Techsword
Tokyo, JP · 1 known investors
TechSword provides an AI platform that automates visual inspection for automotive manufacturing, detecting defects such as scratches, dents, and casting flaws in metal parts and counting parts to prevent missing or incorrect items. The system can trigger alerts via monitors or warning lights and automate rejection by integrating with PLCs.
Also known as TechSword · テックソード · 株式会社TechSword
Founders & leadership
Investors · 1
Company profile
researched Aug 2026株式会社TechSword (TechSword) is a Tokyo-based AI company that develops and sells visual inspection AI solutions for manufacturers. Its product, TechSword Vision, is a no-code platform that lets non-engineers develop, deploy, operate and retrain image-recognition models for appearance inspection. Users upload image data (the company recommends starting with roughly 100 images, e.g. scratch and dent defect photos), label and train a model on the platform, then install it onto an edge device with simple mouse operations to begin real-time inspection of camera feeds. Models can be retrained, and images the AI finds ambiguous are collected automatically to support continuous accuracy improvement.
The platform includes an image generation capability: from as few as one normal and one defective image, customers can build a company-specific generative model that produces large volumes of synthetic defect images for training, addressing the shortage of defect samples. Additional stated features include integration with shop-floor equipment such as monitors, warning lights (patlite) and PLCs, compact edge hardware requiring only a power connection, and the ability to combine quantitative conditions such as dimensions and position with AI judgement. TechSword also selects imaging equipment suited to the customer's inspection target and can introduce partner companies for equipment fabrication. The company positions its work around a mission of "democratizing AI" through no-code tooling and edge computing, citing high cost and talent shortages as barriers to AI adoption.
The product was renamed from "TechSword Platform" to "TechSword Vision" on 1 July 2024. Published use cases are grouped by industry, with dedicated material for the automotive and food sectors.
Founding story
Founder Keiki Nagashima (長島 慶樹), born 1998 in Yamaguchi Prefecture, graduated from the mechanical systems course of Okayama University's Faculty of Engineering, where his graduation research applied machine learning algorithms to control processes. Interested in both AI and business, he established 株式会社TechSword on 19 May 2021 while a graduate student, with the vision of "democratizing AI," and became representative director. The company is described in media coverage as an Okayama University-originated startup.
Business model
TechSword sells its no-code visual inspection AI platform, TechSword Vision, to manufacturers, combining platform software with edge devices installed on production lines. Pricing is not published; quotes are provided by sales representatives, and free and paid trials are offered. After-sales support covers accuracy improvement and troubleshooting, and the company selects imaging hardware for customers and refers partner firms for equipment fabrication.
Pricing is communicated by the sales team on a quotation basis rather than published; free and paid trials are available before adoption.
Traction
Named customer deployments include Yamaha Motor (gear inspection automation, June 2025) and an automotive tier-one parts supplier (image inspection AI research, March 2025); the website displays a partial logo list of adopting companies. The company reports approximately five members and lists eight open roles. Media exposure includes the Nihon Keizai Shimbun (January 2022), NewsPicks' "Make Money U-24" (December 2021) and a TV Tokyo-network program (March 2026).
Latest developments
In September 2025 the company launched a new "defect image generation AI" function for TechSword Vision. Earlier in 2025 it announced adoptions by Yamaha Motor for gear inspection automation (June) and by an automotive tier-one parts maker for image inspection AI research (March). In March 2026 a TechSword Vision use case was featured on a TV Tokyo-network television program, and the company continues to publish columns on AI inspection cost-effectiveness, multi-line rollout and production-line reliability.
▸Full profile — market position, technology, go-to-market, geography, history
Market position
A Japanese AI startup focused on manufacturing visual inspection, backed by named customer deployments including Yamaha Motor and an automotive tier-one parts maker, with coverage in the Nihon Keizai Shimbun and television media. It reports about five members on Wantedly and is hiring across AI, frontend, cloud, hardware/device, sales engineering, sales, marketing and corporate roles.
