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Hiro Narihara, Entrepreneur-in-Residence (EIR) of Moon Creative Lab venture&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pioneerguild.jp/">Pioneer Guild</a>, shares his experiments in career mapping and mentoring. In this interview, you’ll learn how Pioneer Guild launched its product, how they use customer feedback and professional networking to help drive growth, and why it’s never too late to start your own company.<hr>Hi Hiro! Tell us about your venture, Pioneer Guild.<img class="image_resized" style="width:76.48%;" src="https://moon-website-prod-images.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/image1_2_bfc8b2e79f.jpg" alt="image1 2.jpg">Hiro Narihara:&nbsp;Pioneer Guild is a venture that is creating a new experience for people to map out their career pathways. Pioneer Guild will allow users to see where they are in their career today and navigate to where they want to be years later. Like Google Maps, they’ll see different paths to go where they want&nbsp; and they can zoom out to take in the bigger picture: they’ll see major highways and minor roads, they’ll see where congestion is choking progress, and they’ll see which route is best for them - which could be the path that’s fastest or the one with the least amount of hassle.&nbsp; Our app’s users – we call them Explorers – will also be able to hear from others who have traversed these paths before. They can read reviews of their career pathway’s conditions or discover insider tips and interesting stops along the way. And there will be seasoned “career travelers” they can talk with – we call these folks our Career Pioneers.&nbsp;&nbsp;We recently ran an experiment matching up Career Pioneers with Explorers looking for advice on traveling down similar career paths, and we learned a lot from it!&nbsp;Can you provide details about how you ran that specific experiment?H.N.: Sure! The whole process was extremely fast and agile. Late last year, our team ran an experiment to test some hypotheses we had made about the current market. We created a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pioneerguild.jp/">website</a> within a week and launched a mentoring program with real customers in only two weeks! The program matched tech startup people who were originally in the finance industry with Explorers who are interested in a similar career shift. The key element that allowed us to run the experiment so fast was networking: Human-to-human connections are always the most powerful, and for us it paid off.Overall, the experiment had some successes but also a lot of struggles. Many visitors to our website were doubtful at first, thinking it was simply another recruiting service. As a result, we did not get much response from users. If I wanted to change anything it would be to use fewer “loaded” words that are common in the industry – e.g., “job change”, “career-up”, “work-life balance”, etc. – which can trigger people’s defensiveness.Taking all this into account, we adjusted our messaging halfway through the experiment. Instead of talking to people as though they were customers, we found they were much more willing to engage with and support us if we simply asked them to evaluate our new experimental offering. Many told us they were excited to become part of something new and join a community of like-minded people. It’s important to remind ourselves that most people fundamentally want to help others.My big takeaway? As founders, we should draw people together into a community and allow them to participate in the creative process of experimentation itself. In fact, when we asked our customers to describe their ideal mentoring service, many of their ideas were more original and insightful than our own! They were teaching us how we should proceed.Listening more and bringing people together to co-create – that’s something I want to focus on more moving forward.&nbsp;Why a mentoring program? How can it help people?H.N.: There are many services out there in the world like this, but most have major drawbacks, which was something we heard again and again from users during our research.Career coaches, for example, tend to be very dream-like and almost therapeutic in tone. They are great for setting long-term, “North Star” goals and going deep into motivations, uncovering unconscious blockers and so on. But their recommendations can lack practicality and near-term actionability.Recruiters, on the other hand, are the opposite – they tend to focus on the near-term, have their own agendas, and don’t necessarily have the best interests of their clients or prospects at heart – sometimes creating a conflict of interest. Recruiters often simply want to make a commission and will push people to accept jobs and take career paths that don’t really meet their needs.With Pioneer Guild, we want to take a different approach and help our Explorers make career path decisions based on objective data, contextualized by the perspective of fellow career travelers – our Career Pioneers – to both inspire them and help them make well-informed, life-changing decisions.&nbsp;Do you have a mentor? Or are you a mentor yourself?H.N.:&nbsp;Yes! I have regular sessions with a certified career coach and also consult with many mentors. It’s extremely valuable to me. Through the process of questioning and being questioned, I can see myself more clearly. In this sense, my coaches and mentors are like mirrors that give me an objective point of view on professional development.Actually, I’ve found the startup founder community in Tokyo – which is relatively small and close-knit – to be a rich resource for mentorship. We often meet up and mentor one other casually. When you’re thinking of building a company from scratch, it’s great to be able to bounce ideas off of so many smart and dynamic people.