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This is the blog of an interview series featuring employees from Mitsui &amp; Co. Ltd., who were seconded to Moon Creative Lab to work on new business ventures. These Moon alumni share their experiences as Entrepreneurs-in-Residence (EIRs) while at Moon and the knowledge they’ve brought back to Mitsui.This interview is with Anna Hiraoka, who has been successfully managing a series of Diversity and Inclusion (D&amp;I) initiatives at Mitsui. Anna shares her experience:&nbsp;<ul><li>Discovering strength through design research</li><li>Connecting team members with a coloring book project&nbsp;</li><li>Using visualization to foster culture with acknowledgement</li><li>Gaining driving force after experiencing pivots&nbsp;</li></ul>&nbsp;<h3>Discovering strength through design research</h3>Anna is currently a member of the Diversity Management Dept. of Mitsui's Human Resources &amp; General Affairs Division (HR), where she has been initiating various types of in-house initiatives. After working on hospital investment projects within the Wellness Business Unit (BU) at Mitsui, she was seconded to Moon from October 2018 to September 2021 to focus on a healthcare venture. Due to the business pivot and the pandemic, her own venture eventually folded and her time at Moon came to an end. Anna returned to Mitsui and transferred to HR in April 2022.While at Moon, Anna began working on design research for business creation in collaboration with IDEO, a design consulting firm. In her very first working session, she realized that visualization is her strength.&nbsp;"At IDEO, drawing pictures and visualizing ideas as they discuss is very common, but that was not the case in the past experience at Mitsui.That’s why I was surprised to find myself being comfortable with that practice. That’s when I realized this might be my strength." -A.H.&nbsp;&nbsp;Anna says she always had a habit of taking notes with some drawings and putting them on her desk even before coming to Moon. She even has a vision board at home to put ideas together and organize what’s on her mind.After working with IDEO, she has honed her visualization skills even further. Now, she practices graphic recordings* to compile information at meetings, structure web pages using design tools, and design a sticker of her own vision. She has learned to use visualization in a variety of ways to help team members communicate intuitively.*Graphic recording: a method of discovering insights and stimulating discussion by translating conversations or presentations into text and pictures in real-time.<h3>Connecting team members with a coloring book project</h3>One of the successful examples of Anna’s visual communication was "Color Our Vision," which she started when she returned to Mitsui's Wellness BU. Due to the pandemic, team members had fewer opportunities of working together, making it difficult to get to know each other and share the same core values and strategies.To tackle this challenge, she proposed to print out the graphic image of BU strategy on a huge paper, asking everyone to color it during their break. Since most people worked from home, the office was fairly empty and turned it into a small gathering corner. Over the course of a month, the poster was coloured by many people, showcasing their unique personalities through how they colored. This initiative created an opportunity for team members to spontaneously connect and talk to one another. Everyone loved this project and it continued to be a success.<figure class="image"><img src="https://moon-website-prod-images.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/Microsoft_Teams_image_37_f7eace07a5.jpg" alt="MicrosoftTeams-image (37).jpg"><figcaption>Team members colored and added drawings to the BU strategy poster.</figcaption></figure>Anna also came up with "Acknowledge Month" which recognizes members who understand and practice the core values of the BU. She designed stickers representing five core values, and members were encouraged to give out the stickers to those who embodied each value with a handwritten acknowledgement message on its back.This was an easy way to participate and created many new conversations amongst the BU.These initiatives using visualization created a positive impact on other activities as well. For example, at a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pechakucha.com/">Pecha-Kucha</a> meet-up, Anna invited members she had met through the coloring book project, creating another opportunity for colleagues to connect outside of work by sharing their passions such as drawing and flower arrangement.Since Anna was coming up with a series of unique projects, her manager asked her if she was interested in expanding the work she had been doing beyond BU. Anna’s ability to foster a culture was recognized as an essential skill that the company would continue to need, and she started to consider moving to HR where she thought may lead her to expand her expertise.Anna’s greatest vision is to design an inclusive and creative environment where people can thrive on a global scale. In December 2021, she pitched herself to the Human Resources and General Affairs Division, just like how she pitched her project to Moon. In April of the following year, she was offered a position at Diversity Management Dept. within HR.<h3>Using visualization to foster culture</h3>In March 2022, just before her transfer to HR, Anna organized an event to embrace International Women's Day with team members from Moon. During the event, she set up a booth and asked supporters to put stickers on a poster with a jar drawn which she called an allyship jar, if they believed in supporting gender equality in this world. This created a quick visual of how many supporters also known as allies of gender equality there were in the company.<figure class="image"><img src="https://moon-website-prod-images.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/Image_from_i_OS_12_2_632c9ac36e.jpg" alt="Image from iOS (12) 2.jpg"><figcaption>For International Women's Day, Anna visualized the number of supporters in the company with stickers.</figcaption></figure>The team asked visitors to share the names of the women in their life that inspire them most by writing them on a board and taking pictures with a crossed-hand pose that embodied the "BreakTheBias" theme of that year's International Women's Day. They posted nearly 100 pictures with booth visitors on the wall. Booth visitors also received a purple mask, which was the event's theme color. These masks gathered people's attention in the office and helped spread the word quickly and widely.<figure class="image"><img src="https://moon-website-prod-images.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/2_4aed161d2b.jpg" alt="写真 2.jpg"><figcaption>International Women’s Day event organizers.</figcaption></figure>At the same time, the team took pictures at the booth and shared them on internal SNS along with #BreakTheBias to share the importance of recognizing our prejudices.<figure class="image"><img src="https://moon-website-prod-images.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/197anna_a676c646fa.jpg" alt="197anna.jpg"><figcaption>Sticker designed by Anna, representing her vision. Different shapes in seven colors are put together to shape a dinosaur which represents human’s unique and crucial skill of curiosity.&nbsp;</figcaption></figure>In June, Anna hosted another event with team members from Moon to talk about LGBTQIA+ allyship and what can we do as allies during Pride Month.&nbsp;Anna designed stickers with rainbow-colored dinosaurs for this special event, as she picked up a voice from the audience that they wanted something visual to show that they are allies, and she explained why she initially created the sticker.&nbsp;&nbsp;"It is important to make things visible to be recognized and to be remembered" -A.H.&nbsp;In September, Anna led the planning and hosting of a company-wide Diversity &amp; Inclusion (D&amp;I) Week event, partnering with Moon to host a workshop on the theme of "Shared Leadership” to promote D&amp;I.&nbsp;Around 500 participants from 25 countries attended the event virtually. For this event, Anna created a dedicated internal web page where she shared research findings by Rikkyo University and interview articles of Mitsui employees.In the workshop, Anna helped participants to deepen their understanding of shared leadership by posting their personal experiences as examples online using an interactive tool. This was another way for Anna to help visualize complex ideas that cannot be explained simply.With her visualization skills, Anna has made her ideas come to life and at the same time, empowered those around her. She credits the core values and learning how to pivot at Moon as her driving force.