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At Moon Creative Lab, we’re lucky to work with an amazing group of women that lead and support everyone in our US and Japan offices.&nbsp;To commemorate this year’s International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month, we did a few things to celebrate the wonderful women of Moon and educate ourselves to create a better, more aware, and more equal future:&nbsp;At both of Moon’s offices in Tokyo and Palo Alto, you can meet women of diverse backgrounds and talents. Celebrating International Women's Day is an opportunity to highlight the diverse perspectives of women, and in doing so, we hope to unite all of our employees and continue to move toward a common vision, one in which each of us, regardless of gender, has a sense of belonging. We want to unleash people's creative potential, create new value, and enrich the world. We created a one-minute video highlighting the women who work here and why all of us at Moon believe it is important to celebrate International Women's Day.<figure class="media"><oembed url="https://vimeo.com/927801263?share=copy"></oembed></figure>&nbsp;We understand the disparity between men and women in the startup space and love supporting women entrepreneurs. We hosted a workshop with the young women of Mitsui &amp; Co. where we shared our learnings and empowered and inspired them to dream big.&nbsp;<figure class="image image_resized" style="width:75%;"><img src="https://moon-website-prod-images.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/image3_df1baf5976.jpg" alt="image3.jpg"></figure>&nbsp;This year, we also wanted to highlight the amazing women from all walks of life that currently work at Moon. We hosted an online panel discussion with Mary Ann Gallo (CMO), Miki Yamada (Operations Lead), and Yukari Tago (Founder/CEO of Lullaby). In this discussion, we were able to explore the wins and challenges that each of these women have faced, and continue to face, to get to where they are today.One of the panelists shared a powerful comment that resonated with many of us here at Moon:<blockquote>“I say to myself, ‘You're here for a reason!'"&nbsp;</blockquote>"By adopting such a mindset that I'm here for a reason, that I'm expected and called to this discussion, I can't afford not to speak up and disappoint them. Whenever I feel timid that I might say the wrong thing, these words give me a push. I also learned that even people who seem confident now have underestimated themselves at times in the past, which encourages me to think that I might be able to change.”&nbsp;Last but not least, we wanted to do something fun, creative, and in-person with our fellow Moon Mates. We wanted to highlight the future of young people in the world and how we can make incremental changes in our daily lives towards making the world a more equitable place for the next generation. The team held an in-person workshop focused on the environment that we grow up in and how our biases as adults can affect and appear in their lives through the decisions we make for them as adults that can dictate their future.&nbsp;We first did an activity which forced us to think about not how we perceive careers, but how we think our culture would perceive a career. Through this activity, we had productive discussions about how the media and the world has changed so much since 10, 20, or 30 years ago when we were all much younger. For example, previously in Japan, you may have thought of skateboarding as a sport for males and not females, but because of Japan’s recent achievements at the 2020 Tokyo Skateboarding Olympics, skateboarding has become much more popular and accessible for young women.Afterwards, we took a <a href="https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/takeatest.html">Gender and Career Implicit Association Test</a> provided by Harvard University. The goal of the Implicit Association Test is to educate the public about bias and to provide a “virtual laboratory” for collecting data on the internet. The test itself was quite standard and is on the older side, but the discussion that it brought up was very relevant to our everyday lives. Some participants that assumed they did not have a strong implicit bias were particularly surprised to have gotten the “Strong Association for Male with Career and Female with Family” result. This led to interesting and productive conversations around the accuracy of the tests, but also about how our perception of ourselves can actually be very different from what is seen by others.In the end, we wanted people to leave the workshop with the intention to create a more positive world for future generations, and we hope that we all can become more and more aware of our influence in the world.<figure class="image"><img src="https://moon-website-prod-images.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/image1_7e33891baa.jpg" alt="image1.jpg"></figure>While we love hosting events and celebrating IWD and Women’s History Month, we recognize that women should be respected and empowered everyday, not just during these times. We hope that by hosting these types of events every year, we are able to encourage other people to support the women in their communities in their own ways, inspired by our stories.

