History

Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow.
History of the Internet, the Story of DG.

The history of DG started when we created the first personal homepage in Japan in 1994. DG has always been at the forefront of the times and marched along with the growth of the Internet. Robot type search engine services, developing e-commerce sites, offering settlement and logistics platforms, blogs search, integrating CGM and advertisement, supporting the operation of social media, and expanding the payment solutions to Asia - our constant involvement in such a range of cutting-edge Internet businesses has enabled us to accumulate experience and achievements that are now the source of our strength and capability in generating high value added contexts.

DG milestones and "Firsts" introduced to the Japanese market

2018
Open Network Lab HOKKAIDO Digital Garage and The Hokkaido Shimbun Press Launch "Open Network Lab HOKKAIDO"
HOpen Network Lab BioHealth Digital Garage launches "Open Network Lab BioHealth", an accelerator program specialized in biotechnology and healthcare
Crypto Garage Digital Garage and Tokyo Tanshi to Establish Crypto Garage, a JV for blockchain financial service R&D and business in the fintech field
KDDI Digital Garage & KDDI entered into a basic agreement on strategic alliance
SCORE VeriTrans and Nissen to establish SCORE, a JV in the postpaid shopping business
Digital Garage validated the value of online media; joined the bureau of the contents media value study group for improving advertisement value
Scaling Bitcoin 2018 DG Lab supported Scaling Bitcoin 2018
econtext ECONTEXT Registered as Electronic Payment Service Provider
Open Network Lab Resi-Tech Digital Garage launches "Open Network Lab Resi-Tech," a global accelerator program targeting real estate-related startups
VeriTrans and Toshiba Tec establish TD Payment, a JV offering multiple payment solutions for POS systems
2017
DG Life Design Digital Garage officially launches lifestyle service for wealthy consumers business integration with two subsidiaries leads to development of DG Life Design business
HOLICS Digital Garage and Kodansha establish HOLICS, a compilation media service combining superior magazine content with AI technology
DG Lab Digital Garage forms a business alliance with PureTech Health, a company which works on advanced incubation business in biotech
Fukuoka D.c. Digital Garage begins support for startups in Fukuoka region in cooperation with the Fukuoka Directive Council
DVEP DG Lab developed all-purpose framework "DG Lab DVEP™" for unique cryptocurrency through blockchain's bitcoin
2016
TOYOTA NEXT Operation support for the open innovation program TOYOTA NEXT, which will create the future's mobility society
DG Lab FUND Digital Garage and Daiwa Securities Group established "DG Lab Fund," a fund directed towards startups that specialize in next generation technology
Digital Garage First Penguin Award Established "Digital Garage First Penguin Award," which honors those who continue to challenge oneself in the fields such as technology, arts, and sports
DG Lab Digital Garage, Kakaku.com, and Credit Saison establish open innovation-based R&D organization "DG Lab"
1st Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange Changed Our Stock Market Listing from JASDAQ to the First Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange
Blockstream Invests in Blockchain Developer Blockstream
Inamoto & Co. Invests as lead investor in renowned creator Rei Inamoto's Business Invention Studio
2015
MX Invested in MX Technologies, Inc., a US-based FinTech innovator
KODANSHA Established a joint venture with Kodansha on digital content business for global expansion of Japanese contents and new business incubations
Chartbeat Formed a business alliance with Chartbeat Inc. and started to boost the real-time analytics tool Chartbeat's Japanese expansion
2014
Betaworks Formed a capital and business alliance with Betaworks Studio, LLC, a prominent startup studio in the US
Bilna Invested in PT Bilna, the biggest online baby store in Indonesia
2013
Citrus econtext ASIA invested in Citrus Payment Solutions Pvt. Ltd., a leading online payment solution provider in India
econtext-asia econtext ASIA became listed at the Hong Kong Stock Exchange
crowdWorks Formed a capital and business alliance with CrowdWorks Inc., a crowdsourcing service provider
netprice.com Formed a capital and business alliance with Netprice.com Inc.
DG717 Opened an incubation center in downtown San Francisco named DG717
DG717 Established BI.Garage, a joint-venture with Dentsu Inc., cyber communications Inc., and ASATSU-DK INC., to provide big-data-related services
dentsusciencejam Co-founded DENTSU SCIENCEJAM with DENTSU INC. to make new businesses using research results of most advanced science and technology
pt.midtrans econtext ASIA established a joint-venture VeriTrans Shanghai in China
2012
veritrans VeriTrans, a leading company in the e-commerce and online payment fields, became a Digital Garage's wholly-owned subsidiary
bengoshi.com Invested in Authense Group, Inc., the operator of Bengoshi4.com, a legal consultation service site
Neo Innovation, Inc. Established Neo Innovation, Inc. in San Francisco to start software development business based on agile methodologies
2011
Path Invested in Path which provides Personal Network Service
tweetmanager Started to provide twitter account operation supporting tool TweetManager
2010
Open Network Lab Established "Open Network Lab" which is Japan's first mentor-driven seed accelerator program
NEXDG Founded NEXDG, joint venture with Nippon Expressm
Media Do Made an investment in e-book/Contents distribution comapny "MEDIA DO"
hootsuite Partnership with HootSuite which provides social media management tool
2008
Twitter Formed a Partnership with Twitter
DG Incubation helped developing of Twitter Japanese site
ソリューション事業再編 Absorbed a group of subsidiaries, ECONTEXT, DG solutions, DG&Ibex, DG Media Marketing and Creative Garage
Employed a slogan "Hybrid Solution Partner"
2007
fon Digital Garage capitalized on world's largest WiFi community, British FON, through subsidiary
Sogei Digital Garage subsidized major real estate advertiser Sogei through affiliate
ITo reinforced solutions business in the real estate sector, where IT promotion is rapidly expanding
2006
