How Bespoke faked AI until it actually worked (w/ Akemi Tsunagawa) | E2320
Summary
Host Arunachalam Ramamurthy interviews Akimi Soagula, founder of Bespoke, about her three ventures addressing Japan’s labor shortages and tourism boom. They discuss her multilingual chatbot, BeBot; BeTrained, which uses smart glasses for vocational training; and a robotics startup automating industrial inspections. The episode highlights customer-centric product development and achieving profitability through government contracts.
Topics discussed
Introduction and guest Akimi So
BeBot: Multilingual chatbot for tourists
Tourism boom and cultural friction in Japan
Japan's labor shortage and immigration
BeTrained: AR training for foreign workers
Robotics for industrial inspection
Funding and buying failing factories
AI tools and digital CEO assistants
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