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Creating an environment and work culture that is inclusive and welcoming to all backgrounds has always been a priority here at Moon. Diversity is our superpower; we have a vast array of talented people who bring their unique experiences, knowledge, passions, and mastery to their work to help entrepreneurs and innovators bring new business ideas to life. But, as with all great feats, it takes hard, endless work. And likely, with those great feats, getting recognized for that work is an incredible feeling.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://moon-website-prod-images.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/machianna_d2e758795d.jpeg" alt="machianna.jpeg"><figcaption>Anna Hiraoka and Machi Rezende representing Moon at the&nbsp; work with Pride PRIDE Index Award ceremony.</figcaption></figure>We are thrilled to have been a recipient of Japan’s <a href="https://workwithpride.jp/pride-i/">work with Pride PRIDE Index 2023</a> Gold Award. The PRIDE Index recognizes companies in Japan that support the promotion and establishment of diversity management in their organization. To evaluate these companies, a jury of external professionals belonging to academia and NGOs measures a company’s efforts based on five aspects:<ul><li>Policy&nbsp;</li><li>Representation&nbsp;</li><li>Inspiration</li><li>Development</li><li>Engagement/empowerment&nbsp;</li></ul>Inside each category, points are awarded for tangible actions that a company needs to commit to receive the certification.<figure class="image image_resized" style="width:75%;"><img src="https://moon-website-prod-images.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/gold_2023_aa4e17ac8b.png" alt="gold_2023.png"></figure>Aside from having clearly stated policies that support and protect those who identify as LGBTQIA, Moon takes great effort and care to ensure representation by creating safe spaces and taking actions to increase allyship. By having events like a <a href="https://www.mooncreativelab.com/stories/pride-art-show-2023">Pride art show and gallery</a>, <a href="https://www.mooncreativelab.com/stories/creative-night">open mic sessions</a>, and discussions where we can share thoughts and perspectives, we are not only growing our community and allies, but we are increasing understanding amongst our community and making sure that everyone’s voices are heard. We support and accept one another wholeheartedly, including using gender-neutral language, using self-identified pronouns, and providing continuous support during gender reassignment procedures. We know that diversity, equity, and inclusion all require intentional action to create change, and to that, our work can never be done. And that work transcends beyond Moon, which was apparent at the work with Pride PRIDE Index Awards ceremony.&nbsp;Machi Rezende, Design Lead at Moon, attended the ceremony in Tokyo where he witnessed not just the great strides Japanese businesses are making towards creating safe and supportive work communities for LGBTQIA people, but also acknowledged that much work is yet to be done:&nbsp;“In 2023’s work with Pride Report, 326 companies were awarded a gold prize, 56 received the silver prize, and 15 achieved a bronze status. To see many companies engaged in such initiatives is inspiring. However, by crossing the number of corporations who were dedicated to applying for the certification with the number of established companies in the country it becomes clear that there is still much to be done.&nbsp;Even at Moon, where we are proud of being a place where Diversity is celebrated and Inclusion is among our practices, it was clear that our HR department, together with volunteers from our team, had to work hard to further improve our policies and actions related to the creation of safe spaces and equality toward LGBTQIA individuals. It was our first time applying for the work with Pride recognition, and although the achievement of the Gold status fills our hearts with the feeling of accomplishment, we know that we still have space to improve even further.&nbsp;<blockquote>"Although the achievement of the Gold status fills our hearts with the feeling of accomplishment, we know that we still have space to improve even further."&nbsp;</blockquote>The acknowledgment that there is still work to be done was clearly conveyed by the organizers of the certification during the conference. The urge for the normalization of the queer existence within corporate spaces – and society – and the role of allies, was echoed among the guest speakers. The call for action to change from within and normalize the lives of LGBTQIA people was also expressed by singer Shinjiro Atae, who was interviewed at the award ceremony. He emphasized the message that although any queer person should be able to safely come out if they feel like it, the ideal scenario has to be the normalization of the plurality of sexual orientations and gender expressions in society.&nbsp;Another eye-opening presentation was made by Takai Yutosato, a professor at Gunma University. In her speech, she tried to bring attention to the struggles of transgender individuals. As Professor Takai highlighted, although the inequalities toward Lesbians and Gays, for instance, are deeply problematic, transgender people are the ones suffering in an endless cycle of poverty and mental health issues. She further invoked the audience, which included many representatives from corporate HR departments, to take action and think about means to remediate the struggles of the trans community and include them in their set of actions. Her presentation was deeply moving, engraving in everyone’s mind the recognition that there is still lots to be done.”&nbsp;For Moon, and we hope for many other companies as well, the work with Pride Certification is not a company goal or a way to performatively display a diverse culture with a certificate on the wall or a logo stamped on the homepage. Rather, it’s an opportunity to learn more about LGBTQIA issues and to improve workplaces for people of that community. The work with Pride organization and the work they do are prime examples of how the corporate sector can engage in meaningful dialogue with society, academia, and government. At Moon, we already knew we were working with pride, but now we see how much we could improve and what we still have to work on. Have ideas on how workplaces can improve diversity, equity, and inclusion? Let us know at <a href="mailto:hello@mooncreativelab.com">hello@mooncreativelab.com</a>.&nbsp;

