A $2.1M Series A round is now in the bank for Ashirase, Inc., the Tokyo-based startup that spun out of Honda’s new business creation program in 2021. The company is building navigation tools aimed squarely at accessibility, with its flagship product being a shoe-mounted haptic device that guides blind and low-vision users through vibrations on the foot.
That device, also called ASHIRASE, is designed to leave users’ hands free for a white cane and their ears open to ambient sound. It’s already CE-marked as a Class I medical device under EU rules, which gives the company a foothold for European expansion. Ashirase also sells IndoorFlow, a smartphone-based indoor navigation system for hospitals and other large venues that requires no dedicated hardware installation. The fresh capital arrives as the company, a J-Startup selection, looks to scale both product lines.
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