GEMBA, a Japanese startup that makes an app for tracking improvement work and problems on factory floors, raised ¥45m (about $0.29m) in a seed round, the company said in a press release on 18 September 2026.
Seed investor ANOBAKA led the round. Hekishin AOMI Fund, a fund financed by Hekikai Shinkin Bank through which Shinkin Capital also made the investment, and Hiroshima Venture Capital also took part. The three firms were the only investors named.
The company did not disclose a valuation. GEMBA is based in Kariya, Aichi Prefecture, and was incorporated on 3 February 2025, according to its release.
What GEMBA does
GEMBA's app, also called GEMBA, is aimed at manufacturers that still run much of their shop-floor management on paper and spreadsheets. Customers load their own factory layout drawings into the app and pin issues, improvement tasks and equipment information to the places on the map where they occur. Workers use it on smartphones and tablets.
The company said it designed the app to fit existing workflows rather than replace them, so that staff can use it from the first day. It argues that many Japanese factories have tried digital tools but found them too hard to use on the floor, or lacked the budget and IT staff for large systems.
GEMBA currently focuses on making improvement activities and equipment management visible. It is developing a product called GEMBA AI that would use the data collected in the app to support decisions and to pass on the know-how of experienced workers.
The founder
Chief executive Satoshi Fujii previously worked in production engineering and factory digitalisation at Denso, the car-parts maker headquartered in Kariya. In the release he said the idea for the company came from his own wish, while working in factories, to spend less time on paperwork and management tasks and more time on the people, products and equipment on the floor.
Investors pointed to that background. An ANOBAKA associate said Fujii had spent 15 years working on factory floors. Hekikai Shinkin Bank said it had supported GEMBA since its founding together with local government and the chamber of commerce, and that the app had been developed with manufacturers in Kariya. Headcount was not disclosed.
What the money is for
GEMBA said it would use the funds in two areas. The first is sales and support: it plans to build out its sales and marketing team, raise awareness through trade shows and seminars, and expand hands-on support for customers that adopt the app.
The second is product development, with a focus on data and AI features meant to help managers and floor staff make decisions. Shinkin Capital said it expected data gathered on the platform to be used in future to predict where improvements are needed and to suggest fixes automatically.
The company did not report any earlier funding rounds.
Company website: jp-gemba.com