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After a successful launch of Moon Media’s first feature film, "<a href="https://www.mooncreativelab.com/stories/moon-media-launch">Kamiyama: The Little Town With Big Ideas</a>", comes its second story, "<a href="https://www.kinmi.mooncreativelab.com/">KINMI: Brewing the Future of Sake</a>." Different from "Kamiyama," which focused on the revitalization of an aging town, "KINMI" puts the traditional Japanese industry of sake brewing in the limelight and highlights how the brand is bringing new brewing methods to an industry that hasn’t changed much over the years. Stories like these are often tucked within Japan, but Moon Media knows that these stories could both inform and inspire people on a global scale. &nbsp;The Kamiyama and KINMI films both aspire to tell compelling stories of people and places that meet at the intersection of creativity and entrepreneurship within Japan. There’s no better person to tell us more about Moon Media’s second film than the executive producer and Moon’s Chief Creative Officer, Mike Peng.&nbsp;<hr><figure class="image"><img src="https://moon-website-prod-images.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/kinmi_sake_3_ce607b8ae6.jpg" alt="kinmi_sake_3.jpg"></figure>How did you identify the story of KINMI sake? What made you decide that this story, in particular, should be shared on a global scale?&nbsp;Mike Peng: I met Nao Kohara when I first moved to Tokyo in 2011. He was still working at a venture capital firm then and I remember talking to him about his love for sake. It was only a few years later when I learned that he had left his job to start a new sake brand! In fact, I remember I used to go to the Farmer’s Market over the weekend to visit his booth.I knew that one day, I wanted to tell the story of Nao and KINMI. First of all, for someone like Nao — an incredibly successful Japanese business person who graduated from Tokyo University and Stanford Business School — to quit his job and pursue his passion was incredibly rare, especially in Japan. Not to mention, creating a new sake brand in an industry that’s steeped in traditions must have been really tough.How did he do it? Why did he do it? How was KINMI going to be different? What was he trying to achieve?I felt that trying to uncover the answer to these questions could inspire many people around the world looking to start something new.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://moon-website-prod-images.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/kinmi_sake_1_d597ccdf1c.jpg" alt="kinmi_sake_1.jpg"></figure>What did you learn while making this film?&nbsp;While filming "KINMI," I was really struck by how deep the relationships were between Nao, the sake breweries, the brew masters, the rice farmers, the local fisheries, the restaurants, and everyone else within the ecosystem. There was a sense of shared purpose and camaraderie — we all care so much about what we do and we want to create the best product or experience that we can. That pride in the craft is something that I feel is harder and harder to find these days in business, and it was so palpable while making this film.&nbsp;&nbsp;Is there a particular moment or idea that resonated with you when filming "KINMI"? I’m sure you have great behind-the-scenes stories too!&nbsp;I don’t know if it’s one singular moment, but throughout the filming, I kept thinking to myself, “Wow, everything needs to be so precise!” To make unpasteurized or unfiltered sake is no small task. Everything needs to be done at the right “fill in the blank” — the right temperature, the right humidity, the right timing, etc. And if it’s not, the sake will not live up to its full potential. As with many behind-the-scenes videos, your appreciation and understanding for the craft definitely elevates all aspects of the final product.<figure class="image"><img src="https://moon-website-prod-images.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/kinmi_sake_copy_05e93730c9.jpg" alt="kinmi_sake_copy.jpg"></figure>If you could have a conversation with someone who watches the film for the very first time, what would you want to discuss with them?Even though Moon Media has only created two films so far, I’m already starting to see some common themes that really excite and interest me. In both the Kamiyama and KINMI films, I feel that there’s another way to do business — it doesn’t have to be just for money and it doesn’t have to just be “do good” charity work. There exists a “third way” where there’s harmony in profit and purpose, leadership and community, business and creativity, humanity and nature. Although I’m sure this exists all around the world, I find that there’s a higher percentage of this happening in Japan. I’m hoping that these stories can not only inspire the rest of the world, but also spark a conversation on how we might do this in our own parts of the world.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://moon-website-prod-images.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/kinmi_sake_f1ad038571.jpg" alt="kinmi_sake.jpg"></figure>What action do you want the audience to take after watching "KINMI"?&nbsp;From an organizational perspective, I hope that people and businesses will really think deeply about what their purpose is in the world (beyond making money) and how they can collaborate more with other parties who share that same purpose.From a personal perspective, I know that entrepreneurship isn’t for everyone, but I hope that everyone spends at least some time in their life thinking about what new value they can create in the world that is purposeful and brings joy to their life.&nbsp;<blockquote>"I hope that everyone spends at least some time in their life thinking about what new value they can create in the world that is purposeful and brings joy to their life."</blockquote>What’s next for Moon Media? Do you have any updates about "Kamiyama"? Is there another film in the works?&nbsp;I’m excited to share that we submitted "<a href="https://www.mooncreativelab.com/stories/moon-media-launch">Kamiyama</a>" to several film festivals and it was the Official Selection to many of them including: <a href="https://hollywoodshortsfest.com/">The Hollywood Shortsfest</a>, the <a href="the San Jose International Film Festival">San Jose International Film Festival</a>, <a href="https://docswithoutbordersfilmfest.com/">Documentary Without Borders</a>, and the <a href="http://sfshorts.com/">San Francisco Short Film Festival</a>!We have several ideas for future films and are beginning the planning process for them. As of now, we’ve focused a lot on the intersection of business x creativity x Japan, but we also want to add “sustainability” to that intersection and have a few stories that we think will be incredibly inspiring!&nbsp;---We hope that our second Moon Media film, "KINMI: Brewing the Future of Sake," inspires you as much as it did the Moon team. Continue to share the gift of storytelling and inspiration within Japan with your friends and family, too. We hope you all enjoy it! <a href="https://www.kinmi.mooncreativelab.com/">Watch "KINMI: Brewing the Future of Sake" here.&nbsp;</a> &nbsp; *Editor’s note:&nbsp; One of the regions featured in "KINMI" is Noto, a small coastal town located on a peninsula projecting north into the Sea of Japan. At the heart of Noto lies its well-known fisheries and fishing villages, which are so significant that Nao partnered with the region’s oldest fish market to create a box set including KINMI’s Noto sake. The film credits Japan’s unique regions for “creating” its own sake, with food and environment contributing to the sake’s flavor. Noto is a perfect example of that as the community’s livelihood, culture, and most integral product is weaved into its distinctive sake.Sadly, the Noto Peninsula has been heavily impacted by the multiple earthquakes that occurred in early January. It is one of the worst affected areas and much of it has been destroyed. To show your support for the Noto communities, please consider donating to the <a href="https://www.jrc.or.jp/english/donate/">Japanese Red Cross Society</a> or <a href="https://www-pref-ishikawa-lg-jp.translate.goog/suitou/gienkinr0601.html?_x_tr_sl=ja&amp;_x_tr_tl=en&amp;_x_tr_hl=ja">Ishikawa Prefecture’s official website</a> to help with relief efforts. &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;<hr>Moon Media is a division of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mooncreativelab.com/">Moon Creative Lab Inc</a>., a venture studio that powers the creation of new businesses for Mitsui &amp; Co., Ltd. and beyond. Moon Media was created to help showcase inspiring stories of people and places that fall at the intersection of creativity x entrepreneurship within Japan. We know that many of these inspiring stories exist throughout Japan, but they are often difficult to find and hard to access. Our goal is to uncover these hidden gems so that we all can nourish our creative souls and begin turning inspiration into innovation.

