Sparkle and Inc. develops various virtual space-based services and apps with the vision of resolving existing social issues through apps. Ayano Ikakura, the CEO of Sparkle and Inc., believes that virtual space is an environment that allows for personal expression without users being held back by age, gender, or lookism. We asked about her story and her outlook.
What is a generative AI-based chat app like?
With our chat app, “Posi-ko No Heya (Posi-ko’s Room)” or the English version “Positive Chat,” when a user texts about their feelings of alienation or ambivalent emotions, the in-app character Posi-ko (or Britney in the English app) responds in a positive manner. Users can be honest, especially since they know that they are chatting with an AI character. In the prompts within the code, we included the direction that the responses should be “positive, supportive context in the speaking tone of a young, supportive, and friendly woman.”
With Sparkle and’s AI-based chat apps, text about your hobbies or problems and the in-app characters will reply with a positive and uplifting message.
The COVID outbreak brought on the development of this app. I started college in 2020, but there were no college entrance ceremonies that typically take place, and most classes were conducted online. Many students suffered from depression or anxiety symptoms. I wanted to help them feel better, so I began to work on this app. The LINE version was released in 2022, and in 2023, it became an iOS app.
Users have told us that the chat app lifted a weight off their minds or that they spoke to Posi-ko or Britney on days when they had no one to talk to.
Please share your other services and what the future holds.
We are currently focusing on educational apps. Our AI Explainer Series covers science and math subjects. Users take a photo of the physics or math problem they are grappling with and receive an AI-based explanation from the app. The story behind this app is that I also struggled with science and math subjects throughout middle and high school, but my family couldn’t afford extra tutoring. Studying these subjects was tough. App users tell us that the explanations and commentaries are thorough, and the camera quality for character and image recognition is top-notch. We charge a monthly fee of 800 yen, which is much more reasonable than tutoring classes and cram schools.
That feeling when looking up answers in the back of textbooks doesn’t help because you still don’t know how to solve the problem. Send a photo of the baffling problem, and the AI Explainer App will provide a detailed explanation.
Our Problem Maker Series, on the other hand, will develop as many required problems as necessary. The user only needs to specify the subject, difficulty level, problem format, and quantity. This app was developed based on feedback from middle and high school students who wanted to tackle more problems in their weaker subjects. It also has save-to-PDF and print functions, which is why school teachers and tutors also choose this app. The Problem Maker Series is now available in math, English, and chemistry, and we have plans for more subjects.
Beyond the Problem Maker Series, Sparkle and Inc. offers other apps that support self-studying, such as learning Japanese literature through quiz games.
What motivates us to develop our services is the shared desire of both myself and those around me: “I wish things could be better.” It is a common yearning that resonates around the world. Today, with Positive Chat, the English version of Posi-ko’s Room, we have many non-Japanese users. Our educational apps are popular in Europe, and we will be expanding into multiple languages. From June 10th to the 16th of 2025, we will be exhibiting at the Osaka Healthcare Pavilion in Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan. We want to keep our ears to the ground, developing business ideas to make society easier for more people to live.
Please tell us how you started up your company.
Since middle school, I have been interested in starting my own business. This is why I attended Kindai University, which is known for its efforts in preparing entrepreneurs. In my sophomore year, I participated in Kindai University’s student entrepreneur development program, OKonomi（The program has since evolved into a different project). In my junior year, I made it through the final round of the Acceleration Program. I received funding support, allowing me to start up a virtual space-based business, a field I was always interested in.
I named the company Sparkle and, hoping to capture our dream of “May a joyous and bright future continue for all.”
A screenshot of OIH’s online workshop, “Make Your Idea Heard Around the World! Pitch the Silicon Valley Way,” from March 2022, which Ayano Ikakura attended as the youngest participant. Through this experience, she says she learned about having a global perspective, how to compile a pitch deck, and other aspects from mentors who are successful in Silicon Valley.
Interview Date: April 28, 2025
Interviewed and written by Aya Iwamura