With the motto of "honestly supporting the challenges of aspiring entrepreneurs," Incubate Fund Co., Ltd. is a venture capital firm specializing in the seed stage before and after the founding of the company. Since its establishment in 2010, the company has managed a total of more than 128 billion yen in funds and invested in more than 400 companies, making it the largest of its kind in Japan. The company supports startup companies, creating effective business partnerships with for entrepreneurs from its headquarters in Japan, and offices in the USA, Singapore, and Brazil.
With fast-faced, international business operations, frequent web conferences are essential. Originally, the company used a speakerphone with a built-in 360° camera from another company, but they were not satisfied with both the sound and image quality. Mr. Niitsu, the company's office manager comments "With the previous system, you have to bring the PC to the conference room and connect it to the speakerphone, so it took 3~5 minutes to start each meeting, which is a huge waste of time. In addition, the system struggled to pick up everyone’s voice which often adversely affected communication." An office relocation proved the perfect time to consider new video conferencing solutions. Mr. Ohno, the distributor of Eizo System Co. Ltd commented after the seamless implementation “There’s no complicated wiring and the tabletop looks very neat with no wiring cluttering things up.”
Just one tap on the controller starts your meeting in less than 10 seconds
The company revamp its system when it relocated its office. After considering several products, IncubateFund chose the Jabra PanaCast 50 Video Bar System. Every day, the company holds many web conferences, so the speed and convenience of starting meetings was a major factor.
180° camera to capture all participants in any room layout
During planning for the office relocation, the company consulted with the distributor, Video Systems Co., Ltd., about their choice of system. Mr. Ohno, Design Section 1, Design Management Department, Eizo System Co. Ltd., explains the factors he considered when proposing the system.
"In the new office layout, there were many conference rooms with the conference table located close to the wall. In such a layout, it is difficult to show everyone on the camera. However, the PanaCast 50 Video Bar System has a 180° angle of view which addresses this challenge. The new office also has a state-of-the-art design so the solution also needed to be stylish. The PanaCast 50 Video Bar System has a simple design and space-saving integrated camera, speaker, and microphone. There is less wiring and no clutter on the tabletop, so all round it was the perfect choice."
"In a limited space, the 180-degree camera captures everyone’s image beautifully. We also like that the system automatically adjusts the view according to the number of people and can also identify and zoom in on the speaker are also wonderful. The design is also impeccable as we really like not seeing wires everywhere." - Mr. Niitsu, Office Manager, Incubate Fund
A cost-effective all-in-one video bar system
Mr. Niitsu comments "Other products that support Zoom Rooms on Android OS can involve multiple devices, but the PanaCast 50 Video Bar System is an all-in-one-system, with integrated cameras and microphones, and with the touch tablet included. Since we introduced the system, we were able to reduce costs significantly by streamlining the number of devices required and making better use of everyone’s time in meetings.”
The company use the system for web conferences mainly with Zoom Rooms but also Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, and Webex. Meetings are scheduled and rooms reserved using Google Calendar, which works smoothly.
Future perfect
The firmware updates for the PanaCast 50 Video Bar System are also well received, enabling the system functionality to continue to evolve in the future. “I am excited to hear of upcoming features that Jabra is shortly launching, including the new Zoom Smart Gallery view. Support for BYOD (Bring-Your-Own-Device) will also be useful for instances where colleagues want to share their screens in meetings.”
A graduate of DeVry Institute of Technology, Doug has been in the Technology industry since 1976 and actively oversees Fearing’s daily operations. Along with his wife, Lois, and three others, Doug started Fearing’s in a 600 square-foot facility in Portage, Wisconsin. In the 25 years since, the company has grown to over 30 employees with offices in Madison and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Doug likes to say he’s a “TV Technician with a dream� going back to his history with the family’s original business-Fearing’s TV and Appliance.
Doug values time with family, watersports, hiking, snowshoeing and skiing. In addition to being a devoted member of his church, Doug serves as Board President for Kinship Mentoring of Columbia County, Board member of Schools for Haiti and Scripture Chair of the Gideons-Portage camp.
A graduate of MATC, Lois oversees Fearing’s daily book keeping along with various HR responsibilities.
Along with Doug, Lois is deeply connected to community outreach, serving as a Board member and Fundraising Committee Chairperson for Kinship Mentoring of Columbia County. She also serves on the Schools for Haiti Fundraising committee. In addition, Lois’ ongoing passion and commitment to provide care for the elderly comes from her 10-year history of working in a Reedsburg, Wisconsin Nursing home.
Lois enjoys singing, hiking, sunny days on the pontoon, and spending time with her 4 grandchildren.
Ehren drives Fearing’s technology by continually seeking out trends to enhance capabilities while supporting Sales, Engineering and Installation teams. Throughout his years with Fearing’s, Ehren’s talent and vision have joined forces to create a wide variety of projects and strategic solutions that exceed expectation.
Ehren loves music, family time, movies, nature, sustainability efforts and electric vehicles.
With 10 years with Fearing’s and over twice that long in the industry, Ben continues to lead, coordinate, and develop the Commercial AV team.
By consistently delivering an outstanding experience and outcome, Ben contributes to the Fearing’s legacy of long-lasting partnerships that truly make a difference. Whatever the Commercial AV need may be, Ben and team deliver at the highest level.
Ben is an avid fisherman and photographer. He enjoys coaching his sons and other youth.
Chris has been with Fearing’s for 20 years and in the industry for over 2 decades. As a Certified leader in Sales Acceleration and trained in EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating Systems), Chris successfully utilizes his skills to lead the Fearing’s Salesforce. Chris and team are motivated and driven to develop new client partnerships while continuing to reinforce loyal long-term relationships with ongoing Service excellence.
Married for 19 years with 3 children, Chris enjoys skiing, hiking, fishing, boating, hunting, camping and golf. He’s also been actively involved as a Youth Football and Softball coach for his family and others.
