Director and CEO: Muneharu Kitade, hereinafter “AWL”), Hokkaido University-certified startup and the market leader in edge AI camera solutions announced that AWL has completed a financing round from TOHOKU University Venture Partners Co., Ltd. (Head office: Sendai City, Miyagi, President: Tetsuro Higuchi; hereinafter “THVP”).
AWL also has signed a Joint Research Agreement with Hirata, Weng & Salazar Laboratory, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Tohoku University (“Hirata, Weng & Salazar Lab.”) and an Academic Guidance Agreement with Hashimoto-Kagami Laboratory, Graduate School of Information Sciences, Tohoku University (“Hashimoto-Kagami Lab.”) in July 2022.
This financing follows the investment by Safie Inc. announced on November 9, 2022, and AWL is determined to take advantage of this opportunity to make further progress and expand the business.

■Background of Investment

THVP is actively supporting university-originated ventures to implement innovative technologies developed by national universities. As a university-originated venture capital firm, THVP places the utmost importance on the technological advantages of its investee. AWL the Hokkaido University-certified venture company developing unique technologies has brought their cutting-edge AI technology to the stores, by conducting successful pilot projects with the support of SATUDORA, a Hokkaido-based drugstore chain promoting advanced DX-powered marketing. THVP selected AWL among the multiple global Edge AI startups throughout the world.

■Background on Joint Research Agreements and Academic Guidance

Collaboration between academia and industry promotes innovation and growth in AI technology. Strong academic partnerships are instrumental to rapidly adapt AI for retail. From July, AWL started a joint research project with Hirata, Weng, Salazar Lab., researching on AI and robotics collaboration technologies, working on human-assistive/human function-enhancing robots, especially in the fields of nursing care and healthcare, and multi-robot cooperative systems as major research themes. The aim of the collaboration is to establish technologies in AI emotion and sentiment analysis with computer vision. AWL is also receiving academic guidance from Hashimoto-Kagami Lab., researching on visual servoing, networked control systems, high-speed vision systems, real-time sensor networks. AWL intends to work on the development of AI-based non-verbal communication recognition technology and strongly promote the establishment of diverse technological foundation that goes beyond image recognition technology.

■About the Laboratories

Hirata, Weng, Salazar Laboratory
Aiming to develop innovative robotic systems to assist humans in various environments so that the user can perform independent activities, the laboratory is engaged in research and development of safe and highly cooperative human-robot systems and cooperation of multiple robots system.
https://srd.mech.tohoku.ac.jp/lab-overview/

Hashimoto-Yamaguchi / Kagami Laboratory
Aiming at the realization of high-speed and flexible work by behavior recognition systems, the laboratory is engaged in research from both basic/theoretical and system development/application perspectives, such as analysis and design of networked control systems, development of high-speed vision systems, and deployment to system biology, with a central theme of visual servo that integrates analysis and design of visual recognition and motion control. The research is conducted from both basic/theoretical and system development/applications perspectives.
http://www.ic.is.tohoku.ac.jp/ja/

[About AWL, Inc.]

Established in 2016. A Hokkaido University certified venture that has accumulated cutting-edge AI and Deep Learning-based video analytics with a wealth of experience in IoT utilization and implementation. A global team consisting members from more than 20 countries. Awarded “EY Innovative Startup 2021” by Ernst & Young ShinNihon LLC. Our signature product “AWL Lite” provides accurate real-time attention analysis and audience measurement for digital signage displays to maximize the value of advertisement at an affordable price.
The well-known “AWLBOX” system, a High-Performance AI Edge camera solution, is the pioneer in transforming existing store cameras into image-based intelligent solutions with minimal investment.