Insights

In this article, we will review what freemium means in SaaS, compare it with the similar concept of free trial, and confirm what it means in terms of product strategy.

This article reviews how businesses and products have evolved with the rise of XaaS and identifies the necessary changes in pricing to support this evolution.

While knowledge about product management is growing, there's no well-organized guide on how to become a product manager. At the same time, the gateway to becoming a product manager with no experience is still quite limited. In light of this situation, this article challenges you to categorize the career path to product manager based on the backgrounds of the product managers I have worked with and the backgrounds of the product managers who became product managers.

This article explores the evolving roles, skills, and mindset of product leaders, with a focus on the organization, company structure, and the business phase in which they operate.

In the previous article, we covered the soft aspects, highlighting the importance of shared goals, user focus, and agility. In this article, we will introduce the hard aspects, including the tools that support the soft aspects.

GitLab Inc. (GitLab), an American technology company that develops and provides a DevOps platform for modern software development, including version control tools and CI/CD, operates with approximately 2,000 employees worldwide, all of whom work fully remotely.

Japan's once-thriving AV equipment and mobile internet industries were upended by the arrival of iOS and Android in 2007, completely reshaping the landscape.

In this installment of our series on the transformation of major corporations from a VC's perspective, we explore what is essential for corporate transformation, including digital transformation (DX). In this fourth installment, we interview Mr. Shozo Isaka, a Partner at JAFCO Group. Mr. Isaka emphasizes the importance of a long-term perspective. We will discuss key points for advancing DX in large companies and considerations for startups collaborating with them, based on Mr. Isaka's insights.

What kind of environment supports the products that form the basis of your business, and what kind of environment do the product development personnel who drive its operation seek?

Mitsuru Kameyama worked on global projects at Nissan Motor (hereafter Nissan) during the period of change led by Carlos Ghosn, and together with Masahiko Uotani, known as a professional manager, he transformed Shiseido into a global company capable of speedy decision making. He also spearheaded digital transformation (DX) at Mitsubishi Materials Corporation, a major manufacturing firm with a long history, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Mitsuru Kameyama, Senior Executive Advisor at Gloving and President of Conepositive, has supported numerous essential reforms in Japan's leading enterprise companies from an IT perspective.

In the midstream segment of the materials supply chain, including the steel industry, numerous distribution trading companies and wholesalers act as intermediaries between buyers and suppliers, facilitating transactions flexibly. Mitsubishi Corporation (MC) has introduced PaSS-Portal, a digital platform for quotations and order placement, designed to manage the complex transaction variations typical of these distribution businesses, including irregular operations like changes and modifications to transaction terms.

This series explores what is necessary for the transformation of major companies, including digital transformation (DX), from the perspective of a venture capital (VC) partner. In this third installment, we interview Hiro Maeda, Managing Partner of ALL STAR SAAS FUND, a VC firm specializing in SaaS. According to Maeda, SaaS acts as a catalyst for change. We delve into the role SaaS plays in the transformation of large enterprises and discuss key considerations when collaborating with startups, examining Maeda's theories on corporate transformation.

As discussed in our previous article on the types and benefits of XaaS, this model benefits both providers and users, making the trend appear irreversible.

As digital technology breaks down industry barriers, major companies that have long driven the Japanese economy must transform to create new business opportunities and economic value.

Starting with SaaS, which delivers software via the Internet, XaaS (Anything as a Service), where everything is offered as a service, has become a significant trend.