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About

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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<h3>Meet the 16 global startups that joined our incubation program in Fall 2023.</h3><hr><figure class="image"><img src="https://moon-website-prod-images.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/Boost_group_89f5006e5a.png" alt="Boost group.png"></figure>&nbsp;In July 2023, Moon Creative Lab launched three new programs: <a href="https://www.mooncreativelab.com/spark">Spark</a>, <a href="https://www.mooncreativelab.com/boost">Boost</a>, and <a href="https://www.mooncreativelab.com/orbit">Orbit</a> to help organizations and individuals unlock their creative potential to start new businesses. For the first time, we opened our doors to entrepreneurs around the world, inviting participants to join our in-person 3-6 month intensive early-stage incubation program, Boost.We received applications from a range of industries and spanning more than 10 different countries. After a rigorous review and interview process with Moon leadership, we selected 16 startups to leverage Moon’s talent, and each other, to help build for traction, receive real feedback from customers as quickly as possible, and potentially earn funding at Moon’s Demo Day in April 2024.<h3>&nbsp;</h3><h3>Moon Welcomes Boost’s Fall 2023 Participants&nbsp;&nbsp;</h3>Since October, Boost participants have worked together with Moon Mates to build on their ventures and develop their skills as founders. We’ve seen product pivots, company rebrands, customer discovery, and countless other experiments to find market traction and build products that customers love.&nbsp;As we prepare for the end of this Boost cycle, Moon will be offering select teams the option to extend their incubation period with us for another 3 months as a prerequisite for Demo Day in April.&nbsp;We want to extend a sincere congratulations to all of the entrepreneurs, ideas, and startups that have been a part of the first Boost cohort:&nbsp;<h3>&nbsp;</h3><h3>From Individual Entrepreneurs</h3><a href="https://delight.fit/">Delight</a> is a call center automation and personalization service with a multilingual phone bot. Delight launched in October 2022 by its founder Hiroyuki Anno.DEW is an eco-friendly cleaning supplies subscription service. Founder Yuka Usami launched its first product, aq, in September 2023.&nbsp;<a href="https://dotsfor.com/">Dots for Inc.</a> offers information access to rural Africa. Dots for Inc. was established in October 2021 by its founder Carlos Oba.Fankey/ Xylocopa is a fan activity data management system. Founded in September 2022 by Yamaguchi Kiminori.&nbsp;<a href=" https://www.hyouka-ai.com/en/top">Hyouka</a> is an AI and camera based survey using hand gestures. Founder Aki Kutvonen launched Hyouka in 2021 and moved to working on this project fulltime in 2023.Loyal (formerly known as MCM) is blockchain based music copyright management. MCM is founded by Yusuke Sunakane.&nbsp;<a href="https://matchhat.com/landing">MatchHa</a>t is a platform to help filmmakers find talent and collaborators . The idea for MatchHat began in 2017 and development began a few years later together with teammates in 2020. MatchHat is founded by Soraya Umewaka, CEO, together with co-founder Sheenan Tenepre, Tech Lead.<a href="https://www.menux.jp/">MenuX</a> is a digital platform for sports and entertainment merchandise. Founder Eri Koyano has been working on MenuX together with her cofounder since 2022.&nbsp;Minute Style is a marketplace that curates daily outfits suggested by personal stylists using their existing wardrobes. Founder Eri Kobayashi has been working on Minute Style since December 2019 and launched the beta in 2020.<a href="https://voice-ping.com/">VoicePing</a> is a virtual office with real time translation. VoicePing is founded by CEO Nakajima Akinori, CEO, and Jack Nguyen, COO. VoicePing has been in production over the past 18 months and has gained over 2,000+ daily active users.WhyMe/Insaight is an AI based consulting platform. Founder Takayuki Suzuki has been working on WhyMe/Insaight since early 2022.&nbsp;<h3>&nbsp;</h3><h3>Entrepreneurs From Mitsui</h3>Carbon Mileage is an awards program for energy efficient airline travel. Founder Junya Fukui joins us from the Americas Energy BU.Eureka is an educational program focused on space. Founder Naoya Shiraishi was a previous Spark participant and encouraged to apply to our Boost program. Shiraishi joins us from the Educational Tech BU. &nbsp;<a href="https://yukiobata.wixsite.com/my-site">ISSHO</a> is a software platform for employee engagement. Founder Yuki Obata has been working closely with Moon in the months leading up to the Boost application after successfully pitching the idea during Moon’s Design Challenge for Mitsui x Moon.&nbsp;<h3>&nbsp;</h3><h3>Ideas and Startups From Mitsui Business Units (BUs)</h3>Agritech is a sensor tech to help sustainable farming. Agritech’s team includes Alberto Takayama and Yoshihiro Katsuyama deriving from the Mobility I &amp; II &amp; Food BU.UpWaste is a digitized waste management platform. Founder Aris Munandar was a previous Spark participant and encouraged to apply to our Boost program. Munandar joins us from the Mitsui Indonesia BU. &nbsp;<h3>&nbsp;</h3><h3>From Boost to our Orbit</h3>No matter how far founders travel with Moon, they will always be a part of our Orbit! We believe that building a thriving startup takes ongoing support from a network of supportive individuals, and that’s why we built our entrepreneur community, Orbit. All Boost alumni will be invited to develop their skills at our networking events and encouraged to participate in Orbit, even if they are not selected to continue their incubation period at Moon.Be sure to check out <a href="https://www.mooncreativelab.com/en/orbit">www.mooncreativelab.com/orbit</a> for the most up to date events! &nbsp;&nbsp;*These were the idea/business descriptions at the time of writing this article. Entrepreneurship and new ventures, by nature, are constantly evolving, so these descriptions may change along the journey.* &nbsp;

