Telepathy Inc. Overview

Telepathy Inc.

Telepathy Inc. is a Japanese start-up that was founded in January 2013. It has its headquarters in Sunnyvale, California. The company creates and sells social communication tools that help people form bonds with one another as if they had telepathic connections. The company’s goal is to bring people closer together in a way that has never been possible before, and it takes pride in its high-quality construction and fashionable styling.

By combining a wearable device and a wearable service that makes it possible to share experiences that transcend space, telepathy aims to advance human-to-human communication. In comparison to smartphones and computers, the evolution of wearable devices will be completely different. As humans wear them, the shapes and sizes of the devices will be limited, and the majority of their core functions will be hosted in the cloud.

Takahito Iguchi established the company in 2013 in Japan. He left Japan and moved to San Francisco to better connect with venture capitalists and startups. Iguchi spent 20 years developing augmented reality technologies before turning his attention to wearables, which he described as an exciting new direction. Iguchi and his new team hoped to concentrate on software development and seek venture capital after opening an office in San Francisco. 

The prototype device, Telepathy One, was then created by the technology entrepreneur. The device served a simple function: to deepen relationships between people. Telepathy One is frequently touted as a Google Glass-like competitor made in Japan. The Telepathy team hoped to ship the device in 2014, after it was first shown off at SXSW.

The VC Firsthand Technology Value Fund, based in Silicon Valley, invested an additional $5 million in the startup in 2014 to help it launch. In the end, the organization’s new colleagues got to work planning circuit sheets and a connection point.Judith Currin, a planner, was sent to Austin to look for venues for a launch party. She arranged for an office space where Telepathy could hold demos, hired a local artist to make the space interesting visually, and discovered a number of potential locations for the big evening party. A developer started working on a reservation system that would send SMS messages to conference attendees who were on a waiting list with demo slots.

However, the device’s appearance was still a work in progress. Telepathy had hired two American design firms and one Japanese design firm to come up with alternative designs because prototypes based on the original design concepts weren’t getting good feedback. The Telepathy One device remained roughly at the same stage as it was when the company launched a year ago, despite Telepathy’s appearance on CNN, TEDx talk, $5 million in venture capital funding, Sunnyvale office, and team of qualified engineers.

Putting a Telepathy One product on global shelves by the following year, as Iguchi promised, then seemed impossible, despite the strong vision. The Sunnyvale office was forced to close at the beginning of June due to ongoing disagreements over which design to pursue. Nearly all of the employees who worked there were let go. Eventually, in 2014, Iguchi ceased being the CEO of Telepathy.

On November 17, 2017, OPTiM Corporation agreed to acquire Telepathy Global Co., Ltd. from Telepathy Holdings Co., Ltd. On November 20, 2017, OPTiM Corporation concluded the transaction’s contract. As part of the deal, it will acquire 82,814 shares. On November 17, 2017, the OPTiM Corporation Board of Directors resolved the transaction. On November 21, 2017, the transaction was expected to be completed. However, the acquisition was canceled on November 17, 2018.

The Sunnyvale, CA-based startup raised $5 million in Series A funding. Firsthand Technology Value Fund, Inc. was in charge of the round. It was said that the funds will be used to hire UI/UX/HFE engineers, application software developers, server software developers, embedded system developers, and communication firmware developers to further accelerate product development.

If everything went according to plan, Telepathy Inc. was going to get its product into the hands of consumers thanks to the $5 million it received in its initial round of funding in 2014. The money was specifically going to be used to hire additional software and hardware engineers. Takahito Iguchi, the CEO of Telepathy Inc., stated, “The next era of social networking will be made possible by wearable technology. We anticipate bringing Telepathy One to market in 2014, and with the $5 million in funding, we will be able to improve the user experience”.

By instantly sharing the user’s visuals with people from all over the world, the Telepathy One facilitates real-time, hands-free, interactive communication and allows for immediate feedback. The fact that Telepathy One encircles the user’s head at the back and transmits audio through earpieces may or may not be appealing to all users. The polished metal Telepathy device has a slim profile and is thought to be more stylish than Google Glass. The small display that is in front of the eye contributes to the similarity.

A micro-projector is placed in front of one eye on the sleek Telepathy One headset, which covers one side of the head. According to Iguchi, “it appears as if there is a five-inch screen floating in the air, about 45 cm from your eye.” What you see is captured by a camera, which communicates with your smartphone through Bluetooth and the data connection.

The Telepathy Jumper is a brand-new type of wearable device similar to an eyeglass that can be used while worn around the neck. Typically, it is worn around the neck, but if necessary, it can be worn in front of the eye. An attachment can be used to keep it attached to eyeglasses or the head for continued use. The wearable device’s display performs well and provides clear visuals even in strong summer sunlight. The device could be used in everyday situations both inside and outside, and the images and data were visible clearly even in natural outdoor lighting.

Due to its high definition qHD resolution, the device clearly displays task data and manuals’ text and information. On board are a 5 megapixel image sensor and a noise canceling function that precisely picks up the wearer’s voice regardless of the surrounding sound in order to more accurately replicate the wearer’s actual experience. Additionally, the motion sense core, which manages the gyro, accelerometer, and geomagnetism sensors, is present on board. These sensors make it possible to effectively collect and analyze the data needed to create an application that makes using the device more fun, easy, and enjoyable.

A Bluetooth remote control with a switch enables simple and precise operation regardless of the user’s condition or the surrounding environment. Depending on the application, an attachment part can be added to allow for flexible fitting.

On December 19, 2014, Telepathy and OPTiM, a leading provider of business-related smart device applications, proudly announced their partnership in wearable solutions. OPTiM provided Optimal Biz, Japan’s #1 MDMb for three consecutive years, and Optimal Remote, Japan’s leading remote support service used by almost 15 million people, for integration into Telepathy Jumper, a wearable device marketed by Telepathy Japan. The goal was a better world where people could understand each other.

In order to provide services for the effective, secure management and operation of wearable devices, which are crucial to the rapid growth of the Internet of Things market, both businesses have pressed ahead with research and development. OPTiM and Telepathy Japan planned to continue developing wearable solutions that were more usable, secure, and useful for the global market as well as the Japanese market.

• The number of employees ranges from 25 to 100
• Telepathy Inc.’s annual revenue ranges from $5 million to $25 million.
• The company has received $5 million in total funding.