What MIWA Akerun Technologies does

MIWA Akerun Technologies is a Japanese joint venture formed in January 2021 between Miwa Lock Co., Ltd. — holder of approximately 70% share of the Japanese residential lock market with 700 SD stores nationwide — and Photosynth Inc., the developer of the Akerun smart lock platform. The company commercializes smart keyless solutions purpose-built for the Japanese residential rental market, with its flagship offering being the Akerun.M Keyless Rental System. The platform combines IoT-enabled smart locks with a cloud-based management console to enable remote keyless tenant entry, centralized portfolio administration, and workflow integration with viewing reservation systems and delivery/courier networks.

The company serves B2B customers in the Japanese real estate sector — primarily property management companies and real estate developers managing rental portfolios. Named enterprise customers include Pregio Corporation, Haseko LiveNet (3,118 buildings, 118,200 units), Itandi, CIFO, Cosmo Suicia, and Sohgo Jyutaku. The business model is hybrid: upfront hardware sales of the smart-lock devices (including PiACK III PG and ND variants) combined with recurring annual subscription fees for the cloud management platform. The company operates from Tokyo and Osaka, with coverage extending into the Kansai region and Hokkaido (Sapporo), and integrates with partners including Itandi (viewing reservations) and Yamato Transport (digital key/delivery platform) to embed Akerun.M into the broader tenant lifecycle.

Name

MIWA Akerun Technologies

Legal name

株式会社MIWA Akerun Technologies

Website

https://miwa-akerun.tech

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Short description

MIWA Akerun Technologies is a 2021 joint venture between Miwa Lock and Photosynth that sells the Akerun.M Keyless Rental System — IoT smart locks plus a cloud management platform — to Japanese property management companies and rental developers, with notable deployments at Haseko LiveNet and Pregio.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Shiba

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Smart Lock Hardware Sales: Sale of physical smart lock devices (DTRSⅡSmart, PiACKⅡSmart) and common area readers to property owners and management companies. One-time hardware purchase.
2. Akerun.M Keyless Rental System Subscription: Subscription-based cloud service for key management. Contract period is typically 1 year with annual renewal. Pricing varies by plan. Cloud-based key management, digital key issuance, and access control capabilities.
3. Software/Platform Services: Digital key sharing, access log management, and integration with property management systems through cloud platform.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

MIWA Akerun Technologies designs, develops, and sells the Akerun.M Keyless Rental System for residential rental properties, combining Miwa Lock's durable smart lock hardware (DTRS II Smart, PiACK II/III series) with Photosynth's cloud-based key management platform. The system replaces physical keys with smartphone apps, IC cards, and PIN codes, enabling property managers to handle viewing access, tenant move-in/out, and maintenance staff entry without physical key handovers.

Product overview

MIWA Akerun Technologies offers a unified smart living platform for residential properties, anchored by the Akerun.M system. The core Akerun.Mキーレス賃貸システム (Keyless Rental System) manages the complete rental property lifecycle from viewing through move-in/out, replacing physical keys with digital alternatives. This system integrates with two primary smart lock hardware products—DTRSⅡSmart (hands-free/non-touch authentication) and PiACKⅡSmart (card/PIN hybrid)—both manufactured by Miwa Lock and supplemented by newer models including PiACK Ⅲ smart, PiACK Ⅲ PG, and PiACK Ⅲ ND. Residents and property managers use the Akerunアプリ (Akerun App) and Web管理システム (Web Management System) to control access. The platform extends to common areas (共用部), delivery boxes (宅配BOX), and elevators (エレベーター), providing end-to-end keyless access across residential buildings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Akerun.M: Keyless rental system for managing property viewings, move-ins, and move-outs using smart locks, cloud management, and digital keys (smartphone apps, IC cards, PIN codes)

Products and services

• Akerun.M Keyless Rental System (Akerun.Mキーレス賃貸システム) A comprehensive keyless rental property management system that replaces physical keys with smartphone apps, IC cards, and PIN codes for managing rental apartments across the full lifecycle from viewing through move-in/out. Combines Miwa Lock smart locks with the Photosynth cloud platform and is targeted at property management companies, real estate developers, and rental property owners.
• DTRS II Smart (Battery-powered Hands-Free Electric Thumbturn Smart Lock) Battery-powered hands-free electric thumbturn smart lock with Raccess and non-touch authentication. Compatible with 1-lock and 2-lock configurations; no door modification or wiring required. Rated for 100,000 operation cycles and IPX5 waterproof. Suitable for new construction, optional sales, rental, and retrofit properties.
• PiACK Smart Lock Series (PiACK II Smart and PiACK III variants including PG and ND models) Battery-powered electric thumbturn hybrid smart lock supporting both IC card and PIN code authentication. Available in PiACK II Smart, PiACK III smart, PiACK III PG (push-pull compatible post-installation), and PiACK III ND (surface-mounted) variants. Auto-locking feature available; no door modification or wiring required. Compatible with the Akerun.M Keyless Rental System.
• Common Area Entrance Reader (共用部リーダー) Combined PIN code and IC card reader for common areas in residential buildings. Features a reinforced glass capacitive touch panel for durability and scratch resistance, with a high waterproof rating suitable for outdoor installation.

