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[Entrepreneur Interview #13] Shoto Masuda (D-POPS Corp.) – Part 2

  • Group Companies
  • Interview
2025.05.07

“Serve people and cultivate talent”
Aim for further growth through developing human resources and systematization!

D-POPS GROUP has 23 group companies that we call partners (at the time of publication).

For this article, we interviewed Shoto Masuda, the current CEO of D-POPS Corp., the founding business of D-POPS GROUP.

(This interview was conducted in March 2025.)

This is the latter part of the interview. To read the first part, click here.

◆The Market Environment

Sugihara:
It seems that the business model of selling smartphones in physical stores is facing headwinds, given the increase in direct sales by carriers and manufacturers via e-commerce, as well as the growing market in different industries for buying and selling used devices. Could you share some aspects of your strategy in this market situation?

Masuda:
For about the past year, we’ve been heavily discussing our future strategy. We have many excellent existing businesses. Because they are directly connected to people’s daily lives, the products and services we handle are very attractive, I believe. However, on the other hand, when you’re in the position of an agency, control and management become incredibly difficult, so I really feel that balancing these aspects is extremely challenging.

Regarding our strategy moving forward, it’s still fundamentally about telecommunications. While it’s quite broad to say telecommunications as a whole, there are many more products that we should really be selling. We will expand our product lineup to include items developed in-house and procured externally. Selling core products and cross-sellable products will be one of our first courses of action.

Another plan is user life design. In essence, we are focusing our discussions on what people need for their daily lives and what problems need solving. This applies to our stores, and we’re also currently exploring if there's anything we can get involved in even without a physical store presence.

Sugihara:
Speaking of which, how is the “Smartphone Consultation Counter” business doing?

Masuda:
It’s growing steadily. It took a long time for feature phones and smartphones to penetrate into the Japanese market, but they have been fully received now. However, going forward, the products that come out, such as 5G and certainly 6G, and now even AI-equipped smartphones, are becoming so complex that many people don't know how to use them.

For instance, people might not know how to use LINE, or how to link their My Number card, or how to connect IoT products to their home appliances. While devices have become widespread, many people don’t know how to use them, so we really want to address these customer needs, both in person and online.

Sugihara:
More and more people who are not tech-savvy, especially seniors, are finding themselves with no one to consult. Such individuals can run to a TOP1 store to address their concerns. So it seems there really are people who want to receive advice, even if they have to pay a fee.

Masuda:
That’s right. We used to do it on a volunteer basis, but we need to distinguish our business, and as we improve the skills of our staff, their wages also need to increase. So, we believe it’s better to charge a fee so that we can serve customers as professionals. We are also developing that service and are focused on continuously improving its quality.

The third and final point is education. When I think back to what we most wanted to do since our founding, and what our strength still is today, it’s educating our human resources. The original vision of President Goto, the founder of D-POPS, was to create opportunities for young people. Although I’ve taken over as CEO, we’re still holding onto that vision, so at our core, we’re ultimately about educating people. In the end, we've committed to “cultivating talent”, so I believe that embedded in our company’s DNA is the idea of raising up “leaders equipped with both integrity and skill”, which also continues to be our human resource development policy as our business grows and evolves.

In 2024, I had the opportunity to go abroad with Dr. Semmoto, the Chairman of D-POPS GROUP’s Board of Directors, and I realized that while some other countries have growing populations, the quality of Japan as a nation in various aspects is remarkably high. For example, I believe we can convey the high value of Japanese education, culture, and customer-focused service.

Recently, as we’ve been brainstorming various ideas, we’ve gone back to our roots, asking: “What kind of company is D-POPS?” The answer is, “We are a company that develops human resources.” To make people genuinely excited and want to join D-POPS or work for us, I felt it was necessary to grow our business domains and to help individuals grow, making them believe that joining will lead to their personal development.

◆TOP1’s Policies for Sales and Proactivity

Sugihara:
Personally, when I picture mobile phone agencies in the past, I think, “Purely commission-based meritocracy!” What kind of sales and customer service policies does D-POPS’s own brand shop, TOP1, have?