&nbsp;<h3>Gaining driving force after experiencing pivots</h3>Anna was very excited when she was first seconded to Moon. She was involved in the development of a service that would enable AI-based early detection of cancer and worked with experts in various fields in a fast-paced environment, where she had to continue researching and reporting to pass an project assessment every three months.At Moon, Anna experienced not only design thinking but also a pivot in business direction.While at Moon, Anna proposed a new online consultation platform for pets to expand her business model. However, despite confirming user needs through research in the United States and gaining support from academic societies and veterinarians, she and her team were unable to conduct online consultation tests with veterinarians and pet owners due to legal restrictions. And the immediate impact of the pandemic made it even more difficult to continue the project.After that, the team made the decision to focus on the development of AI-based early detection of cancer services for humans and looked for what they could do remotely. They built an operation and management system needed to continue the research from Japan, but there was still a limit on things that could be done online. “I couldn’t do anything even if I wanted to,” which Anna said was the hardest thing at the time.<img src="https://moon-website-prod-images.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/L1500342_retouched_c84da9cef6.jpg" alt="L1500342 retouched.jpg">The loneliness and psychological burden Anna felt when leading the project as a solo Idea Owner made her more aware of the need to support everyone in the company. Anna realized the importance of organizational development and promoting inclusion and pitched her vision to strengthen her expertise in HR.Anna says it was only after she was transferred to her current department that she started seeing the positive side of a series of challenges.&nbsp;"When I look back on myself having a hard time, I think I was too focused on one ideal scenario from the beginning. It's important to instead focus on your vision and&nbsp; celebrate what you have learned from the unexpected outcomes, and connecting it to the next step is even more important. I couldn’t realize that even after one or two pivots, but now I feel that my experience at Moon is giving me the driving force. Maybe I've grown up a little bit."&nbsp;Anna says, “The more you want to achieve the goal, the more painful it is when your ideas are not recognized. Your ideas and approach might not always be the company's priorities.”&nbsp; However, Anna says, “I try to think that there are always allies who will support me, and people are not criticizing you for being a great artist. It is more directed towards your art piece that might need more work, so embrace others’ ideas too, and turn the feedback into making your art piece an even better one.”&nbsp;&nbsp;"I'm always keeping Moon's<a href="https://www.mooncreativelab.com/ja/about"> five values</a> in my mind. Take ‘experiment fast’ for example. It's important to start small and fast. If it seems like it’s working, you can scale that up. And then there's ‘stretch your comfort zone.’ I feel that our company is constantly evolving, and I want to be that driving force. I want to aim for a culture-add, not a culture fit." -A.H.&nbsp;

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An interview with&nbsp;<a href="https://www.metajob.jp/">MetaJob</a> founder Naohiro Hoshino about his inspiration and experiments creating a more human-centered future of work.<img src="https://moon-website-prod-images.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/2023_03_24_22_14_48_075cdbab8f.jpg" alt="スクリーンショット 2023-03-24 22.14.48.jpg">Hi there! Can you start by telling us about MetaJob?Naohiro Hoshino (N.H.):&nbsp;Of course! MetaJob is a job-matching platform that aims to create an even-level playing field for all people in a work environment. Various groups – particularly people from less privileged socio-economic backgrounds, stay-at-home mothers, and&nbsp;hikkikomori (people who rarely leave their homes) – struggle to compete in the traditional job marketplace. At the same time, there is a labor shortage in Japan that is only getting worse as the population continues to age. Our vision has always been the same: to level out the playing field and help people find meaningful, rewarding work, while also helping businesses find the quality employees they need to thrive.&nbsp;What inspired you to start building this venture?N.H.&nbsp;I grew up on the east side of Tokyo, where the ratio of self-employed people is very high. As a kid, I couldn’t even imagine going to university. Most people I knew worked in scrappy, family-owned businesses. In a country like Japan which traditionally values formal education, this can be a significant disadvantage. But the truth is, these people have the same capability as others, but less opportunity to show it. These days, technology is changing things, and rapidly. YouTubers have disrupted and democratized popular entertainment and people are increasingly making a living by directly buying and selling to others online. I see it as a dramatic and positive shift in the nature of work itself, and something I want to be a part of!&nbsp;Can you tell us more about how MetaJob works?N.H.&nbsp;MetaJob is a multi-sided platform that matches virtual workers with businesses that have online customer-facing operations. We need to consider all three key stakeholders and their needs: the workers who wish to work virtually, the businesses who need workers they can trust, and the end-users who want&nbsp; quality service. We balance these needs and provide a frictionless, human-centered platform to facilitate the exchange of value between all users.&nbsp;How has MetaJob evolved over time?N.H.&nbsp;Although my vision has stayed the same, our approach has evolved. At first, we worked on solving for the first group: people who want to work, but struggle to do so in the so-called “real world.” We aimed to help them by providing a virtual working environment and identity through the use of 3D avatars. This was very effective and we saw positive results from the worker side, but we also discovered that businesses and end-users do not always trust avatar-only workers.In our second phase of development, we shifted focus to the business side and found that the core issue is a lack of social credit. In short, how can we ensure the quality of virtual workers and create a trusted network? With this in mind, we began developing a system to evaluate virtual worker quality, which led to a huge increase in both trust and engagement.&nbsp;A system as such must be designed with great care; it should be autonomous, transparent, decentralized, and not controlled by an authority like a company or government.&nbsp;Currently, MetaJob has thousands of worker accounts and we make hundreds of job matches per month. Our active users are primarily stay-at-home mothers, minorities, and people with unstable jobs (Hiseiki Shain).&nbsp;What is next for MetaJob?N.H. Our greatest challenge right now is to raise the volume of job opportunities that we are providing and focus on the satisfaction of end-users. This is a common problem for growing ventures. How do we move from linear to exponential growth? But we have a plan!We want to pioneer a new kind of C2C+B market, what we are calling “life-sharing,” or an “experience-and-earn” model. During MetaJob’s growth, we came across the fascinating insight that everyone's an expert on something. For example, I lived in France for some years, and I like driving. As a result, I became an expert on scenic driving routes not only around Paris, but also Western Europe. So if you ever want any advice or recommendations about driving in France and Western Europe, let me know!We want to help our MetaJob users by giving them a platform to provide insight to others in a shared network, sharing life experiences and expert knowledge about whatever the subject may be, and earn money doing so. One of our MetaJob workers, for example, has visited every single&nbsp;onsen hot spring on the Izu Peninsula of Japan. By sharing their life experiences and knowledge, others on the platform interested in traveling to that area can benefit. By building out this functionality, we will dramatically expand the value that MetaJob provides by sharing value amongst the end-users themselves. And we hope that one day, end-users can earn a living this way.Our vision is to continue to expand the platform and provide more opportunities for virtual workers to find meaningful, rewarding work, while also helping businesses find the quality employees they need to thrive. We also want to focus on the satisfaction of end-users and create a platform that provides real value to them.In the short term, we are working on building out the C2C+B model and we believe this will be a major growth area for the platform. We also want to continue to refine our scoring system and make it as objective and reliable as possible.&nbsp;How do you imagine the future of work?N.H.:&nbsp;We believe that the future of work will be more decentralized, human-centered, hybrid, and flexible than it has ever been in the past. Technology is making it easier to work remotely and more people are seeking a better balance between work and personal life. More and more people, especially here in Japan, are seeking options to be self-employed, at least partially. It has never been easier to start your own business providing value to others in a direct, peer-to-peer relationship than now. MetaJob is helping to make this shift possible.In the long term, we see MetaJob as part of a larger movement towards a more dynamic and equitable work environment. We want to help people find work that fits their lives rather than the other way around, and create a world where anyone can earn a decent living by sharing their valuable life experiences with others, regardless of their background or situation. We believe that this is the future of work and we are excited to be a part of it!

