VACAN
VACAN (バカン) is a Tokyo-based AI/IoT software company founded in 2016 that provides a real-time vacancy and congestion detection platform for government municipalities, commercial facilities, hotels, and event venues across more than 20,000 deployment locations in Japan.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2016
- HeadquartersTokyo, Japan
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingSoftware
What VACAN does
VACAN Inc. (バカン) is a Tokyo-based AI and IoT software company founded in June 2016 that operates a real-time vacancy and congestion information platform under the proprietary vCore™ framework. The platform integrates IoT sensors, AI cameras (VACAN AIS), and cloud-based data processing to detect and visualize occupancy status across restaurants, commercial facilities, hotels, toilets, event venues, evacuation shelters, and polling stations, then delivers results via maps (VACAN Maps), digital signage, and partner applications. The company has built deployments at more than 20,000 locations and supplies digital evacuation management systems to over 300 Japanese municipalities, with notable integrations including My Number card authentication, NTT Data's D-Resili coordination platform, and partnerships with JR East, Nankai Electric Railway, Kintetsu, and Accor Japan.
VACAN monetizes through five distinct streams: subscription fees for the core platform and AI camera services, government subscriptions for evacuation management systems, hardware sales of IoT sensors and cameras, professional services for enterprise deployment, and advertising revenue through the UNVEIL/AirKnock Ads toilet in-door digital signage network spanning approximately 6,250 screens nationwide, distributed via the LIVE BOARD marketplace. The company holds more than 50 patents protecting its vacancy-detection and AI/IoT integration methods. In January 2026, VACAN established the wholly-owned subsidiary VACAN Technologies to commercialize generative AI transformation services, Enterprise DX consulting, and a Startup Studio, leveraging the parent company's deployment foundation.
The company's go-to-market combines direct enterprise sales to government municipalities and large commercial operators with self-service consumer access through the no-download VACAN Maps application. It has received recognition including J-Startup 2019 (METI), EY Innovative Startup 2020, iF DESIGN AWARD 2023, GOOD DESIGN AWARD 2021, JTA Toilet Award 2025, and Toyo Keizai's Sugoi Venture 100 (2025). Operating geographies are primarily domestic Japan with exploratory international presence via a Shanghai subsidiary (2019) and a Taiwan technology partnership (2020).
VACAN firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- VACAN
- Legal name
- 株式会社バカン
- Website
- https://corp.vacan.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2016
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- VACAN (バカン) is a Tokyo-based AI/IoT software company founded in 2016 that provides a real-time vacancy and congestion detection platform for government municipalities, commercial facilities, hotels, and event venues across more than 20,000 deployment locations in Japan.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
VACAN industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Smart Space Management / Crowd Analytics Platform
- NAICS
- Facilities Support Services (561210)
- SIC
- Auto Controls For Regulating Residential & Comml Environments (3822)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Occupancy, Space Utilization & Workplace Experience (HSAPAPAG)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Parking Guidance, Wayfinding & Occupancy Management (Sensors, Signage) (BPABAKAH)
Keywords
Where VACAN is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Tokyo
- HQ country
- Japan
- HQ region
- Asia
Offices3 records
Markets served
VACAN business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Platform Services (Congestion Visualization): Subscription-based or usage-based fees for access to the VACAN platform providing real-time congestion information for facilities, venues, and public spaces. Services include VACAN AIS (AI cameras), VACAN Maps, and facility management dashboards.
- Evacuation Center Management System: Government-focused subscription services for disaster prevention platforms including evacuee registration, congestion monitoring, and administrative management for municipalities.
- AirKnock Advertising (UNVEIL): Toilet advertising media generating revenue through targeted ad placements displayed on in-stall screens. The AirKnock Ads network spans approximately 6,250 screens nationwide in offices and commercial facilities.
- Hardware Sales (IoT Sensors): Sale of IoT devices including occupancy sensors, AI cameras, and button-type devices for congestion detection. Initial setup fees and ongoing maintenance for physical infrastructure.
- Professional Services: Implementation support, consulting, and customization services for enterprise clients deploying the platform across multiple facilities or locations.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Monthly | Basic Free Tier - Limited features for small venues |
| Subscription | Monthly | Enterprise/Government - Custom deployment |
| Subscription | Monthly | VACAN for Hotel - Hotel facility package |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
VACAN product offering
Product offeringCore offering
VACAN provides an AI and IoT-based real-time vacancy and congestion visualization platform that detects occupancy across restaurants, hotels, commercial facilities, public spaces, evacuation shelters, voting stations, and tourist sites, then delivers the information through maps, digital signage, and mobile applications. The platform is supported by IoT occupancy sensors, AI cameras using computer vision, and a vCore™ AI engine, and is sold primarily to government municipalities and large commercial enterprises on a subscription basis, with a free consumer-facing maps application for end users.
