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Startup Management Lessons Inspired by Japan’s 100 Famous Mountains, Part 3: Strategy, Tactics, and Execution

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2026.08.12

Genta Sugihara, who serves as an advisor to our company, set a goal for himself: “Conquer all of Japan’s 100 Famous Mountains while wearing our company’s iconic unicorn T-shirt.” Balancing his work commitments, he travels to mountains across the country on weekends, having summited 48 peaks as of writing this article. In this series, we reflect on the successes, failures, judgments, and lessons from his journey, drawing parallels to venture management and organizational leadership.

In Part 1, we discussed the importance of defining your vision and making the necessary preparations to achieve it.
In Part 2, we covered detailed planning and focusing on steady execution along the trail.

In this third installment, we will explore the respective meanings and importance of strategy, tactics, and execution in business, comparing them to the challenge of conquering the 100 Famous Mountains.

7. Formulate a Strategy First: Launching a Startup Without a Business Strategy is Reckless

Last summer, when I set my goal to “Summit all of Japan’s 100 Famous Mountains by around 60 years old”, I immediately began thinking deeply about how to actually achieve it. To accomplish this around age 60, I needed a plan to finish within three to four years, by about the time I turn 62. However, I wondered: Can an amateur who has only hiked low hills really climb 100 mountains across Japan—including extremely difficult peaks—in such a short timeframe?

So, I first gathered information on every single one of those mountains from various books and media:

・What are their elevations and difficulty levels? (There are publicized trail difficulty metrics for the mountains in Japan, known as “course constants”.)
・What is the specific climbing season for each mountain? (Many peaks are impassable or dangerous in winter.)
・Which mountains can be climbed back-to-back? (Some can be traversed together or accessed on consecutive days by driving.)
・Which mountains should be climbed sooner than others? (To gain experience or appreciate the appeal of mountain climbing.)

Once that research was complete, I devised the following strategies:

1. Start with mountains that have lower course constants, gradually building up knowledge, technique, and physical stamina.
2. Summit the mountains scattered across various regions first, leaving the highly challenging Japanese Alps for the second half.
3. For regions requiring significant travel time, like Tohoku or Kyushu, climb multiple mountains in a single trip.
4. Prioritize scheduling mountains with limited seasonal windows, making sure to book accommodations and transportation early.
5. Train my body, identify the challenges, and learn about required gear as I gain experience.

Based on this strategy, I mapped out when I would climb each mountain over the next three to four years, which peaks to group together, and what transportation to use, recording everything in atlases and note apps. Then, for the mountains scheduled for 2025, I created individual detailed plans—as described in the previous article—taking into account transportation methods, travel times, climb durations, and difficulty levels.

So far, I have climbed 48 peaks. Today, simply looking at the course constant and contour map of a mountain gives me a clear idea of its difficulty. I have also learned the patterns of how I get fatigued and how I can best recover.

Although I’ve climbed nearly half of the 100 mountains, I know that the most difficult peaks were saved for the second half. The real test—the climax of this challenge—begins now. However, I am now confident in the correctness of this strategy, and I feel fully prepared to take on the challenging mountains that lie ahead.

A list of every mountain, showing its course constant value and elevation (left); my 3 to 4 year climbing arrangement (right)

In the same way, gathering sufficient information, reflecting deeply, and formulating a strategy before creating detailed plans is the single most critical activity in managing a startup company.

Startup founders often fall into the trap of thinking, “If we make a good product, it will sell.” In reality, your strategy—defining who you target, in which market, and through what sales channels—heavily dictates the outcome. Pricing is also a key component of this strategy.

In growth markets or areas with clear unsolved social issues (opportunities), there will either already be incumbent players (threats) or competitors will inevitably enter the field later. You must clarify how your own strengths and weaknesses weigh against these factors to build your strategy. Furthermore, to align the entire team in the same direction, you need clear milestones for revenue and customer acquisition after a set period.

For founders and executive teams, thinking about strategy day and night is one of the most essential steps in the early stages of a startup.

Of course, once you enter the execution phase, shifts in the internal or external environment may force you to realign your strategy. But starting and running a business purely on gut feeling, without any strategy at all, is sheer recklessness.

Behind every successful business is a strategy that the management team considered so thoroughly, their heads felt like bursting.

Japan’s 100 Famous Mountains cannot be conquered with only enthusiasm. Neither does a business grow purely on passion. If you aim for a high and steep summit, start by creating a strategy. The challenge begins before you take a single step on the trail.

