Aplaca.Lab

Alpaca.Lab Inc. is a mobility technology company that operates the AIRCLE platform, an AI-powered dispatch system for designated driver services. The company was founded in August 2018 by Ikuma Tanahara with the mission of solving local social issues from Okinawa and creating a national standard. Tanahara, an Okinawa native, previously worked in educational IT consulting and at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Promotion Center, where he was involved in industry-academia collaboration projects. This experience led him to establish Alpaca.Lab to apply university research and technology to real-world problems, initially focusing on the designated driver industry after a suggestion from a professor at Ryukyu University.

The company's core product, AIRCLE, is a mobile application that matches users needing a designated driver with available service providers using an AI algorithm to optimize dispatch. This system addresses the inefficiencies of traditional telephone-based dispatch, significantly reducing wait times for users and improving operational efficiency for businesses. For customers, the app provides fare estimates and arrival times, while for operators, it offers a suite of tools for real-time vehicle tracking, route guidance, and business management. Alpaca.Lab also launched AIRCLE ONE, a driver-on-demand service where a single driver travels to the customer via a foldable electric kickboard or similar vehicle, which is then stored in the customer's car for the journey. This model addresses driver shortages by allowing individuals with a standard driver's license to operate the service, reducing labor and vehicle costs for operators.

The business model generates revenue through the use of its platform by designated driver companies and is expanding its driver-on-demand services. Alpaca.Lab operates primarily in Japan, starting in Okinawa and expanding to numerous prefectures including Fukuoka, Miyagi, and Saitama. In February 2025, Alpaca.Lab merged with myKeeper, another designated driver platform, to accelerate the nationwide expansion of its driver-on-demand model. The company has secured approximately 800 million JPY in total funding from investors such as MIXI, Sakai Moving Service Co., Ltd., and XTech Ventures.

Keywords: designated driver, mobility platform, AI dispatch, ride service, driver on-demand, AIRCLE, automotive technology, fleet management, mobility-as-a-service, MaaS, transportation solutions, Japan, Okinawa startup, AIRCLE ONE, driver staffing, mobile application, logistics, social problem solving, industry-academia collaboration