Cross Sector, which develops sensors used for surveying during steel-frame erection on building sites, announced on 22 October that it has raised funding from seed through to Series A since its founding in 2025. Its cumulative total, including both equity and debt, stands at ¥770m ($4.9m).
The company was established as the first spin-off from Nikon, the major optical equipment manufacturer, and is headquartered in Machida, Tokyo.
Certified by an independent testing body
Industries across Japan are working out how to respond to a shrinking workforce, but construction, where working conditions are far from easy, has long struggled to secure enough people. Government and industry have called for better conditions, yet further innovation is needed to accelerate efforts to attract workers.
As noted above, Cross Sector develops sensors for surveying during steel-frame erection, which it packages as Frame Finder, a building-sensing service.
Traditionally, steel frames on construction sites have been assembled while repeatedly checking by survey, for example, that each column is correctly positioned in three dimensions. According to the company, this took around 15 minutes per column.
Frame Finder attaches four sensors, named VF-01, to each column: two at the top and two at the base. The resulting measurement data are displayed in a browser on iOS devices. A photo of a device screen on Cross Sector’s website shows a reading of “North ↑16mm, West ←23mm”, suggesting that users can see in real time how far a column is out of position. The company says the system cuts the time required from 15 minutes per column to 15 seconds.
With this technology, the company aims to provide a solution for construction sites grappling with an ageing skilled workforce and labour shortages.
Frame Finder has also obtained technical certification from the General Building Research Corporation of Japan, a body that conducts building-related testing, evaluation and review. The certification confirmed that, for a 12-metre steel column, the measurement accuracy of the column-top position falls within an error margin of 1mm.
Investors include Nikon, from which it was spun off, and a construction equipment leasing firm
According to the announcement, investors in its funding to date include Nikon, from which Cross Sector was spun off; venture capital firms such as Animal Spirits and Coral Capital; and SANSHINKIZAI, which leases and sells construction-related equipment.
Funds raised in the Series A round will be used primarily to increase sensor production.
Takashi Miyawaki, CEO of Cross Sector, commented: “We want to take the precision measurement technology we developed at Nikon across industry boundaries and use it to solve problems on site. That was the thinking behind founding Cross Sector.” He added: “Through ongoing dialogue with people working on site, we are automating measurement with Frame Finder and developing a mechanism that adjusts steel frames automatically.”