8. Equipment that Covers Your Weaknesses: Tactics Based on Self-Awareness Increase Your Chances of Success

Before I was crazy about mountain climbing, my hobby was going to the gym, where I focused mainly on upper-body strength training. As a result, my heavy, muscular torso pulls my center of gravity up high. Moreover, because I was slim as a child, I have a narrow skeletal frame with thin lower legs, knees, and ankles that get injured easily. In other words, my balance and body type are not particularly suited for mountaineering.

Following the strategy outlined earlier, I started with the mountains that were flatter and easier…but even so, I frequently experienced knee pain when descending.

So, I devised the following tactics: relying on trekking poles and upper-body strength, and always protecting my knees and ankles with taping, regardless of what mountain I’m climbing.

When I first started hiking, I thought, “It looks cooler to not use trekking poles.” But that was the wrong mindset for me. The correct decision was to swallow my pride, acknowledge my weak knees, and choose tactics tailored to me.

Now, when I climb, I always use trekking poles and rely on my upper-body strength. I also researched various taping products and wrapping techniques to arrive at my current climbing style. Thanks to these tactics, I almost never suffer from knee pain anymore, enabling me to take on challenges like climbing three of the 100 Famous Mountains on three consecutive days.

The trekking poles I always rely on (left); knee taping for injury prevention (center); knee braces for steep descents (right)

Then, what about tactics in business management?

Just like when I was a beginner hiker, early-stage startups do not possess everything right from the start. Some companies are weak in sales; others lack financial capital. That is precisely why understanding your weaknesses and developing tactics to compensate for them is essential.

Tactics are specific, creative solutions designed to cover your weaknesses and maximize your strengths. For example:

・If the CEO is an engineer confident in building dev teams but weak in sales, hire an experienced head of sales.
・If the entire team is young and inexperienced, making it hard to gain trust, bring on well-known advisors with rich track records and networks across industries.
・If lagging behind leading competitors in capital and talent, form strategic partnerships with big corporations.

In reality, tactics will vary depending on product lines, a company’s growth stage, and market positioning. Unlike overarching strategies, tactics are something you construct as you execute, continually coming up with the best option for each moment. To do this, you must not turn a blind eye to your company’s shortcomings. Rather, you must constantly think about how to compensate for them. This requires true resolve from the founder to make tough decisions.

In mountaineering, trekking poles and taping are not signs of weakness. They are tactics rooted in self-awareness to offset vulnerabilities.

The same holds true for business. A strong company is not one with zero weaknesses; it is one that understands its weaknesses and deploys the right tactics to overcome them.

9. Get Comfortable with Your Equipment:
Familiar Tools Are Essential for Execution

Once you have a well-crafted strategy and tactics tailored to your strengths and weaknesses, you finally head out onto the mountain. In mountaineering, you select different equipment depending on the mountain type, season, and weather.

Of course, that includes rain gear and headlamps, but you must also choose high-cut boots and gloves for rocky terrains, helmets for areas prone to falling rocks, and chain spikes, crampons, or ice axes for snowy mountains. I personally choose between four or five different pairs of hiking boots depending on the mountain.

However, simply preparing the required gear does not mean you are ready to use it.

In practice, being proficient with your gear is much more important than merely having it.

Whether it’s new boots, crampons you’ve never used, or new trekking poles, you should only tackle a real mountain after becoming thoroughly accustomed to your gear.

I learned this the hard way. I once climbed a tough snowy mountain in a pair of boots I hadn’t gotten used to, and then I slipped and sprained my foot. I had thought, “They’re new, so they must be safer than my old pair.” That was a mistake. Muscle memory matters far more than the equipment’s performance on paper.

Even if your strategy and tactics are spot on, you will lose winnable opportunities if you aren't ready for action.

A glove for a baseball player, cleats for a soccer player, and climbing gear for a mountaineer—you can only prepare for difficult challenges by mastering tools you are accustomed to using.

Familiar hiking boots (left); my indispensable trekking poles (center); and crampons I haven’t gotten used to (right)

Being comfortable with your tools, beyond just having them, is equally vital in startup management.

・For a sales pitch, practice role-playing until it becomes muscle memory.
・For an AI tool, test it thoroughly before adopting it as a core asset.
・For a new sales method, test small before expanding across the entire company or client base.
・For a new company policy, rehearse operating according to it before fully rolling it out.