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Moon Creative Lab thrives on building an inclusive and diverse community – it’s what keeps us creative, innovative, and human-centered. And though we celebrate inclusivity all year long, the month of June, which is International Pride Month, was a great opportunity to spotlight our LGBTQIA+ community.Throughout June, our team led learning sessions, discussions, and other fun activities like trivia to celebrate Pride as a company. We also organized a community-based art show where artists could showcase their queer-themed art to the public.Following an open call to digital artists around the world, an art show and pop-up exhibition was held at our Tokyo studio in Omotesando. The event, which was open to all, displayed the beautiful, queer-themed art on windows and walls throughout the office. Visitors were able to admire art that celebrated the LGBTQIA+ community, socialize over drinks, and listen to their peers discuss building a diverse community during an open mic session. “The community and the people that came through were super chill, and we were just chatting. It was a nice event not only for queer people but for their friends, too. And the open mic portion, where anyone could talk about whatever they’re doing or anything they want to share – it was really fun,” says Hoan Phan, who was also chosen as the featured artist during the exhibit.<figure class="image"><img src="https://moon-website-prod-images.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/PXL_20230619_012117552_1_d94a5829da.jpg" alt="PXL_20230619_012117552 (1).jpg"><figcaption>Featured art piece from artist <a href="https://www.instagram.com/hoanhoanhoan/">Hoan Phan</a>.</figcaption></figure>Hoan says the inspiration for his art piece came from a traditional Vietnamese dish called bánh bèo, which is also a slang term used to describe queer men. “I thought this could be an interesting concept. This slang in Vietnamese, when used as an adjective, could be a bit negative… I wanted to change this kind of mindset because we are a new generation. It’s not just like, being feminine means being weird.” Aside from using the illustration of bánh bèo, Hoan wanted to instill a sense of confidence to emphasize the reclamation of the slang term. Characters are illustrated in various poses, much like those in the dance style of voguing. One character in particular strikes a strong resemblance to gender-defying, cultural icon Grace Jones. “You can see some Grace Jones there. I love her,” Hoan gushes. “I was thinking of voguing or ballroom culture, which would be a good fit for this because the people in this scene have a lot of confidence, show good energy, and have a lot of freedom expressing themselves. So I thought putting these two pieces together could be fun.”<blockquote>"It’s not just like, being feminine means being weird.”</blockquote><figure class="image"><img src="https://moon-website-prod-images.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/Pride_event_photo_ca365a97fe.jpg" alt="Pride event photo.jpg"><figcaption>Hoan Phan at Moon's Pride art show.&nbsp;</figcaption></figure>Hoan’s work of art is brimming with fantastic detail, allowing the viewer to take notice of something different with each view. But those details aren’t just there to embellish, fill, or adorn – Hoan is much more thoughtful, instilling significance and symbolism into every small aspect, something that he hopes is conveyed to the observer. “My work, generally, is really colorful. Through this piece, I would like people to feel a very positive energy through the poses of the characters. When you look at more details, you see small things, so I would like for them to spend a little bit more time, traveling around, moving their eyes through the piece, looking into the details. Even though it’s small details, it’s simple, but I think it’s fun because each detail stands for some meaning. For example, the nail polish – it’s like a ‘yeah, I’m pretty!’ kind of thing. Or when you see the chili, it’s like being a ‘spicy’ person!”<blockquote>"I would like people to feel a very positive energy."</blockquote><figure class="image"><img src="https://moon-website-prod-images.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/Pride_art_show_700ef34dbc.jpeg" alt="Pride art show.jpeg"></figure>Yu Onodera, Senior FP&amp;A Analyst at Moon, sees events that celebrate our diversity, like the Pride art show, as a way of celebrating Moon’s culture and sharing that with the world. “Moon is a place that embodies diversity, and I am sure most of us are proud of the freedom to be ourselves at Moon. So I hope the Pride event was a great opportunity for attendees to see, feel, and experience our culture.”Machi Rezende, Design Lead at Moon, helped create the Pride art show so that he could increase visibility, awareness, and education throughout the company, and embrace our LGBTQIA+ community to show that Moon is a safe, welcoming, and inclusive place. “I wanted to create a safe space where not only queer individuals, but also allies could co-exist and learn about each other's stories. Instead of a boring presentation, we wanted to create a space of joy where people could feel free to express who they really are. And allies could engage in that dialogue. There is so much invisibility and ignorance around the existence of queer individuals. Opening spaces and media for discussion brings those people out of the shadows they’ve felt they had to hide in. Queer people exist, they are all over, and their existence has to be acknowledged, protected, and celebrated.”&nbsp;<blockquote>"Queer people exist... their existence has to be acknowledged, protected, and celebrated.”</blockquote><figure class="image"><img src="https://moon-website-prod-images.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/Moon_Pride_0e25edb349.jpeg" alt="Moon Pride.jpeg"></figure><figure class="image"><img src="https://moon-website-prod-images.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/Machi_Yu_4207208345.jpeg" alt="Machi Yu.jpeg"><figcaption>Machi Rezende and Yu Onodera from Moon.</figcaption></figure>We know that culturally diverse teams transcend homogeneous ones when it comes to innovation and creativity. At Moon, being human-centered is a value that lies at our core. And there is no better way to show and practice that value than to welcome, love, and include all humans, no matter their background, their orientation, or how they choose to identify. Stay connected to get invites and updates on upcoming events by <a href="https://share.hsforms.com/1OHQANbcgR9q4ky5Q4M6wMQcxaid">subscribing to our newsletter</a>.&nbsp; &nbsp;