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In recent years, with the strengthening of international efforts to address global warming and achieve carbon neutrality, green transformation (GX) startups have emerged to the point where there are an estimated 3,000 climate-focused companies today.In a recent episode of Moon Creative Lab's regular online event, "Moon Talk!,” we asked Toma Yamasaki of <a href="https://e-dash.io/">e-dash Corporation</a> and Yusuke Toyoda of <a href="https://www.digitalgrid.com/">Digital Grid Corporation</a> about the secrets to building successful GX-focused products and organizations.<h3>Key Learnings</h3><ul><li>Focusing on the decarbonization domain</li><li>Overcoming challenges in product development</li><li>How to realize a big vision and involve stakeholders</li><li>Funding and hiring</li></ul><hr><figure class="image"><img src="https://moon-website-prod-images.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/image6_8c7e31356f.jpg" alt="image6.jpg"><figcaption>President of e-dash Corporation, Toma Yamasaki (left) and president of Digital Grid Corporation, Yusuke Toyoda (right).</figcaption></figure>Yusuke Toyoda joined Digital Grid in 2018 as a founding member and has served as president since 2019. He previously worked at a securities company after graduating from university, where he was involved in financial product structuring and mega solar development and investment.Toma Yamasaki was stationed in Silicon Valley after working for Mitsui &amp; Co., on the development and mergers &amp; acquisitions of electric power and other infrastructure businesses. After spending about five years in Silicon Valley, Yamasaki was in charge of venture investment and business development in the clean tech field there.Facilitated by Masahiro Kunieda, Business Lead for sustainability at Moon, this Moon Talk! provides unique perspectives from both Toyoda and Yamasaki as entrepreneurs and in-house entrepreneurs, or “intrapreneurs.”&nbsp;&nbsp;<h3>Focusing on decarbonization as an entrepreneur and intrapreneur</h3>Kunieda: You both are working in the decarbonization area as an entrepreneur and an internal entrepreneur. Why did you decide to focus on this field?Toyoda: I had been focusing on the field of renewable energy since I was in a university research lab, and I had been conducting research with the idea that it would be interesting if, in the future, electricity could be colored (for the purpose of identifying the electricity to be used) and exchanged freely.I wondered if the same kind of rapid evolution that occurred in the field of telecommunications would also occur in the energy field. I was focused on the enormous potential of renewable energy, which is said to be 200,000 times the amount of electricity generated on Earth, and was conducting research with the goal of creating a world where people do not have to worry about energy.My mentor Dr. Abe started the company with me. When he was a student, he enthusiastically promoted research on digital grids as a specially-appointed professor in the Social Cooperation Course. Currently, he is engaged in hardware development, etc. while serving as Representative Director and CEO at DG Capital Group Inc. I deeply sympathized with the vision of "supporting renewable energy to create the future 30 years from now," which President Toyoda had been talking about for years with a twinkle in his eye. So, it was a natural progression for me to get involved in GX.<blockquote>"I want to enjoy new things and work towards winning because it is an immature industry.” -Yusuke Toyoda&nbsp;</blockquote>Yamasaki: Since joining Mitsui, I have been involved in power-related business development within the Project Division, where I have the opportunity to notice major trend changes.I was stationed in Silicon Valley for five years starting in 2015, where I invested in and developed joint ventures with startups in the green tech and climate-related fields. This was a major catalyst for starting a business within the GX field. &nbsp;<h3>Overcoming challenges in product development</h3>Kunieda: Although we are in the same field, our starting points for product development are slightly different, one from the deep-tech side and the other from the software side. Can you tell us about the challenges you faced in product development and how you overcame them?Toyoda: Currently, we are developing software that will deliver weather-sensitive renewable energy to various companies, but at the beginning of product development, we were making hardware to control electricity in order to freely exchange power. We have developed hardware that can use electricity from storage batteries, and have also worked on demonstration projects for the Ministry of the Environment.Around 2016, blockchain became a hot topic, and we expanded our efforts, believing that if we could combine blockchain technology with hardware to track and control it, we could realize our ideal vision.Later on, we experienced a situation where our resources were dispersed among products that included all the functions of hardware, blockchain, and AI, but we did not have enough resources to push through each of these areas. Based on this process, we are now focusing on AI and software development.Yamasaki: Since the initial conception of the product, we have developed the product without changing much from the theme of "energy consumption data management" as the main framework.President Toyoda might say that we are following the textbook (laughs), but we are proceeding with development by receiving <a href="https://www.mooncreativelab.com/ja/boost">support from Moon</a>, creating prototypes, listening to user feedback, and continuously developing the product while facing the pain points of customers. <img src="https://moon-website-prod-images.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/image4_567d28b84a.jpg" alt="image4.jpg"> &nbsp;Kunieda: In one word, what is the secret to overcoming barriers in product development? We asked you to write it down on the flipboard. President Toyoda, please begin.&nbsp;<img src="https://moon-website-prod-images.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/image5_ca94fc9900.jpg" alt="image5.jpg"> Toyoda: I wrote “calmness and passion.” We are proceeding with our business with a strong passion to realize a world in which people can freely exchange electricity. To create innovation, we certainly need to push the accelerator to the limit with such passion.On the other hand, it is also necessary to judge logically whether or not it is feasible as a business, separating it from our passion, and we feel that the level of difficulty is extremely high. In fact, there was a time several years ago when I could not find the right balance. Even now, I am trying to figure out how to create innovations that become businesses while maintaining the conflicting attitudes of passion and practicality.One thing I try to do to keep my composure is to listen to the opinions of trusted colleagues. I try to listen to objective opinions while keeping my own vision unwavering.Kunieda: Thank you very much. President Yamasaki, your turn.<img src="https://moon-website-prod-images.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/image2_c9dca46cf5.jpg" alt="image2.jpg"> Yamasaki: I wrote “confirmation bias,” a perfect match for President Toyoda (laughs)!When starting a new business from scratch, I think there is a lot that can be driven by the strong belief that there must be a need.On the other hand, once I start running vigorously, I try to calmly look at the situation and verify it, even though I have my own conflicts. It is challenging, but it is something I still cherish.&nbsp;Whatever it is, I want to do it! I feel that it is difficult because it starts with "I want to do it!” &nbsp;<h3>How to realize a big vision… and involve stakeholders</h3>Kunieda: President Yamasaki, as an operating company under Mitsui, and President Toyoda, as a corporate organization receiving numerous investments, how do you involve stakeholders in order to realize your big vision?Yamasaki: We operate as a subsidiary wholly owned by Mitsui &amp; Co and are working with various partners through internal connections to develop our clientele.We have the support of an established company as Mitsui &amp; Co., and are receiving back-office support in the areas of personnel systems, accounting, and settlement of accounts.On the other hand, as a trading company, we did not have personnel specializing in product development, so we are hiring people who can write code. Also, due to the nature of SaaS, we are managing our organization by gathering people who can handle customer success, field sales, and other tasks.<blockquote>"This is the most interesting industry and I want to make it exciting together.” -Toma Yamasaki</blockquote>Toyoda: In the case of Digital Grit, we have a total of 60 shareholders, of which only one is a venture capital company and the majority are large corporations. We have a very large number of stakeholders, and sometimes nearly 100 people gather at shareholder meetings!With regard to the diversity of our stakeholders, to become the one and only platform of its kind in Japan, we have a policy of having multiple companies participate rather than just one company within one industry.In addition, we gave those who invested in the project access to our code, logic, and other information at the time, and adopted an open innovation approach in which we received opinions as we proceeded.Kunieda: Now, what do you feel are the advantages of both startups and in-house startups from each other's point of view? We asked you to write on the same flipboard. President Yamasaki, please begin. <img src="https://moon-website-prod-images.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/image3_92e0f87458.jpg" alt="image3.jpg"> Yamasaki: "Partners.” Seeing the way President Toyoda is proceeding, I feel that it is a great advantage that large corporations, as shareholders, can be both customers and partners in building businesses.As written in Practical Theory of New Business by Yoichi Aso, the founder of Alpha Drive, the difficulty in spinning out from a large corporation to create a business is fundraising. From this point of view, I feel that having the support of many partners is a very big advantage for us.Kunieda: Thank you very much. Now, President Toyoda, please begin. <img src="https://moon-website-prod-images.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/image1_83d4330a7c.jpg" alt="image1.jpg">Toyoda: "Strong and new game.” In talking with President Yamasaki, I think that starting a new business from a company with a long history is like a game where you can start the battle with a high-level weapon from the beginning.For example, we can develop products with Moon's support and deploy back-office know-how. I feel that the ability to utilize and customize such assets is a great strength.For people who create something from zero to one in a startup, there are some inefficiencies, and even a single HR system needs to be built over time. If we can take the know-how we have developed over our long history and turn it into something optimal, it would be a great weapon.<h3>&nbsp;</h3><h3>On fundraising and hiring</h3>Below are questions from the audience that the panel answered.What is the best way to hire reliable engineers? Yamasaki: It is important to hire the first excellent product manager. From there, it will be easier to hire all the way through.Do you have any advice on fundraising for each stage? Toyoda: It is important to fulfill the promises and milestones at each stage, one by one, and even if stage advancement is not always possible, it is important to explain the causes and next steps to be taken and proceed. &nbsp;&nbsp;Moon Talk! will continue to deliver information on innovation in companies, stories of startup founders, and deep-dives into design and technology, all of which will be useful for future business strategies and new business creation. Check out upcoming events from Moon at <a href="https://www.mooncreativelab.com/orbit">https://www.mooncreativelab.com/orbit</a>.&nbsp;