&nbsp;Is career mapping and mentoring something that more people need?H.N.:&nbsp;Absolutely! Especially in Japan. First off, it’s obvious that Japan needs dramatic changes to recover its competitiveness in the global market. Younger generations know this very well, but middle-aged people (like myself!) are struggling to accept it.&nbsp;The nature of work itself is changing. Everyone needs to start thinking about their mid- and long-term career goals and how to reach them. Too many people are content just existing in their current roles and don’t take an active approach in building their future.&nbsp;As things go on, I believe the employment landscape in Japan will become increasingly fluid with more job mobility – both within and outside one’s current company – with more emphasis on mid-career hiring, hybridity, and work-style diversification. Studies show that many young Japanese people dream of professional independence and are taking steps to make that dream a reality.In recent years, we have seen the growth of freelance matching services and decentralized C2C marketplaces, which reduce the barriers for people wishing to start their own businesses. Pioneer Guild is part of this revolution, where work is more fluid, skill development is self-directed, and people can work across organizations.Our dream is to democratize pathways to rewarding careers, to connect individuals with related expertise, and build guilds of professional excellence. Young people are seeking a more systematic way to find the guidance they need to reach their career goals. That’s the change we want to make in the world!&nbsp;As an EIR, what advice would you give to others wanting to start their own ventures or businesses?H.N.:&nbsp;Truthfully, I’m still learning this. Maybe we all are. But one thing I can say is, don’t give up before you’ve even started. If a middle-aged corporate worker with a young family like me can start a company, so can you!I recently read a great book by Reid Hoffman, co-founder of LinkedIn, called&nbsp;<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/12030438">The Startup of You</a>, where he talks about the need to do an objective self-assessment and treat yourself like a company by analyzing your aspirations, the market for your particular skills and experiences, your assets, debts, risks and so on. And I agree – this is the first step.Contrary to popular belief, I don’t think starting a venture needs to be a total risk the way it is often portrayed. Instead, you need to make reasonable adjustments to your life and take measured risks. In fact, you can launch a new venture as a side gig while still working a full-time job. You just need to be clever and efficient in the way you go about it.Even the big, traditional Japanese corporations are starting to accept this. Recently, there have been policy shifts allowing employees to have side businesses that even a decade ago would have been unthinkable. Why? Because the world is changing and the pressure to adapt is so intense. As societies, industries and markets evolve, new value creation is increasingly important, wherever it comes from.&nbsp;What’s your next experiment with Pioneer Guild?H.N.:&nbsp;Right now we are starting to collaborate with recruiting agencies to create a dynamic career pathway mapping tool. It’s pretty exciting!It’s well known in the industry that job seekers complain about recruiters, saying, “They don’t understand or care about my mid- or long-term career plan. They just want to push me into a role as fast as possible.” And that’s often true. But to be fair, these agencies know this problem and really struggle with it. They want a better way to provide quality advice, too. After all, this is what truly great career consultants do for their clients.&nbsp;So that’s what we’re building right now: a data-driven, objective way to explore the many possible paths careers might take, and make fact-based decisions to navigate the way through this labyrinth. In fact, we’ve previewed what we’re doing with recruitment agencies, and they are very interested indeed.In the end, everyone deserves to find a career that not only pays the bills, but inspires them and brings them satisfaction. We want to help create that world!&nbsp;To learn more about Pioneer Guild and stay in touch, visit:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pioneerguild.jp/">https://www.pioneerguild.jp/</a> or reach out to Hiro at&nbsp;<a href="mailto:hiro@mooncreativelab.com">hiro@mooncreativelab.com</a>.&nbsp;