Masuda:
Whether to compete purely on meritocracy or to prioritize meticulous sales and customer service—this is indeed the most challenging aspect. The truth is, when you chase sheer numbers, quality inevitably declines. That's why the industry as a whole has seen many compliance violations. However, no matter how good your intentions, if you don’t achieve results, you won’t get support, will you?

Therefore, I believe it’s crucial to combine building a strong sales organization with education of the mind, which necessitates instilling our philosophy and vision. We believe that we are a company that properly educates its people and contributes meaningfully to those important individuals with whom we have connections, so we must continuously improve our quality. Essentially, it’s about whether we can establish a foundation of trust in human relationships and then build specialized skills and a favorable business environment upon that.

There were many companies in the past that lacked this foundation. Those companies sold enormous volumes. They had high transient revenues and contributed more in terms of numbers than we did, but they no longer exist today.

However, we need to increase both customer numbers and sales while simultaneously improving quality. So, we are working to strengthen this across the entire organization and aim for growth.

◆New Product “OTHEBES”

Sugihara:
So that’s why your philosophy-driven management and training truly come to life. It’s not just about the sales method; it’s because the staff, having gone through that philosophy training, are providing a service which enables them to support customers’ lives, lifestyle, and life design. I heard that as a future strategy, you’re launching a brand called “OTHEBES” to strengthen your customer base. Could you tell us more specifically about OTHEBES?

Masuda:
“OTHEBES” was launched in March. Led by Mr. Sakamaki, our Executive Officer and General Manager of Sales who is also in charge of product and business development, the first phase involves Wi-Fi rental and sales. OTHEBES is a portmanteau of “others” and “best”. While we have existing stores and products, there are still gaps where current products don't quite resonate with or contribute to end-users, and OTHEBES is designed to fill those gaps.

Currently, for the first phase, we’re handling Wi-Fi. In the future, for example, some people only use their phone for calls, so we want to create our own brand of call-only mobile phones, plus develop combinations that pick the best aspects of different services. Recently, a slogan has emerged among us: “Create something new out of what already exists!” So, we are now analyzing the demands from both the field and customers, considering combinations that we believe will work.

Sugihara:
Both in terms of planning and on the ground, with the increasing number of products, carriers, hardware, and brands you handle, and your company’s own services appearing, there’s a risk that sales staff who lack initiative might not know what to propose to customers. Are you concerned about that?

Masuda:
That’s why we prioritize foundational education. In fact, D-POPS didn't have many established systems until now. So, from here on, our theme for this year is to create proper systems, and based on the premise that people forget, we aim to create systems that can convey information more simply, rather than just forcing memorization.

It’s all about human resource development and systematization. If a company can just put the right people in the right places and clearly divide roles, there’s no way they can fail, ha ha.

◆Soccer Activities

Sugihara:
Nice! I love that kind of attitude! Changing the subject completely, I hear you are quite skilled at soccer! And that you’re active in the company’s futsal club. Could you tell us about these activities?

Masuda:
I’ve played soccer continuously since my school days, and I’ve kept it up as a hobby even after entering the working world.

Initially, it was just an in-house club activity at D-POPS. We play about once a month internally, and since I have various connections, I also play with external members. I probably belong to about three or four main groups.

When we focused only on in-house members, we were always just barely scraping by with enough players. We wanted to play but couldn’t. At that time, it suddenly occurred to me: what if we brought in people from both inside and outside the company? So, we started doing that. We organize the games, inviting our employees and other members of D-POPS GROUP to join, plus my acquaintances, some of whom are former professional players.

We also forged a connection with BLUEISH Inc. through soccer, a company in which D-POPS GROUP later made a corporate investment. This made me realize that sports can create such networking opportunities.

*See the full press release here:
D-POPS GROUP Invests in BLUEISH Inc., Operator of Industry-Specific AI Workflow “Omni Workspace”

Until now, my life has been pretty much full of those kinds of connections. I attended the Semmoto Management School run by Dr. Semmoto, and there I met another company’s board director who also played soccer. That director turned out to be a high school classmate of a former manager of mine from Germany, who had really helped me out during my time living in Beijing. I really hit it off with that director, started attending the soccer practices he participated in, and that's where I met the people from BLUEISH.