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<a href="https://www.voox.me/">VOOX</a> is a platform that offers a curated collection of bite-sized audio content for lifelong learning. Content is narrated by the author in order to accurately convey and express what they intend. This can sometimes be quite difficult to achieve when read by someone other than the author themselves. Founder Hong Guihua shares why she decided to create VOOX and the impact her company is looking to create.<h3>In this blog:</h3><ul><li>“I like books but I’m unable to read them.”</li><li>Right plan, wrong content</li><li>Keeping authors authentic</li><li>Connecting authors, editors, and publishers</li><li>Bringing authors and readers together</li></ul><hr><figure class="image"><img src="https://moon-website-prod-images.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/image1_2b52554b2b.jpg" alt="image1.jpg"><figcaption>Hong Guihua launched VOOX in May 2020 and released the application in 2021. &nbsp;</figcaption></figure><h3>“I like books but I’m unable to read them.”</h3>I have always been interested in audio services for two main reasons:<ol><li>While I like books and think they are important, I found myself unable to read them. Especially difficult books; if it is a classic or a book with complex content, it is very difficult to read, let alone understand.</li><li>When I was stationed in Indonesia back in 2016, I had to drive to work for two years. I had spent a lot of time driving and audio content was a crucial means of consuming information for me. I had always used different forms of audio content, including radio, and I had a strong interest in audio services such as audiobooks, news delivered by voice, audio lectures on economics at Peking University, and so on. &nbsp;</li></ol>However, compared to the U.S. and China, Japan had hardly any audio content other than radio. The only thing that existed were podcasts for learning English. There were so few options!&nbsp; I thought that offering a variety of audio content in a different format would grow in Japan. When I had learned about Moon's open call for new business ideas, I started thinking about my idea and how I might commercialize it. I refined my idea, pitched it to Moon and upon acceptance was transferred to Moon where I had launched the VOOX website in the summer of 2020.&nbsp;<h3>Right plan, wrong content</h3>At first, there were only three people on the VOOX team and we didn't have any background knowledge on how to create content. But the important things we wanted to do back then are the same as what we want to do now: provide content that could be listened to within 10-minutes, organize the information so that it’s easy to navigate, and make learning easier and more accessible to everyone.&nbsp; Initially, we tried to create 100 10-minute segments of content focused on the theme of economics, something we thought everyone would like to learn more about. But it turned out that it wasn't interesting content for listeners. Our planning was right, but the content itself just wasn’t interesting enough. It proved impossible to listen to such long content all the way through. I decided to look for an editor. Then I met Fumio Iwasa, the current editor-in-chief of VOOX, who has 30 years of experience in book editing and is also a former editor-in-chief of the Harvard Business Review. Together, we reviewed the world view and editorial policy at VOOX and arrived at the current format, a series of six 10-minute episodes, which allows us to offer a variety of topics.&nbsp;<h3>Keeping authors authentic</h3>At first, we tried to make 100 episodes, but we soon learned that even if we divided the episodes into 10 series, the content would start to overlap in the middle of the series. For this reason, we decided to limit the number of episodes to six.&nbsp; We prepared a landing page and recruited about 120 users to test it out. On that page, we provided three recorded samples:&nbsp;<ol><li>A narrator reads the trend summary articles published by VC.</li><li>A narrator reads their own summary of the book <a href="https://www.amazon.co.jp/Blitzscaling-Lightning-Fast-Building-Massively-Companies-ebook/dp/B0791239V7/ref=sr_1_2?__mk_ja_JP=%E3%82%AB%E3%82%BF%E3%82%AB%E3%83%8A&amp;crid=3D4QYFT3EFJB2&amp;keywords=blitz+scaling&amp;qid=1695110423&amp;sprefix=blitzscaling%2Caps%2C151&amp;sr=8-2">BLITZSCALING</a>.</li><li>The book <a href="https://www.amazon.co.jp/%E8%B5%B7%E6%A5%AD%E3%81%AE%E7%A7%91%E5%AD%A6-%E3%82%B9%E3%82%BF%E3%83%BC%E3%83%88%E3%82%A2%E3%83%83%E3%83%97%E3%82%B5%E3%82%A4%E3%82%A8%E3%83%B3%E3%82%B9-%E7%94%B0%E6%89%80-%E9%9B%85%E4%B9%8B/dp/4822259757">The Science of Entrepreneurship: Startup Science</a> is explained by the author himself.</li></ol>The recordings with commentary by the authors themselves achieved the best results, much more than the others.&nbsp; Option 3 was originally listed as "commentary by the author," whether the content was read by a third-party narrator or by the author. But after qualitative interviews with users about their impressions and the extent to which they remembered the audio content, we learned that the users who chose “commentary by the author themself" were the ones who reportedly retained the most information. When creating audio content, our goal is to try and preserve the author's authenticity as much as possible. We prepare a simple bulleted list of questions for the author to address at the time of recording instead of providing a script for them to read. We don’t edit the recordings, although we sometimes re-record any mistakes. This method seems to work well for not only the user, but also the author.&nbsp; It really helps the authors to organize their thoughts. As a matter of fact, there is even a newly published book based on the content of a VOOX talk. The author, who had no intention of writing a book, realized that he could turn his audio content into a book after talking about it at VOOX. We connected the author with a publishing company, which eventually led to the publication of his book. With an increase in such cases, we have come to realize that VOOX is beginning to produce new benefits not just for authors and listeners, but also for editors and publishers.&nbsp;<h3>Connecting authors, editors, and publishers</h3>Originally, the main objective of VOOX was to have authors read and comment on their own content in audio form. However, every time we spoke with the authors, they would digress and tell stories that went beyond the books in discussion. Then I tried asking authors to not only talk about the applicable book, but also about the entire topic or subject. By doing so, we developed brand-new audio content, which further developed into new publications. One time, an author was writing a book and got a little stumped, so he decided to try and overcome his writer’s block by talking about it on VOOX. That author happened to be our editor-in-chief, but we used VOOX as a place to reinvigorate his inspiration and perspective.&nbsp; Sometimes an author will use it in that way, and other times, they'll have a topic that they've been trying to write a book on, but have neglected it for a long time. So, they'll talk about it on VOOX as a way to refresh their ideas.&nbsp; When you think about it, there are a number of advantages for editors to work with VOOX – it’s a place to learn about authors who are not yet widely known. It’s a place to relieve authors of stumbling blocks and dead-ends and a place to stimulate planning and ideas. It’s a place to discover new authors. And, of course, a place to promote books. In fact, more and more people are contacting us organically. When we find a good book and contact the publisher, the publisher, in turn, contacts us to ask what we think about the book. We are also hearing more from people who are interested in the books that have been published on VOOX. I am very happy to say that in our third year, we are gradually expanding our relationships not only with authors and editors, but with publishers as well.I was happy to hear one of our editors say, "I wasn't sure where I could transfer my book editing skills, but now I know that I can use them in this kind of situation.” I was excited to hear that he thought VOOX could be a new way to apply his skills.<figure class="media"><oembed url="https://vimeo.com/859211849"></oembed></figure><h3>Bringing authors and readers together</h3>Nowadays, the number of people who read books is decreasing rapidly. I don't want this to continue, so I hope VOOX can become a service that can create synergy with books. We did not set out to replace books, but to introduce them. On top of that, we are trying to create a deeper connection between readers and authors. We are currently reaching more people by making VOOX content available on Amazon’s Audible. On the other hand, we think that for fans and listeners of a particular author, even 60 minutes of content isn’t enough, so we are trying to create more ways to deepen the communication between authors and readers. The "pre-publication book club" was one of the ideas we came up with to address that issue. Learn more in the video below (in Japanese).<figure class="media"><oembed url="https://vimeo.com/859212188"></oembed></figure>Because of the coronavirus pandemic, we had never been able to hold an offline event before. But when we held our first in-person event to meet authors, it was more exciting than we had ever imagined. I remember that the authors were very lively because readers came to the events. We plan to do more of these events in the future. Since audio content is a niche market, we are always thinking about ways to make it more widely known. With a Japanese magazine, if 50,000 people know about your business, you can say that everyone knows about it to some extent. Or if the book is on the shelves of a bookstore, you can feel a sense of response. We are still creating content one by one, thinking about how we can create a similar outcome with VOOX.&nbsp;*This article was originally written in Japanese and has been translated and edited for clarity.<hr>VOOX launched its <a href="https://www.voox.me/">website</a> in 2020, followed by its app (<a href="https://apps.apple.com/jp/app/voox/id1546175303">iOS</a>, <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=me.voox&amp;hl=en&amp;gl=US&amp;pli=1">Android</a>) in 2021. A book’s worth of knowledge is narrated directly from leading experts from various fields, including Taizo Son, Dai Tamesue, Ken Kusunoki, Shu Yamaguchi, and others. New series are available for free for two weeks after its release. In June 2023, VOOX began providing content to Audible, the world's largest audiobook and audio content production and distribution service. On June 27, an event was held to celebrate the publication of Surrender Theory with former professional baseball player and current business coach, Yuhki Takamori. In July, VOOX also held a pre-publication reading of Maturity Theory with Dai Tamesue. Follow VOOX on <a href="https://twitter.com/VOOX_jp">X (formerly Twitter)</a> for the latest news and useful knowledge from each series. &nbsp;