If you throw untested proposals at clients, write critical reports with AI tools you haven’t mastered, or introduce trendy internal policies without preparation, your overall readiness for action will not improve—no matter how sound your strategy or appropriate your tactics may be.

Mastering an AI tool is not a strategy in and of itself. Establishing winning sales patterns is not a tactic in and of itself. Rather, these are examples of capabilities that can be used to execute strategy and tactics on the front lines.

These are simply means to increase efficiency and win rates and advance your business. Yet, when every team member masters their tools, even a team without star individual performers can produce extraordinary results.

For early-stage startups that are small, lack brand credibility, and operate on limited resources, the key is to build on a solid strategy, adapt tactics based on self-awareness, and continually refine each individual’s readiness for action to drive the business forward.

We can summarize strategy, tactics, and execution in startup management as follows.

Strategy is the overall blueprint to reach your target peak.

Tactics are choosing the best way to fight, factoring in your own strengths and weaknesses.

Combat is about the ability to reliably carry out strategy and tactics on the front lines.

When these three elements are operating smoothly together, you can tackle a difficult mountain peak or a highly-competitive business market.

This concludes Part 3 of “Startup Management Lessons Inspired by Japan’s 100 Famous Mountains”.

Having completed nearly half of my goal, I will be taking on increasingly steep and rugged mountains from here on out. Taking utmost care to avoid further injury, I will continue moving toward the finish line, one peak at a time, with an unrelenting spirit, and bringing you honest updates through this series.

In the next installment, “Extend Your Antennae”, we will explore paying close attention to external and internal environments, as well as making critical decisions at crucial junctures.

D-POPS GROUP Advisor Genta Sugihara

March 2026: Mt. Sobo (#29), Mt. Kuju (#30), Mt. Aso (#31);
April 2026: Mt. Hotaka (#32), Mt. Miyanoura (#33), Mt. Ryokami (#34), Mt. Nantai (#35)

May 2026: Mt. Ishizuchi (#36), Mt. Nasu (#37), Mt. Tanzawa (#38), Mt. Bandai (#39), Mt. Adatara (#40), Mt. Ena (#41);
June 2026: Mt. Shibutsu (#42)

Startup Management Lessons Inspired by Japan’s 100 Famous Mountains, Part 4: Extend Your Antennae, Pay Attention to Your Vitals