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In this interview series, we talk to employees from Mitsui &amp; Co. Ltd., who were seconded to Moon Creative Lab to work on new business ventures. These Moon alumni share their experiences as Entrepreneurs-in-Residence (EIRs) at Moon and the knowledge they’ve brought back to Mitsui.For this interview we talk with Yoshinori Tatsumi, currently leading the crypto asset Zipang Coin.&nbsp;What did he learn from his experience at Moon?.&nbsp;<ul><li>Importance of staying focused</li><li>Become your target user&nbsp;</li><li>Do it yourself &nbsp;</li></ul><hr><h3>The importance of staying focused</h3>Yoshinori belongs to the Commodity Trading &amp; Risk Management Division of the Corporate Development Business Unit of Mitsui &amp; Co., Ltd. In 2018, he submitted his idea to Moon and was then chosen to work with Moon as an EIR.&nbsp;Initially, the project started as an investment project, but eventually shifted to business development for collaboration. Yoshinori tried to build a service that targets inbound tourists, focusing on mobility and regional revitalization. The idea was named "1 Hour Trip”, which aimed to enhance users' travel time by introducing recommended travel routes rather than the shortest route to their destination.Together with Moon, Yoshinori tried to develop a platform that integrates&nbsp;transfer information for transportation, such as buses and trains. The goal was to then link service information, such as restaurants, tours, and various experiences, with the proposed routes, which may also include walking. There were also benefits for service personnel such as the dispersion of transportation resources and the prevention of tourists from expanding into residential areas.However, due to various challenges such as technical problems and the time required to establish an alliance, the business idea had to pivot repeatedly. Yoshinori says it was difficult to imagine the issues and needs of target users with different living environments and cultural backgrounds.<img src="https://moon-website-prod-images.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/tatusmi_image2_0c2951dc5e.jpg" alt="tatusmi image2.jpg">&nbsp;"The inbound tourists who were our intended users were very different from me. Interviews were necessary to understand their needs, but the more interviews I conducted and the more user needs I imagined, the more I seemed to lose sight of what was important to me. We couldn't decide what kind of prototype to develop for various reasons, and the repeated pivots had an impact as well. I couldn't say with confidence anymore that we must do this.”A lack of confidence had a significant impact when proposing to the Moon Committee and working with project members. Towards the end of the project, Yoshinori found convincing business potential, but at that time, there was not enough time left for research and the development of that business was postponed even before he could create a monetization mechanism. Yoshinori graduated from Moon in December 2020.<h3>Become your target user</h3>Immediately after returning to Mitsui, Yoshinori participated in the launch of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.zipangcoin.com/">Zipang Coin</a>, a crypto asset that aims to be linked to the price of gold. In the long term, it is expected to be used for exchange with gold.From his experience at Moon, Yoshinori learned the importance of having a deep understanding of his target user.&nbsp;"I felt that it was very important for me to be the target user. I remember that other ventures at Moon, in which entrepreneurs themselves were the target users, had something powerful to attract various things, regardless of the size of the market. Especially in marketing, they had an advantage. So, even if I wasn't the target user in the first place, I thought it would be good if I became one."Yoshinori started to embody Moon's values, such as "experiment fast" and "stretch our comfort zone," one after another at Mitsui.&nbsp;"The moment I joined the Zipang Coin project, I turned all my assets into cryptocurrencies and started trading on my own. Since users are investors, I had to become an investor myself. By using my own money to trade, I gained a deeper understanding of certain aspects. This is why I know the value and weaknesses of our products better than anyone else, and I can confidently say I know how our product is seen in the market. I believe we are well known in the market, as investors tend to associate Zipang Coin with my face. This is because I actually practiced what I learned at Moon.”&nbsp;With the start of Zipang Coin's business, Yoshinori created and began managing a website and SNS account on his own. As a result, he was nominated for the "Person of the Year" by the Japan Blockchain Association, even though SNS operations and content marketing were tasks that he had hardly experienced before, even during his time at Moon.&nbsp;<img src="https://moon-website-prod-images.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/tatsumi_image1_de7a33ea27.jpg" alt="tatsumi image1.jpg"><h3>Do it yourself</h3>"What I learned from Moon’s experts was the importance of doing things yourself instead of outsourcing everything. If you can handle it yourself, you can respond more flexibly and quickly, and it does not cost much nor require approval. You can create a website without writing code, and anyone can create an SNS account right away. I think it's better to release it to the world as soon as possible and observe people’s reactions."&nbsp;For Yoshinori, the use of websites and social media was one of the best ways to allow him to immediately gauge the market’s reaction without spending any money. When he was at Moon, he focused on research, so there were no products developed yet and what he could do was limited. He now acknowledges the value and power of actually creating something with his own hands."I have always kept my distance from social media, but I got to learn the importance of social media, especially in the investor community. Although my reach is limited, connecting with people in the community could lead me to supporters who have millions of followers. In some cases, third-party opinions have a greater impact on investment decisions than press releases. Trustworthy connections between individuals are crucial."Finally, Yoshinori reflected on his experiences at Moon and since returning to Mitsui."Through my experience at Moon, I met people from diverse backgrounds that I had never met before. Without meeting them, I don't think I would have been able to broaden my horizon. It would be ideal to share what I learned at Moon with Mitsui through my work, and as a result, the Moon value would be shared at Mitsui as well.”

