Domo Japan Rocks at SxSW
Great post from day #4 at SxSW event in Austin featuring several famous local players in the mobile biz! http://bit.ly/i02Orj
Huge Congrats to All who carried the flag into Texas this week.. đ
Three hours after getting off the plane, Akihiko Kodama was celebrating the launch of his companyâs iphone application in a downtown Austin bar. He wasnât just celebrating the launch, he was sharing stories and photos from Japanâs earthquake with coworkers. âEven in this condition, we came here, to let the people know about this,â Kodama said.
Kodama is the project manager at domo, a mobile app thatâs part of the Tonchidot Corporation, a large Japanese internet company. Domo is one of a few Japan-based startups at SXSW.
Osuke Honda, a partner at DCM, the venture capital firm that has invested in domo, has been in the United States for the last two weeks. He returns to Japan in two days. âIt doesnât seem real,â Honda said. âI have to see it in order for it to sink in.â
Japanâs earthquake struck the same day SXSW began. SXSW is as much a gigantic party as it is a learning and networking event – itâs not known for its philanthropy. Since the earthquake, many of the handful of Japan-based startups attending SXSW banded together to promote the Red Cross relief effort.
âMy employees are still over there facing the crisis,â said Ryo Shimizu, president of the Tokyo-based Ubiquitous Entertainment and leader of the relief effort. âThey are very scared.â
As of Sunday night the SXSW relief effort had raised $1,986, Shimizu said. âWe donât care how people help, but we hope that they help.â
How you can help: The quickest way you can help? Texting âRed Crossâ to 9099 sends $10 to the organization. Via Denver Post.