Exploring the Moon Way: An Award-Winning Case Study on Transforming Corporate Innovation and Culture

When Moon Creative Lab was founded in 2018, its initial purpose was to create new business for Mitsui & Co., blending the Silicon Valley’s innovative, “fail fast” startup culture with Japan’s discerning business acumen. Since then, Moon has been inspiring and encouraging innovative entrepreneurs and founders to unlock their creative potential and create businesses that will have significant impact on the world. 

A stark contrast to traditional Japanese corporate ideologies and “Sōgō Shōshas,” Moon has been somewhat of a beacon for not only Tokyo’s emerging startup ecosystem, but for budding future entrepreneurs and business students. The International Institute for Management Development (IMD) recently wrote a case study, “Moon Creative Lab: Mitsui’s Venture Studio,” which takes an in-depth look at Moon's founding as a bold new experiment to innovate within a global and traditionally successful corporation. We are proud to announce that the insightful case study has been named a winner in the 2024 EFMD Case Writing Competition, underscoring its excellence in capturing a compelling narrative of corporate innovation and transformation.

Awarded in the “Continuous Improvement: the Journey to Excellence” category, the case study delves into the inception and early journey of Moon Creative Lab. Kaichi Yokoyama, Moon’s CEO, realized that organic innovation and the creative potential of Mitsui’s international workforce could lead to something new — and profitable. His vision for Moon was to be a global hub that nurtures creativity and new ventures, emphasizing the need to challenge and innovate in order to transform people, business, and culture in a rapidly evolving business landscape. 

The authors of the case study explore the challenges of driving innovation within a long-established, successful corporation, and how Moon continues to find the balance between developing radical new ideas and aligning with the expectations and structures of a massive parent company. The case study provides further insight into how Moon identifies and incubates new business ventures, develops entrepreneurial talent, and fosters a culture that values creativity, design thinking, and new ways of innovating. 

Such an environment is an anomaly itself, especially when residing within Mitsui & Co. Moon’s efforts and philosophy offer a fresh perspective as every triumph, tribulation, and shared experience is seen as a learning opportunity for founders while they navigate their entrepreneurial journey.

"Moon Creative Lab: Mitsui’s Venture Studio" is an exemplary case study of insightful analysis and compelling storytelling, underlining the critical significance of embracing innovation and agility to keep up with an ever-evolving world – not only for entrepreneurs and founders, but for established corporations as well. 

Congratulations to IMD and the authors of this thoughtful and illuminating case study!