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On March 7, 2023, TennisBear, Inc., a provider of a digital sports platform that brings recreational tennis players together in Japan, held an event at the Nihon University College of Humanities and Sciences Centennial Hall Arena to announce TennisBear's first amateur tennis tournament. The comedy duo Nishikigoi was invited as one-day PR ambassadors to give a talk session, and wheelchair tennis players, Daisuke Arai and Yuma Takamuro were also invited to demonstrate wheelchair tennis. Nishikigoi tried wheelchair tennis for the first time, and other guests also enjoyed a hands-on wheelchair tennis course.&nbsp;Table of Contents<ol><li>What is TennisBear?</li><li>TennisBear launched its first amateur tournament "TennisBear Cup"</li><li>Wheelchair tennis is so difficult but It's a lot of fun!&nbsp;</li><li>The key is to focus both on the wheelchair and hitting the ball</li></ol><h3> What is TennisBear?</h3>TennisBear is one of the projects being incubated at the Moon Creative Lab, that powers the creation of new businesses for Mitsui &amp; Co., Ltd. and beyond. TennisBear’s online platform allows users to search and book over 3,000 tennis courts nationwide. On October 3, 2022, TennisBear has spun off from Moon to form a new company. Currently, the service has 200,000 monthly active users, making it one of the largest tennis court reservation applications in Japan. It also has an event function that allows users to organize their own tennis offline meetings, private practices, circle recruiting, private lessons, small tournaments, etc., helping to build a community of tennis enthusiasts.<h3>TennisBear launched its first amateur tournament "TennisBear Cup"</h3><img src="https://moon-website-prod-images.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/image10_45cf259e70.jpg" alt="image10.jpg">The purpose of this event was to announce TennisBear's first amateur tennis tournament, "TennisBear Cup supported by Mitsui&amp;Co. and Moon Creative Lab," which will be held in the summer and winter of 2023. The purpose of this tournament is to create an opportunity for players of all levels, ages, and experiences to play tennis with a sense of satisfaction and purpose. There are amateur general and wheelchair junior divisions, and the amateur general division is scheduled to be held on July 1st and 2nd, 2023. The wheelchair junior division will be held in early December.<figure class="image"><img src="https://moon-website-prod-images.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/image4_86dea2a8d9.jpg" alt="image4.jpg"><figcaption>From left, Moon Creative Lab COO Shunsuke Kato, wheelchair tennis player Yuma Takamuro, Nishikigoi (Masaki Hasegawa and Takashi Watanabe), wheelchair tennis player Daisuke Arai, TennisBear CEO Kei Ezaki.</figcaption></figure>The TennisBear Cup utilizes TennisBear's new "Ranking Point System" feature, where top point scorers qualify for the competition. TennisBear’s CEO Esaki commented, "We want to create an event that everyone can enjoy, and we plan to add categories such as women's doubles and team competitions in the future.” One-day PR ambassador Nishikigoi's Mr. Watanabe, also commented "It's nice to be able to communicate with many people through TennisBear.” Mr. Hasegawa added "Let’s spread the word about TennisBear! ” and excited the audience.<h3>Wheelchair tennis is so difficult but It's a lot of fun!&nbsp;</h3><img src="https://moon-website-prod-images.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/image2_44aa94bc5d.jpg" alt="image2.jpg">At the event, two wheelchair tennis players gave Nishikigoi a demonstration of wheelchair tennis. Daisuke Arai, a Tokyo Paralympic representative and wheelchair tennis player ranked 12th in the world, commented "There are few wheelchair junior tennis competitions, and I would love to contribute to helping wheelchair tennis grow bigger.” Yuma Takamuro, who was the runner-up in the women's singles of the U.S. Open Tennis Junior Wheelchair Division in September 2022, added, "There are not many junior competitions, so I am grateful to have an opportunity to showcase my hard work. I started playing tennis and then became a wheelchair player. What’s great about wheelchair tennis is you can play with or without disabilities." Nishikigoi had only played tennis once before and were surprised by how challenging it is to play in a wheelchair. Mr, Hasegawa commented, "It’s crazy hard to move around in the wheelchair !" Mr. Watanabe added, "It is difficult to operate a wheelchair and play at the same time, but it's a lot of fun."<h3>The key is to focus both on the wheelchair and hitting the ball.</h3><img src="https://moon-website-prod-images.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/image84_59b41e1d31.jpg" alt="image84.jpg">During the second part of the event, Mr. Arai and Ms.Takamuro provided the general guests with a chance to try wheelchair tennis. Twelve participants, including university students to working professionals, tried wheelchair tennis. In teams of three, participants practiced turns and slaloms to practice wheelchair operations and hitting the ball while moving the wheelchair at the right time, which many found difficult.&nbsp; Participants were encouraged to enjoy riding a wheelchair like they are on a ride and participated in a three-on-three match with instructor players. Thanks to the support of Mr. Arai and Ms. Takamuro, the hands-on session was a great success. Even those who had never experienced wheelchair tennis before were amazed by the excitement of the sport.&nbsp; TennisBear allows users to search for and participate in various events, including different levels of practice sessions and lessons hosted by professionals, as well as a chat function to invite friends or people they have played with and to notify the meeting place or cancellation. The platform also includes a match table function for event operation and a score recording function.For the latest information on the TennisBear Cup, check out<a href="https://www.tennisbear.net/"> TennisBear's official website</a>.