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<img src="https://moon-website-prod-images.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/Moon_Creative_Lab_Amelias_06e11d3123.jpg" alt="Moon+Creative+Lab+Amelias+.jpg">When <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/arihorie/">Ari Horie</a>, a known advocate for women to lead and thrive in business, shared her vision of creating a foundation for both girls and women to pursue entrepreneurship in Japan, we knew <a href="http://www.mooncreativelab.com/">Moon Creative Lab</a> could help. Our visions for creating a more inclusive and robust center of innovation, creativity, and new business creation in Japan were absolutely aligned. This is what Moon Creative Lab was created to do – for Mitsui and beyond. We also knew it wouldn’t be easy.Entrepreneurship itself is a very difficult (yet very rewarding) path. And in Japan, it’s even less common for women and girls. According to <a href="https://www.accj.or.jp/the-accj-journal/tokyo-women-vc">research</a> by Tokyo Women in VC, 91% of venture capital (VC) firms in Japan have no female partners; 59% of VC funds have no women on their investment team; and 44% of funds do not have any women employees. In addition, only 13% of VC employees, 10% of actual VCs, and 3% of VC partners are women.This is why Ari launched her new non-profit organization, the WSL Impact Foundation, <a href="https://www.amelias.jp/">Amelias</a>’ program designed to build a foundation of support for high school girls and women throughout Japan. Partnering with cities like Kobe, Hokkaido, Sapporo, and Shibuya, the Amelias program offers education, workshops, mentoring, and networking opportunities with former and current entrepreneurs from Japan and Silicon Valley.<h4>Moon Leads Workshops on Startup Design</h4>In July, <a href="https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000089.000060069.html">Moon became a founding sponsor of the WSL Impact Foundation</a> and we hosted an event for 60 women entrepreneurs at our Spring Terrace studio in Omotesando. This event was livestreamed at other locations in Japan including Shibuya, Kobe, and Sapporo to more than 130 women. The morning program featured guest speakers on entrepreneurship including <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/fujiyoishiguro/">Fujiyo Ishiguro</a>, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathymatsui/?originalSubdomain=jp">Kathy Matsui</a>, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/nager/">Marc Nager</a>, and <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/shayanne-wright/">Shayanne Wright</a>. Moon’s CEO, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/kaichi-yokoyama-67973580/">Kaichi Yokoyama</a>, gave an inspiring talk about how to “Think Crazy” to expand your business and your journey as an entrepreneur. He shared examples of how he did just that with the creation of Moon Creative Lab four years ago by bringing the best of Silicon Valley and Japan together to create new and innovative businesses that would have an exponential impact on Mitsui and the world. The concept of “thinking crazy” was a big theme for the Amelias program to encourage participants to think and act outside of their comfort zones.<img src="https://moon-website-prod-images.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/Moon_Creative_Lab_WSL_c9819ed32e.jpeg" alt="Moon Creative Lab Womens Startup Lab">In the afternoon, Moon led two Startup Design workshops – one at our Spring Terrace office in Omotesando and the other at nearby Shibuya Parco. Workshop participants learned about the importance of human-centered business design, the practical process to discover opportunities for innovation, and the importance of entrepreneur networking – especially for women.<img src="https://moon-website-prod-images.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/Moon_Creative_Lab_Spring_Terrace_WSL_44c779f906.jpeg" alt="Moon Creative Lab Spring Terrace WSL">Here’s what participants had to say about the Moon workshops:“I had learned from reading books, but it was interesting because it was the first time for me to put it into practice.”“I was able to experience the process of thought and the process of realization. A place where failure can be seen positively. I was able to experience that I was further brushed up by working as a team.”“Good prototyping and pitch! Prototyping should be done quickly and without spending too much time and money. Also, I am very grateful for the pitch because I can't practice without this opportunity. By giving us the opportunity to review our value proposition, we were able to review our business more clearly. There were voices saying "be crazy" in various places, and it was good that I was able to think outside my own frame.”<img src="https://moon-website-prod-images.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/Moon_Creative_Lab_Workshop_WSL_726d36c34a.jpeg" alt="Moon Creative Lab Workshop Spring Terrace WSL"><h4>More To Do To Support the Entrepreneurship for Girls and Women</h4>Ari Horie’s vision for the Amelias program is to make entrepreneurship not only an acceptable path for girls, but a viable and desirable one. We at Moon Creative Lab are delighted to support this vision to help make it a reality. While there is still much to do to increase the numbers of women entrepreneurs in Japan, we are excited about the potential for the future.To learn more about the WSL Impact Foundation Amelia's program, please visit: <a href="https://www.amelias.jp/">https://www.amelias.jp/</a>Mary Ann Gallo Chief Marketing Officer <a href="mailto:maryann@mooncreativelab.com">maryann@mooncreativelab.com</a>