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Lullaby is a personalized sleep training service and platform for parents and their newborns.In this article, hear from founder Yukari Tago on how cultural differences and an unfortunate accident inspired her to create Lullaby.&nbsp;<h3> Key Learnings&nbsp;</h3><ul><li>Different countries, different childbirth experiences&nbsp;</li><li>An accidental wake-up call</li><li>Better sleep becomes more than a dream</li><li>Global effects of sleep deprivation</li></ul><hr><figure class="image"><img src="https://moon-website-prod-images.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/image1_74171e0d92.jpg" alt="image1.jpg"><figcaption>Yukari Tago, founder of Lullaby</figcaption></figure><h3>Different countries, different childbirth experiences&nbsp;</h3>The launch of Lullaby was greatly influenced by my experience giving birth in the United States. While the procedures and preparations were more inconvenient and difficult than in Japan, I was surprised at the high level of child-rearing literacy that mothers had in the U.S.Japan is safe and well insured. With an infant medical care card, you can receive free medical care throughout the country. But the situation is quite different in the United States.One time I was at a friend of mine’s US-based home and I had noticed her thick medical dictionaries covered in sticky notes. She told me that she went through every detail of a recent doctor visit’s recommendation, such as whether there is a generic version of a recommended drug, if there is a cheaper alternative, what tests were recommended, etc. She even had suggested options that differed from her doctor's opinion!&nbsp;There were also differences in the birthing process. I had to choose the hospital where I would give birth and also make an appointment with an obstetrician that was covered under my medical insurance. Immediately after birth, I was assigned a pediatrician, and I needed to make an appointment with that doctor in advance. Making separate appointments for the hospital and the doctor was a big difference in itself, but I was indeed surprised when I asked an acquaintance for a hospital recommendation, he replied, "X hospital won't rip you off.”Since I did not have many local acquaintances I decided on a hospital on my own after gathering information using classified websites and other resources. Other mothers I had met were so skilled in gathering such information, which was quite impressive to me. Also, in California, it was not unusual for mothers to return to work three months after childbirth, and it seemed normal for them to invest time and money in preparing for this.One of the things I learned through my experience giving birth in the U.S. was sleep training, which helps babies develop the habit of falling asleep on their own rather than being put to sleep by co-sleeping or being held, as is typical in Japan. My obstetrician told me about the importance of sleep training and how proper sleep health, for both child and parent, is essential. After all, “you can't raise a healthy child if you are exhausted,” as she said.I still wasn't sure whether or not to actually seek sleep training consulting, but an unforeseen event occurred when my child was six months old which drove my need for it. &nbsp;<h3>An accidental wake-up call</h3>My baby was continuously crying at night, leaving me so exhausted that it was hard for me to function throughout the day.When my baby was six months old, he was still crying throughout the night, and I started noticing how constantly foggy my mind was during the day. One day, while he was sleeping on the couch, I took my eyes off of him for just a moment, but when he woke up he fell right off the couch. Had I not been sleep deprived, I probably would have kept a closer eye on him or noticed the moment he woke up.Fortunately, it was nothing too serious. But I remember panicking and rushing to call a cab to take him to the hospital. I was terrified that I might have caused serious injuries. After that scary accident, I decided to seek consulting for sleep training.<blockquote>"You can't raise a healthy child if you are exhausted.”</blockquote><h3>Better sleep becomes more than a dream</h3>Before that incident, I had only considered sleep training. In California, where I had given birth, mothers often returned to work three months postpartum. It was common practice to work with a sleep consultant – a professional that handles sleep training and nighttime crying – to prepare a baby’s sleep environment, allowing the mother to return to work fully equipped to handle nighttime crying and sleep training on her own.At the time I had been reading The Happiest Baby on the Block, a well-known book about parenting and increasing a baby’s sleep, since my son was three months old. But just reading about it didn’t really help the problem I was facing. I still wasn’t sure what to do.The couch incident showed me that I had not been thinking clearly thanks to my baby’s continued night time crying and my own unwavering sleep deprivation. I decided to seek help right away. After receiving consultation and working on sleep training with my husband, I saw a change in my baby’s sleep pattern after just three days.We would leave the room after putting my baby to sleep and watch him through the monitor to measure the time from the start of crying to the end of crying, and we would let him cry for about five minutes, then have contact with him for two minutes, and leave again for a short while, following a time chart. If I had been alone without my husband’s support, I would have broken down when I heard my baby crying.The first few days were pretty rough but to my surprise he quickly began to adapt. After a few weeks, I was actually able to sleep through the night on my own as if by magic. I was so happy about it that when I shared it on Instagram, I was inundated with questions from my friends in Japan, "What is sleep training!?"I received the same response from other people who used sleep training with their infants using the same method as I did. To this day, I still receive comments from users of the Lullaby app saying that they start to see changes in their infants after about the third day. Of course, there are individual differences, but that is the magic of sleep training! You can see improvement almost immediately.For me, the change was drastic. I had read some papers with scientific evidence at the time, but I felt that perhaps if I had the knowledge, parenting would be much easier.I was finally able to get more sleep and I even had enough time to myself that I could take night classes at UCLA Extension. Looking back, the first three to four months after giving birth are a hurdle for just about anyone looking to sleep train because it is a time when the baby does not yet have the strength to sleep through the night. With such knowledge, I would have felt more relaxed about the position I was in.