From Toilet-Cleaning Robots to Space Construction: The Businesses and Winning Strategies of Five IVS2026 LAUNCHPAD Finalists

The five companies work in toilet-cleaning robots, AI for IT departments, space construction robots, edge AI for manufacturing, and DX in the field of "celebrations," with almost no overlap among them. Below is a summary of what each company said, in order of appearance.

Improg develops toilet-cleaning robots for operators of large facilities who are struggling to hire staff. The starting point was the company's own cleaning business. Hiring was difficult, training took effort, and new hires quit quickly; this situation was chronic. Others in the industry had the same problem, so the company decided to build what it wanted itself and offer it to customers as well.

The company is often asked whether it is taking people's jobs, but according to the CEO, worksites are already stretched thin, and the situation is "we'd take help from anyone." The CEO explained that the reality on the ground is that staff would welcome even a robot cleaning alongside them.

The robot is not humanoid; it has a highly articulated arm about the length of a human arm. It uses a cleaning method close to a human's, actually touching the toilet and applying pressure, applying detergent to stains and letting it react, and so on. The CEO says it has finally become able to perform such movements. The ultimate goal is to clean the same areas as a human at the same quality, but for now the company is at the stage of narrowing down the target areas to ensure quality, developing a robot that scrubs the underside of the seat, the inside of the bowl, and under the rim. Cleaning while assessing the situation on its own is difficult, and this is a part the company is particularly focused on. The CEO, who has a background in AI, sees now as the moment when cleaning complex shapes like toilet bowls is starting to become possible.

As for differentiation, the CEO pointed to the cleaning method. There are competitors overseas, but high-pressure washing is the mainstream approach. According to the CEO, bidet toilet seats have a penetration rate of over 90% in Japan, while in the U.S. it is 5% or less. Bidet seats are electrical appliances, so high-pressure washing a Japanese toilet would break it. That makes cleaning with physical contact necessary, and this is where the company's uniqueness lies. Its main customers are cleaning companies, and it is developing for B2B.

The CEO spoke candidly about how the company entered the cleaning field. It had tried several businesses, including AI-based big data analysis services, but none of them worked, and it was under pressure to rebuild the company's cash flow. That was when it came across the cleaning business. The CEO had built SaaS-type services before, but delivering a service right in front of a customer and having them be happy when the cleaning went well was a first, and it felt fresh and fun, so the CEO became absorbed in it. The CEO still scrubs more than 1,000 toilets a year and said they are probably the one who scrubs the most in the company. When the interviewer brought up the CEO's background—graduating from Osaka University and studying at Peking University on exchange—the CEO laughingly replied, "Before I knew it, I was scrubbing toilets."

In the final, the CEO wants to convey the appeal of combining the cleaning of toilets, which everyone uses every day, with the future technology of contact-based robotics. As for what will happen on stage, the CEO said "stay tuned."

Zooba develops AI-powered SaaS for corporate IT departments (known in Japan as "jōshisu"). Its target is not only IT departments but also employees, who are the IT department's "customers."

The CEO was once an IT department insider. The CEO worked in the IT department at DeNA and then at Microsoft, supporting IT staff across Japan. Drawing on that experience, the CEO points out that the tools IT departments handle have become complex and numerous, and inquiries from employees have become enormous. On top of that, as employees themselves have started using AI, their questions have become very sophisticated, increasing the burden on IT departments. When IT stops, the company's entire IT stops, so the CEO wanted to solve this.

In terms of how it works, the service connects via API to the cloud services a company uses, ingests data, and uses that data to streamline inquiry handling and administrative work. It may look like a field with many competitors, but the CEO cited two differences. One is that, as builders, they incorporate the features IT departments wish they had, and customers say it "scratches exactly where it itches." The other is a fine-grained approach to employees as end users. The help desk AI understands the context of the employee making an inquiry—who they are, which department they belong to, why they are in a hurry, and so on. It then responds according to that person's PC, accounts, and situation. The company is developing it so that AI can handle even the kind of things a human IT staffer learns through communication.

The CEO never imagined becoming an entrepreneur. While the CEO was at DeNA, the company's venture capital arm, Delight Ventures, was launched and was gathering ideas internally. Asked about IT departments, the CEO listed one hardship after another. The CEO was then encouraged to try turning it into a business. At first the CEO thought it was a problem unique to their own company, but after many interviews it became clear that many companies were struggling. Since there were few SaaS management solutions at the time, the company started with SaaS management and added AI development two years ago.

As for why the CEO left a stable large company, the CEO looks back on an IT career as a series of overcoming technical barriers one by one. Along the way, the CEO realized for the first time that the problems they had solved could be useful to the world, and decided to take on a challenge not for themselves or their company but for society.

Kawata revealed that he encouraged the company to enter after being surprised by its adoption track record. The CEO said that major IT companies such as Sansan and MIXI use the service. In preparation for the final, the CEO has been refining the pitch with a Headline staff member. Acknowledging that it was difficult to explain complex work simply, the CEO said they want to convey how much IT departments support companies, and that if IT departments have an easier time, IT will spread throughout companies.