At D-POPS GROUP, our corporate mission is to multiply the number of growth companies (so-called “unicorn companies”) that will revolutionize society, and our core value is to grow and learn together through sincerity, humility, and gratitude. Ever since setting his goal last summer to “conquer all of Japan’s 100 Famous Mountains while wearing our company’s iconic unicorn T-shirt”, Genta Sugihara, an advisor to our company, has continued climbing mountains across the country, reaching 53 summits as of writing this article. In this series, he reflects on the successes, failures, decisions, and lessons from his journey, drawing parallels to startup management and organizational leadership. In the mountains, accidents can happen even with perfect planning and gear. Often, they occur when signs of change are missed and decisions are delayed. In this 4th installment, we will explore the importance of detecting external and internal changes and translating them into appropriate decisions—a principle that applies directly to startup management. 10. Extend Your Antennae: Be Sensitive to Changes in the External Environment Unlike indoor sports like basketball or table tennis, mountaineering is heavily influenced by the weather, and your opponent is nature itself. During the planning stage, it is obvious that a climb should be postponed if there are forecasts for typhoons, severe winds, or lightning. However, even after clearing the forecast stage and beginning the climb, mountain weather is highly changeable, and you cannot let your guard down. In deep mountain forests, you may encounter not only bears—which have been a hot topic recently—but also wild boars, bees, and leeches. On rocky mountains, you might face sudden rockfalls. While it is essential to deal with these appropriately when they happen, you should ideally sense them in advance as much as possible. Your skin feeling a sudden change in temperature; a rustling sound in the grass; strange movements in the trees; the sound of pebbles rolling down from above: all of the above could be the precursors to a major impending crisis. I myself once experienced this. Despite a sunny forecast, a thick fog suddenly rolled in, and all I could see was white. As a result, I lost the trail, but kept walking for another 30 minutes. Upon later reflection, I should have checked my current location with GPS much earlier, the moment visibility started to drop. Another time, while walking along a mountain path thick with bamboo grass, the grass suddenly rustled wildly. I thought, “Am I finally going to encounter a bear?” I braced myself, stopped in my tracks, and mentally prepared myself to react. Instead, a large deer emerged from the bushes, but that moment reinforced the importance of noticing small external changes. A rocky path with poor visibility due to fog (left); a monkey that followed me (center); a deer that suddenly appeared (right) As you can see, you must constantly keep your antennae extended toward your surroundings while climbing. Preventing accidents on the mountain depends on whether or not you can maintain high sensitivity, objectively accept the changes you detect, and make appropriate decisions. This can be directly compared to startup management. If indoor sports are like the classroom lectures you get at a business school, outdoor sports affected by external environments are like actual business operations, and mountaineering—which is totally affected by nature—is the closest equivalent to managing a startup. The impact of the external environment on a company—changes in market conditions, the emergence of new technologies, legal revisions—is too extensive to measure. It is no exaggeration to say that every company operates amid shifting external environments. Customers sounding less excited; usage rates starting to decline; salespersons all asking the same question: these small changes often appear before massive market shifts. If even a large corporation can be affected, then for a startup company, these changes can be so severe that they may threaten the company’s very survival. Recent examples include the rapid spread of AI agents, the expanding power of global platforms, and changes in investor policies due to rising interest rates. A startup’s management team must sensitively detect these changes, proactively revise strategies and plans, and take appropriate action. In some cases, they must be bold enough to turn a crisis into an opportunity. This requires immense resolve and the ability to execute. Crises may seem to happen suddenly, but in most cases, they give off small warning signs beforehand. Whether in mountaineering or management, the ability to notice those signs separates those who survive from those who do not. 11. Pay Attention to Your Vitals: Notice Changes in the Internal Environment Just as important as keeping an eye on the external environment is noticing changes in your internal environment. In mountaineering, “internal environment” refers to your own physical condition if climbing solo, or the conditions and changing biodata of each individual member if climbing in a group. While climbing, you must be able to detect the various signals your body sends. For recording biodata, it has recently become possible to use hiking apps and smartwatches to check walking pace, monitor heart rate on the move, and measure blood oxygen levels during breaks. At the same time, you must also be sensitive to changes that these sorts of devices cannot measure, such as the condition of your knee and lower back joints, muscle fatigue, and how much you’re sweating. Changes that cannot be measured by digital devices must be captured by your own physical senses. In my case, shortly after I started climbing and my knees were weaker than they are now, there was one time when I felt, “If