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The last couple of years have been challenging for many of us, with Moon being no exception. We have grown our talent significantly to help support all of our projects and ventures, but many of us have still not met each other in person! With the ability to travel again, we can go back to working collaboratively with in-person teams and start making an even bigger impact on all our ventures. Many signs point to an optimistic change coming in this fiscal year — a change that we are all looking forward to.<img src="https://moon-website-prod-images.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/Moon_s_Full_Pyramid_c06b3dc4da.png" alt="MoonCreativeLab_Mission_Pyramid"><h3>Our Guiding Light</h3>To help everyone better align ourselves to our Purpose, Mission, and Values, we have introduced what we’re calling “The Pyramid of Clarity.” This framework was created to do exactly as its name indicates — give us all clarity on what our goals and priorities are for FY23 — and to remind ourselves exactly WHY we’re doing what we’re doing.At the top of the pyramid lies our Purpose, Mission &amp; Values — the same Purpose, Mission, &amp; Values that Moon created during our inception in August 2018. These will always be Moon’s guiding light:<img src="https://moon-website-prod-images.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/Guiding_Light_24251779cb.jpg" alt="Guiding Light"><hr><h3>Our FY23 Goals and Objectives</h3>As we reflect on Moon over the last few years, there are three key questions we should always be asking ourselves:Question 1 Are we doing everything we can to push our ventures forward?Question 2 Are we constantly innovating and launching bold experiments?Question 3 Are we telling stories of both our successes and our challenges to maximize learning?<hr>If we can continuously answer “yes” to these questions, we know we’re on the right track. Thus, answering these questions are Moon’s top-line goals (and what success looks like) for FY23:Goal 1: Progressing Ventures are making progress by showing increased traction.Goal 2: Innovating&nbsp; Ventures are constantly innovating to push their venture forward.Goal 3: Storytelling Ventures are telling more stories to increase engagement within Mitsui.<hr>For each of these goals, we created a metric to help us track our progress throughout the fiscal year:Metric 1: Progressing 100% of Moon’s ventures achieve their North Star Metrics (NSM).Metric 2: Innovating 100% of Moon’s ventures conduct one bold and innovative experiment.Metric 3: Storytelling Moon shares at least 50 stories of our ventures to Mitsui and beyond.<hr>This fills out the next layer of the Pyramid of Clarity:<img src="https://moon-website-prod-images.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/Pyramid_of_Clarity_fbc595e1ea.png" alt="Pyramid of Clarity"><h3> Our FY23 Key Priorities</h3>To help us achieve success in FY23, we have identified six Key Priorities for Moon:<hr>Priority 1 Focus to ProjectsLeverage Moon’s skills and experience to increase the opportunity for our EIRs and ventures.This priority really focuses on Moon’s effort to incubate ventures in its earliest stages. It ensures that we continue to work closely with EIRs to help them grow and push their venture forward to reach an initial MVP that’s launched into the market.<hr>Priority 2 Expand Engagement Within MitsuiCreate direct impact on Mitsui BUs and subsidiaries by bringing dedicated focus to Org Ventures.The majority of new projects starting in this fiscal year will be Organizational Ventures — new businesses that we create alongside Mitsui BUs and subsidiaries. With that in mind, this year will involve a lot of relationship-building with BUs directly to figure out the right projects to work on together.<hr>Priority 3 Explore the Next FrontierDefine and extend capabilities of Moon Division so that there is a streamlined launchpad to create NewCos.With four ventures currently in Moon Division and one venture that’s a newly formed NewCo, one of our priorities this year will be helping define how to better support each of these ventures at this later stage and paving the way for the next set of ventures.<hr>Priority 4 Build a Culture of LearningLeverage Moon’s knowledge to improve the quality of ideas and enable faster starts for our ventures.Last fiscal year, we prototyped a version of Moon Academy and Space Camp aimed to help inform and educate Mitsui employees around creativity and entrepreneurship and better onboard them into Moon. This year, our priority is to take both of these programs to the next level.<hr>Priority 5 Begin to Expand Our InfluenceExplore new areas where we can build inspiring content and networks for Moon, Mitsui, and beyond.This fiscal year, we want more Mitsui employees worldwide to know and be inspired by Moon. We also want to start finding ways to inspire people outside of Mitsui. This priority will focus on launching a few experiments to help pave the way for Moon’s future.<hr>Priority 6 Empower Our TeamsEnsure our people feel supported in an environment that’s energizing and inspiring.As our work environment continues to change, we need to continue to ensure that everyone at Moon feels supported and energized by the organization. This priority will ensure that we look after Moon’s people and culture and do our best to make it thrive. &nbsp;<hr><h3>The Full Pyramid</h3>So, how does this all come together? With Moon’s Purpose, Mission, and Values at the top of the pyramid, and Moon’s FY23 Goals and Priorities filling out the next layer, the final base of the pyramid is made up of each department’s team goals and each person’s individual goals.A big reason for creating the “Pyramid of Clarity” is so that each person who works at Moon can see how their own personal goals ladder up to Moon’s FY23 Goals and Priorities, and to the guiding direction of the company.<img src="https://moon-website-prod-images.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/Moon_s_Full_Pyramid_c06b3dc4da.png" alt="Full pyramid"><h3> Bringing It All Together</h3>We have a lot of ambitions for FY23 and after just two months in, we’re feeling good about what needs to be done for us to achieve success. This doesn’t mean it’ll be easy! Borders aren’t completely open yet and we still have a number of challenges to work through to make the organization thrive. That being said, we remain hopeful and optimistic that we will continue to help “light the way for all of our creative potential.”If you have any questions or thoughts around our plans for FY23, or if you would like to find a way to work together, please feel free to reach out to us at <a href="mailto:hello@mooncreativelab.com">hello@mooncreativelab.com</a>.Mike Peng&nbsp; Chief Creative Officer&nbsp; <a href="mailto:mike@mooncreativelab.com">mike@mooncreativelab.com</a>