Space Quarters develops a robotic system for construction in space. Until now, the only option was to launch completed structures on rockets. The company's approach is to stack many panels vertically in the payload section at the tip of a rocket, launch them, and have its own robots assemble them autonomously. This, the company says, makes it possible to build large structures not constrained by the size of the rocket. The first targets it has in mind are reflectors (large antenna surfaces) for communications satellites and structures for lunar bases. The company focused on the fact that structures in space are often made by combining panels.

Takahashi, who appeared on the program, is a co-founder and handles the business side. The other representative reportedly built plants at IHI and did mechanical design at personal mobility company WHILL.

On why the company works in space, Takahashi explained that, led by SpaceX, a revolution has occurred in the U.S. rocket industry, ushering in an era when space is easier to reach. On the other hand, there has been no major technological innovation in the structures at the destination since the ISS; it remains limited to launching things already built. Takahashi believes that if activity at the destination does not increase, that will become the biggest bottleneck for the development of the space industry.

Takahashi also spoke about the significance of doing this from Japan. In the company's field, assembly must be done with precision on the order of 0.1 millimeters. Also, like factory automation, multiple processes must be achieved end to end. Takahashi sees this as a place where the precision of Japan's accumulated manufacturing expertise can be put to use. In construction on the ground, craftsmen can make things work even if something is slightly off, but in space robots do the work, so things have to fit more precisely.

As an industry challenge, Takahashi cited the inability to build large structures. As space use advances, there is demand for larger communications reflectors and space stations than exist today. New concepts such as space data centers are also emerging. However, the cost of building in space is extremely high, and the sizes that can be built are small. Takahashi sees the current state of space as one where revenue commensurate with investment is hard to generate and return on investment is hard to justify. Takahashi believes that if initial costs can be reduced and large, highly profitable structures can be built, ROI will become far easier to justify, accelerating private space development.

There are two points of differentiation. One is that very few companies in the world are working on robots for construction in space, so the business domain itself is unique. The other is technical. The only robotic systems operating in space are manipulator-type robotic arms, but achieving sub-millimeter precision in orbit, where there is no foothold, is difficult. In response, the company says it offers a completely original construction robot system.

On Japan's path to winning amid the U.S., China, and Russia vying for dominance, Takahashi's view is as follows. With conventional space products, both rockets and satellites have more or less fixed forms, and competition comes down to the production process—how cheaply and quickly they can be made—so capital is what counts. In contrast, the company's field is closer to invention, requiring robots no one has ever seen to be built from scratch. It is not something that can be produced quickly just by spending money. Moreover, there is an estimate that the space construction market is worth about 27 trillion yen, making it large as an industry overall. In addition, structures in space play the important role of infrastructure for the entire industry. Takahashi believes that among Western countries, there would be little concern if Japan says it will provide them, and said there is value in taking on the world from Japan.

The two founders are graduates of Tohoku University and receive support as a Tohoku University startup. However, rather than commercializing a technology seed from a research lab, they considered from scratch what is needed to build large structures in space and have developed it in-house. According to Kawata, during the review there was discussion of "Why a general contractor for space, when even getting to space is difficult and costly?" but Takahashi's answer to the "Why" was clear. In the final, Takahashi said they want to convey that space construction is already close at hand, the magnitude of its impact, and their desire to pin it down as a technology that will change human history in their generation.

ZetaX develops predictive maintenance hardware that forecasts when factory machines will break down. Appearing on the program were Sato and Yanagisawa, both 19–20 years old and second-year students at the University of Tokyo.

According to the two, predicting failures of factory machines still relies on person-dependent methods, such as craftsmen listening to sounds or touching machines to check how hot they are. If you request a repair after something breaks, the factory stops until it is fixed and costs are incurred. Noticing before something breaks is important, and they are trying to replace that with AI. The interviewer likened it to the factory version of treating something before it becomes cancer. The two responded that it would be good if parts could simply be replaced before the machine breaks down completely.

What led them to focus on manufacturing was visiting factories while doing AI-based system development work for companies. They valued wanting to go to the site and learn precisely because they are young. The manufacturing sites they saw, first of all, had no Wi-Fi, so there was no environment for using AI in the first place. Security was extremely strict, and data could not be sent outside. As a result, nothing had changed in 50 years, and they felt it was a rewarding environment to work in. They also said that security awareness varies by company size, but larger factories tend to be stricter.

The two have been researching edge AI that works without Wi-Fi. Because edge AI runs on devices like smartphones and PCs, large models cannot fit, and until now its performance had not been impressive. The two research lightweight AI in a University of Tokyo lab, and they explained that being able to expand what edge AI can do as a result is their company's advantage and uniqueness. Currently, they deploy by visiting factories and conducting interviews first. Going forward, they plan to partner with companies that have sales networks to expand adoption.

The two met at a business contest and have thought relentlessly about how to build a big business. As software engineers who both do AI research, they have helped with factory DX in various regions from Tohoku to Kyushu. They have sometimes stayed overnight on the job, and they consider their understanding of the field to be relatively detailed. Through that process, they came to strongly feel that Japanese industry is supported by manufacturing. They chose this field thinking that advancing manufacturing DX could improve efficiency and perhaps contribute to Japan's GDP, which is often said to be in decline.