I keep climbing like this, I won’t be able to make it back down.” I mustered the courage to turn back midway. Looking back, that was a far better decision than pushing forward and becoming stranded. Normal climbing conditions (left); abnormal heart rate (center); blood oxygen level at 2,700m altitude (right) In startup management, it is obviously important for the CEO to manage their own physical health, but on the other hand, it is equally vital to sense subtle changes in the company’s internal environment. Casual conversations and greetings have decreased; the office is starting to look untidy; bottom-up information flow has stopped; unexcused absences or resignations with unclear reasons are increasing: all of these are warning signs seen before a company starts to decline. A business leader must possess not only a strong business sense, but also be able to detect these internal shifts. Without keeping a finger on the pulse of the company, the CEO may be full of energy, highly motivated, and charging forward, only to look back at some point and realize no one is following, or that everyone else is too exhausted to perform. A leader must not only look forward but also have the bandwidth to survey the entire organization and not miss minor anomalies. Organizations do not collapse suddenly; they crumble as a result of small, accumulated tears in the fabric. 12. Stay Calm Especially in Emergencies: Assess the Situation and Make the Best Move So, what should you do when your extended antennas pick up information or you detect something wrong going on inside you? In both mountaineering and business management, the worse the news and the more dangerous the signal, the more important it is to stay calm. In mountaineering, you face emergencies born from shifts in both external and internal environments, such as taking the wrong path in thick fog; a sudden downpour; a sprain or bruise on a rocky stretch; or muscle cramps from fatigue. In startup management, you receive similarly diverse danger signals: dramatic shifts in customer needs due to the spread of AI; the announcement of a merger between competitors; changes in relevant laws; the sudden resignation of a key executive; or a customer data leak. In such moments, you must absolutely not panic. You are required to maintain your composure, make a careful yet appropriate judgment, and act rapidly based on that decision. Panicking and running around aimlessly can lead you further in the wrong direction, waste precious energy, or make an injury worse. When a crisis occurs, the first thing to do is calm down, gather information, grasp and then assess the situation. Next, assuming the worst-case scenario, figure out how to keep your business afloat or safely get back down the mountain. Also, once you decide which action to take, move quickly. You have to think deeply, but if you continue to have second thoughts after making a decision, your response will be too late. I myself once slipped and fell while descending a snowy valley on Mount Gassan. For a moment, my mind went completely blank. However, I quickly regained my composure, crawled to a stable spot, took off my socks, and checked the injured area. Instead of panicking and hastily trying to walk, I assessed my physical condition, calmly determined that I should not continue to climb, and took a solid rest before beginning my descent. Additionally, on Mt. Kuju, after a successful summit, I was feeling fatigued on the way back down. Combined with poor visibility from fog and a bushy trail that is easy to miss even on a clear day, I repeatedly took the wrong trail. In each instance, I followed the fundamental principle: stop, check my current location, and turn back to the point where I made the mistake. Thanks to this, I avoided any serious trouble. In both cases, if I had panicked and acted recklessly, I might have made the situation much worse. Bushy trails on Mt. Kuju where I lost my way twice These principles are identical in mountaineering and startup management. When you face a critical crossroads or sense danger, that is exactly when you must respond calmly, determine the best course of action, and execute it. Japan’s 100 Famous Mountains include many types of peaks, each hiding its own unique dangers. The natural environment changes by the season and the day, just as your own physical condition fluctuates daily. In the case of startup management, as well, the market, competitors, customers, and internal team members are also changing every single day. Extend your antennas. Pay attention to your vitals. When you detect danger, do not panic; assess the situation calmly. Once you have thought it through and decided on your course of action, rapidly execute the best possible move. These habits form the foundation for a startup company to survive and achieve exponential growth. This concludes Part 4 of “Startup Management Lessons Inspired by Japan’s 100 Famous Mountains”. More than a year has passed since I began this challenge. In the beginning, I started serious mountaineering with some hesitation, but now it’s become something I have the bandwidth to enjoy, appreciating every route and landscape. At the same time, the mountains that I face are gradually becoming steeper, increasing the risk of injury and accidents. Keeping my antennae extended, paying attention to my vitals, and maintaining an unrelenting spirit, I aim to continue this series while tackling each peak one by one. The next installment is entitled “Balancing Persistence and Caution”, and will emphasize the importance of having a spirit that never gives up while still being careful. D-POPS GROUP Advisor Genta Sugihara July 2026: Mt. Norikura (#43), Mt. Aizu-Komagatake (#44), Mt. Hiuchigatake (#45), Mt. Senjogatake (#46), Mt. Ontake (#47), Yatsugatake’s Mt. Akadake (#48)