Quantifiable outcome

• Significant reduction in travel time and costs for key management activities, especially for remote properties
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.

• Itandi (イタンジ株式会社)majorTechnology or Integration · 22 August 2024System integration with Itandi's viewing reservation system (内見予約くん). Real estate agents can automatically obtain unlock passcodes when making viewing reservations through ITANDI BB platform. Eliminates manual key handover coordination between property managers and agents.
• Yamato Transport (ヤマト運輸)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 March 2022Integration with Yamato Transport's Multi Digital Key Platform enables secure delivery access to apartment buildings. Delivery personnel can use one-time digital keys to enter building entrances for front-door delivery (置き配). Addresses the challenge of delivering to auto-locked apartment buildings without requiring resident presence.
• Photosynth (株式会社フォトシンス)coreTechnology or Integration · 30 September 2021Photosynth is the parent company providing cloud and IoT technology. Provides the Akerun app and cloud-based access management platform. Akerun.M leverages Photosynth's established cloud security technology that serves over 5,000 enterprise customers. The partnership combines Photosynth's software expertise with Miwa Lock's hardware quality.
• Miwa Lock (美和ロック株式会社)coreTechnology or Integration · 30 September 2021Miwa Lock is the parent company providing smart lock hardware. As Japan's largest building hardware manufacturer, Miwa Lock provides proven smart lock products with nationwide 700 SD store support network. Hardware includes DTRSⅡSmart and PiACKⅡSmart models with waterproof and durable specifications.
• Haseko LiveNet (株式会社長谷工ライブネット)majorOthersProperty management company that manages 3,118 buildings and 118,200 units (as of October 2023). First Haseko Group adoption of Akerun.M at three properties: Blanc Siesta Komagome, LiveCasa Nishi-dai, and LiveCasa Shiroishi.
• Pregio (株式会社プレジオ)majorOthersRental apartment developer adopting Akerun.M as standard equipment across PREGIO series. First adoption at PREGIO Mikuni EURO with 7 additional properties planned, totaling over 600 units.
• CIFO (シオフォ)minorOthersProperty management company adopting Akerun.M for nationwide managed properties. Also partnership for sales expansion of Akerun.M and smart locks through CIFO's network.
• Sohgo Jyutaku (相互住宅)minorOthersDaiichi Life Group real estate company. First adoption at Furenshia Okachimachi (86 units, December 2023 completion).

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• RemoteLock: Cloud-based access control platform for residential and vacation rental properties, integrating with multiple smart lock brands. Comparable as a smart-lock-agnostic property management access platform serving similar B2B customers (property managers, short-term rental operators).
• igloohome: Singapore-based smart lock company focused on short-term rental and property management access solutions (Airbnb, VRBO). Comparable as a cloud-managed smart lock provider serving property managers with PIN/app credentials, an adjacent use case to MIWA Akerun's rental management focus.
• Latch (now part of ASSA ABLOY): US-based smart building access company offering connected locks and access software for multifamily residential buildings. Comparable as a multifamily-focused smart access platform serving property managers, though primarily North America-focused.
• Candy House (SESAME): Japan-based smart lock retrofit company behind the SESAME line of residential smart locks. Directly comparable as a Japanese smart lock provider targeting residential and small property management use cases with smartphone-based keyless entry.

Regional players

• Nuki Home Solutions: European smart lock provider offering retrofit smart locks with app-based access management, primarily serving the European residential market. Comparable product category (connected smart lock + cloud credentials), though geographic focus differs from MIWA Akerun's Japan-centric approach.
• Bitkey: Japan-focused smart lock and home IoT provider serving residential and rental markets. Comparable as a domestic competitor in the Japanese smart lock category targeting similar property management use cases.

Others

• Itandi: Japanese proptech SaaS company with 3,795 customer companies and 3.98B yen ARR, providing rental contract and viewing reservation platforms. Integration partner with comparable B2B property-management customer base, though not a direct smart lock competitor; relevant as ecosystem peer driving adoption.

Direct peers

• Miwa Lock Co., Ltd. Co-parent of MIWA Akerun Technologies and Japan's largest building hardware manufacturer, with products in ~70% of Japanese residential buildings. Direct peer in the smart lock hardware category, sharing the same smart lock product family (PiACK, DTRS) that MIWA Akerun.M distributes.
• Photosynth: Parent of MIWA Akerun Technologies and operator of the Akerun cloud platform serving 5,000+ enterprise customers. Directly comparable as a cloud-based smart access management provider; MIWA Akerun's Akerun.M system is essentially the residential rental vertical of Photosynth's Akerun technology.

Broad incumbents

• ASSA ABLOY (Yale/ASSA ABLOY Japan): Global leader in locks and access control with smart lock brands including Yale and August. Broad incumbent offering residential and commercial digital access solutions; comparable as a competitive smart lock/access control vendor targeting property managers and developers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

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 MIWA Akerun Technologies