But I also think this involves luck and timing. If this had happened five years earlier, I don’t think the discussion about investment would have occurred. I myself have had various experiences up to now, and being in a management position allows me to engage in various conversations, which enabled me to bring this opportunity to D-POPS GROUP.

I mentioned playing with external people earlier; there are also skilled individuals among my acquaintances who are business owners, or even executives and younger employees within their companies. And typically, those people also excel at work. It’s like things just connect. That’s incredibly valuable, isn’t it?

When people have good character, shared interests that foster friendship, and different expertise, skills, and networks, it leads to a wide range of connections.

◆Recruiting Students

Sugihara:
It’s the time of year when job hunting for students graduating next year has begun. What type of student would you like to see join D-POPS? And what aspects of D-POPS do you think are attractive points for new graduates?

Masuda:
Our company, first and foremost, has genuinely good people. They have high self-esteem and are very proactive. They also tend to reach out to others and have a strong sense of contribution.

Furthermore, in D-POPS and D-POPS GROUP currently, we offer an environment where you can leverage support and coaching for experience, skills, and networking. I truly believe there’s no better environment than this. So, for those who want to challenge themselves quickly, gain not just knowledge but also practical skills, and refine their human qualities, ultimately, we’d like them to take on management roles.

We don’t really prioritize academic background. However, it’s absolutely crucial to have high self-esteem. I think it would be difficult for both of us if an employee is consistently negative. If you think to yourself, “I can’t do this”, then you won’t be able to achieve anything.

◆“Realizing a Venture Ecosystem”

Sugihara:
D-POPS GROUP has the motto of “Realizing a Venture Ecosystem”. What aspects of this goal do you resonate with? Are there any activities you’re undertaking with the creation of a Venture Ecosystem in mind?

Masuda:
I believe this ecosystem is essential for living. The truth is, people cannot live alone, and their lives definitely change depending on who they spend time with and the differences in insights they gain. Moreover, the sooner this happens, the better. I think things can change even if it’s late, but realizing things as early as possible leads to making the right choices.

Therefore, I personally feel that a Venture Ecosystem is indispensable. Within the D-POPS GROUP community, there are many people whom I’d want to meet even if it meant spending my own time and money. So, I think getting to join a Venture Ecosystem like this—and even getting paid to do it through working for the group—is quite an extraordinary opportunity.

I want people to clearly recognize that it isn’t enough to simply show up. How you choose to act is up to you. It would be great if a group could form where people don’t just exist within the community, but actively initiate things themselves—whether it’s asking for guidance or contributing their own expertise.

◆Ideal Vision for D-POPS in 5 Years

Sugihara:
That’s wonderful! Now, could you tell us your ideal vision for D-POPS as a company and for yourself five years from now?

Masuda:
First and foremost, the company will have grown significantly. And I believe we will certainly have established a stage where we can better support customers’ life designs and employees’ self-realization within five years. We aim to expand this both domestically and internationally.

I view this as a personal mission or message for myself: I want to ask myself, from a larger, global perspective, what do I need to do? I’m currently having various discussions while considering that. I believe the execution phase for that will be this year and next, so the company will likely undergo a significant transformation.

Sugihara:
That sounds promising. Now, are there any challenges you face in moving toward that future?

Masuda:
For Japan, it’ll definitely be the severe labor shortage. I have three children now, but when they grow up, in 20 or 30 years, the population will have decreased considerably, won’t it? When the population potentially drops to around 80 million, the question will become to what extent Japan’s culture and values, cultivated until now, can be transmitted and passed down.

So, I think it’s about whether we can continue to impart education, not just to Japanese citizens, but also to foreigners.

Another challenge, though it’s currently unclear, is nature itself. Among the challenges I’m currently taking on, I see existing businesses, information, and telecommunications as one aspect, then personal development for individuals as another, and finally, environmental conservation. What exactly we can do is not yet clear, but I am gathering information on it.

◆Message to Readers Visiting Our Website

Sugihara:
Finally, in closing, could you share a message for our online readers?

Masuda:
I believe our Venture Ecosystem is not just an ecosystem of startup companies, but an ecosystem containing groups of professionals driven by an intense spirit of altruism. I think there’s already something you can see and feel by simply looking at it. If you find something appealing or interesting after checking it out, I sincerely hope you’ll take the next step. We look forward to meeting you directly, and we would be delighted if you could contact us.