Product overview
VACAN is an AI-powered crowd/space management platform organized around a core vacancy detection engine (vCore™) with multiple product lines: the flagship VACAN platform itself (covering restaurants, cafes, hotels, toilets, events, and government facilities) is augmented by specialized sub-products including VACAN AIS (AI camera-based detection), VACAN Maps (map-based visualization), VACAN Throne & AirKnock (toilet vacancy/inhibition), AirKnock Ads/UNVEIL (toilet in-door advertising), VACAN Qticket (queue management), VACAN AutoKeep (last-minute seat booking), and the Evacuee Management System (disaster shelter数字化). Citizen-facing and government-facing modules include tami tami (municipal services app) and Anpi Care (home-care safety confirmation). The subsidiary VACAN Technologies offers enterprise AI transformation services. The portfolio spans consumer-facing vacancy maps, B2B operational tools, government disaster-response systems, and OOH advertising media, unified by shared AI/IoT detection technology and a common data platform.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- VACAN Technologies: AIトランスフォーメーションに特化した子会社。戦略~実装~内製化を最速で実現するテクノロジー伴走ファーム。生成AIの社内利用促進からEnterprise DX、Startup Studioまで3つのサービスモデルを提供。
- VACAN AIS
- VACAN Maps
- VACAN Qticket
- VACAN AutoKeep
- tami tami
- AirKnock
- UNVEIL
- noma
- Anpi Care
Products and services
- VACAN (core platform) AI-powered real-time vacancy and congestion detection and delivery platform using IoT sensors, AI cameras, and button devices to detect occupancy across restaurants, cafes, toilets, hotels, event venues, evacuation shelters, and polling stations, delivering real-time status via maps, digital signage, and smartphone apps for enterprise facility operators.
- VACAN AIS AI camera-based congestion detection product that automatically determines real-time occupancy status from live camera feeds using computer vision, applied at parking lots, roads, tourist sites, stations, and commercial facilities with no changes to existing facility operations.
- VACAN Maps Map-based real-time congestion visualization service displaying vacancy/occupancy status of nearby facilities on an interactive map, accessible via smartphone or PC without app download or registration, covering restaurants, evacuation shelters, polling stations, and tourist sites.
- VACAN Throne & AirKnock Toilet vacancy visualization and long-stay inhibition service using sensors to detect stall occupancy and usage duration in real time, displaying waiting information on in-stall monitors and reducing extended occupancy incidents by showing other stall availability and usage timers.
- AirKnock Ads (UNVEIL) Gender-targetable toilet in-door digital signage advertising service delivering video ads on 10-inch tablets inside toilet stalls; ad length adjusts automatically based on facility congestion levels; ~6,250 screens nationwide integrated with LIVE BOARD Marketplace.
- VACAN Qticket Digital queue ticketing and waiting management system that issues paper tickets via in-store tablet, links QR code to contact registration for smartphone notifications when turn approaches, eliminating need to stand in line; deployed at JR Midori no Madoguchi (23 locations) and commercial facilities.
- VACAN AutoKeep
Quantifiable outcome
- Up to 97% reduction in evacuation registration processing time (from 68 seconds to 2 seconds per person)
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use VACAN
Customer profileNamed customers11 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles6 records
VACAN technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration5 records
AI capability8 records
Feature6 records
VACAN partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- VACAN TechnologiescoreAI transformation subsidiary established January 7, 2026, specializing in AI implementation, enterprise DX projects, and startup studio services. Leverages VACAN's 20,000+ deployment foundation and vCore™ technology platform. Located at Tokyo HQ address.
- DMM.com (合同会社)minorPartnership with DMM Local Creation initiative for Kawazu Sakura Festival parking congestion visualization. DMM dispatched employee to Kawazu Town as Regional Revitalization Ambassador.
- KDDI / NTT Docomo BusinesscorePartnership as part of Ishikawa 'Okunoto Digital Region Project' for implementing evacuee management systems in 4 municipalities (Wajima, Suzu, Anamizu, Noto) following Noto Peninsula Earthquake.
- 吹田市 (Suita City)coreMunicipal partnership for disaster response DX. Agreement signed August 2025 to provide evacuee management system, real-time visualization, and support for rapid disaster response.
- ITFOR (アイティフォー)minorPartnership for road congestion visualization in northern Okinawa areas. ITFOR received commissioned work from Okinawa JTB for overtourism mitigation project, with VACAN providing AI camera-based congestion detection.
- unerryminorCollaboration for Chofu Fireworks event providing restaurant congestion visualization for 32 nearby restaurants. Part of Tokyo Smart Service Implementation Project 'Be Smart Tokyo'.
- NTT DatacoreNTT Data's D-Resili coordination platform integrated VACAN's evacuation shelter information, enabling shelter status visibility within the broader disaster response infrastructure.
- Tokyo Inc. (株式会社東京)minorOffice OOH partnership combining AirKnock Ads toilet advertising with Tokyo Inc.'s elevator advertising (Tokyo Erievi GO, Erecinema) for comprehensive office worker targeting.