Looking ahead to the final, they said that, honestly, they are young and lack experience both as people and as entrepreneurs, but their drive is second to none, adding that they are still sleeping at the office. Asked which entrepreneur they aspire to be like, Sato named an entrepreneur Sato considers Japan's top and said Sato wants to become someone who can single-handedly influence Japan. Sato also said that transforming manufacturing with AI that runs offline is a new perspective. Yanagisawa answered that Yanagisawa admires people like Elon Musk who take on challenges with big dreams.

According to Kawata, ZetaX is the first pair ever to compete in the event's history. He said the judges highly rated the core technology and that, in the final, he is watching how they translate it into a business. Asked how they would use the prize money, the two answered that they would put it toward API costs for using AI.

The last to appear, Murata's company has grown alongside the bridal industry. With the vision of "moving the world through celebration," it provides SaaS and AI both to businesses that produce weddings and to couples preparing for weddings. As corporate gatherings, meetups, class reunions, and similar events have increased since the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is also working on AI agents to promote such gatherings. At LAUNCHPAD, the company will announce its next challenge using AI, but its details were left as something to "look forward to" until the final.

The company was founded in June 2020 and became a startup partway through. According to Murata, the bridal industry at the time revolved around paper and fax. Preparation was cumbersome for couples, accounting was opaque, and the work on the ground was so grueling that people said "lasting a year is doing well." Then the pandemic hit and sales disappeared entirely. The company started by digitizing invitations and, drawing on its SaaS know-how, also focused on customer success. As a result, Murata says, web invitations have now become the norm. As the next stage, it has worked on DX to address labor shortages. Murata framed it as having solved each problem of the moment at the "Why Now" timing.

Murata described the bridal industry as a thin-margin business with profit margins of around 5%, and said society has questioned whether weddings are meaningful. In response, the company intends to put forward, together with businesses in the industry and through its products, that precisely because this is the AI era, there is value in people gathering in person.

The "celebration industry" is a way of defining the market that the company advocates. Viewed as the bridal industry, it is about 2 trillion yen and is said to be shrinking with the declining population. However, according to Murata, at events such as corporate social gatherings, budgets for talent development and retention are growing 32% per year, and budgets for parties are also increasing. Partly as a rebound from the pandemic, gatherings such as class reunions have also increased. Murata believes that while much can be done online or with AI, meeting in person can change experiences and raise one's career perspective. The company calls places where people become more positive by gathering "celebrations."

During fundraising, the company was sometimes told that businesses for the elderly are more profitable, and asked whether it would do funerals. While saying it is not entirely off the table, Murata sees Japan's fundamental problem as population decline. That is exactly why Murata wants to change young people's motivation, ceremonies related to children, and connections between people. Murata spoke of a commitment to changing society by betting on younger generations rather than on the elderly just because it is profitable now.

As for personal background, Murata has worked in the staffing industry and in HR SaaS. Murata was interested in people approaching things with motivation. While attending university in the Kansai region, Murata longed to intern at a startup but never had the chance. Instead, through a customer service part-time job, Murata learned hospitality the hard way. Considering that the person who receives what was sold will go on to spend time with it, the attitude and language of the salesperson create that time. Murata felt that was a wonderful worldview. Murata later worked in the IT industry, but at Murata's own wedding, Murata saw 60 staff members coordinating via headsets and eye contact for a single day's ceremony, supporting the lives of the couple and the guests. Feeling it was the culmination of hospitality, Murata came to respect the industry. Right after that, the industry's sales vanished due to the pandemic, and hearing about the grueling working conditions, Murata thought their own experience could be put to use, which is how the company was founded.

Looking ahead to the final, Murata joked that the words "bridal industry business" have clouded the faces of many investors, while stating that the challenge ahead will surely strike people as interesting. Kawata also acknowledged that, from an investor's perspective, it is an industry that may not look attractive at first glance. That said, he praised the company for clearly presenting its market size and for the business it has built so far. According to Murata, the company has 110 partner businesses and 400 wedding venues using its services. Kawata expressed his expectation that the company could leverage these assets and Japan's spirit of hospitality to expand its services into other fields.

In the final, each company pitches for six minutes, and only one company can win the top prize, the Kyoto International Award. According to Kawata, members of Headline's investment team are assigned to each candidate as mentors, and preparations are proceeding with consultations as needed on how to make the pitches land.

Kawata explained that this year marks the 20th anniversary of IVS, and that LAUNCHPAD applications, including from overseas, exceeded 500 companies—the most ever. He expressed confidence that the 15 companies selected are of such quality that any of them could win. The five companies that day were diverse: toilet robots, IT departments, space, and edge AI. In the final, businesses related to AI security and gachapon capsule toys, among others, are also scheduled to be presented. The program closed by expressing anticipation for each company's pitch ahead of a final in which only one of the 15 companies will be chosen.