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Moon Media launched in the summer of 2022 with a vision to tell inspiring stories of people and places that fall at the intersection of creativity and entrepreneurship within Japan. With the release of Moon Media’s first film, <a href="https://www.kamiyama.mooncreativelab.com/">“Kamiyama: The Little Town With Big Ideas”</a> coming this month, we talked to Moon Creative Lab’s Chief Creative Officer, <a href="https://www.mooncreativelab.com/our-leadership/mike-peng">Mike Peng</a>, to learn more about the vision of Moon Media and what’s to come.<figure class="media"><oembed url="https://vimeo.com/783114702"></oembed></figure><hr>If you’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting Mike and chatting with him for even just a few minutes, you know how much of a storyteller he is at heart. Ask him about where he’s traveled or the people he’s met along the way and you’ll see Mike light up with infectious enthusiasm, painting detailed memories so vividly, it’s as if you were there experiencing it all with him. It makes sense that Mike would be spearheading an entire division for Moon around storytelling through films.&nbsp;&nbsp;Congratulations on launching the first feature film for Moon Media! Where did the inspiration to start this division of Moon Creative Lab come from?&nbsp;Mike Peng: We have two main goals at Moon: 1) Help build and launch successful ventures for Mitsui &amp; Co., and 2) Help transform its workforce. The telling of stories has played a critical role in our ability to achieve both.&nbsp;In chatting with <a href="https://www.mooncreativelab.com/our-leadership/kaichi-yokoyama">Kaichi Yokoyama</a>, Moon’s CEO, and <a href="https://www.mooncreativelab.com/our-leadership/mary-ann-gallo">Mary Ann Gallo</a>, Moon’s CMO, I had expressed the desire to tell more evocative stories of creativity and entrepreneurship for Japan. My feeling was that if we can share more examples of how others are doing it (in a beautiful and compelling way), we would all get more inspired. And the more inspired we become, the better ability we have to help build and launch successful ventures and help transform the people we’re working with.&nbsp;But it wouldn’t have to stop there. We also felt that if successful, these stories could transcend beyond Mitsui and help inspire an even larger audience domestically and abroad. Thus, we set up Moon Media to explore this potential.&nbsp;&nbsp;How did you come to identify the story in Kamiyama as the first Moon Media story?&nbsp;I had noticed that a few of my close friends from Japan were visiting Kamiyama and posting amazing stories and images of the town. The name of the town was new to me, so I messaged all of them asking about their experience there. Each one of them told me how inspired they were by what the town was trying to achieve — using a creative and entrepreneurial mindset to tackle the growing issue of an aging population. I felt that this was a story that needed to be told and shared. So many countries, cities, and towns are all facing the same challenge. Could the story of Kamiyama help jumpstart the conversation and provide all of us new ideas on what we might be able to do? This made Kamiyama a perfect subject for the first Moon Media story.&nbsp;<img src="https://moon-website-prod-images.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/Moon_Media_Kamiyama_Film_8e3c0ce59d.jpeg" alt="Moon-Media-Kamiyama-Film">What type of stories are you looking to showcase on Moon Media going forward?&nbsp;For me, Moon Media stories should highlight people and places that sit at the intersection of entrepreneurship and creativity and Japan — the same intersection that makes up Moon Creative Lab.&nbsp;For entrepreneurship: Did the subject launch something from zero? Did they apply an entrepreneurial mindset to whatever it is they are creating? Was the chance of risk or failure high? Are there a lot of learnings to be shared along the journey?&nbsp;About creativity: Did the subject apply “out-of-the-box” thinking to create something new? Is the concept novel and innovative to the context at hand? Were the subjects inspired by something, somewhere, or someone that led them to this new concept?&nbsp;On Japan: Does the subject matter resonate with people in Japan? Are there elements of the story that reflect the values of Japanese culture (beyond stereotypes)? Does the subject offer ideas, perspectives, or philosophies that can help push Japan forward?&nbsp; &nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://moon-website-prod-images.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/Moon_Media_Kamiyama_Mike_Peng_2bae65a2fb.jpeg" alt="Moon-Media-Kamiyama-Mike-Peng"><figcaption>CCO Mike Peng behind-the-scenes for the film Kamiyama</figcaption></figure>What all went into the making of this film? What does it take to create a captivating story?Like all great non-fiction storytelling, the goal is to achieve true authenticity. This means trying to capture the essence of what we saw, what we heard, and what we felt into an edited package of sound and visuals. You can imagine the hours of footage that we took during these multi-day shoots! How do you slim that down into a 10-15 minute film and still have it tell a clear and compelling story? That is where I suppose the magic really happens. Thankfully, we have an amazing film and editing crew that oozes magic from their pores!&nbsp;For our inaugural film on Kamiyama, we filmed for six days, had nearly 10 hours of footage, and spent approximately 82 hours of editing to get the film to the final length of 14 minutes.&nbsp;<img src="https://moon-website-prod-images.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/Kamiyama_Moon_Media_3be43baca6.jpeg" alt="Kamiyama-Moon-Media">How would you like to see storytelling evolve?&nbsp;As a designer, I’ve been trained to create and appreciate beautiful things, so I want to make sure each one of our films is beautiful in its own way. But for me, beauty is only one facet of storytelling that we want to achieve for Moon Media. My hope is for these films to be thought-provoking and elicit conversation. I don’t want people to just copy what’s been done by the subjects of the film, but I hope that it does provide inspiration and ideas for people to do&nbsp;something.&nbsp;I’ve even been thinking about creating a set of reflection questions as part of each film to help get the conversation started and get us all thinking in a more action-inducing way. Stay tuned!&nbsp; <img src="https://moon-website-prod-images.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/Filming_Kamiyama_Moon_Media_e049abcd66.jpeg" alt="Filming-Kamiyama-Moon-Media">What can we look forward to in the coming months?&nbsp;Like with all “firsts,” there is so much pressure in getting it “perfect,” whatever that means! However, in the spirit of creativity and entrepreneurship, we tried to not overthink with this first film and to just “do.” In the coming months, we’re going to try and get as many people to watch our film and collect any thoughts and feedback people might have on the film (so please&nbsp;do send me any thoughts if you have them: moonmedia@mooncreativelab.com)!We are currently filming the second film (I’m so excited to share it with you all!) and will be heading into post-production in April. Our hope is to launch this next film some time in early May 2023, so be on the lookout!&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://moon-website-prod-images.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/Moon_Media_team_bdd126e785.jpeg" alt="Moon-Media-team"><figcaption>Clockwise from Left to Right: Kaichi Yokoyama (Executive Producer), Masataka Namazu (Photography), Ted Ko (Co-Producer), Mike Peng (Executive Producer), Marco Lui (Director &amp; Writer), Kohei Watanabe (Director, Filming, Editing, Music), Akari Yagura (Filming)</figcaption></figure>Watch the full length film at:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kamiyama.mooncreativelab.com/">https://www.kamiyama.mooncreativelab.com/</a> and subscribe to our newsletter for updates regarding upcoming films from Moon Media!If you would like to get in touch with Mike and the Moon Media team directly, please contact: <a href="mailto:moonmedia@mooncreativelab.com">moonmedia@mooncreativelab.com</a><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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Mateus Rezende, Senior Design Lead at Moon Creative Lab, reports on a recent meetup event held in February 2023 in collaboration with&nbsp;<a href="http://canvas.co.com">Canvas Tokyo</a> and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.figma.com/">Figma</a>. What can someone do in three minutes? What about in three hours? In early February this year, Moon was happy to host our first public event directed at the creative and entrepreneurial communities in Tokyo. The formula was simple. We had a three-hour gathering, where the entire Moon team and Entrepreneurs-in-Residence could commingle with other designers, artists, developers, and entrepreneurs who live and work around Tokyo. The core of the event was an open mic session where anyone could present their portfolio, their personal projects, or pitch their startup in three minutes on stage. This gave presenters the opportunity to quickly share their passion to the entire audience for further collaboration and gather potential feedback.&nbsp; &nbsp;<img src="https://moon-website-prod-images.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/machi_event_4700c763cf.jpg" alt="machi event.jpg"> This event was organized in partnership with&nbsp;<a href="http://canvas.co.com/">Canvas Tokyo</a>, an online platform where creatives can share their work, create discussions on an online forum, and find work on their recently launched Jobs page. We also had support from&nbsp;<a href="https://www.figma.com/">Figma Japan</a>, a widely known tool for UX and UI design. While Canvas Tokyo invited their community of creatives to bring physical works to be displayed on a gallery wall during the event, Figma gifted swag to those who were brave enough to take the mic for three minutes on stage. On the opposite wall from the gallery with displayed artwork there was a six-meter wide projection screen with an online white-board powered by FigJam where creators could place the digital version of their artwork. This wall contained lots of different real-time interaction which created an even greater engagement and unforgettable experience for attendees! &nbsp;<img src="https://moon-website-prod-images.