Media

2026.08.26

[Venture Ecosystem Case Study] LocationAI × Payke: A New Form of Cooperation Unlocked by Data Integration

A Future That Connects What People Bought and Where They Went On April 14, 2026, a press release was published. Payke, Inc., which operates the shopping app “Payke” for inbound tourists to Japan, and LocationAI Inc., which provides a platform for analyzing location-based big data, announced the launch of a business alliance centered on data integration. Press Release: “Collaboration with the shopping app ‘Payke’ for inbound tourists to Japan.” (Article available in Japanese only.) The core of this partnership is combining LocationAI’s mobility data (where they went) with Payke’s purchasing and interest data (what they were interested in and what they bought). Travelers' behaviors, previously seen as isolated dots, will now emerge as a single connected story of “where they went, what they were interested in, and what they bought.” So, how did these two companies meet and reach a business alliance in just about half a year? And how will this combination change the future of Japan’s inbound market and tourism? We spoke with them about everything from the characteristics of their services and the background of their partnership, to the future they envision. First, please tell us about each of your respective services. What kind of service does Payke provide? Payke: Payke is a shopping support service designed to eliminate the moments of confusion that foreign tourists face when shopping in Japan. When visitors from overseas pick up a product, if the packaging is only in Japanese, they might not fully understand its intended application, how to use it, its key features, or its ingredients. To solve this, the Payke app allows users to simply scan a product’s barcode with their smartphone to view basic information, usage instructions, and features in multiple languages. Rather than just translating the text on the package, our unique strength lies in delivering the essential information travelers need to choose a product, drawing from our proprietary product database. In addition to the app, we also offer a “Payke Tablet” that can be installed at retail storefronts. Because travelers can scan barcodes on the tablet themselves and check product information in their native language, stores can convey the appeal of their products without having to constantly employ multilingual staff. Does Payke have strengths not only in translation and product guidance, but also in data? Payke: That’s right. The data we accumulate doesn’t only show what was ultimately sold. Through our app and tablets, we can also capture pre-purchase interest and consideration behaviors, such as: ・Which products were scanned ・Which products were compared against each other ・The nationalities and age groups of the people who showed interest Standard sales data only reveals the products that were finally purchased. Scan data, on the other hand, reveals products that garnered interest but weren’t bought, as well as products that were compared with each other within the store. In short, we can get closer to seeing how customers think—something you cannot grasp from sales figures alone. We want to understand not just what sold, but why they were interested and why they chose it, and connect that to the next strategies for manufacturers and retail companies. Value only becomes value when it is conveyed Payke is not merely a service that displays foreign languages. When a product that might otherwise have been selected and purchased are returned to the shelf due to a lack of information, that represents a lost opportunity. We can reduce such losses by properly conveying the true value of Japanese products to travelers. No matter how excellent a product or service is, it will never be chosen if its value is not understood by the consumer. Payke’s business demonstrates, in a management sense, the importance of both creating value and enabling value to be conveyed. What kind of service does LocationAI provide? LocationAI: We provide a service that analyzes location-based big data using AI to visualize and analyze the flow of people in the real world. With the “Location AI Platform®”, we can analyze where people came from, where they stayed, and where they went afterward. This is utilized across a wide range of fields, including trade area analysis, store opening planning, tourist destination analysis, event analysis, and ad delivery. For example, you can find out what countries tourists come from, what places they stopped by before and after their visit, and how the flow of people changes throughout each day and week. These insights can be captured based on actual human movement. We are supporting the decision-making of companies and local governments by turning areas that were previously judged on experience and intuition into fact-based insights grounded in location information. How does mobility data affect the decisions of companies and local governments? LocationAI: For instance, when opening a new store, candidate sites were traditionally chosen based on the surrounding population, the number of passengers at a station, or the instincts of the person in charge. However, even when comparing areas with the same population size, the actual demographics, time of day, and directions from which people visit are entirely different. The same is true for tourist destinations. Looking only at the number of visitors doesn’t tell you where those travelers came from, or what places they visited before and after the destination. By capturing actual movement, initiatives like attracting travelers, measuring advertising effectiveness, opening stores, and promoting sightseeing excursions can be planned based on facts rather than guesswork. We place great importance not just on possessing data, but on providing it in a state that our clients can actually use for analysis and decision-making. What was Payke’s impression when seeing LocationAI’s service for the first time? Payke: The moment they actually showed us their management screen during a meeting left a strong impression on me. Mobility data was visualized on a map, and by switching the area or time period, the movements of inbound tourists instantly appeared right before our eyes. There is a vast distance between providing data and putting that data into a format that anyone can use. LocationAI has been perfecting the formatting of data at a very high level as their product. Furthermore, the engineering teams from both our companies were able to decide on the methods for data integration at an incredibly fast pace. So, I was amazed not only by the quality of their product, but also by their speed of decision-making and execution. The value of data is determined not by its volume, but by how actionable it is What executives need is not just massive numbers by themselves. It is knowing what should be done next as a result of looking at those numbers. LocationAI’s strength lies in turning data into action, rather than letting it stay as mere