Uplift Labs, inc. (“Uplift”) announces it has raised a seed round backed by DEEPCORE TOKYO I Investment Limited Partnership, operated by AI-focused incubator DEEPCORE Inc.(CEO:Katsumasa Niki, “DEEPCORE”), Mirai Creation Fund, operated by SPARX Group (President CEO: Shuhei Abe) and several angel investors.
Uplift aims to transform athletic performance by using artificial intelligence to offer real-time movement analysis. Uplift plans to launch its product and services with several partner corporations by the end of 2018.
Uplift, headquartered in Palo Alto, CA provides an AI-based kinematic analysis platform that helps analyze and improve human movement in real-time. Uplift’s software uses proprietary deep learning models and algorithms specifically designed to understand human motion. For example, the platform can maximize the efficiency of workouts by providing real-time training support for form correction and injury prevention. Uplift seeks to introduce its technology into a wide range of potential applications including sports, fitness, physical therapy, elderly care, factory productivity, and virtual reality.
Most tracking solutions rely on wearables which are cumbersome or domain specific. CEO Sukemasa Kabayama explains, “Uplift breaks the chains of wearables and allows individuals to gain personalized insights to maximize their movements effortlessly. Our mission is to help the world move better by decreasing injuries and improving performance in people’s everyday lives.”
Katsumasa Niki, CEO of DEEPCORE says “Uplift’s AI-based kinematic analysis platform brings new value to the area of motion measurement and has potential to expand its use in a wide range of fields. We expect that Uplift’s advanced technology will contribute to user’s healthy lifestyle.”
Shuhei Abe, President CEO of SPARX Group says “In this global aging society, it is necessary to improve health and prolong one’s life expectancy. We hope that Uplift’s technology helps secure a healthy life for all ages including the elderly.”
Uplift was founded by 3 technology veterans. CEO Sukemasa Kabayama served as President of Tesla Japan and held leadership roles at innovative global companies such as Apple. CTO Jonathan Wills is a serial entrepreneur who sold his image recognition firm that he founded to GoPro in 2016. Uplift’s Chief Scientist, Rahul Rajan, earned his Ph.D. in machine learning at Carnegie Mellon University.
About DEEPCORE
DEEPCORE, whose mission is to be a “CORE for Disruptive Innovations,” is an AI-focused incubator that cultivates young and talented entrepreneurs in the AI field, especially in the Deep Learning arena. DEEPCORE aims to build an ecosystem that fosters entrepreneurs who generate disruptive innovations with technologies and use AI technologies, including Deep Learning, in society. DEEPCORE open the community and co-working space “KERNEL” (in Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo) this summer, and build an AI technology-driven community that enables joint projects with companies and support startups. /en/
About Mirai Creation Fund
The Fund targets investment in enterprises and projects that possess innovative technologies in the core fields of Al, robotics, technologies to enable a hydrogen-based society, as well as other related projects. The Fund began its operations in November 2015 with SPARX Group as an operator, with investment of 13.5 billion Yen by Toyota Motor Corporation, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation and SPARX Group. At the end of March 2017, 20 companies have invested in the Fund and AUM reached 36.7 billion Yen. The fund has been investing in about 40 companies in US, UK, Israel, Singapore and Japan. https://mirai.sparx.co.jp/en/
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