 

Interview conducted by D-POPS GROUP’s advisor Genta Sugihara.

 

D-POPS Corp.

Company President and CEO: Shoto Masuda
Address: Shibuya Hikarie Bldg. 32F, 2-21-1 Shibuya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
Established: February 1998
Website: https://d-pops.co.jp/

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[Entrepreneur Interview #18] Fuminori Akamatsu (opzt) – Part 1
Building Trust with Major Corporations and Creating a Staffing Business that Develops Human Resources In this first installment of a two-part interview, we asked Fuminori Akamatsu, opzt, Inc.’s founder and CEO, about their business operations, how they build trust with major corporations, their expansion into the technology sector, human resource development, and their approach to the generative AI era. (This interview was conducted in August 2026.) ◆Introducing a Nationwide Business with 5 Locations, Centered on HR and Technology Sugihara: Currently, 26 group companies belong to D-POPS GROUP. Today, we are interviewing Mr. Fuminori Akamatsu, president of opzt, Inc., which joined the group in 2018. Thank you for your time! First of all, although it is posted on your website (available in Japanese only), could you give us an overview of your business in your own words? Akamatsu: Our core operations are centered around two main pillars: our HR business, which includes staffing, recruitment, and outsourcing; and our tech business, which handles the IT technology sector. Since our founding, we have provided HR services primarily for the telecommunications industry, focusing on administrative roles, call centers, and sales and promotional support. We currently operate out of five locations—Osaka, Tokyo, Nagoya, Shikoku, and Fukuoka—with many team members working throughout Japan. Recently, we have been focusing not only on conventional HR services but also on the IT technology sector, rolling out highly specialized HR services for roles such as AI specialists, data scientists, and infrastructure engineers. Currently, we mainly provide System Engineering Services (SES) and operate on an outsourcing and contracting basis, but in the future, we hope to develop and release our own in-house products. Sugihara: By the way, could you tell us the origin of your company name? Akamatsu: It originally came from the desire for our company to be our clients’ first choice. However, the word “choice” itself implies picking from a variety of options, whereas “opt” carries the nuance of proactively selecting something, so we embedded our desire to become that kind of company into the name. Since there was already a famous company called Opt, we wanted to avoid using the same spelling. We added ‘z’, the last letter of the alphabet, to make a new word which we gave the meaning of “the ultimate, best company”. Sugihara: So you drew inspiration from English and coined a new word to make your company’s name. About how many employees do you have in terms of the scale of your staffing? Akamatsu: Including both our headquarters staff as well as all of our dispatch employees, there are currently about 550 people registered with our company. ◆Building Trust from Year Two: Forging Bonds with NTT Sugihara: You have a very large pool of talent. How do you go about connecting with the clients where you dispatch your employees? I’ve heard before that you have many clients related to NTT. How did you manage to get your company involved with such a massive corporation? Akamatsu: A major factor is that when I was working as a corporate employee, I was given a lot of responsibility within NTT Group. Even though I was really just a young kid at the time, various key figures took me under their wing, allowing me to build not only business relationships but also deep interpersonal trust. Later, when I decided to start my own business, an NTT executive who had been a great mentor to me said, “If you’re going independent, I want to support you,” and offered to help me as an advisor. While that’s not the only reason, when I launched my business, former colleagues and other excellent individuals within NTT helped me out in various capacities. Because many of these individuals had long-standing trust, networks, and lots of personal connections with major companies like NTT, leveraging those connections to establish business deals became our starting point. And then, truly miraculously, we were able to sign a contract with NTT at the very early stage of our second year in business. Given that we didn’t have a Teikoku Databank rating at the time and weren’t yet the kind of company that they would typically even look at, I think our dealing with NTT was quite the exception. Sugihara: I believe your clients include other major corporations besides NTT. Many startups struggle to establish working relationships, so how did you and your management team pave the way for that? Akamatsu: We were truly fortunate to do business with a massive company like NTT in our second year, as it allowed us to learn through trial and error the difficulties of working with large corporations (things like information management, compliance, and talent quality). Because we were able to build a certain level of trust with NTT and establish an organizational framework for engaging with major companies, we were able to apply that to other large corporations, which helped us to get up and running relatively quickly. As has been