Japanese startup Monoya is leveraging artificial intelligence to overcome trade, language, and cultural barriers, providing a potential business model for small enterprises seeking access to the U.S. market amidst rising international commerce challenges. Founded in late 2024, Monoya specializes in wholesaling Japanese artisan goods to the global home goods sector. On May 27, 2025, the company introduced Monoya Connect, an AI-powered sourcing platform aimed at streamlining connections between buyers and sellers. While founder Shimada acknowledges AI’s current limitations, the focus remains on utilizing the technology as a facilitative tool rather than promoting it as an end in itself. Monoya’s innovation emerges at a time when U.S. tariffs are at their highest in nearly a century, presenting significant hurdles for global trade. Despite these pressures, Shimada believes that Japanese artisans can continue to serve as valuable contributors to major U.S. brands through this AI-enhanced platform.
#Monoya, #AI, #TradeInnovation, #JapaneseArtisans, #GlobalMarkets