The company emphasizes fully no-code development-to-deployment so customers can internalize AI work, a built-in generative AI function that creates defect images from very few samples, plug-in-and-run palm-sized edge devices, connectivity with monitors, warning lights and PLCs, and the option to combine dimensional/positional rules with AI judgement. The company states that inexperienced users have achieved close to 100% accuracy with a few hundred images, depending on customer data.
Technology
No-code AI platform combined with edge computing. The company's recruiting materials cite image recognition models (CNNs) and image generation models (diffusion models) as the core of the product, NVIDIA Jetson edge devices and integration with factory equipment, and a stack including React, TypeScript, serverless, containers and PyTorch. Trained models are installed on compact edge hardware for real-time inference on camera video, with automatic collection of uncertain images and retraining workflows.
Go-to-market
Direct sales to manufacturers through document-request and inquiry forms on the corporate site, supported by trials, proof-of-concept engagements and consultation on labeling and development approach. Lead sources listed on the company's request form include exhibitions, referrals, web search, social/video platforms and seminars. The company also maintains a column/blog on AI inspection ROI and deployment issues and has appeared in national media, including the Nihon Keizai Shimbun and TV Tokyo programming.
Manufacturers running appearance/visual inspection on production lines, with published industry examples in the automotive sector (including a tier-one automotive parts maker and Yamaha Motor gear inspection) and the food industry. The platform is aimed at non-engineer users at these companies who lack programming or AI expertise.
Geography
Headquartered in Tokyo; the company site lists 7-15-7 Roppongi, Minato-ku (Shin-Roppongi Building, SENQ Roppongi 822), while its Wantedly profile lists 4-2-45 Roppongi, Minato-ku. Customers and media coverage cited are in Japan; the founder's university and early recognition are tied to Okayama and the Chugoku region.
History
Founded 19 May 2021 in Tokyo. In December 2021 the CEO appeared on NewsPicks' "Make Money U-24" program, and in January 2022 the company was covered by the Nihon Keizai Shimbun. It won the top prize in the Chugoku regional round of the Campus Venture Grand Prix and the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Award plus a Technology Award at the national level. Reiki Shirasawa joined as an AI engineer in February 2024 and became CTO in January 2025. The platform was renamed from TechSword Platform to TechSword Vision on 1 July 2024. In March 2025 an automotive tier-one parts maker adopted the no-code platform for image inspection AI research, and in June 2025 Yamaha Motor deployed it for gear inspection automation. In September 2025 the company launched a defect-image generation AI feature, and in March 2026 TechSword Vision was featured on a TV Tokyo-network program.
Compiled by commissioned research from 8 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Key figures
latest reportedCompany-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed — not independently audited.
Timeline · 10
launches, deals, and filingsA TechSword Vision deployment was featured on the TV Tokyo-network program "AKB48が突撃！お宅で1番のDXはなんですか？".
TechSword began offering a new generative AI function that creates defective-product images for training within its visual-inspection-focused no-code AI platform.
Yamaha Motor introduced TechSword's no-code AI platform to automate gear inspection.
A tier-one automotive parts manufacturer adopted TechSword's no-code AI platform for image inspection AI research.
The company's no-code visual inspection AI platform was renamed from "TechSword Platform" to "TechSword Vision" effective 1 July 2024.
Reiki Shirasawa, previously in production engineering at Yamaha Motor working on appearance and abnormal-noise inspection automation and motion recognition, joined TechSword as an AI engineer.
The Nikkei electronic edition covered the Okayama University-originated company and its simplified deployment of image recognition AI for detecting missing parts and defective products.
TechSword won the top prize in the Chugoku regional competition of the Campus Venture Grand Prix and received the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Award and a Technology Award at the national level.
CEO Keiki Nagashima appeared on the NewsPicks program "Make Money U-24"; his segment was also published on the Horiemon Channel.
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
▸Research sources · 8
primary sources listed
- Techswordtechsword.co.jp · web
8 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does Techsword do?
- TechSword is a Tokyo AI startup offering TechSword Vision, a no-code platform for building and running visual-inspection AI.
- Who are Techsword's investors?
- Techsword's investors include Colopl Next.
- Where is Techsword headquartered?
- Techsword is headquartered in Tokyo, JP.