<h3> Global effects of sleep deprivation</h3>Since my job was to develop new businesses in the EdTech industry, I had the opportunity to hear directly from CEOs and COOs about startups in Japan and overseas at the time. Perhaps that is where I was first attracted to the world of startups.Later, I became pregnant in 2016, gave birth in 2017, took maternity leave, and returned to work in 2018. At that time, I particularly remembered the words of a senior employee at Mitsui &amp; Co. who had started his own business. He said that when it comes to new businesses, it’s important to find a deep pain point. If it is deep, and if it is an issue that you want to solve no matter how much money you have to pay, it should be a viable business.&nbsp; &nbsp;<a href="https://www.mooncreativelab.com/stories/design-research">Why Design Research Is Important in Building a Startup</a>&nbsp;After my son was born, for the first time in my life I was faced with the challenge of sleep deprivation. It was the most physically and mentally exhausting experience of my life so far, a true pain point.While sleep training was a common solution in the U.S., it wasn’t in Japan. I thought, "This is it!" I continued to gather information to commercialize this idea. I later learned that Moon was going to hold its first pitch event, so I decided to apply. It seemed like a good opportunity. I pitched my idea for Lullaby and that was the start of my business to improve children's nighttime crying and improve parent’s own sleep.Later, Dr. Mariko Morita, who participated in the project as a supervising physician, also found that the problems related to bedtime are significant.According to data published by Ehime University in 2018, Japan ranks last when comparing the total length of sleep of three-year-olds in 17 major countries1.But it's not just children’s sleep that is affected. Data published by the OECD in 2016 showed that Japanese adult males had the fourth-shortest total sleep duration of all 38 countries at the time (35 OECD member countries plus China, India, and South Africa), and adult females in Japan had the lowest sleep duration2.Sleep deprivation is a major problem in Japan, and many people associate this to their feelings of anxiety about returning to work after parental leave, to fight because of frustration with their children not sleeping, to get divorced because their marriage deteriorates, or to suffer from postpartum depression. Although the methodology on how to improve this nighttime crying problem has not been established at all in Japan, there is evidence for the effectiveness of sleep training.Out of 52 treatment studies from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, 94% of the studies report that sleep training has been effective in improving nighttime crying, and more than 80% of children demonstrated significant improvement that was maintained for three-six months3. Even though the results are well documented, in Japan, there are no medical institutions or midwifery centers to provide guidance.Research has shown that the rate of postpartum depression, stated to originally be about 15%, has increased to about 30% due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic4, which may have a significant impact on mental health. And problems related to infant sleep contribute to the increased percentage as well.I created Lullaby to help solve this very problem. &nbsp;&nbsp;Lullaby is currently expanding its business domain by matching sleep consultants, providing reliable childcare information under the supervision of sleep medicine physicians, and developing other services such as general childcare consultation services.The company has also begun joint development with Pigeon, and as of July 2023, plans to offer a "Nen-ne Kaizen Pack," which combines several services including the use of an application for local governments and the provision of sleep seminars for parents. Demonstration tests of the effectiveness of sleep improvement for families with infants and toddlers will begin sequentially in five municipalities: Kashiwabara City (Osaka Prefecture), Namegata City (Ibaraki Prefecture), Otsuki City (Yamanashi Prefecture), Gyoda City (Saitama Prefecture), and Morioka City (Iwate Prefecture).&nbsp;&nbsp;Check out the <a href="https://www.lullabysleepbaby.com/">Lullaby website</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/lullabysleepbaby/">Instagram</a> for the latest information and updates! &nbsp;&nbsp;*1 <a href="http://childsleep.org/guideline/wp-content/uploads/%E6%9C%AA%E5%B0%B1%E5%AD%A6%E5%85%90%E3%81%AE%E7%9D%A1%E7%9C%A0%E6%8C%87%E9%87%9D.pdf">Health, Labour and Welfare Science Research Grants: Research Group on Sleep and Use of Information and Communication Devices by Preschool Children</a> (ed.). Sleep guidelines for preschool children. Ehime: Sleep Medical Center, Ehime University Hospital, 2018.*2 <a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/521957/time-spent-sleeping-countries/">Average minutes per day spent sleeping in OECD countries plus China, India and South Africa by gender</a>, as of 2016*3 <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17068979/">Behavioral treatment of bedtime problems and night wakings in infants and young children</a>.*4 <a href="https://www.kuhs.ac.jp/shi/news/details_01448.html">Drastically increased postpartum depression during the COVID-19 pandemic and its association with social restrictions.</a>