information. Or, in other words, their strength is transforming location-based big data—which only experts used to be able to handle—into a format that executives and storefront staff can use for decision-making. How did the two companies meet? Which company took the first move to make this business alliance? Payke: To be honest, I don’t really get the sense that either one of us took the first move. What really got us talking was D-POPS GROUP’s “Venture Ecosystem Summit” held in October 2025. Greeting each other at the venue was our first point of contact. LocationAI had heard about our business in advance from D-POPS GROUP, and right then and there, we had a lively conversation during which collaborative efforts were suggested. The very next day, LocationAI invited us to have a discussion, and in our first meeting, both parties felt the necessity of working together. Rather than saying one reached out to the other first, I think it’s more accurate to say that we were destined to meet through our mutual connection with D-POPS GROUP. LocationAI: We had been thinking about strengthening our analysis of inbound travelers and our ad delivery, so we actively reached out as well. Ever since we heard about Payke from D-POPS GROUP, we sensed the potential for collaboration. At our first meeting, we were convinced that by integrating our mobility data with Payke’s data, we could provide a service with even higher added value. Why did you both feel the “necessity of working together” during that first meeting? Payke: Because we realized that our data sets perfectly mirror each other. We at Payke possess purchasing and interest data that show what inbound tourists were interested in and what they bought. However, we couldn’t see where they had visited before coming to the store, and where they went after making a purchase. On the other hand, LocationAI has data that show exactly where people were moving, but they couldn’t see what they bought at those places. The parts we each couldn’t see fit together perfectly, like puzzle pieces. The moment this structure became clear, the discussion shifted from “Should we do this or not?” to “Where do we start?” LocationAI: We felt exactly the same way. In addition to data tied to purchasing behavior, Payke possesses highly reliable data regarding nationalities and age groups. We could now understand traveler interests and purchasing behaviors that couldn’t be grasped solely through movement data. For us too, it was a combination that would vastly enhance the accuracy and value of our service. Why did you choose each other’s companies over any others? Payke: There are two main reasons. The first is the foundation of trust, stemming from the fact that we both have received investment from D-POPS GROUP. Data integration is a highly sensitive undertaking that comes with responsibility toward each other’s users and clients. That is exactly why being a trustworthy partner was more important than anything else. Sharing the same views on management and attitude toward growth under the same shareholder greatly influenced both the speed of negotiations and the quality of our discussions. The second reason is technical capability and the scale of data. No other potential partner had a high-quality platform that can both analyze location-based big data with AI and visualize it so anyone can use it, and also possessed data on a global scale. LocationAI: It was the fact that Payke possessed data tied to purchasing behavior, along with accurate nationality and age information. Additionally, rather than just developing a service, their platform has been introduced to many distribution and retail businesses and is actually being used by travelers, which was a huge draw. The fact that their data is not just large in volume, but reliable data based on actual purchasing behavior, was something we valued highly. Strong companies acknowledge their blind spots People in businesses are used to talking about their strengths. On the other hand, when a company acknowledges the areas it cannot see on its own, that opens up the possibility for huge improvements. Rather than trying to do everything in-house, they connect with companies that have different strengths. Instead of hiding their weaknesses, they turn them into possibilities through the strengths of other companies. Innovation doesn’t only refer to creating new technology from nothing. It is also about connecting already existing, outstanding values in a new, meaningful way. What changes will emerge from the intersection of purchasing data and mobility data? Payke: A single purchase is just one scene in a journey. A tourist’s day is a continuous sequence of moving, sightseeing, eating, shopping, and lodging. Traditional purchasing data only captured a single moment within that. By overlaying it with mobility data, purchases that were just dots will now become visible as a line—a connected story. For example, let’s say a group from Taiwan buys cosmetics at a drugstore. What areas did they tour before that, and what town did they move to afterward? You will be able to understand not just what was bought, but the context of why that product was bought in that location. This is a world we could never have reached with purchasing data alone. LocationAI: By analyzing purchasing behavior and visited locations together, we can understand travelers’ tastes, preferences, and interests much more deeply. Furthermore, we can deliver ads based on that understanding. By knowing not just where people visited, but what they were interested in and what they bought, we will be able to deliver information and experiences better suited to the traveler. Can you also prompt their next actions, in addition to analyzing them? Payke: Yes. We don’t want to stop at simply making behavior visible. Through Payke’s surveys, we can directly ask the ‘why’ behind their actions. Moreover, through information delivery linked to location data, we can also encourage customers’ next actions. We engage with them at those locations based on the behaviors we understand. The interesting part of this collaboration is that in one go, we’re able to see what people are doing and influence their next actions. How will this partnership change tourism in Japan? Where else can it be utilized, besides manufacturers and retailers? Payke: We believe local governments, destination management organizations (DMOs), and tourism operators are clear targets. If they know where inbound tourists came from, where they toured, and where and what they consumed, they can utilize this to promote excursions within the region and even implement measures to prevent over-tourism in certain spots. It becomes data that can be used directly for regional decision-making, such as refining tourism content. Additionally, any company that wants to understand inbound movement and consumption—airports, railways, transportation operators, commercial facilities, developers, etc.