SPACER, a Japanese startup that develops and operates “smart lockers,” announced on December 25 that it had secured ¥350 million (approximately $2 million) in a Series B extension round. This brings the company’s total Series B funding to approximately ¥1 billion (around $6 million).
Founded in 2016, SPACER provides luggage lockers that can be unlocked under specific conditions—such as via smartphone—through collaborations with transportation companies.
What are smart lockers?
In the past, luggage lockers were widely installed at airports, train stations, and tourist destinations around the world. However, following the September 11 terrorist attacks, installation sites were reduced across Europe and the United States. By contrast, East Asia, including Japan, faces a relatively lower risk of terrorism compared with Western countries, and luggage lockers can be found in a wide variety of locations in urban areas and tourist destinations.
In Japan, where luggage lockers are widely used, SPACER’s mission is “to open doors that have never been opened.” This does not simply mean storing luggage for a single person, but rather proposing new ways of use, such as sharing digital keys with family members or friends via smartphones.
In 2018, SPACER introduced its smart locker product, also named “SPACER,” in Tokyo, enabling smartphones to be used as digital keys. The company has also released lockers that enable customers to receive products purchased from specific stores within large commercial facilities, as well as lockers that unlock only after airline maintenance engineers pass an alcohol breath test.
VC and Saitama-based financial institution funds invest
The Series B extension round was joined by strategic investor FUJIOH and venture capital firm MIRAIDOOR.
FUJIOH is a Japanese manufacturer of residential and kitchen equipment, primarily known for range hoods. The company will collaborate with SPACER on manufacturing and work to establish a system for mass production.
The other investor, MIRAIDOOR, is a Tokyo-based venture capital firm that has established the Saitama Shibusawa MIX Innovation Creation Support Fund together with financial institutions in Saitama Prefecture. SPACER received funding from this fund.
The capital will be used for joint development and mass production with FUJIOH, a demonstration experiment that utilizes smart lockers at Tokorozawa Station on the Seibu Railway line as a logistics hub, and improvements to UI and UX. Tokorozawa Station is located in Saitama Prefecture, and this initiative led to the investment from the Saitama Shibusawa MIX Innovation Creation Support Fund.
Daisuke Tokunaga, President of SPACER, explained that the initiative at Tokorozawa Station aims to establish smart lockers as social infrastructure. He commented, “By further expanding installation locations, we aim to serve as a hub for handing over packages from person to person, such as relay deliveries, and to create a world in which all kinds of goods can be delivered on the same day.”
