Who we are
HQ : Tokyo
Established : 2008
Employees : 112
https://iridge.jp/
Under the philosophy of “Tech Tomorrow: Using technology to create new services that enable life to be more convenient than yesterday”, we are expanding our business in a wide range of fields, including Fintech, Real Estate Tech, and VUI (voice user interface), centered on supporting companies with O2O (Online to Offline) and OMO (Online Merges with Offline) using smartphones.
In O2O/OMO fields, we hold the industry’s top-class achievements in the planning and development of apps. We also support sales promotion and CX improvements for our clients through “FANSHIP”, a fan development platform that assesses the relationship of companies with each of their customers.
Our vision
Tech Tomorrow
Using technology to create new services that enable life to be more convenient than yesterday
iRidge was founded in 2008 with this philosophy.
“Ridge” refers to the oceanic mountain range, where new lands are formed through tectonic plates movement.
We chose the corporate name “iRidge” as we wish to create a new and convenient world for tomorrow, just like how ridges continue to create the earth.
In our world filled with Internet technology, there are endless opportunities to create brandnew value and services. In particular, over the past decade, the mobile Internet field revolving around smartphones has witnessed the emergence of technologies and services that have been changing people’s lives, and there still is an enormous potential for further change in the future.
As a leader in the O2O industry, iRidge is strengthening its business operations in the field of O2O, Omni Channel and smartphone marketing. At the same time, we are also working to create new value, through FinTech with the use of app payments and electronic local currencies, BigData with location data, IoT, as well as smart speakers.
We work on all these projects to realize our vision,
“Tech Tomorrow: Using technology to create new services that enable life to be more convenient than yesterday.”
Our services/products
1. O2O/OMO
[App Development]
Total support for corporate smartphone applications from planning to development and operation.
We are involved in the development of official O2O apps for many major companies.
We design applications, select and develop technologies, operate them after they are released, and provide consulting services.
[Solution]
Next generation O2O solutions
Through our One-to-One marketing solution “FANSHIP”, a customer data analysis platform that combines, analyzes, and utilizes all kinds of online and offline data, we foster customer loyaltyand support revenue growth. Besides apps, we also make use of Social networking service such as LINE (most used messaging app in Japan).
[Marketing]
Successfully launching a O2O application does not guarantee results on the long term, as operation strategies might fail afterwards. iRidge provides total support for the development and implementation of growth strategies tailored to the needs of each company, ranging from application marketing consulting to planning support, data analysis, and growth hacking.
2. Real Estate Tech/Voice User Interface
We help our clients branding, promotion, and business support through real estate tech solutions such as digital signage for condominiums, offices, and commercial facilities, as well as solutions for voice AI assistants such as NOID, which enables development and operation for Amazon Alexa compatible skills.
[NOID]
Japan’s First Amazon Alexa Skill Development/Operation Cloud
It is a cloud service that enables you to develop/operate skills (audio UI app) adopted to the Amazon’s audio AI assistant Alexa, without programming knowledge.
It can be deployed in a variety of ways, including video introduction of products, product-related quiz, campaign announcement, and business support, depending on the company’s needs and ideas.
Staff who are familiar with the unique characteristics of the voice user interface provide support in designing, developing and promoting the skills.
[NOID IoT housing package]
IoT housing and smart home installation and support service
We provide a package of services for real estate business owners, such as IoT housing designing, original Alexa skills production and equipment installation for each property.
In addition to standard smart homes that incorporate smart speakers and smart remote control-linked home appliances that respond to calls for operation, we implement next-generation smart homes that provide vocal explanation for specifications of structure, and security of property facilities, using the customized Alexa skills.
[Digital Signage]
Digital Signage and Linkage Applications
By installing them in common areas such as condominiums and office entrances, the signage increases property value, profitability, management costs, and user satisfaction.
In addition to its use as a digital board, it can also generate advertising revenues by providing advertisements of neighboring stores and various services.
It can be linked to users applications, to provide coupons linked to signage advertisements and analysis of advertising effects, which can then be used for marketing strategies purposes.
Skills
Our engineering team
What projects/services is your engineering team working on?
We are mainly in charge of application development projects for our platform FANSHIP, which provides push notification functions for smartphone applications.
FANSHIP is currently installed in over 300 applications and used by more than 190 million users. It is installed in daily life apps of major companies such as retail facilities, convenience stores, drugstores, railways, and financial institutions.
Our main clients are major companies, for whom we carry the entire process from planning, technology selection, development, post-release maintenance and operation, marketing consulting.
Our development department is responsible of the selection of technologies and the development (front-end, server-side, infrastructures, and mobile (iOS and Android) engineering). Depending on the project, we sometimes partner with other companies and collaborate during the development process.
What technologies are you using?
Infrastructure: AWS, GCP
Version Management System: GitLab
Server side development: Python, Django, OpenAPI
Front-end development: JavaScript, Vue.js, Nuxt.js, PWAs
What type of engineers work at your company? What is their job content?
First of all, there are two types of jobs depending on the area of responsibility.
Front-end engineer
Their main tasks include development of front-end systems centered on Vue.js and Nuxt.js, construction of infrastructure using AWS hosting services, and technical support for technology verification and project managers.
Recently, we have been developing SPA and PWA using Amplify Console, Firebase, Serverless Framework, and GitLab CI.
Server side engineer
Their main tasks is to develop server-side programs centered on Python, build servers using cloud services such as AWS and GCP to implement large-scale infrastructures, high-speed processing, and application-specific security measures, and to provide technical support for technical verification and project managers.
Then, the following career paths are available as you gain experience.
Engineering Manager/Product Manager
Managers have a wide range of responsibilities, management of engineers, coordination with stakeholders, and assignments management.
The Engineering Manager is assigned to the mission “to maximize team productivity” in contracted development, while the Product Manager is assigned to the mission “to achieve the numerical targets of the medium-to long-term business plan” in the in-house product development.
Architect
Their role is to design the optimum system based on the business, system, schedule, and long-term operation, and to come up with processes for identifying and improving issues with the product.
Deep knowledge of IT in general is required, and their mission is to “correctly understand the business requirements and to draw up architectures that utilizes their expertise.”
Senior Engineer
The main task of this position is to deal with difficult development and verification that include mission-critical developments, capacity development, technology development, and to draw up processes for identifying and improving product issues.
They also promote our technology outside the company.
They are given the mission “to provide the best answers to all technical issues from a broad perspective and to lead projects.”
Do you plan on using any new technologies in the future?
- FANSHIP is meant to be a “customer data analysis platform for understanding each and every customer and conducting appropriate marketing activities”.
Therefore, although we have been focusing on native applications development, in the future we plan to also broaden our projects to WEB related development as well as data analysis. On top of that, we are also working to create mobile contents using new WEB technologies such as PWAs. - In order to respond to the diverse needs of customers, we are looking into Flutter and other frameworks for the development of hybrid native applications.
Our corporate culture
A start-up company is often seen as a place with speed and momentum being at its core. Although we are a start-up, our corporate culture rather focuses on logical thinking, and we like to do things steadily.
Many of our members are relaxed and supportive people, you can talk with them about any problems or difficulties you might encounter in your work. This is an open environment where employees can easily express their opinions regardless of their position within the company.
We are still a small company, which mean there are many things that need to be done and improved. Regardless of our position or team, we perform our daily work while asking ourselves what could we do better, how could we solve the problems ahead of us. Life is not made only of big changes; we place importance on small steps, climbing the stairs on step at a time, to keep improving oneself and the world around us.
We provide an environment in which people who are very curious, independent, and proactive in solving problems can play an active role, and advancing to the next level in their career while learning new skills!