Lullaby, a Moon Creative Lab venture that offers personalized sleep training services and an app for parents and their newborns, exhibited at a pop-up event in Tokyo called "Papa Mama Boku Watashi," which took place at the main building of the Isetan Shinjuku store Feb.16-21, 2023. Approximately 10,000 people visited the exhibition to see 47 brands selling a wide range of lifestyle items such as clothing, bags, cosmetics and tableware. Lullaby also collaborated with Sandesica on co-branded sleep sacks for newborns and offered gift cards people can use on the Lullaby app.<h3>What is Lullaby?&nbsp;</h3><img src="https://moon-website-prod-images.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/Group_438_c54c862799.jpg" alt="Group 438.jpg">Lullaby is a personalized sleep training service and&nbsp;app for parents and their newborns. Lullaby has welcomed Dr. Mariko Morita, a mother of three children, a physician, and an infant sleep specialist, as a subject matter expert to develop informative sleep support for parents based on scientific evidence of modern daily life in Japan. The app offers three easy-to-use functions for busy parents:<ol><li>Virtual courses provide carefully selected sleep-related resources recommended by physicians according to the baby's age.&nbsp;</li><li>Online schedules keep records of the baby’s sleep and identify the best time for naps.&nbsp;</li><li>In-depth consultation offers a matching service with CISA -certified pediatric sleep consultants when needed.(CISA =&nbsp;Consultant of Infant Sleep Association)&nbsp;</li></ol><h3>Step One: Know Your Baby’s Rhythm</h3>On the first day of the pop-up event, Dr. Morita hosted a fireside chat with special guest&nbsp;Dr.Tomori, a dermatologist. The theme of the discussion was, "Baby’s sleep &amp; Mom's sleep, and the beauty before and after childbirth."<figure class="image"><img src="https://moon-website-prod-images.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/Lullaby_2_d744c73983.jpg" alt="Lullaby 2先生.jpg"><figcaption>Left: Dr. Mariko Morita, Lullaby app supervising doctor and sleep specialist. Right: Dermatologist&nbsp;Dr. Arata Tomori</figcaption></figure>Most importantly, the doctors shared valuable advice such as learning your baby's rhythm, which is the first step to getting good quality sleep – for mom, dad, and baby.&nbsp;Here’s a snapshot of what they discussed during the fireside chat:&nbsp;Dr. Tomori: "Many moms-to-be experience changes in their skin during pregnancy, some of which is caused by the appearance of additional estrogen, a female hormone that is produced more during pregnancy. Symptoms vary, with some women experiencing smoother skin while others develop acne. These changes are normal, and ultimately, moisturizing is the key.”&nbsp;Dr. Morita: "However, it is medically proven that one of the causes of dryness and troubles of the skin is lack of sleep. Sleeping is very important not only for your baby's growth, but also for your skin and hair."Dr.Tomori "Especially after giving birth, the mother’s hormone balance tends to be unstable, so it is important to have a well-scheduled routine to enable better sleep, both for her and the baby. Iron is also very important because it’s good for skin and hair, and even helps you avoid depression – and it’s good for the baby, too."Dr. Morita: “That’s right, because after 15 months, babies are prone to iron deficiency, and iron is important for a baby's sleep. The good news is that in Japan, baby food with iron supplements is widely available.”&nbsp;&nbsp;<h3>Lullaby Merch Was a Hit!</h3><img src="https://moon-website-prod-images.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/Lullaby_1top_ebd76042dd.jpg" alt="Lullaby 1top.jpg">In addition to the app, Lullaby collaborated with Sandesica, a designer of sleep sacks for newborns. The co-branded sleep sack – sold exclusively at this event – was a huge success, selling out the available inventory. The Sandesica sleep sack is a “wearable blanket” that provides a safe sleeping environment for newborns, the development of which Dr. Morita directed.<img src="https://moon-website-prod-images.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/Lullaby_3goods_1514293e09.jpg" alt="Lullaby 3goods.jpg">Lullaby also sold gift cards that parents who have completed Lullaby sleep training could give to other parents interested in Lullaby’s services – the cards were packaged with a multipurpose handkerchief parents could use with their own newborns as a reminder to check out Lullaby’s sleep consultation services, with the aim of lowering the psychological barrier for seeking advice on their baby's (and their own) sleep.<h3>Newborn-tested, Parent-approved&nbsp;</h3>At the Lullaby booth, the sold-out "Sleep Consultation for Baby, Mom, and Dad" session helped pregnant parents and parents with infants aged 0-2 years so they could talk to Certified Infant Sleep Consultants (CISC) who have specialized knowledge in improving sleep habits and infant sleep.