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/PXL_20230203_113522584_2_4e996a721f.jpg" alt="PXL_20230203_113522584 2.jpg"> Overall, it was an evening full of great conversation, endless laughter, and networking opportunities. Everyone had an opportunity to talk and meet with someone new.&nbsp;The only moment there was&nbsp;silence was when the open mic session had started. We heard from one of our Entrepreneurs-in-Residence, Satoshi Yoshida, presenting his venture GORIL, and even&nbsp; professionals&nbsp;in the business world who are also artists. Using only one illustrated image and a microphone in hand, those who did choose to present inspired the crowd at the event. &nbsp;<img src="https://moon-website-prod-images.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/Event_photo_c6fc8854c6.jpg" alt="Event photo.jpg"> This Open Creative Night was the first public event that Moon hosted, in partnership with Canvas Tokyo and Figma, hosted. The intention is to make this event into an ongoing series of gatherings. Our goal is to create a space in the heart of Omotesando where creatives, entrepreneurs and all ofMoon can commingle, learn, become inspired, and connect with people old and new.&nbsp; Be sure to check out our <a href="https://www.mooncreativelab.com/ja/stories/page/1">Moon Stories</a> for upcoming events!&nbsp;Matheus Rezende Senior Design Lead&nbsp; <a href="mailto:mateus@mooncreativelab.com">mateus@mooncreativelab.com</a>

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Moon Creative Lab, Canvas Tokyo, Figma event 

Problem definition is the first step in creating a business. At Moon Creative Lab, we emphasize the importance of first delving into problem definitions from multiple angles. In the business incubation process, it is only after a problem is defined that a vision or concept can be created.In this article, we introduce essential tips that can be applied to problem definition and user-research preparation. Table of Contents<ul><li>Four essential tips in problem definition&nbsp;</li><li>Tennis Bear as an example&nbsp;</li><li>Necessary rules in brainstorming</li><li>How to check your bias&nbsp;</li><li>Preparation for user research&nbsp;</li></ul><hr><h3>Four essential tips in problem definition</h3>Defining a problem is the first step needed before creating a project vision or concept. It is necessary to consider various factors such as what are the users' problems, who are the people in need and whether there are competitors.There are four points we analyze at Moon to help us define the problem we are looking to solve.&nbsp;①&nbsp;Pain Points + AspirationsTo make problem definitions more concrete, we need to know the challenges people are facing. We try to identify the problem by answering the following questions:What needs currently exist? &nbsp; What are the unfulfilled needs? Are there any needs that people aren't aware of?&nbsp; ②&nbsp;Problem Scale + Opportunity&nbsp;Analyzing the problem with statistics and other data can help better understand the scale and severity of needs. The results of further investigation can help provide hints for identifying solutions. If there is no data found, we can conduct simple research such as interviews to help identify the specific solutions needed. &nbsp;③&nbsp;User ExplorationIdentify ideas that could have potential solutions and start thinking about the end users.&nbsp;Identifying both the users and related stakeholders can help better understand the overall structure of the business. It is important to identify all stakeholders as clearly as possible and visualize them on a map. <img src="https://moon-website-prod-images.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/_ff3826e98e.jpg" alt="ユーザーエクスプロレーション.jpg">④ Can We Test?We need to understand the current market and user behavior, confirm how they are currently dealing with problems, what competitive services are available, whether they can be solved with existing services, etc., and examine whether new solutions are needed.<h3>Tennis Bear as an example</h3><img src="https://moon-website-prod-images.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/Tennis_Bear_9bafde6d4d_5dc583f819.jpeg" alt="Tennis_Bear_9bafde6d4d.jpeg">Let's look at <a href="https://www.mooncreativelab.com/ja/ventures/tennis-bear">Tennis Bear</a> which is part of Moon's venture portfolio. Tennis Bear is a digital sports platform that brings recreational players together in Japan that allows users to search and make reservations at local tennis courts. Tennis Bear also allows users to search for players of the similar level as themselves.&nbsp; Below we apply the four essential tips in problem definition for Tennis Bear.&nbsp;① Pain Points + Aspiration.&nbsp; Before there was no way to check court availability online. Finding players at a similar skill level was a struggle among tennis players and these factors became important insights in finding what was needed as a service.② Problem Scale + Opportunity.&nbsp; The team identified the size of the tennis population, the number of courts, how many players are having troubles finding other players and how serious it is for users who love tennis.③ User Exploration.&nbsp; The Tennis Bear team examined various user scenarios such as experienced or inexperienced players, whether they play at a tennis club or whether they are tennis court owners or instructors.④ Can We Test?&nbsp; Tennis Bear searched for an online website that allowed users to check courts’ reservation status. What they found was that there was no service to make a reservation by searching for the availability of tennis courts. Based on this finding the team developed a function that allows users to search and reserve courts all at once.&nbsp; After the service was launched, Tennis Bear realized users were having a hard time finding training partners of a similar level. The team then added a function that allowed users to search for players of a similar level.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://moon-website-prod-images.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/_be63be5dbe.jpg" alt="ポストイットはる.jpg"><figcaption>Brainstorming session using Post-its</figcaption></figure><h3> Necessary rules in brainstorming</h3>Quantity Over Quality&nbsp;Before starting a discussion on your initial problem space, realize this is just the starting point. A single idea often leads to many more ideas in a brainstorming session. The best brainstorming sessions thrive when they are open discussions valuing any and all ideas, and opinions. Remember that quantity is encouraged over quality here!&nbsp;Don't Judge Ideas Right AwayYou might want to judge some of the ideas shared right away which is natural. It's important to have an open mind and consider various possibilities without jumping to conclusions.&nbsp;Steps for a successful brainstorming session.<ol><li>At first, try to come up with ideas by yourself&nbsp;</li><li>Share and discuss ideas with others&nbsp;</li><li>Group similar ideas together &nbsp;</li><li>Vote and pick ideas to prioritize&nbsp;</li></ol>Prioritization can be discussed and decided over time but voting is more effective especially when time is limited.&nbsp;After identifying your problem definition and running a proper brainstorm you'll next need to identify any biases.&nbsp;<h3>How to check your bias</h3>Doing a bias check after sharing honest opinions during a brainstorm session is important to make sure you have seen all perspectives of an idea (not just your own).&nbsp;After the brainstorming session you'll want to separate the hypotheses from the questions. Hypotheses are statements that seem to be true about the ideas where as questions ask whether there is prejudice or risk against that hypothesis.<img src="https://moon-website-prod-images.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/_dd80ad9d12.jpg" alt="バイアスチェック.jpg">By analyzing the hypotheses and questions you are able to identify speculation and potential risks. Often times if you are unsure about a hypothesis you will need to consider more research or asking an expert. &nbsp;<h3>Research Preparation</h3><img src="https://moon-website-prod-images.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/Design_research_thumbnail_7d739434e4.jpg" alt="Design research thumbnail.jpg">After narrowing our focus through the bias check process the next step is preparing for research. There are two items that are required in order to proceed: a strong vision and a game plan.&nbsp;Clarifying the vision plays a big role in deepening the shared goal and solutions among project members. Think about what needs to be shared to properly communicate your idea to others. Some questions you might ask include:What kind of influence would this create on people, and on whom? What kind of world do you want to create?&nbsp; What is the motivation?&nbsp; What are the barriers?&nbsp;Next, you'll want to develop a game plan which outlines the research plan and concept design. Start by identifying these questions:&nbsp;Who should we talk to?&nbsp; What are the risks?&nbsp; How serious is each risk?&nbsp;Based on the content identified through the brainstorming, we can easily answer these questions with confidence to create a shared vision among team members and develop a game plan.&nbsp;<h3>Next steps after Problem Definition&nbsp;</h3>Moon's incubation process moves from problem definition is just the first step to building a business idea. The next steps include clarification of vision, concept design, user research, prototyping, and product launch.This process is based on the design research methodology. Be sure to learn about the next steps here on Moon Stories!