—can be a target. LocationAI: It can also be utilized by local governments, travel agencies, consulting firms, and advertising agencies. Because they will be able to develop methods of attracting tourism based on actual human movement, more evidence-based tourism marketing becomes possible. What possibilities does this hold for regional revitalization? LocationAI: For travelers on long-term stays without fixed itineraries, we will be able to suggest visits to other regions, rather than just famous tourist destinations like Kyoto. By understanding their interests and behaviors, and delivering new destinations tailored to them, we believe we can connect this to regional excursions. Payke: It’s not that rural areas lack charm, but in most cases, that charm simply hasn’t reached the traveler. By gathering information about a person’s purchases and movement together, we can understand what kinds of experiences and products he or she is interested in. We will then be able to deliver regional products, culture, food, scenery, and experiences that match those interests, at precisely the right timing. Data will shape the future of regions What is born from this partnership is not just improved advertising accuracy. It is about suggesting new destinations tailored to each individual’s interests, rather than forcing travelers to move away from famous tourist spots. As a result, the traveler’s experience is enriched, and new people and purchases stream into regional areas. Data meant to increase corporate sales transforms into data that shapes every region’s future. That is how this partnership can contribute to society. Please tell us about the results of the partnership and your future goals. After announcing this partnership, what kind of reactions did you receive internally and in the marketplace? LocationAI: The appeal of our service has increased as the volume of data grew, and we became able to perform analysis and ad delivery based on first-party data. We have also received comments from existing clients saying that the reliability of our analysis and delivery has increased. This has also led to an increase in new inquiries. Payke: Internally, our data, advertising, and sales teams have each started linking this to concrete proposals, thinking, “We can use this for that project.” After the announcement, we saw an increase in consultations from existing clients asking, “Can you add mobility data to your analysis?” as well as inquiries from advertising companies and agencies. In particular, we are seeing more demand from areas where we used to have difficulty creating touchpoints as a single company, such as local governments, airports, and transportation-related entities. By what metrics do you judge if this partnership is a success? Payke: We are thinking about it in three stages. The first is the number of joint proposals and joint projects with manufacturers, retailers, local governments, etc. The second is the number of companies continuously using our analysis and advertising menus utilizing the integrated data. And the final stage would be for our integration of inbound purchase data and mobility data from both our companies to be referenced as an industry standard. Our most important metric is not the success of a one-off campaign, but whether the number of projects born from this partnership continues to grow. LocationAI: As for our company, we consider the important metrics to be an increase in inbound-related inquiries, the creation of new services utilizing this partnership, and ultimately, whether this leads to higher revenue. Do you have any expectations for D-POPS GROUP going forward? Payke: This partnership began from a single greeting exchanged at the Summit venue. First and foremost, I am grateful that you created a place where portfolio companies could actually meet and spark synergy. I believe there are many companies within D-POPS GROUP’s ecosystem that possess technologies and assets we haven’t yet encountered. I hope you continue to be the starting point for multiplications that will birth additional collaborations like the one between Payke and LocationAI. After all, we also want the example of our partnership to contribute to the entire ecosystem. LocationAI: We hope you will continue to actively promote alliances with portfolio companies that generate synergy, just like this one. We also want to proceed with flexible collaborations with various companies in areas such as mobility data analysis and advertising. Finally, please give a message to the companies reading this article. Payke: With this partnership, the way we perceive inbound tourism will change from 1-dimensional dots to 2-dimensional lines and shapes. Up until now, data focused primarily on the moment a product was sold, but now we can capture the action before and after that moment—where they came from, where they went in an area, and where they headed afterward. Manufacturers, retailers, local governments, and tourism operators facing the inbound tourist market will be able to make decisions based on the integrated facts of purchasing and mobility, rather than having to rely on intuition or fragmented data. There is no need to start with a massive project. You can start small, analyzing a single product or a single area. If you feel the desire to understand the true picture of inbound tourism, please consult with us. LocationAI: Based on our mobility data analytics, we look to pursue flexible alliances in fields such as data analysis and advertising. By combining different data—such as purchasing data, mobility data, and customer data—we can bring out new value that was not previously visible. If your company is interested in collaboration, please reach out to us. Editor’s Note Payke and LocationAI did not simply compensate for what the other lacked. They had each spent a long time refining their individual strengths, and when they brought those strengths together, it produced something that neither company could have created alone. This partnership is an initiative that evolves inbound marketing, and at the same time, it is a management case study demonstrating how companies should connect and create new value in society. The era of trying to handle everything entirely in-house may already be over. Honestly acknowledging that there are areas you cannot see on your own, and joining hands with companies possessing different strengths; combining each other’s customers, technology, data, and knowledge; doing these things results in something closer to multiplication than simple addition. This is what our company means by a “Venture Ecosystem”. What is the “Venture Ecosystem” that D-POPS GROUP is aiming for? To be honest, I feel that the catalyst for major change is more often a simple encounter than a meticulously planned business strategy. The moment you feel, “It would be interesting to team up with this person,” take that first step. After taking enough of those small steps, you may very well set the standard for an industry in a few years. Moving forward, I hope to continue seeing more of that. D-POPS GROUP Advisor So Sato

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