&nbsp;Here’s what a few attendees had to say:&nbsp;"I was happy that I could ask many questions.&nbsp;I could tell they are professionals.” (Mom of a 4-month-old)“I asked about my baby’s sleep and also how I can help her take longer naps.&nbsp;I felt better after talking to someone. It’s much better than struggling by myself.” ( Mom of a 5-month-old)&nbsp;"I'm glad I was able to ask a lot of questions! I'd come back again if I have any problems as we continue with the sleep training." (Dad of a 2-month old)"It was very helpful and motivated me to try! I'd like to talk to the professionals again if I encounter any struggles." (Mom of a 10-month old)&nbsp;&nbsp;You can check out Lullaby’s latest information on <a href="https://www.lullabysleepbaby.com/">Lullaby’s official website</a>&nbsp;or the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mooncreativelab.com/stories/page/1">Moon Stories Blog</a>.

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As an industry, we’ve been talking about “the future of work” for some time now, but never quite like this. MetaJob, a Moon Creative Lab venture, is a job-matching service for gig workers that goes beyond simply enabling new ways of working without the boundaries of time or physical space.&nbsp;MetaJob is taking the “work from anywhere” concept and adding a twist of crowdsourcing: The company provides job seekers&nbsp;with unique virtual opportunities where they can offer their expertise on a topic or product they know a lot about. Think of it like an interactive version of Yelp! or Amazon’s customer reviews – where the gig worker can offer their knowledge of and experience with a particular topic or product to provide services such as virtual staff that guide people at metaverse event venues, or orchestrating party games in karaoke rooms where gig worker hosts are represented by avatars.<figure class="image"><img src="https://moon-website-prod-images.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/d60069_105_74d78e997273482aa3b1_13_0fed9a846b.jpg" alt="d60069-105-74d78e997273482aa3b1-13.jpg"><figcaption>“Murder Mystery” game in the JOYSOUND karaoke room. The avatar on the screen is playing the role of the game master. “Murder Mystery” is a party game where participants pretend to be characters in a fictional murder story and try to achieve goals set for each stage.</figcaption></figure>MetaJob aims to develop a casual, online gig workplace where people can make extra income in their spare time simply by using their knowledge and experience for a new type of work MetaJob calls “Word of- Mouth 2.0.”<h3>What does “Word of Mouth 2.0” look like?</h3><figure class="image"><img src="https://moon-website-prod-images.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/IMG_0808_2_2767f1c483.jpg" alt="IMG_0808 2.jpg"><figcaption>A pop-up store with no in-person staff at Gotemba Premium Outlets.</figcaption></figure>MetaJob recently collaborated with Mitsubishi Estate and Simon Co., Ltd. to introduce a new men's skincare brand, “BULK HOMME,” via a pop-up store at Gotemba Premium Outlets near Mount Fuji.This pop-up store is unique: It required no in-person staff and displayed only sample products. After sampling products of interest, customers could purchase them online using the QR code associated with the product sample. But most significantly, customers could also talk to "fan staff" who use and love the products to consult and ask questions live via the staff’s avatars.<figure class="image"><img src="https://moon-website-prod-images.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/IMG_0803_2_ae6df78452.jpg" alt="IMG_0803 2.jpg"><figcaption>Purchases are made using a QR code inside the store.</figcaption></figure>Being able to shop while listening to actual user experiences and points of view – vs. classic “sales talk” – is a major advantage for new customers, especially when a company enters a relatively new market where “sales talk” can feel empty without validation from people who have used the product.&nbsp;This “fan staff” idea is a novel concept of customer service that can help new businesses grow while providing opportunities for gig workers.Another recent MetaJob example is an online consultation service for HIROBIRO, a website operated by Hiroshima Prefecture that provides information for people looking to move to Hiroshima. MetaJob provided HIROBIRO&nbsp; with live, avatar-based counselors who have lived in the prefecture and can provide authentic, individual advice based on their own experiences as Hiroshima residents.People who have actually lived in Hiroshima offer more credibility to potential residents than the staff at local government consultation desks, while the avatar-based counselors can work from home and earn extra income.<h3>What’s next for “Word of Mouth 2.0”?