The startup company NAMU launched its real-time posture coach/tracker on Makuake, the largest crowdfunding platform in Japan, on Feb. 14
The K-ICT Born2Global Centre, a startup funding and support institution, announced that NAMU, one of its member companies, has been ranked as the company with the second-fastest-growing crowdfunding campaign on the Makuake platform for ALEX, its forward head posture (FHP, known as "text neck") coach/tracker—and within only two days of its launch.
Founded in 2013, Makuake is Japan's largest crowdfunding platform. Both startups and conglomerates use Makuake's platform to secure funds and carry out marketing activities. NAMU plans to use its Makuake campaign as the starting point for its entry into the Japanese market as well as to diversify its distributors.
Chief Executive Director Kim Jong-kap of the K-ICT Born2Global Centre said, "Makuake only posts products on its website that have successfully completed its strict internal verification process, meaning that our product has passed a first stage of sorts in terms of the verification of its marketability in Japan."
In 2016, NAMU achieved more than 140 percent of its original funding goal after only 10 days on the U.S.-based crowdfunding platform Kickstarter, successfully securing USD 70,706 (approx. KRW 82 million). Moreover, the company received high praise for completing the delivery of its product to its 1,200 supporters in 53 countries ahead of its original delivery deadline. ALEX is currently sold in 11 countries, including the U.S., UK, and Germany, and has earned KRW 300 million in cumulative revenue so far.
NAMU CEO Jonathan Kim said, "With people's increased use of smartphones and computers, the proportion of cases of forward head posture occurring among young people, ranging from teenagers to people their 30s, has increased to 60 percent. Of these, survey results show that 83 percent are high school students. With the sudden increase in the incidence of cervical disorders worldwide, there is incredible market potential for smart products designed to correct poor posture. Having focused on the South Korean and U.S. markets in 2016, we will now turn our attention toward expansion into China and the rest of the Asian market in 2017, starting with Japan."
