TRAVEL AND expensemanagement company Concur has signed an agreement to launch a joint venture in Japan. The deal, with venture capital and professional services firm Sunbridge Corporation, will see Concur Japan open in Tokyo. Led by Japanese technology veteran Shigeru Fujii, the new company hopes to tap in to the Asian market with mobile technology and cloud computing.
Steve Singh, Concur's chief executive, said Japan had been embracing cloud computing (IT services via the internet), which was driving growth opportunities "Increasingly, Japanese companies are turning to web and mobile solutions to help them reduce costs, increase scalability and flexibility, and make life easier for their employees," Singh said.
Fujii said: "I am excited about the market potential for integrated travel and expense management solutions that bring the benefits of cloud computing, mobile and social computing together in an integrated way that's beneficial for companies and their employees."
Concur has also acquired mobile technology firm Tripit in a multimillion-dollar deal.