</h3>These two use cases are only part of what MetaJob is doing to reimagine the new future of work.For example, in addition to live, avatar-based reviews or guidance from experienced users, MetaJob plans to implement functions and buttons – such as “Ask a knowledgeable person” or “Hear from users about their experiences” – on various websites, including metaverse content and services. When customers click on one of these buttons, MetaJob will then match them with the most suitable, experienced users according to the product or content the customer is interested in (over time, AI may do this matching work).&nbsp;If both parties agree, the conversation will begin by using avatars so that customers can ask questions and be able to hear about real user’s experiences.<img src="https://moon-website-prod-images.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/2023_03_23_15_01_44_321ea59870.jpg" alt="スクリーンショット 2023-03-23 15.01.44.jpg">The future of MetaJob is bright. Do you remember YouTube Japan’s commercial campaign with the catchphrase, “Sukina koto de ikiteku (Live by doing what you like)”? When the campaign began back in 2014, YouTube was not nearly as popular as it is today – but over time, it has become a widely used platform for people to create their dream jobs.Although we can’t predict the future, MetaJob is hoping to build a similar platform that can increase opportunities for a new generation of gig workers to create their dream jobs, too.Check out MetaJob’s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.metajob.jp/">official website</a> for more information, or read this interview with MetaJob founder Naohiro Hoshino on our&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mooncreativelab.com/stories/interview-hoshino">Moon Stories Blog.</a>

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Key Learnings:<ul><li>Why creativity is essential for innovation</li><li>How to foster creativity</li><li>Developing a creative mindset</li></ul><hr>Creativity takes a certain degree of confidence, doesn’t it? It requires vulnerability, the uncertainty of what might come out and where it will end up. But how do you find that confidence that allows you to jump into something new? We sat down with Moon Creative Lab’s Chief Creative Officer, Mike Peng, to hear his take on finding creative confidence. &nbsp;<img src="https://moon-website-prod-images.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/Mike_Peng_702f14ff0b.jpg" alt="Mike Peng"><h4>Innovation needs creativity</h4>Innovation is all about creating something new to the world, and often, the way to get there means you need to do things differently. If you do things in the typical way, you will likely get typical results. “You have to use different processes and different tools to achieve out-of-the-box thinking,” Mike says.&nbsp;&nbsp;“The only way you can do that is to utilize creativity – creative tools, creative processes, and most importantly, a creative mindset. Doing so will enable you to get to an outcome that maybe wasn’t originally imaginable, which is exactly what innovation is all about. ”&nbsp;<h3>&nbsp;</h3><h4>Cultivating creativity</h4>The key to manifesting creativity is to ensure that you are fostering diversity. At Moon, experts in design, engineering, product, operations, and more come together to offer their unique perspectives. It’s this collaboration and exploring through others that allows creativity to thrive, which is something Mike is passionate about. “I think creative collaboration is really, really exciting. When you bring together different types of people who each have different backgrounds, skills, and experiences, you’re able to get different perspectives on the same problem. When you have different perspectives all working together, you can come up with something that’s way more interesting in the end, better than if you were to have done it alone.”&nbsp;Experimentation is another key to creativity, and an experiment isn’t always perfect. “We introduce tools like quick prototyping. I think oftentimes we try and perfect the thing we’re trying to create and wait until the very end to launch. But what we do at Moon is a rougher version, a rawer version that we can test into the world, learn quickly from it, and then re-launch an even better version.” So creativity can sometimes be scrappy and imperfect? Got it!&nbsp;&nbsp;<h3>&nbsp;</h3><h4>What is a creative mindset?</h4>Mike mentioned the importance of a creative mindset, but what does that mean? In some ways, it means being okay with not knowing what it means! “When you’re trying to create something new, we actually have no idea what the ‘right’ answer is. In school, we’re typically taught that there’s always a right answer and a wrong answer. But applying a creative mindset means that we’re going into the problem being okay not knowing what the answer is. We need to explore, try new things, embrace ambiguity. We need to remind ourselves to be okay with not knowing. I know it’s really hard, but that’s one of the things that I think is key to being creative,” Mike explains. “Often, we’re waiting for people to tell us which direction is right and which is wrong, but utilizing a creative mindset means you’re going to suspend judgment and explore options.”