<a href="https://goril.jp/">GORIL</a> is a digital product that teaches native Japanese speakers proper pronunciation and articulation of the English language through visualization and providing real-time feedback.They recently launched a new web application, <a href="https://demo.goril.jp/">GORIL48</a>, which visualizes the user’s sounds when they speak out loud. An illustrated animation shows its mouth and tongue moving along with the sound, showing the user how to articulate the correct English pronunciation based on the correct mouth movements. But how did Satoshi Yoshida, founder of GORIL, come up with this idea? Read on to hear Satoshi describe how GORIL came to be, from idea to research and ultimately, product launch.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://moon-website-prod-images.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/image1_8b8b316cf1.jpg" alt="image1.jpg"><figcaption>Satoshi Yoshida, GORIL founder: Satoshi studied abroad at a university in Wisconsin, USA., as an exchange student while in college. After graduation, he joined Mitsui &amp; Co. in the fall of 2021 and was transferred to Moon Creative Lab as an in-house entrepreneur. In April 2023, he launched the iOS app GORIL Beta, and in August 2023, the web app GORIL48.</figcaption></figure><h3>Is it “food” or “hood”?</h3>The prototype of the idea came to me around 1997. When I was in college, I studied abroad as an exchange student at a university in Wisconsin, but even after six months, my English pronunciation had not improved at all and I lacked confidence.I struggled with taking notes in class because I could not comprehend what was being said, and even when I tried my best to speak English, I was always asked, "What did you just say?” I was always in a constant state of anxiety.My interest in the English language started long before college though. In junior high school, my life was all about baseball. I practiced endless hours without a break, aiming for the Koshien (National High School Baseball Championship), and English was the only thing I was interested in other than baseball. I had this vague idea that if I could master English, I would eventually expand my horizons.When an exchange student from Australia transferred to my school in my second year of high school, I was assigned to be his class guide. At first, he could barely speak Japanese, so I spent a year at school with him, carrying both Japanese-English and English-Japanese dictionaries. However, only having been taught English by Japanese teachers up to that point, I was honestly at a loss with understanding English.For example, I could not understand the difference between "food" and "hood" at all. I asked the exchange student to pronounce those words for me dozens of times and I repeated it so much that he told me to give it a rest, but still I couldn't understand it – and this problem came up again later in life when I studied abroad in the U.S. Not only was it difficult to properly formulate what I wanted to say in English, but I was also having problems getting him to understand what I was saying through my pronunciation in the first place!My scores on written tests did not reflect the difficulty I was experiencing with pronunciation – it was a completely different situation. And after much trial and error to figure out what to do at that point, the idea came to me of what would become the prototype for GORIL.<blockquote>"I could not understand the difference between 'food' and 'hood' at all."</blockquote><h3>Learning through imitation</h3>Six months into my U.S. study, I was still struggling with my English pronunciation. I decided at that moment that I needed to ask a classmate to teach me. The classmate I reached out to was an English as a Second Language (ESL) major and aspired to become a teacher, so the student was eager to help me.One day while practicing, I suddenly started looking at my classmates' mouths and imagining the shape of their mouths and the movement of their tongues and muscles. When I was finally told, "That was good," I became aware that the shape of my mouth and the movement of my tongue was important in my pronunciation! Suddenly, I was able to pronounce the words correctly and was given positive feedback.Overtime, I was able to imitate other sounds as well, and I was able to apply these sounds to words more and more. Eventually, people would tell me, "You have good pronunciation! Where did you learn to speak like that?" I gradually gained the confidence I was lacking and actually wanted to speak more English. This made me think that perhaps my method for pronunciation could be replicated to improve other’s English pronunciation as well. &nbsp;<h3>Still a student, not quite the teacher yet</h3>Since joining Mitsui, I’ve worked mostly in logistics. But in 2015, I was transferred to Singapore as a port operator. At the time, a colleague of mine, who was also transferred, wanted to improve his English pronunciation. I remembered my university days and tried the same pronunciation approach, this time as the teacher and he was the student.But when I told him, "Try to visualize the opening of your mouth, the position and use of your tongue, and adjust the way you produce the sound," he did not understand what I meant by "visualize." No matter how many times I tried to explain the concept, I couldn’t get it right. He told me, "If I could see the image you are talking about more clearly, I think I would be able to do it." I began to agonize over it.The port operator I was managing at the time was forming a task force to think of how to create new businesses for the next generation, and I was fortunate enough to join. We didn't really know how to come up with new ideas, and we didn't have much experience, but as the task force members worked with Moon on the ideas, we gradually became fascinated by the novelty of Moon's approach.At that time, I thought the idea of "visualizing pronunciation" could be potentially materialized at Moon. Fortunately, I got the support of the people around me, including my boss at the time, and I made my pitch in March 2021. &nbsp;<h3>Design research</h3>With Moon’s wide variety of professional resources, we were connected with Takuya Yamagishi, a design researcher who is still currently working on GORIL with us. The research we conducted at the time revealed that 3D models developed to improve pronunciation already existed in the speech therapy industry.In fact, the existing 3D model closely mimicked the movements of my classmates' mouths when I was studying in the U.S., but it was too complicated for users to understand, which really surprised me.Of course, I was very particular about the 3D model I had in mind, and some linguists who collaborated with us agreed that a three-dimensional representation would be better to visualize pronunciation, but the users' reactions were different. I think they didn't intuitively know how to imitate it.We have talked to nearly 200 people, and 100 of which we have provided workshops and lessons to. I came to believe that there needed to be a more intuitive system to understand how one's mouth opens and how the tongue is positioned to produce a certain sound. As a result, I began to think about a two-dimensional interface that would allow me to roughly understand the opening of my mouth and the position of my tongue, and my ideas evolved into the current form of the program. &nbsp;<h3>2D proves better than 3D</h3>The team decided to utilize 2D to teach pronunciation and we have even gamified the experience. We developed familiar games like pinball where users must pronounce vowel sounds in order to control the game.<figure class="image"><img src="https://moon-website-prod-images.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/Goril_image_2_f4a7c592d5.jpg" alt="Goril image 2.jpg"><figcaption>The pictured interface uses formant frequencies to output to two-dimensional coordinates. By objectively capturing the characteristics of the sound and showing them in the visuals, the mouth movements are expressed in a way that is easy to imitate.</figcaption></figure>This simplification was easy to understand because the way people understand different sounds may differ from person to person. Even when people say that they understand and can pronounce a sound, some might be able to imitate it naturally and immediately, while others might not. Even when it comes to listening, there are some people who can separate listening into many elements and others who cannot.When you practice English pronunciation with GORIL, you are turning pronunciation into a simple exercise of moving your mouth into a certain shape, and once you learn it, it’s hard to forget – much like riding a bicycle.The 100+ people who have tried GORIL so far have confirmed its effectiveness, and I am now convinced that anyone can understand it and create a new muscle memory related to English pronunciation, as long as it is visualized in this way.In my 2021 pitch, my Singaporean English, or “Singlish,” was in full swing because I had been in Singapore for a long time. Some of the Moon Committee members I was pitching to commented, "Satoshi's English is special, isn't it!” But, as I’ve learned from my own experience, English has many different pronunciations to begin with.GORIL will start with American English, but in the future, we would like to include British English, Australian English, Singaporean English, and many others. Though we have already visualized a portion of the Japanese language, we believe that there is ample potential for visualization of languages other than Japanese and English. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;GORIL released the iOS app (beta version) GORIL in April 2023 and its web app <a href="https://demo.goril.jp/">GORIL48</a> in August. GORIL has been actively communicating their work in English pronunciation by holding events, appearing on radio programs, and starting their own podcast, "GORIL Pronunciation Club" (available on <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/08ldUbbRAc2fxR9sSZlKUP">Spotify</a>, <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/goril-%E7%99%BA%E9%9F%B3%E9%83%A8/id1689364810">Apple Podcasts</a>, and <a href="https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy9lMDUzMTM0MC9wb2RjYXN0L3Jzcw?hl=ja">Google Podcasts</a>).In the future, GORIL intends to develop an English-learning support tool that allows parents and children to learn pronunciation together, and to visualize not only words but also sentences. They are also looking at applying this technology for learning languages around the world. For the latest information, please visit <a href="https://goril.jp/">GORIL's official website</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/Goril_English">Twitter</a>.&nbsp;Check back here frequently as we will be sharing more stories and updates about GORIL.