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Problem Definition 

On February 16, 2023, ILLUMINATE was held at Moon Creative Lab's Tokyo studio. This pitch event invited seven select Idea Owners to share their new business idea to the Moon Committee in hopes to be selected for incubation. The event was live-streamed live for Mitsui employees all over the world.<hr><h3>What is ILLUMINATE?</h3>ILLUMINATE is an event series that shines a light on the next generation of business creators to create something that’s never been done before.All Mitsui employees are encouraged to submit their ideas to Moon, and if selected they will get a chance to pitch their ideas at the ILLUMINATE event. If they are chosen by the Moon Committee after the pitch, they are seconded to Moon, where they will become a Entrepreneur-in-Residence to work on creating their business while receiving support from Moon.Since some Idea Owners participated remotely in other countries, the event was held in a hybrid format by connecting Moon's Palo Alto studio, Tokyo studio, and the locations of some Idea Owners.Each team was given five minutes to pitch followed by a Q＆A session with&nbsp; Moon Committee members.&nbsp;<h2><img src="https://moon-website-prod-images.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/ILLUMINATE_report_1bcda39f3e.jpg" alt="Moon Event Illuminate 2023"> &nbsp;</h2><h3>Discover ideas that will change the world!</h3>Seven individual ideas and their Idea Owners from around the world participated at this ILLUMINATE event.&nbsp;<ul><li>Eureka: an innovative space education program incorporating satellite development.&nbsp;</li><li>EcoTour: allows tourists to find and book ecological experiences in Japan.&nbsp;</li><li>LightningCare: a new choice for in-home care.&nbsp;</li><li>Pandora: uses AI for data visualization of car service diagnoses.&nbsp;</li><li>Artemia: improves the production of aquatic feed to keep up with demand.&nbsp;</li><li>Minutes Database: tracks meeting minutes to help collaboration.&nbsp;</li><li>Fulfiller: a curry-based weight loss meal program.&nbsp;</li></ul>Each team shared their pitch and passion as the event was live-streamed to Mitsui &amp; Co. employees around the world. The event had a very active and in-depth Q&amp;A session, with great questions, words of encouragement and support sent worldwide via the chat.&nbsp;Moon Creative Lab is always looking for new business Idea Owners to participate in the ILLUMINATE event series.

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At Moon Creative Lab, we regularly hold pitch events to gather new business ideas. employees. Prior to the pitch event, Moon designers and/or program managers are assigned to each idea as mentors to help Idea Owners brush up on their concepts and pitch decks. In this article we’ll&nbsp; explain what a pitch coach does exactly and share the checklist provided to Idea Owners.Table of Contents<ul><li>Why you should polish your idea until right before pitch</li><li>Reference: How to best deliver ideas&nbsp;</li><li>Checklist: How to best compose a pitch 1. Why you should polish your idea until right before pitch&nbsp;&nbsp;</li></ul><hr><h3>Why you should polish your idea until right before pitch&nbsp;&nbsp;</h3>We’ve noticed from previous Idea Owners that they’ll often spend a lot of time preparing and researching their idea, often gathering an overwhelming amount of information. While we always encourage doing your research it’s important that the audience only needs to know a certain amount of information to understand the key message. That's why it's necessary to narrow down the key points and organize the information so it’s easier for listeners to digest the information you’re trying to sell them on.&nbsp;Before ILLUMINATE, we provide a 60 minute coaching session. The purpose of the session is to give Idea Owners the confidence and necessary tools to give a strong presentation. We often explore topic areas such as: &nbsp;<ul><li>Tips on creating strong pitch decks&nbsp;</li><li>How to best compose a pitch&nbsp;</li><li>What needs to be added to deliver a strong presentation</li><li>Emphasize with listeners&nbsp;</li></ul>Through these processes, we aim to complete a deck and script prior to the event.It’s difficult to complete a deck within a 60 minute coaching session but we provide materials Idea Owners need to complete, continue communication on an ongoing basis, and repeat this process to help them organize the idea and pitch deck contents.We also provide advice to make sure the Idea Owners are aware of the specific format we have at each event. Pitch time is limited to five minutes so it is important that Idea Owners are making their pitch by following this rule.To create an ideal pitch composition we take these examples, shown in the next section, as a reference to create a perfect pitch.It's very important to make it easy to understand your business idea because this can affect not only listeners' understanding and emotions but also business growth. Therefore, improving the pitch deck can lead to improving business ideas as well.<h3>Reference: How to best deliver ideas</h3>Some successful pitch decks are shared on websites and social media channels. We encourage Idea Owners to utilize these resources as well. Here is the list of recommended resources.■Best Pitch Decks"Best Pitch Decks” is a website that gathers "winning decks" from various startups. You can view pitch decks from Facebook, Spotify, WeWork, Airbnb, etc.Website：<a href="https://bestpitchdeck.com/">https://bestpitchdeck.com</a>■Pitch Deck HuntYou can view more startup pitch decks from this website as well. Including Shopify, Uber, LinkedIn, Coinbase, and DropBox.Website：<a href="https://www.pitchdeckhunt.com/">https://www.pitchdeckhunt.com</a>■How to Pitch Your StartupA commentary video by Kevin Hale of Y Combinator, a seed accelerator that supports startup businesses. Clear (05:08), Example Pitches (12:30), and Be Concise (20:09) talk about how to create easy-to-understand pitches. You can also view the contents of the video as texts from <a href="https://www.ycombinator.com/library/6q-how-to-pitch-your-startup">here.</a>YouTube: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17XZGUX_9iM&amp;t=36s">How to Pitch Your Startup（Kevin Hale</a>)■Great example of pitches via Y CombinatorThis is a case of nine winning decks introduced on Twitter by Michael Hook, a co-founder of Launch House. You can refer to how these pitches are composed to deliver a message in under three minutes.Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/callmehouck/status/1617877513832894468?s=61&amp;t=K_vjZBDkaRs-iI4Z1tv7sQ">@callmehouck</a><h3>How to best compose a pitch</h3>In order to deliver a clear and memorable message, composition of the contents is key. There is no one model that fits all but considering the following three points will make it easier to create a series of smooth flows in your pitch deck.① Beginning: Warm-up ② Middle: Show the data ③ End: To be rememberedIn these three sections, each of the following elements needs to be explained. ① Beginning: Warm-upVision. Is the idea expressed in a single clear sentence?&nbsp;Story. Why listeners need to listen - What personal experience evokes listeners’ empathy?&nbsp; ② Middle: Show the dataProblem. What problem to solve - Are there competitors?&nbsp;Solution. How? What is better than your competitors?&nbsp;Evidence. What data (micro and macro) support the hypothesis?&nbsp;Timing. Why now?&nbsp;Business model. Explain business models and opportunities.&nbsp; ③ Ending: To be rememberedWhy you? Why can't other people do it?