<h3>&nbsp;</h3><h4>Creative confidence at Moon&nbsp;</h4>“We’ve been able to apply a lot of different types of creativity to Moon’s projects,” Mike says. “This involves a lot of exploration and experimentation. Sometimes we launch a simple website just to see if potential customers are interested and will sign up! The thought is that if they do, that’s a great indication of traction. You know that we’re onto something. But that’s something you normally wouldn’t do, right? In most cases, you wouldn’t ever create a webpage until you’re actually done with a product, right?”&nbsp;Creative confidence sounds like the reassurance we need to be unsure. To be open to the unknown, not always knowing the answers, and making just about anything, never striving for perfection. Remember, being creative and innovative means doing something new and discovering what’s possible.Jump in. Find inspiration through others. Get scrappy. Experiment. And be ready for new possibilities. Creativity can be scary, but it’s the only way to create something new. As Mike encourages, “Embrace the ambiguity of not knowing what the answer is and then be open to what those potential solutions can be. I think that’s really exciting.”&nbsp;

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Key learnings:<ol><li>Human-centered solutions to a critical problem</li><li>Building stronger communication and support</li><li>A solution supporting key users’ needs&nbsp;</li></ol>&nbsp;The recent pandemic put a strain on all of us, but especially on those who needed hospital care even before the COVID virus became prominent. Patients who required continuous care after a hospital stay suffered as medical facility shutdowns and restrictions increased. And without that kind of in-person support, patients grew more and more isolated as conditions remained. The healthcare sector became progressively understaffed, making it challenging for healthcare workers to maintain a proper work-life balance.&nbsp;The team behind Tomopiia recognized this problem and wondered, “How can we support patients online?"Junichiro Shigemura pitched his venture idea to Moon Creative Lab: a platform that helps patients with chronic illnesses track their care and communicate directly with nurses. The platform, which he named&nbsp;<a href="https://www.tomopiia.com/">Tomopiia</a>, provides a new form of communication inspired by the needs of both nurses and patients.<h3>There aren’t enough hours in the day to handle each patient individually&nbsp;</h3>Improving patients’ quality of life is a nurse’s true purpose. As some of the closest healthcare professionals to patients,&nbsp;nurses can often become optimistic cheerleaders, giving patients hope in dark and despairing times.&nbsp;Unfortunately, the pandemic caused hospitals to hit an all-time high with patients filling more hospital beds than ever before. Rather than taking time with each patient to make sure their physical and emotional needs were met, the focus shifted to treating and discharging patients as quickly as possible.&nbsp;Because of these new conditions, an increasing number of nurses started to leave the healthcare field, overwhelmed by their everyday tasks. It became more and more difficult for nurses to find enough hours in the day to thoughtfully care for each patient and still maintain their own lives outside of the hospital.&nbsp;Seeing all of these changes for both patients and nurses, Entrepreneur-in-Residence (EIR) Junichiro Shigemura knew he had to create something that could dramatically improve the lives of both parties.&nbsp;<h3>Tomopiia creates dialogue between patients and nurses&nbsp;</h3>Shigemura set out to create a platform where patients can communicate directly with nurses anytime, anywhere. Many issues can be solved through remote communication, allowing patients to get the care and information they need without the hassles and obstacles of going to the hospital in person.In fact, patients who share their concerns with their nurse actually find that the communication helps them better express their thoughts and feelings. Through user feedback, the Tomopiia team found that some patients tell nurses things they had never told their doctor, family, or even friends. Opening up to a nurse can give patients peace of mind and build a trusted line of communication and mental support.&nbsp;This new form of interacting with patients also allows more flexibility for nurses and the ways in which they provide care, allowing the opportunity for better work-life balance.&nbsp;<img src="https://moon-website-prod-images.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/tomopiia_blog2_a03d61aa60.jpg" alt="tomopiia blog2.jpg"><h3>Engaging patients with communication&nbsp;</h3>At its start, Tomopiia’s intention was to support patient independence and improve their quality of life through better medical guidance. But through a series of conversations and open dialogue, Shigemura realized that it was the communication line itself that engaged potential users.