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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On June 30, 2023, Yukari Tago, founder of <a href="https://www.lullabysleepbaby.com/">Lullaby</a>, a personalized sleep training service and platform for parents and their newborns, and Dr. Mariko Morita, the platform's supervising physician, spoke at an event held by the Work-X Office, an organization dedicated to improving the office environment at Mitsui &amp; Co. More than 40 Mitsui employees from different departments gathered for the event and participated in roundtable discussions.Yukari and Dr. Morita discussed Lullaby’s success and shared personal stories and challenges experienced when balancing childcare, work, and homelife. They answered questions and offered several tips and solutions for common problems that parents face.Key Learnings<ul><li>Sleep training significantly improves sleep for infants and parents</li><li>Tips on balancing childcare, work, and homelife</li></ul><hr><h3><img src="https://moon-website-prod-images.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/image2_615f8a855f.jpg" alt="image2.jpg"> The Effectiveness of Sleep Training</h3>Yukari Tago: What I am most proud of is Lullaby's performance of a 99% improvement rate in children’s overall sleep. Our app has a feature that allows users to rate the service, and of the 2,300+ paid napping consultations we provide, 99% of those who have used the service have rated it as good: meaning they have found it to be very successful! Users have shared their success stories and we are very proud of the results.&nbsp; &nbsp;Dr. Morita: The problems related to proper bedtime routines are big and are the number one concern for parents in Japan. Those who are troubled feel very strongly about it because they cannot get proper sleep with a newborn. On the other hand, what about children's sleep in Japan? Comparing the total sleep time of children aged 0-3 years old in 17 major countries, Japan ranks last. Data from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) shows that Japan also ranks last among the 38 OECD member countries in terms of sleep for adult males and females. I feel this is a good indicator showcasing Japan's low awareness of sleep. Marital discord, divorce, postpartum distress, and postpartum depression are some of the effects people face due to their lack of sleep and frustration with their children’s sleeping habits. In Japan, there is currently no common methodology on how to improve a child’s consistent nighttime crying.The reason I am confident in the 99% improvement rate is because I have evidence. In a survey that analyzed 52 articles on sleep training, 94% of the articles concluded that sleep training was effective in improving nighttime crying, and the results showed that on average, it improved nighttime crying in more than 80% of children. Although the results are solid evidence that sleep training does in fact improve sleep, it is still not widely used in Japan. Even if you go to medical institutions or midwifery centers, they do not provide guidance or proper sleep training techniques. I think that is a problem.Factors that affect sleep deprivation in adults include the fact that children do not sleep, but also the fact that they will wait for their entire family to return home and eat dinner together instead of utilizing that time for rest. However, the impact of sleep problems on children during infancy, the most difficult time of child-rearing, is still quite significant.It often takes on average 1-2 hours to put a child fully to sleep. Children often wake up every 1-2 hours to feed throughout the night or wake up between 4:00 to 5:00 a.m. Parents often find themselves stressed with these new circumstances and often experience difficulties to increase their own sleep time.Studies have shown that the rate of postpartum depression, estimated to be around 10%, has increased to 25% since the coronavirus pandemic. The lack of sleep has had a significant impact on mental health and it’s no surprise that if people can't sleep, they will be irritable and their mental health will suffer.I want Lullaby to improve nighttime sleep deprivation and help create a society where people are not limited in their choices when it comes to parenting.<h3> Dr. Morita on Weaning, Napping, and Work-Life Balance</h3>Dr. Morita: In the preliminary questionnaire for the Q&amp;A during the event, many participants were concerned about their own sleep, including naps and power naps. We also had many questions about children's sleep and balancing home and work.To answer how I do it myself, first of all, I use Lullaby to put my own children to sleep. This is the punchline – haha!However, I think that putting children to bed and getting a good night's sleep is very important for balancing work and family life. What to do if a child is obsessed with breastfeeding?We received a question from a person who has a 2 1/2-year-old and said that her child is attached to breastfeeding. Regarding this, I think it is possible to stop breastfeeding at night. If you want to sleep at night, there is no problem to breastfeed only during the day with nocturnal weaning.However, at that age, I think the child will resist a lot. Be prepared for that, but I think they will get used to it in a week or two. It would be better to first tell the child that he or she will not drink at night, rather than stop during the day as well. How can someone take an effective nap or power nap?It is very important that naps for adults are only 20 minutes maximum. If you sleep longer than that, you will go into a deep sleep and have difficulty waking up, or you will feel foggy when you wake up. I recommend setting an alarm or having some caffeine before napping. It takes about 30 minutes after you drink it to take effect, which is said to be just right. If it is too bright for you to sleep, try using an eye mask. How do you maintain work-life balance?I recognize that work-life balance may be a matter of priorities. By far, the lowest priority is housework. I think it is important not to do the housework itself. I have three children of my own, so I hardly cook meals anymore. I outsource the preparation of meals.When I was pregnant with my third child, I physically couldn't cook anymore due to the morning sickness I was experiencing, so I asked someone to come every week and prepare a week's worth of meals for me and my family. To be honest, it doesn't last the full seven days, but on the one or two days that remain, I would cook dried fish, vegetables, rice, and so on.We also vacuum only once a week. Sorry if it seems dirty! We hire an outside cleaning service to do the cleaning once a week. This alone is a huge relief.This is a small detail, but serving food from containers is also a hassle in itself, so we put storage containers on the table and make it buffet style. The kids are happy when I tell them they can take whatever they would like. I think it's okay to make it a single-plate meal. It might be another small detail, but I tend to be very sloppy too, like not using chopstick rests.As for work, I really wanted to do both work and provide childcare, so I chose this line of work partly because I wanted to make child-rearing time useful while I was able to work.