Japanese developer infuses American "smart homes" with innovative concepts

Takeshi Homma, a Japanese entrepreneur with a startup in Silicon Valley, sees himself as both a problem-solver and an innovator. His company is working on a project to construct next-generation "smart homes" in the United States.

At the age of 41, Homma left his executive position at the dominant Japanese e-commerce company Rakuten Group Inc. to start Homma Group Inc. He did this with an eye toward creating the luxuries of ....