&nbsp;"One patient told me, 'I realized my true feelings by speaking up for myself.’ That's when I realized the importance of listening to what the patient wants to say rather than asking what they needed to know.&nbsp;It meant a lot to the patients that the nurses were the ones listening to them from a comfortable distance."&nbsp;As a result, Tomopiia’s goal and purpose has shifted to focusing more on closer and more direct communication between patients and medical professionals rather than knowledge and consultation.<h3>Expanded opportunities for nurses to play an active role</h3>Tomopiia's aim is to create a platform that supports patients, creating an environment where each patient feels valued – something that can be hard to do with existing medical practices. Additionally, the intent of Tomopiia is to create an environment that enables nurses to provide enhanced levels of care and communication.In the future, Tomopiia plans to collaborate with local governments, companies, and hospitals that share the mission of improving the quality, efficiency, and accessibility of medical care. Shigemura expressed, "I would like to contribute to both the psychological care of patients and the expansion of opportunities for nurses to play an active role.”&nbsp;For&nbsp; the latest information about Tomopiia, please visit&nbsp;<a href="https://www.tomopiia.com/">Tomopiia's official website</a>.

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<figure class="media"><oembed url="https://vimeo.com/815553076"></oembed></figure>Tomopiia, a Moon Creative Lab venture that helps patients with chronic illnesses track their care and communicate directly with nurses, held a symposium entitled, “Future Possibilities of Nursing” at Moon Creative Lab’s Tokyo Studio on Dec. 5, 2022. This event was part of Tomopiia’s skill-up workshops and information events that it provides for nurses.<img src="https://moon-website-prod-images.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/Tomopiia2_93840f15e4.jpg" alt="Tomopiia2.jpg">More than 60 people gathered for the symposium, both in person and online. Attendees were excited for this rare opportunity to have a conversation with well-known guests in the nursing field, including Dr. Suga Sakamoto, vice president of Tokyo Healthcare University and a professor in the Department of Nursing.Junichiro Shigemura, founder of Tomopiia and an Entrepreneur-in-Residence (EIR) at Moon Creative Lab, kicked of the symposium, and Ayano Toshinai, Tomopiia’s executive manager and a nurse, expressed her gratitude for attendees:&nbsp;“I feel Tomopiia is truly challenging the 'future of nursing.'”&nbsp;<img src="https://moon-website-prod-images.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/Tomopiia3_a964ea6e3a.jpg" alt="Tomopiia3.jpg">Dr. Sakamoto gave a keynote speech in which she looked back on the history of nursing in Japan, confirmed the industry’s current situation, and talked about where nursing is headed in the post-COVID world.Dr. Sakamoto stated that “chat = dialogue” is the key to the future of nursing in a society where contactless or remote options are more common:&nbsp;“The future of nursing will not be created by technology, but rather by the dialogue that we humans engage in.”&nbsp;<img src="https://moon-website-prod-images.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/Tomopiia4_27d1a25256.jpg" alt="Tomopiia4.jpg">Dr. Masahiro Yoshioka, director emeritus of&nbsp; Eiseikai Medical Corporation’s Minami Tama Hospital, then kicked off the symposium discussion with speakers Hideo Ishida, CEO of Tekix, Inc.; Tatsunari Morimoto, executive officer of CHCP Home Nursing and president of N Field Inc.; and Dr. Sakamoto. &nbsp;This discussion was a lively exchange of opinions, with “dialogue” being one of the major keywords. “Dialogue” requires understanding one another while also understanding ourselves. In addition to dialogue between patients and nurses, the event led to conversations between managers and staff as well as among staff members.At the end of the session, our guest speakers responded to the many questions and comments we received from participants, demonstrating the passion nurses have for this topic.Tomopiia plans to continue providing events around the future of nursing and nurses' careers. You can check the latest information about Tomopiia on&nbsp;<a href="https://www.tomopiia.com/">Tomopiia's official website</a>.

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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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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 2020 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."&nbsp; -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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