<h3> Yukari Tago on Balance and Mental Wellness</h3>How do you ensure proper sleep for your children and for yourself in the midst of balancing work and family?Yukari: Let me first give you some basic information about me. My son is 6-years-old now. My parents live in Tokyo, 15 minutes by bicycle from our home. My husband's parents live in Shizuoka [over 100 miles from Tokyo].Typically, I drop my child off at around 8:30 a.m. and pick him up at 6:30 p.m., while my working hours are from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. I have free time at night two-and-half days a week. My husband and I take turns doing this schedule, and we both make sure to have two-and-a-half days of free time each week at night. During that time, I try to spend my free time doing the work I want to finish, meeting people, getting massages, physical therapy, saunas, etc. to refresh myself and take care of my health. By doing this, I maintain my mental health and consciously try to keep myself in a state where I can be happy. How do you maintain your mental health?Mental control is the biggest thing I have learned since I was transferred from Mitsui &amp; Co. to Moon Creative Lab and started working on Lullaby. I always feel like someone is evaluating my work, but that is why I try to maintain my mental health. Of course, there are times when things don't go well, but I think that if my mental health breaks down, my work efficiency will drop very badly.As for work, most of the people working for Lullaby are outsourced, except for me, so the content and volume of outsourcing are clearly defined, and I feel that makes it easy to work efficiently. How do you make time for yourself?I thought it might not be very helpful to know how to generate time, as there are many external factors, but I feel that Moon's flexible working style (core hours are from 10:00 a.m. to 2 p.m.) makes it very easy to work.The scale of the business is still small and I have authority to make most of the decisions. I make decisions on what to do, which I think is one of the main reasons why I can work quickly. Also, since it is a domestic business, there are no overseas business trips.Also, many mothers have a lot of spare time. In order to make the best use of our spare time as mothers, we are gradually preparing useful tools on our app all while consulting with our members. Almost all of our staff members are mothers, and since we are all sleep consultants, our children are all asleep around 9 p.m., allowing us time to catch up and discuss Lullaby. We all have a shared love for the business, so we think about it all the time, 24 hours a day, and I think that is one aspect that allows us to make a lot of decisions quickly.At home, my son is fast asleep by 9:00 p.m., which is a big advantage. Perhaps the most important thing for me is that he’s in good health because of his sleeping pattern. He has attended various preschools, kindergartens, and afterschool programs, and he has received perfect attendance awards to all of them. It may not all be due to sleep, but I still believe it is related to the fact that lack of sleep often relates to getting sick more often.You might be familiar with the book, The 100-Year Life: Living and Working in an Age of Longevity, and I feel that book is the root of my way of thinking. Life is long, so it is a question of what to prioritize now. I'm not able to save much now, but I've decided that it's one stage in the long run, and I'm outsourcing as much housework as possible, and even if I have to live in a smaller house, my first priority is to generate time for travel distance, work, and family.I can relate to Dr. Morita as I also use a make-and-prepare service and have found it to be very helpful.<hr><img src="https://moon-website-prod-images.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/image1_7b2395e541.jpg" alt="image1.jpg">Yukari Tago, founder of Lullaby, is a mother to her son and experienced child rearing years in the United States. While raising her son, she struggled with his frequent nighttime crying and, after practicing a sleep training program she learned while in the U.S., she experienced a dramatic improvement. Using her experience in startup investment in the EdTech industry, she commercialized her idea to improve nighttime crying. She joined Moon Creative Lab from a career at Mitsui to start Lullaby.&nbsp;<img src="https://moon-website-prod-images.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/image3_a6318fc14a.jpg" alt="image3.jpg">Dr. Mariko Morita is a mother of three and supervising physician for Lullaby. She worked as an anesthesiologist, but started researching pediatric sleep after facing nighttime crying with her first child. She currently provides counseling as a sleep medicine doctor, trains sleep consultants, and publishes books on pediatric sleep.Lullaby’s founder and doctor share stories and challenges of balancing childcare, work, and homelife, and offer several tips and solutions for common problems that parents face.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Moon Wins PRIDE Gold Award

Moon Media Launches Second Feature Film: KINMI Sake

Moon Creative Lab Congratulates Our First Boost Cohort

Creating the Future of GX: Tips From an Entrepreneur and an Intrapreneur

Books as an Experience: How Author Narration Drives Listener Engagement

Don’t Sleep on Sleep Training! Lullaby Teaches the Importance of Infant Sleep Health

Seeing Language: How GORIL Helps Visualize Pronunciation for English Learners

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

Lullaby: Helping Parents Find More Balance in Their Busy Lives

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