- LIVE BOARDcoreDistribution partnership for AirKnock Ads toilet advertising inventory through LIVE BOARD marketplace. Approximately 6,250 toilet screens nationwide, with initial 600 screens in Tokyo metro area available November 2022.
- Tokyo Tateho (東京建物)coreJoint development of AirKnock Ads toilet advertising system with Nakano Central Park South office building. First commercial implementation targeting fall 2020 launch.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves10 records
Expansion highlights6 records
VACAN competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Waitwhile: Waitwhile is a queue and waitlist management platform enabling digital queues, appointment scheduling, and virtual waitlists. Directly comparable to VACAN Qticket across retail, hospitality, and public service use cases.
- Qminder: Qminder provides queue management and customer journey analytics for retail, healthcare, and public sector. Closely comparable to VACAN Qticket, including multilingual support and digital signage integration for waiting areas.
- Density: Density provides AI-powered real-time occupancy analytics for offices and buildings using depth sensors and computer vision. It is the closest direct US peer to VACAN's core occupancy-detection platform and shares the same fundamental use cases (workplace, restroom, building-wide occupancy).
- VergeSense: VergeSense offers workplace occupancy sensor and analytics platform combining IoT sensors with AI to optimize space utilization across enterprise offices. Directly comparable to VACAN's commercial facility and office building offerings (Throne, AirKnock).
- Infogrid: Infogrid provides AI-powered smart building sensors and analytics combining occupancy, air quality, and energy monitoring. Overlaps with VACAN's facilities support, restroom monitoring, and predictive maintenance use cases (e.g., JR West toilet cleaning management).
Broad incumbents
- Cisco Spaces (formerly Cisco DNA Spaces): Cisco Spaces is a smart building and location analytics platform from networking incumbent Cisco, providing occupancy analytics, wayfinding, and IoT integration across enterprise real estate. Broader portfolio than VACAN but overlapping workspace utilization and IoT sensor functionality.
- Honeywell Building Technologies: Honeywell's building automation division offers BMS, occupancy-based HVAC control, and digital workplace solutions. Overlaps with VACAN's commercial environment controls and auto-regulation of building environments but as part of a much broader industrial portfolio.
- Johnson Controls (OpenBlue): Johnson Controls' OpenBlue platform combines building automation, occupancy analytics, and digital twin technology for commercial real estate. Comparable incumbent in the building controls and space optimization space, with deeper hardware integration.
- Hitachi (Lumada): Hitachi's Lumada platform provides industrial IoT, smart city, and public sector digital transformation solutions including transportation, disaster prevention, and building analytics. A major Japanese incumbent whose smart city and public sector DX offerings compete with or partner alongside VACAN's municipal evacuation and transportation use cases.
Regional players
- OPTiM (Optim Corporation): OPTiM is a Japanese AI/IoT/RPA SaaS company offering remote management, AI support, and DX platforms to enterprise and government. Comparable to VACAN in Japanese market positioning, AI/IoT capabilities, and government/enterprise GTM, though less specialized in occupancy detection.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
VACAN social profiles
Digital presenceVACAN compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
VACAN financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
VACAN leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
VACAN subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
VACAN funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds3 records
Investors7 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
VACAN M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about VACAN
What does VACAN do?
VACAN provides an AI and IoT-based real-time vacancy and congestion visualization platform that detects occupancy across restaurants, hotels, commercial facilities, public spaces, evacuation shelters, voting stations, and tourist sites, then delivers the information through maps, digital signage, and mobile applications. The platform is supported by IoT occupancy sensors, AI cameras using computer vision, and a vCore™ AI engine, and is sold primarily to government municipalities and large commercial enterprises on a subscription basis, with a free consumer-facing maps application for end users.
Is VACAN a public or private company?
VACAN is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was VACAN founded?
VACAN was founded in 2016. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is VACAN based?
VACAN is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, in the Asia region.
How does VACAN make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Platform Services (Congestion Visualization) is the primary driver. The others are evacuation Center Management System, airKnock Advertising (UNVEIL), hardware Sales (IoT Sensors) and professional Services.
Who are VACAN's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Waitwhile, Qminder, Density, VergeSense and Infogrid. Broad incumbents are Cisco Spaces (formerly Cisco DNA Spaces), Honeywell Building Technologies, Johnson Controls (OpenBlue) and Hitachi (Lumada). OPTiM (Optim Corporation) is listed as a regional player.
Does VACAN have an API?
No public API is recorded for VACAN.
What industry is VACAN in?
VACAN's product category is Smart Space Management / Crowd Analytics Platform. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HSAPAPAG, Occupancy, Space Utilization & Workplace Experience, with a secondary code of BPABAKAH, Parking Guidance, Wayfinding & Occupancy Management (Sensors, Signage). Its NAICS code is 561210 and its SIC code is 3822.