Japanese analytics startup bets on India's developer ecosystem
New Delhi, June 10
The real test for artificial intelligence in 2026 isn't adoption, it's systemisation. Suguru Kawashima, CFO and Head of Global Business, Findy Inc, Japan, argued that individual engineers are already using AI for efficiency gains, but organisations still lack the data and feedback loops to turn those gains into measurable business impact.
The next phase will focus on "kaizen for AI", he said, which will include collecting developer data, identifying bottlenecks, and running continuous retrospectives to scale productivity across teams. For global expansion, India is becoming the proving ground, with its software talent density and diverse tech hubs forcing product localisation that can then travel worldwide.
Suguru, invited by JETRO and working for a Tokyo-headquartered Japanese company, will speak at an event today on "how to shift from AI to real business impact." His firm provides analytics tools that measure AI developer productivity. "Everyone now they're getting a standard to use AI. But individually, it's getting more efficient. But think about the organisation level. The systemisation is needed," he said.
The company's approach is data-driven retrospectives -- the Japanese "kaizen" method applied to engineering teams -- to collect metrics, spot friction points, and improve workflows in the AI era.
He moved to Bengaluru two years ago because India is "the technology centre in the world." Clients like Sony and Toyota already run development teams here, making it essential to understand the ecosystem to serve both Japanese and global markets. That shift also exposed localisation challenges. "Even though our product is fit for the Japanese market, it's not a case to also adapt to the Indian market as well. Also, speaking about the Indian market, there's a difference between Delhi, Gurugram, Bangalore, Hyderabad, and Mumbai," he noted. The struggle now is understanding Indian tech leadership needs and adapting the product accordingly.
Comparing Japan to India, Suguru said Japan leads in hardware manufacturing, but India is more advanced in software engineering. "I feel that Japan has to become a better partner with India and to the global market together." As a startup, his goal is to collaborate with Indian companies and talent, combine Japan's manufacturing strengths with India's software capabilities, and build products for global demand.
His session will focus on turning engineering data into organisational insight -- the next step if AI is to deliver impact beyond individual efficiency.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Interesting how they're trying to systemise something as fluid as developer productivity. In my experience at a mid-size company, we tried data-driven retrospectives but it just became another meeting. The real bottleneck is often management not the tools. That said, if they can actually measure and improve AI efficiency at scale, it could be a game-changer for IT services companies that India dominates.
"Japan has to become a better partner with India" - That's good but I hope it's not just outsourcing in another name. Our engineers deserve true collaboration, not just being used for cheap development work. The kaizen angle is intriguing though if adapted to our fast-paced, jugaad culture.
The point about Delhi vs Bangalore vs Mumbai is spot on. Each city has very different tech cultures, salary expectations, and even working hours. Japanese companies often struggle with this micro-diversity. But if they invest in truly understanding our market, it could be a win-win. Also impressed they have a CFO who spent 2 years in Bengaluru to learn the ecosystem - that's genuine commitment not just tokenism.
This kaizen for AI concept seems custom-made for Indian IT firms drowning in productivity metrics without actionable insights. But I'm skeptical - how do you measure "bottlenecks" in creative coding? Code quality can't always be quantified. Still, if their analytics can help teams actually ship better products, bring it on. The Japan-India tech corridor has massive potential waiting to be unlocked. 🇮🇳🇯🇵
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.