1. 일본의 초소형 객실 호텔 제국의 성공적인 억만장자, 미국 시장에 베팅북미 시장 중심의 공격적 해외 영토 확장: APA Group이 일본 내수 시장의 인구 감소 및 고령화 장벽을 타개하기 위해 가파른 관광 붐에도 불구하고 해외 매출 30% 성장 및 객실 1만 개 돌파를 목표로 북미 영토 확장 전격 가동.북미 로컬 표준에 맞춘 공간 및 운영 아키텍처 개조: 기존의 고밀도 컴팩트 디자인 정체성을 유지하되 local 투숙객 성향을 고려해 Seattle 직접 운영 호텔의 객실 크기를 Tokyo 대비 2배로 확장하고, 청소 효율 최적화를 위해 핸드헬드 샤워헤드 시스템을 도입하는 등 로컬라이제이션 집...

The heir to APA Hotels is pushing into North America, and says growth will come partly from acquisitions.Japan’s APA Group, widely known for its compact yet amenity-rich hotel rooms, is embarking on an ambitious international expansion, with North America at the center of its strategy. The Tokyo-based, family-run company—led by CEO Isshi Motoya—is seeking to boost overseas revenue, reposition its brand toward more upscale offerings, and reduce reliance on its domestic market, where long-term demographic trends present structural challenge...

Airlines can modernize their approach to business- and first-class revenue. Premium cabins call for differentiated strategies.McKinsey’s new report, Airline premium cabins: Profitability at the front of the plane, argues that premium cabins are no longer a niche commercial layer sitting above the main cabin. They are becoming one of the most important profit pools in airline economics, especially on major long-haul and transatlantic routes. The report’s central message is that airlines can no longer manage business and first class with leg...

Expands Codex with secure, customer-controlled cloud infrastructure for long-running agents across software and knowledge work.OpenAI announced it will acquire Ona, a startup that provides cloud environments for AI agents.Ona’s technology will allow OpenAI’s coding assistant, Codex, to take on longer-running tasks, OpenAI said.The companies did not disclose the terms of the acquisition.OpenAI on Thursday announced it will acquire Ona, a startup that provides secure, pre-configured cloud environments where artificial intelligence agents can...

Series E Financing Reflects Sustained Investor Confidence in CeQur's Commercial Trajectory, Clinical Results, and Growing Demand for a Simpler Approach to Mealtime Insulin.CeQur, the company dedicated to simplifying mealtime insulin delivery for people living with diabetes, today announced the close of a $100 million Series E financing round. The investment reflects sustained investor confidence in CeQur's commercial trajectory, its strong pipeline, and the growing demand for a simpler approach to mealtime insulin. The Series E reflects CeQu...

There are existing methods to collect water from the ambient air, but most of them are large or cumbersome.Recent research by the University of Texas at Austin is taking that concept and transforming it something you could have on hand at all times. Or more literally, on your back at all times. In a study published in Scientific Advances, the team used a special textile to create a jacket capable of atmospheric water harvesting."We wanted to rethink the form of the technology," said UT Austin's Guihua Yu, one of the authors on the latest stu...

Brands often become global ambassadors for their home countries, representing innovation, culture, quality, and economic influence. This infographic highlights some of the most recognizable companies and brands associated with nations around the world.A global brand map highlighting the most famous companies by country reveals how corporate identity often mirrors national economic strengths. From Apple in the United States to Samsung in South Korea, Toyota in Japan, and Louis Vuitton in France, the world’s most recognizable brands function...

Gentle Monster launches its 2026 Veggie Collection with a series of immersive retail installations that bring oversized agricultural landscapes inside shopping environments.Debuting across Los Angeles, Seoul, Tokyo, Shanghai, Beijing, and Bangkok, the pop-ups, where oversized tomatoes, broccoli-like creatures, and plush vegetable characters occupy retail floors, extend the Korean eyewear brand’s long-running strategy of pairing product releases with large-scale experiential environments.At the center of each installation stands an oversized...

The Terrarium Phone Case by U.K.-based designer Daniel Idle is a clear iPhone 16 Pro Max case with a vertical terrarium designed to show off small plants growing inside.“The idea came from noticing how personal phone cases have become,” Idle tells Fast Company. “People use them to carry objects, express themselves, and customize something they interact with all the time. That got me thinking about how much time we spend on our phones and how disconnected they make us feel from nature.”To bring nature to this most unexpected of places, Id...