&nbsp;What story do you want to tell them the most? Listener can remember only one thing. What would you choose?&nbsp;At the beginning of the pitch, get the listener's attention by introducing yourself and giving them reasons why they need to listen carefully.It is very important to be able to explain your idea in a single sentence. Kevin Hale of Y Combinator, explains the importance of this in the above-mentioned video because it leads to business growth through word of mouth.If you can deliver something interesting in a single sentence, people are more likely to be able to talk about it. The idea is that simplicity will lead to word-of-mouth diffusion.In the middle, you review the data and rationale that support the claim. Strategies can be conveyed by checking from multiple perspectives, such as domestic data to see how the business would grow in the early stage to global data for post-growth.In the end, emphasize what you want to tell the most, and what you want your listeners to remember. If you leave a strong impression on more listeners, you are more likely to be chosen.&nbsp;<h3>Getting your pitch deck ready</h3>After brushing up on the business idea and pitch deck, you will look for final tweaks in the rehearsal.It is important to consider various factors such as the speed of speech, equipment that will be&nbsp; used, and time loss due to unexpected events, etc. Idea Owners prepare a script to use their time effectively and practice repeatedly.&nbsp;It is very important to receive feedback on the pitch from as many people as possible during the rehearsal. By incorporating the opinions of those who heard it for the first time allows you to check if your message can be understood by first time listeners.In the 60-minute coaching session, we can only identify what needs to be improved. The original idea is shaped by the insights of each Idea Owner and the information they obtained from research.What we shared in this article can be applied not only for pitching business ideas but also for occasions such as making proposals to business partners or sharing case studies within the company. We hope this article helps you polish up on your idea!Check out Our&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mooncreativelab.com/ja/stories/page/1">Moon Stories</a> where we share a number of other useful tips and insights for starting a business.

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In this article, a Moon Mate shares his experience and learning from submitting an idea to Moon Creative’s ILLUMINATE event in February 2023.&nbsp;<hr><h3>Key Learnings&nbsp;</h3><ul><li>Identifying problems can be more challenging than finding solutions&nbsp;</li><li>Find inspiration by drawing from personal experiences&nbsp;</li><li>Recognize lessons from “failures”</li></ul><hr><img src="https://moon-website-prod-images.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/021423_Finding_Problem_8b9fad59bc.png" alt="021423_FindingProblem.png">I recently submitted my first business idea to Moon Creative Lab for a pitch event they held in February 2023. However, my idea was not selected to move ahead.Having worked at Mitsui for 16+ years and over four years at Moon Creative Lab, this was not my first, and definitely not my last, unsuccessful attempt in my career. To some, having an idea not selected by the company you work for might be seen as a failure. Yet, I wouldn’t be quick to label it quite that way because I have gained something even more profound from the experience as a whole. I walked away with something valuable that I will forever take with me moving forward.What was the key learning I had from my experience?&nbsp;<blockquote>"Finding problems can be harder than finding ideas."</blockquote>So, how did I end up here, thinking about problems instead of solutions?&nbsp;How might we make logistics easy for tourists to buy as much as they want?The inspiration for my idea came from trips to Japan when I saw many tourists buying more than they were able to carry back home. The question, “How might we make logistics easy for tourists to buy as much as they want?” came to me, so I spent time observing and talking to different tourists at the duty-free cashier counter. Almost everyone told me they wouldn't spend more money on shipping and prefer carrying their items for safety’s sake, even when they bought more than they could likely carry.&nbsp;I realized from their responses that that was not really an immediate problem to solve, but rather a personal preference. And as a tourist who doesn’t really shop a lot, I don’t share the same pain, so I would have to rely more on others’ perspectives to develop the idea further.<h3>Find ideas from personal experiences&nbsp;</h3>How might we help senior citizens when they struggle with the evolution of technology?I wasn’t ready to give up after my first failed attempt at identifying a new business idea. I started thinking back about my own life and couldn’t stop thinking about my parents. During the pandemic when most of the world was working remotely, I remembered how often my parents would contact me just to help them with small technology problems. An app that needed updating on their phone or they couldn’t remember the password to login to their computer, or even how to adjust the size of the font on their screens. I became their technology wingman. Had it not been for me, I don’t think they would have ever had the patience and capability to figure things out themselves. It became quite an annoyance for me, and something I just had to laugh at and complain about with colleagues. Ironically enough, they were also experiencing the same problem more or less with their parents and grandparents!&nbsp;This was the moment a lightbulb inside of me turned on.&nbsp;I turned my business idea towards “How might we help senior citizens when they struggle with the evolution of technology?”&nbsp;I started to investigate by asking my family questions. One of the concerns my parents expressed was that they didn’t feel comfortable being guided by a stranger on their personal cell phones or laptops, which was why they turned to family. That could be a large challenge for any paid services if people are not ready to seek help from outside the family.So, I changed my thinking and started considering my father who is in his 70s and unable to move as swiftly as he did in his 30s. He is not a person who exercises regularly, so I was worried about his health and couldn’t help but wonder,&nbsp;“How might we encourage senior citizens to exercise more to be healthier?”How might we encourage senior citizens to exercise more to be healthier?My mind started down another ideation rabbit hole, but the deadline of idea submission was fast approaching. I wasn’t able to talk to people to better understand their behaviors like I had with my two previous ideas. This made things tough and I felt that the idea I had settled on felt rushed and without much context.&nbsp;Time was up. I submitted my idea and hoped for the best. Regretfully yet unsurprisingly, my idea was not selected to move forward to the pitch event. I would be lying if I told you I wasn’t bummed, because I was. But instead of shying away from other experiences, I used this as an opportunity to learn why I ended up where I was.&nbsp;<h3>Recognize lessons from “failures”</h3>I realized that no matter how “good” we think an idea should be, we should never forget the importance of identifying the actual problem that the idea should solve.