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Lighting the Way for Tomorrow’s Businesses That Will Change How We Live, Work and Play<img src="https://moon-website-prod-images.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/Screen_Shot_2021_09_22_at_5_33_2_dce7084cd0.jpeg" alt="Moon Creative Lab Palo Alto Studio">As a kid growing up in the 80s, I didn’t need to look far to notice the innovations coming from Japan. From the Sony Walkman to my Casio calculator for school, the term “made in Japan” stood for quality and innovation. Today, Japan is still driving technology breakthroughs such as the use of AI to boost Japan’s declining fertility rates to the <a href="https://www.moonstories.blog/blog/welcome-to-moon#:~:text=use%20of%20robot%20assistants%20in%20nursing%20homes%20and%20offices">use of robot assistants in nursing homes and offices</a>. But while some tech and manufacturing companies in Japan may be continuing their heritage of innovation, Japan’s oldest and largest trading companies — the sōgō shōshas — are needing to navigate their way towards a more innovative future.<hr><h3>Silicon Valley Meets Tokyo</h3>I’m sure you don’t think of startup creation when you think of a sōgō shōsha, the very large vertically integrated trading companies that are unique to Japan. They are known for their global networks primarily running logistics, finance and risk management for the businesses they manage or invest in. The <a href="https://www.referenceforbusiness.com/encyclopedia/Sel-Str/Sogo-Shosha.html">sōgō shōshas</a> have been facing pressure on their business model since the 1970s, when manufacturers began cutting them out as “middlemen.” Today, in the age of digital transformation, these large conglomerates are looking for new ways to create value and new business opportunities. Mitsui &amp; Co., one of the largest sōgō shōshas in Japan, operates a global network of 507 companies with 133 offices worldwide. This global network spans across 65 countries and employs more than 45,000 employees. It is an investment and trading powerhouse to be sure, but not exactly known for creating businesses from scratch or from “zero-to-one” — <a href="http://www.mooncreativelab.com/">until Moon Creative Lab</a>.Moon Creative Lab was founded by Mitsui in 2018 with the vision of helping Mitsui move from “connecting” to “creating.” It’s a bold vision considering that Mitsui has been “connecting” large-scale investments for large-scale projects for decades — and with that storied history comes a certain mindset and way of working. In order to become a successful venture studio, Moon had to be markedly different from Mitsui — different in values, mindset, behaviors and even location. Can Moon uniquely combine Silicon Valley’s rich environment for startup creation with the global scale that Mitsui can provide? It’s an interesting and exciting opportunity and it’s a journey that’s just beginning for Moon. &nbsp;<hr><h3>Moon Combines Design, Technology and Business</h3>With studios in Tokyo and in Palo Alto, Moon has attracted a unique blend of talent — product managers, engineers, designers, marketers and more — that are all working together to unlock the entrepreneurial potential of the 45,000-strong global workforce of Mitsui. With a human-centered approach, Moon helps idea owners research the unmet needs of users, quickly build prototypes and MVPs and then launch them to market. Moon is also helping Mitsui idea owners learn the foundations of entrepreneurship, including how to take risks, develop meaningful KPIs, how to build a team and how to build a product roadmap.<hr><h3>New Ventures Across Industries and Geographies</h3>From <a href="https://suup.me/">Suup</a>, which is creating new ways to provide working spaces in unused cafes to <a href="https://www.preferred-medicine.com/">Preferred Medicine</a>, which is looking to change the game in early cancer detection, Moon is incubating new ventures across a variety of industries in markets all over the world. Moon is also creating new businesses of their own called Moon Originals. One Moon Original includes the development of a new 3D printed fabric that will have the potential to revolutionize the fashion industry and positively impact the environment. This venture was created in partnership with entrepreneur and fashion designer <a href="https://danitpeleg.com/">Danit Peleg</a>, who is based out of Tel Aviv, Israel.Moon is also working with a number of Mitsui Business Units that want to create new businesses in their respective industries. Some examples of these organizational projects include <a href="https://e-dash.io/">e-dash</a> which is a new company created from Mitsui’s energy solutions business unit. e-dash provides a web service that visualizes energy consumption, energy cost and GHG emissions to help companies stay on top of their sustainable energy procurement and management. &nbsp;<hr><h3>Moon and Mitsui Driving a More Innovative Future for Japan and Beyond</h3>So while today, Silicon Valley may still take much of the startup limelight and Japan may not be perceived as it was in its innovation heyday of the 80s — I say watch this space. We’ll be sharing more updates about Moon, its ventures and Mitsui’s journey to become an innovation leader in Japan and beyond. It’s just the beginning and we can’t wait to share our progress with you.Mary Ann Gallo Chief Marketing Officer <a href="mailto:maryann@mooncreativelab.com">maryann@mooncreativelab.com</a>