純枠持ち株会社化 Digital Garage became a pure holding company of the group
DG Solution Digital Garage formed intermediate holding company DG Solutions
DG Media Marketing Digital Garage established web advertising company DG Media Marketing to cover a wide range of group media, including Kakaku.com and Technorati.jp and other major media
CGM Marketing Digital Garage established CGM Marketing jointly with Dentsu, cci and ADK
DG & Ibex Digital Garage split and restructured its solutions subsidiaries to strengthen and streamline subsidiary businesses by redistributing group resources
GROWTH PARTNERS Digital Garage co-founded new IR company with Asia Securities Printing
Strategic business company, DG&Ibex established
2005
Technorati JAPAN Digital Garage established blog business company 'Technorati JAPAN'
DG INCUBATION Digital Garage established DG Incubation, a wholly-owned subsidiary to promote agility and efficiency in managing investment in developing new businesses and strategic investment
DG & Partners Digital Garage co-founded venture capital management company with JAIC
WEB 2.0 Digital Garage formed new company 'WEB 2.0' with PIA and Kakaku.com to start new portal site and other businesses in view of next-generation net society
2004
DG MOBILE Digital Garage established strategic subsidiary company focused on mobile business
Inter scope Digital Garage announced investment & business partnership with Interscope, major Internet Research company
JUST PLANNING INC. Digital Garage announced investment in Just Planning,　application service provider for the restaurant industry
BUG SAPPORO JAPAN Digital Garage announced financial and business partnership with B.U.G. Inc., as part of group's Ubiquitous Network strategy: DG acquired 21% of B.U.G. shares, becoming second leading shareholder
Ibex & rims Digital Garage announced agreement in which DG acquired all of the issued shares of Ibex & rims, leader in integrated sales promotion, and made Ibex a 100% DG subsidiary
2003
ZION Digital Garage, Inc. announced business and capital partnership with Zion Ltd., provider of consulting services and system development for mobile telephony and Internet technologies DSI joined Zion Group (June 2003, Zion becomes affiliated DG company)
CREATIVE GARAGE Reestablished Creative Garage, our creative design firm
Digital Network Appliance Inc. Established Business and Capital Partnership with Digital Network Appliance Inc., a Broadband Technology Venture Company
  Developed integrated solution package tailored to broadband video distribution for television terminal systems, based on Smoothy (a software for content management and content based commerce)
2002
smoothy Announced Smoothy: management and commerce system for broadband contents
Kakaku.com Kakaku.com became a subsidiary of Digital Garage. Kakaku.com is the leading price-comparison site in Japan
IQI Announced strategic business partnership with Image-Quest Interactive (IQI), for entertainment and broad content development
ALC Launched business tie-up with ALC, major publisher of language education materials
  Combined WebNation and indiesmusic.com increasing coverage for Indies music market
2001
CYBER AUCTION Launched first auction-platform service with JCB Register business model patent jointly with JCB (Ended in 8th term)
Mojo Mojo: Purchased rights to E-commerce engine (April 2003, technical cooperation with Sun Microsystems)
  Launched auction business platform
2000
econtext Launched first convenience-store-based payment and fulfillment platform business (Registered business model patent jointly with Lawson)
Launch E-context as Joint-venture with Lawson, TIS, and Mitsubishi Trading
G-PORT Established G-Port as a joint enterprise with Shaddy, the leading catalog gift company in Japan
JASDAQ JASDAQ, Initial Public Offering of Digital Garage
  Developed and launched first convenience-store-based payment and fulfillment system
1999
ZOPE Introduced open-source application server, Zope
the Electric Commerce Institute Established the Electric Commerce Institute to provide marketing, e-commerce consulting, and Internet-related research services
WEB NATION Launched Web Nation: EC Site offering music and entertainment related products. Developed fully automated supply chain (Fulfillment and payment systems) (developed with the cooperation of TIS, Yamato Transport Co., Ltd?and Lilac Co, Ltd)
Registered business patent for above system (October 2002, service transferred to IQI)〉
  Introduced Open-source Zope
Launched E-commerce site with automated logistical system (including: Inventory status confirmation, delivery detail selection, etc.)
Jointly developed e-commerce portal for convenience store chains with Lawson
1998
SONIC NET JAPAN Localized and adapted of the popular rock-music site from the U.S. (Internet broadcast of Fuji-Rock Festival)
Fit-Kansei "Fit- Kansei": Web User Survey System with Cluster Analysis jointly developed with the Communication Science Institute
  Launched first online CD shop in Japan
Began music-related database service
1997
Ultraseek Server Localization and sales of Ultraseek search technology began
(Now sold under "Autonomy Ultraseek" brand)
  Provided robot-based (spider-based) search technology for corporate and government use
1996
PSINet Introduced the world's first commercial Internet provider to Japanese market
infoseek Japan Localized and launched Infoseek search engine service in Japan (In 1999 sold to Disney Group)
D.A.Consortium Established Digital Advertising Consortium, a consortium of advertising agencies specializing in Digital Media advertising
  Japan's first robot-based search engine
Established of first consortium in advertising industry
1995
Internet World Expo '96 Internet World Expo '96, the world's first "cyber-space expo" connecting 80 countries. In charge of technical aspects for Japan
World. Jr. Summit World. Jr. Summit: event connected children from 40 countries by the Internet, hosted by Isao Okawa. Digital Garage provided technical services
  Supported Internet streaming media event, and managed public Internet access spaces (Internet World Expo, 96)
"Internet Café in Shibuya"(with IBM)
1994
Japan's first personal homepage Created Japan's first personal homepage
  Began homepage creation business (eccosys, From Garage)

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