&nbsp;&nbsp;Take my senior citizen exercise idea as an example. Knowing my father is old and not as mobile as he used to be, I immediately jumped to the conclusion that he needed to exercise to be more mobile again – without giving much thought to the problems my father was actually facing. I could have asked, “What limitations does my dad have as a 70-year-old man? What does he struggle doing physically? What about his mental, emotional, and spiritual health could I also investigate?” Questions like these might have helped me look more into what my father&nbsp;actually wants instead of what I&nbsp;think he wants.My takeaway from this experience is that it’s better to analyze my own problems or ones that I am most familiar with because I’d likely have more insights and motivation to solve them! Rather than seeking outside of yourself trying to find solutions to what you&nbsp;think other people are struggling with, it’s sometimes best to look within yourself and analyze your own problems first to find an idea worth solving.&nbsp;Many people have told me “It's very hard to have a great idea,” but when it comes down to creating something new, it's about solving problems, which are more about looking deeper than the surface of just a “great” idea. The hard part is understanding the root of the problem itself. And that can lead to even better ideas.&nbsp;So, do you care to join me in finding some interesting and necessary problems worth solving? Be sure to&nbsp;<a href="https://mooncreativelab.us20.list-manage.com/subscribe/post?u=d99815b9bbaab382f9236d1b5&amp;id=cf5d07672c">sign up for our newsletter</a> to find out when our next upcoming pitch event and other events will take place.&nbsp;

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In this article, a Moon Mate shares her experience and learning from an ILLUMINATE event.<hr><h3>Key learnings:</h3><ul><li>Take a step further to create your own opportunities to be involved. "Stretch our comfort zone"&nbsp;</li></ul><hr><img src="https://moon-website-prod-images.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/My_project_a1c77cf7d1.jpg" alt="My project.jpg">In August, I visited Moon Creative Lab’s Tokyo studio for the very first time for ILLUMINATE, an event by Moon that shines a light on the next generation of business creators. The ILLUMINATE event series is an opportunity for Moon to engage with those interested in building new businesses and getting first-hand experience with our incubation process. The focus of the events will change over time, but this was our first time engaging with Organizations, Business Units, and task forces from our parent company.&nbsp;&nbsp;During this ILLUMINATE, selected teams took part in a Make-a-thon – an event to help develop novel ideas into potential businesses, and in this case, expand on existing organizations and business units. Participants spent two full days building on ideas, working through the design process from ideation to concept creation, and developing their storytelling skills to present their ideas and prototypes at a final showcase event.&nbsp;During two days of Make-a-thon, Moon members help Idea Owners polish their ideas by pushing them to ask the right questions, experiment fast, and better explain their hypotheses through quick prototypes. Design thinking is a non-linear and iterative process involving five phases: emphasize, define, ideate, prototype, and test. In these five stages, ideas can form, shape, and shift multiple times, and that’s how a team refines their idea.<img src="https://moon-website-prod-images.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/My_project_13a5b75e73.jpg" alt="My project.jpg"><h3>Day 1｜Couldn’t keep up with the team discussion…</h3>During the lunch break on the first day, I had a chance to talk to one of our participants, Shiho Hayashi from the&nbsp;Nutrition &amp; Agriculture Business Unit&nbsp;who is&nbsp;new in her industry. Shiho confided that she felt completely lost in her team's discussions. “My lack of general understanding of the industry coupled with my poor English skills caused general confusion for me in our group discussions. I'm not sure if I should come back tomorrow if&nbsp; I can't even contribute” she told me.Shiho’s reluctance is understandable. The design process forces you to stretch your comfort zone, a value that lies at Moon’s core. In fact, the design process can be messy, and confusing, especially for those who have never experienced it before. I explained to Shiho that it was okay and normal to feel these struggles and not have all the answers, and assured her I would try to help her however I could.&nbsp;<h3>Day 2｜Create your own opportunities to be involved.</h3>Shiho seemed to be different from the first day. Even though she was still nervous, she continued to participate in the discussions. If there was anything she didn't understand, she always asked questions, and even during the fast-paced discussions in English, she waited for the right time and shared her opinion by receiving Moon members’ support. She was creating her own opportunities to get involved. Eventually, the whole team starts to change as well. As Shiho continued to ask questions with a positive attitude, the members began to deepen their mutual understanding of the discussion, and the discussion became more active and more questions arose.&nbsp; As a result, team members started asking Shiho’s opinion.This event is a great example of one of the Moon’s values "Stretch your comfort zone", and how anyone can practice this value.<h3>I was only thinking if I’m contributing enough or not.</h3>After ILLUMINATE, she shared her experience with me.”On the first day, I was trying to contribute with my knowledge. I messaged my manager on the first day when I was struggling, and he told me to enjoy the process because everything has its own value. Of course, it's important to think about what I can offer to the team. However, my manager's words made me realize I wasn't thinking about what I can learn by participating in this experience. Coming into the second day, I participated with a different mindset. I made sure to ask questions if there was anything I didn't understand. It was really difficult to keep up with the high-speed discussions conducted in English, so I tried to share my opinions and understandings individually with Moon team members at my own pace. I made my own opportunities to be involved. Eventually, the members started throwing balls at me. Through those two days, I think I was able to learn how not to be too scared of making mistakes.”&nbsp;Shiho taught me that stretching your comfort zone doesn't have to mean forcing yourself to take a huge dive into the unknown. It can also mean changing your mindset, taking baby steps, and showing up. By doing so, not only can you give yourself more opportunities, but you can also create an environment that encourages others to try and challenge themselves.&nbsp;To generate innovative ideas, we need an environment where everyone can speak up and ask questions and feel psychologically safe. If you can create that environment, you can give yourself confidence. From the story of Shiho who continued to challenge herself to contribute to the team despite the difference in experience and the language barrier, I think there are important lessons that we all can learn.<hr><ul><li>Differences in experience stimulate discussion.</li><li>By increasing the number of questions and making the discussion more active, verbalize the implicit knowledge among members.</li><li>By reducing the number of members who are only giving or receiving, create an environment where more ideas can come up.</li><li>Do not wait until someone creates a safe environment for you to speak up. Be the one to create that environment for others.</li></ul><hr>Kurumi CanoneoMoon Creative Lab Japanese-English Interpreter

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