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Moon Creative Lab continuously honors the incredible women around us who connect, create, and inspire us every day, but on International Women’s Day, we joined the world in celebrating women everywhere.<img src="https://moon-website-prod-images.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/Moon_Womens_Day_2022_1_B_100_e1649126417814_31ce2a0edc.jpg" alt="MoonCreativeLab_Womens_Day_2022">Much like the groundbreaking first footsteps on the moon set the path for progress, women have been pioneering and paving their own way towards equality across the world. And as March comes to a close, we can’t forget to mention that not only was it Women’s History Month, but International Women’s Day was celebrated on March 8.<figure class="image"><img src="https://moon-website-prod-images.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/Woman_resized_356deef08b.jpeg" alt="Striking the “break the bias” pose for International Women’s Day."><figcaption>Striking the “break the bias” pose for International Women’s Day.</figcaption></figure>Throughout the second week of March, we collaborated with our parent company to organize an interactive booth and fun workshops, which resulted in over 200 participants in Tokyo, Japan. In addition to wearing purple clothes and purple masks to align with the official color of International Women’s Day (IWD), taking photos with the IWD #breakthebias pose, and displaying the names of women who actively inspire and contribute to a better world, we held workshops that promoted the awareness of bias through interactive quizzes, games, and thoughtful discussions.We celebrated all the wonderful and brave women across the globe by adding our favorite songs from female artists to a <a href="https://old-site.mooncreativelab.com/2022/04/moon-creative-lab-celebrates-women-around-the-world/#:~:text=artists%20to%20a-,Spotify%20playlist,-%2C%20sharing%20objects%20that">Spotify playlist</a>, sharing objects that remind of us women we admire, learning about bias and how we can help accelerate women’s equality, and getting inspired by Ari Horie, founder and CEO of <a href="https://womenstartuplab.com/">Women’s Startup Lab</a>, who shared her experience in increasing women’s contribution to the growth of business and entrepreneurial success.<figure class="image image_resized" style="width:50%;"><a href="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/08mlu0zcgFW5bLbjpaiZ4E?si=00741a5b2afe406f&amp;nd=1"><img src="https://moon-website-prod-images.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/IWD_spotify_768x540_154bc72bfb.jpg" alt="Spotify playlist"></a><figcaption>We created a playlist full of our favorite women in music. Follow along!</figcaption></figure>International Women’s Day was also a great opportunity to hear from some of our women Entrepreneurs-in-Residence here at Moon. We talked to Guihua Hong, the founder of audible learning platform <a href="https://www.voox.me/">VOOX</a>, and Grace Aldas and Dell Delatorre, who have recently joined Moon as founders of MOM247, a platform and community for mothers. (*Answers have been edited for clarity.)What advice would you give to others who are experiencing bias?Dell: As a woman, empower yourself so companies can see your worth as a woman. If you’re accepted to do admin work, go out of your way to improve yourself and learn new skills so the company would see that you are also fit or have the potential to be capable of a different skilled role. Having dialogue with HR about gender shouldn’t be the main concern in job qualification, even in smaller roles.Grace: Accept that there will always be different perspectives, but also help promote self-awareness and mindfulness about our own unconscious biases.Hong: Anyone may have bias. We need to be more kind and tolerant, listen to different voices by having more open-minded conversations, and try to understand different sides. Do more and deliver the outcomes by actions rather than talking or explaining about the standpoint as a woman. If the bias is still there after you’ve made all the efforts you can, then leave it without any regret.<hr>The week of International Women’s Day was an influential one. We celebrated the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements women have contributed to our society, and learned about and honored women in our lives, around the world, and throughout history. We can’t help but to be moved by these admirable women and acknowledge the significant impact they have on us every day.

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Illuminating the value of entrepreneurship in Japan has long been one of our core drivers at Moon Creative Lab.<img src="https://moon-website-prod-images.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/Monju_scaled_e1648775947520_1da5461d0e.jpg" alt="Moon_Creative_Lab_Monju">We realize that there is so much untapped creative potential that just needs a great place to flourish. To help foster a society of innovation and entrepreneurship, we’ve recently partnered with the <a href="https://waseda-keio-business-union.com/">Monju Business Contest</a>, an event organized by students from top Japanese universities like Waseda University and Keio University. From February 12 to March 12, 125 students in the fields of business, art, and tech experienced various aspects of creating a business and sparked their entrepreneurial spirit.Students were divided into four leagues that each had their own challenge, with five different teams in each league. Our challenge for the teams in the Moon league was to create new, mission-driven businesses that are built on ethical consumption. As we help build and launch new business for Mitsui &amp; Co. and beyond, it is embedded in our purpose that good business should be good for the world, too – human-centered and focused on making life, society, and the earth better in some way.<figure class="image"><img src="https://moon-website-prod-images.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/DSC_3031_1_768x512_f4d2a10b31.jpg" alt="DSC3031-1-768x512.jpg"><figcaption>Students kick off the Monju Business Contest.</figcaption></figure>Students in the Moon league participated in working sessions at our Spring Terrace studio in Tokyo to develop their ideas. We even had the head of our Tokyo studio, Mr. Tomoyuki Takada, teach students on how to make an effective, memorable pitch to prepare them for their upcoming pitch event, the final part of the Monju Business Contest.The lesson was well received by the students. “It was very helpful to understand the tips for making a clear pitch. It was very persuasive,” said one student. Another added, “the lectures were very intensive in a short time, so I was able to concentrate and absorb a lot of the content.”Throughout the contest, Moon Creative Lab helped students unlock their creativity and guided them through the many stages of entrepreneurship. They got a first-hand look into what building a business looks like from different perspectives and learned everything it takes to turn an idea into a venture, from creating and managing to prototyping and pitching an idea.<figure class="image"><img src="https://moon-website-prod-images.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/DSC_3159_768x512_8d779bf542.jpg" alt="DSC3159-768x512.jpg"><figcaption>Conceptualizing and developing ideas at Moon’s Spring Terrace studio in Tokyo.</figcaption></figure>After developing their business ideas, all teams pitched their ideas to a panel of judges. After two rounds of pitch presentations, two teams from the Moon league made it to the final round but, unfortunately, were not picked as the final winner. They did, however, present their pitches to the entire Moon Creative Lab team, which were met with enthusiasm, encouragement, and positive feedback.The Monju Business Contest was an incredible opportunity to not only help Japan’s future entrepreneurs create the next world-changing idea, but to also encourage and drive creativity and entrepreneurship in Japanese society. We at Moon Creative Lab were deeply honored to be a part of this contest and we can’t wait to see the terrific work these young entrepreneurs will do in the future.See the press release <a href="https://www.value-press.com/pressrelease/289847">here</a> (in Japanese).

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Our Programs

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Studio Stories - Moon Stories Blog

International Women's Day at Moon: Lighting the Way to a Brighter Future

Moon Wins PRIDE Gold Award

Moon Media Launches Second Feature Film: KINMI Sake

Celebrating Our Queer Community Through Art, Voguing, and Coming Out of the Shadows

Empowering Women Through Startup Design Workshops

Moon’s FY23 Goals & Priorities

Welcome to Moon

Celebrating Women's International Day

Moon Partners With Monju Business Contest

In The News

Moon Opens Doors to Palo Alto Startup Community

What Does Artificial Life Reveal About Us?

The Optimal Solution Between Remote and Office: Who Chooses Where To Work

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