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.

"95% of web design is typography."[^1] You may have heard Oliver Reichenstein, CEO and designer of iA (information Architects), a design firm that has created designs for major clients like NHK and Wikipedia, urging designers to get typography right. Oliver Reichenstein, CEO and designer of iA (information Architects), a design firm that has designed information for many major clients including NHK and Wikipedia, has a message for designers. Typography is a technology that mediates between writer and reader to enhance the reading experience, and a large portion of all web content is composed of language.

As digital technology continues to lower the barriers between industries, the businesses and organizations of the major companies that have driven the Japanese economy must transform to create new business opportunities and economic value.

Last year saw significant changes in economic and social assumptions, with signs of improvement in economic activity, including the normalization of global supply chains and an increase in inbound demand, driven by infection control measures like COVID-19 vaccination and efforts to ensure continuity of life and business amidst the ongoing pandemic.

In today's rapidly evolving society, how can we create products that effectively address users' challenges and needs? The Minimum Viable Product (MVP) is often highlighted as a powerful solution to this question.

With the spread of the new coronavirus, the need for remote work, including from home, has rapidly increased, making SaaS a widely recognized term in Japan.

Apollo GraphQL and SaaS are transforming modern data processing, enabling efficient API integration, real-time responses, and scalable solutions for web and mobile applications.

As climate change and weather-related disasters intensify due to global warming, companies and governments are increasingly focusing on greenhouse gas reduction and carbon neutrality initiatives to achieve a decarbonized society.

The software environment is rapidly evolving, and the needs for software are changing continuously. In this dynamic context, if development is planned and executed without flexibility, the resulting product may be outdated by the time it is released. Maintaining high agility in development has become a key competitive advantage, with agile methodologies like Squad, LeSS, and SAFe gaining traction due to their scalability. This shift is driving a transition from traditional waterfall development to agile practices, particularly within large corporations. This article explores agile development and its implementation in major companies, highlighting essential considerations.