Shiseido Americas Acquires Giaran, Inc.
2017年11月8日 - 2:30AM
ビジネスワイヤ(英語)
- Acquisition Brings Award Winning AI
Technologies and Expertise in Individualized Beauty
Customization
- Advanced Data Analysis and Prediction
Capabilities to Further Enhance Shiseido’s Consumer Insights and
Engagement
Shiseido Americas Corporation (“Shiseido Americas”), a
subsidiary of Shiseido Company, Limited (Tokyo Stock Exchange,
First Section:4911), a leading global cosmetics company, today
announced it has acquired Giaran, Inc. (“Giaran”), an award
winning, data driven company with leading technology in artificial
intelligence (AI) platforms, to transform the consumer experience
and take personalized beauty to the next level. Terms of the
transaction were not disclosed.
Founded in 2016 as a spinoff from Northeastern University’s
Synergetic Media Learning Laboratory by scientist and
world-renowned AI expert Raymond Fu, Giaran is powered by AI
technology, such as computer vision, big data, and augmented
reality, and creates novel algorithms of deep learning, data
mining, and predictive modeling. Current technology within Giaran
includes Makeup Virtual Try On, Tutorials, Color Matching,
Personalized Recommendations, Makeup Removal, Face Tracking, and
Skin Tone Detection. The technology can be used across mobile,
tablet and desktop as well as through a smart mirror powered by
full HD augmented reality.
Giaran will remain based in Boston, Massachusetts and will
become part of Shiseido’s Makeup Center of Excellence, where it
will work closely with Shiseido’s Global Digital Center of
Excellence (based in New York) and its global technology team in
Tokyo, in order to enhance and support the continued development of
Giaran’s technology. The company will operate in sync with and
supplement MATCHCo, a beauty personalization startup acquired by
Shiseido Americas in early 2017, and the Americas Innovation
Center, Shiseido’s research and development facility based in East
Windsor, New Jersey. Giaran will leverage its simulation technology
across Shiseido’s portfolio and further expand Shiseido’s
capabilities in beauty customization, all with the goal of driving
consumer engagement and providing an unmatched consumer
experience.
Masahiko Uotani, President and Group CEO of Shiseido Company,
Limited, said, “Since our founding in 1872, Shiseido has been
dedicated to remaining at the forefront of Beauty. Through Giaran’s
leading AI technology and our global innovation network, we’re
continuing our journey of transforming how people discover and fall
in love with products, creating deeply personal connections between
our brands and consumers, and building a path to growth with
consumers at the center.”
Marc Rey, President & CEO of Shiseido Americas, said,
“Raymond and the Giaran team have created truly novel AI
technologies for cosmetic applications, and we are thrilled to
welcome them to the Shiseido family. Building on our acquisition of
MATCHCo earlier this year, Giaran will provide Shiseido with
immediate expertise and advanced technologies to further expand our
digital capabilities, while also allowing for greater consumer
intimacy through personalized offerings and enhanced user
experiences. We share Giaran’s philosophy that digital is a mindset
rather than a tool, and we look forward to bringing more disruptive
innovation to reinvent the beauty industry business model.”
Raymond Fu, Founder and President of Giaran, Inc., and a
professor at Northeastern University, said, “This is an extremely
exciting move for Giaran at a pivotal moment in Beauty. Shiseido
shares our belief that in today’s fast-changing market, continuous
evolution of product and consumer-centric innovation are key to
deepening relationships with consumers and finding new fans.
Incubated from an excellent research laboratory at Northeastern
University, Giaran has great respect and admiration for Shiseido’s
long-held commitment to science and innovation. We are very pleased
to be joining such a passionate, talented and creative group of
people to shape Shiseido's technological revolution and the future
of Beauty.”
About Shiseido Americas
Shiseido Americas Corporation is a subsidiary of Tokyo-based
Shiseido Company, Limited (TSE:4911), a leading global beauty
company. Shiseido Americas’ portfolio of prestige beauty brands
includes Shiseido, NARS, Clé de Peau Beauté, bareMinerals, Laura
Mercier and several prestige fragrance brands including Issey
Miyake, Narciso Rodriguez and Dolce & Gabbana. Shiseido
Americas is headquartered in New York City and employs more than
5,000 individuals in the United States, Canada, and throughout
Latin America. In early 2017, Shiseido Americas acquired MATCHCo, a
technology company and JWALK, a creative agency.
About Raymond Fu
Raymond Fu received a Ph.D. degree in Electrical and Computer
Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He
is a successful serial entrepreneur and tenured professor of
Northeastern University at Boston, affiliated with both College of
Engineering and College of Computer and Information Science. He is
a Fellow of the International Association for Pattern Recognition,
Member of ACM Future of Computing Academy, and has published over
300 publications with citation over 7500 times. He is recipient of
numerous international awards and honors, including 9 best paper
awards and 9 prestigious young investigator and early career awards
from international societies, national academy, and major
government agencies, for his outstanding record of academic and
industrial achievements, and long-term high-impact contributions to
the fields of pattern recognition, data mining, machine learning
and visual intelligence.
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version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20171107006109/en/
Media:Shiseido AmericasJadzia Zielinski Tirsch,
+1-212-805-2357SVP, Corporate
Communicationsjtirsch@sac.shiseido.com