What Mindus does

SAND-X Corp. (formerly 株式会社MINDUS / Mindus Co., Ltd., founded 2023 in Tokyo) operates a real-time subsurface monitoring platform that mass-deploys ultra-compact IoT devices underground to continuously measure ground displacement, vibration, and water content. The platform is positioned to support preventive maintenance of aging infrastructure and is targeted at railway, electric power, and highway infrastructure operators in Japan, addressing rising disaster risk and a structural shortage of inspection personnel that limits conventional manual inspection approaches.

The company runs two business lines. The core is the SAND-X underground sensing product, which the firm describes as a novel architecture for wide-area, continuous underground visualization. The second is a BtoB consulting arm specializing in payment solutions and new business ventures, supporting client decision-making under regulatory and risk constraints. Revenue mechanics are split between subscription/recurring fees for the sensing platform and professional-services fees for consulting, with no public pricing disclosed; the enterprise/infrastructure focus implies contract-based pricing.

The company is privately held with no disclosed funding rounds, headcount, institutional investors, or named enterprise customers. Distribution is a direct enterprise field-sales model. In 2025 the firm discontinued its prior MakeFamily consumer brand, in February 2026 it launched the SAND-X sensing project, and in April 2026 it rebranded from Mindus to SAND-X to align the corporate identity with the sensing business, signaling a strategic pivot toward subsurface network technology.

Name

Mindus

Legal name

SAND-X株式会社 (SAND-X Corp.)

Website

https://mindus.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

2023

Operating status

Operating

Short description

SAND-X Corp. (formerly Mindus), founded 2023 in Tokyo, operates a subsurface monitoring platform using mass-deployed ultra-compact IoT devices for railway, power, and highway infrastructure operators, alongside a B2B consulting arm focused on payment solutions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Subsurface Infrastructure Monitoring

NAICS

Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (54169)

SIC

Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control (3823)

akta.pro primary industry

Remote Operations, Control Room & Digital O&M (Monitoring, Diagnostics) (EUAEAGAM)

Keywords

• Subsurface IoT monitoring
• Infrastructure preventive maintenance
• Underground sensing platform
• Payment business consulting
• Enterprise B2B consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Underground Sensing Services: IoT-based subsurface monitoring platform providing real-time underground asset data to infrastructure operators for preventive maintenance applications.
2. Consulting Services: BtoB consulting specializing in payment systems and new business development, supporting client decision-making with regulatory and risk considerations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Mindus (now SAND-X Corp.) provides a subsurface real-time monitoring platform that mass-deploys proprietary ultra-compact IoT devices underground to continuously measure ground displacement, vibration, and water content, supporting preventive maintenance of railway, power, and highway infrastructure. Alongside this, the company offers B2B consulting services focused on payment solutions and new business development, helping clients make decisions while accounting for regulation and risk.

Product overview

SAND-X Corp. operates two distinct business lines: (1) SAND-X Underground Sensing — a real-time subsurface monitoring platform that deploys ultra-compact IoT devices underground at scale to measure ground displacement, vibration, and water content, supporting preventive infrastructure maintenance for railways, power, and highways; and (2) Consulting — BtoB consulting services specializing in payment solutions and new business ventures. Prior to the April 2026 rebrand from Mindus to SAND-X, the company had operated a MakeFamily consumer brand, which was terminated on June 30, 2025.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• SAND-X (地下センシング事業 / Underground Sensing) A subsurface real-time monitoring platform that deploys large numbers of proprietary ultra-compact IoT devices underground to continuously measure ground displacement, vibration, and water content. Designed for infrastructure operators (railway, power, and highway) that need continuous, wide-area underground visibility to support preventive maintenance and reduce reliance on manual inspection.
• コンサルティング事業 (Consulting) BtoB consulting services specializing in payment solutions and new business development, supporting client decision-making while accounting for regulations and risk. Targeted at enterprise clients seeking payment-system expertise and new-venture advisory.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Konux: Munich-based IoT company that monitors railway infrastructure (switches, tracks) using sensors and AI. Highly comparable target customer (railway operators), sensor-based business model, and preventive maintenance value proposition — same niche as SAND-X's primary segment.
• Senceive: UK-based provider of wireless structural and geotechnical monitoring sensors for rail, construction, and infrastructure. Directly comparable sensor hardware + monitoring platform addressing the same preventive-maintenance use cases for rail/highway operators.
• Worldsensing: Barcelona-based IoT company that provides wireless monitoring solutions for infrastructure (rail, construction, mining). Closest direct comparable to SAND-X's underground IoT sensing platform serving railway and infrastructure operators with preventive maintenance use cases.
• Augury: Industrial IoT sensor and AI platform for machine health monitoring across manufacturing and infrastructure. Comparable IoT hardware + subscription platform business model, though Augury focuses more on rotating equipment than subsurface conditions.
• Sixense (Vinci Group): Engineering group specialized in infrastructure and environmental monitoring (geotechnical, structural, vibration) using embedded sensors. Directly comparable in subsurface/infrastructure sensor deployment and data services for civil engineering and rail clients.

Broad incumbents

• Bentley Systems: Established infrastructure engineering software platform with asset performance and structural monitoring offerings (e.g., iTwin). Serves the same railway, highway, and utility customers that SAND-X targets, but as part of a much broader portfolio rather than a dedicated subsurface sensing specialist.
• Trimble: Large geospatial and infrastructure monitoring technology provider with sensor, software, and analytics offerings for construction, rail, and utilities. Overlaps with SAND-X in monitoring infrastructure condition, though Trimble's portfolio is far broader and its sensors are typically above-ground.
• Hitachi Rail: Major incumbent railway systems and services provider serving Japanese and global rail operators. As a customer or potential competitor, Hitachi Rail has the scale, relationships, and integrated sensing portfolios that SAND-X must compete against for rail infrastructure monitoring budgets.
• Hexagon AB: Global provider of geospatial and industrial measurement solutions (including Leica Geosystems) with monitoring offerings for infrastructure, mining, and utilities. Comparable measurement-based infrastructure monitoring capabilities, but Hexagon operates as a diversified industrial technology conglomerate.

Emerging players

• Akselos: Digital twin and structural health monitoring provider for critical infrastructure (oil & gas, power, civil). Comparable in targeting infrastructure operators with continuous monitoring solutions, though Akselos focuses on physics-based simulation rather than dense IoT sensor deployment.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Mindus