the case for a while, rather than sales strategies that simply win contracts, we value strategies that focus on how long we can sustain those contracts. I believe our ongoing transactions with major companies like NTT and Docomo are the result of gradually building things up, one step at a time. Sugihara: What do you specifically pay attention to in order to maintain business with major corporations, or what do you think is the reason you enjoy such favor with your mentors? Akamatsu: I truly believe it’s the accumulation of consistently keeping small promises. It’s about trust—ensuring that the quality of our talent, compliance, and information management are solid, as I mentioned earlier. When a problem occurs on-site, we don’t hide it; we report it immediately and communicate how we will improve as a company. The larger the company, the more they scrutinize these aspects. So, we immediately and thoroughly address each issue. Our employees also strictly adhere to this principle, and I think the accumulation of all these efforts is what makes us stand out. We started from nothing, and while our initial entry point may have been personal connections, I don’t believe business relationships last this long purely on personal ties. It’s all about the cumulative effort. ◆From Routine Tasks to Highly Specialized Fields: Differentiating Their Business in the Era of AI Sugihara: I have the impression that your services have pivoted over these past 13 years. In particular, you recently started a tech-related staffing business. How are you differentiating yourselves in that area? Akamatsu: We didn’t originally set out with a conscious decision to pivot. Rather, as we kept our eyes on the HR market, we realized that routine and standardized tasks would inevitably become automated by AI. At the same time, we saw market movement showing an increased demand for talent capable of utilizing AI, such as data scientists and professionals in the AI and data fields. Our company realized about three or four years ago that if we just continued our traditional HR services, we would definitely be weeded out, so we knew we had to focus on high-growth sectors. However, we felt there was no point in doing the same thing as conventional SES companies. Therefore, we are specifically focusing on areas that directly tie into a company’s competitiveness moving forward, such as AI and data engineers, data scientists, and talent within the infrastructure field who can support data centers. Additionally, rather than only hiring individuals who already possess high skills, we are running a parallel initiative where we hire high-potential individuals with no prior experience, educate them, and develop them into specialized professionals while they gain practical experience. I believe combining the know-how we’ve cultivated in the staffing industry with specialized expertise in the technology sector is our unique point of differentiation that other companies don’t have. Sugihara: Your focus on the data center field, as you just mentioned, is definitely the right move. I’ve seen news from the US where, despite an increase in IT engineer layoffs, the demand for electricians is surging, to the point where even certified public accountants are quitting to become electricians or plumbers. I simply thought it was about having a tangible trade, but it turns out these jobs are related to data center construction. I hear there is a severe labor shortage, and while Japanese manufacturers are profiting from semiconductors and servers, there's also an ultimate demand for the people who actually install them. Akamatsu: That’s exactly right. In Osaka, in particular, data centers are rapidly increasing as backups for ones running in Tokyo. They are currently being built at a rapid pace with the idea that even if Tokyo falls, data can be protected in Osaka. Because these facilities require 24-hour monitoring and are often located in remote areas, telecommunications carriers are constantly struggling with labor shortages. We decided we wanted to tackle this head-on and are putting significant effort into it. I may use AI quite a bit myself, but people really are starting to use AI more and more. ◆Hiring Strategies and Educational Programs to Become Clients’ First Choice Sugihara: Now, I’d like to ask about acquiring the talent you actually dispatch to the clients receiving these services. I’ve heard of companies even within our own group that are struggling with recruitment. With costs rising and a shrinking talent pool to begin with, how is opzt tackling this? Akamatsu: Not to say it’s going perfectly well for us either, but we make a point not to rely on just one recruitment method. Our defining characteristic is that we use a mix of multiple recruitment channels—job boards, recruitment agencies, referrals, social media, and hiring events—depending on the job role and region. More important than that is becoming a company that applicants actively choose. Today’s job seekers look closely not only at the salary and job description, but also at what kind of experiences they will gain after joining, how it will lead to their future career, and how the company will treat them. Because of this, we make sure not to just say the good things, but to honestly explain everything: the job content, workplace environment, and expected roles. We place more emphasis on ensuring that the people who join us can thrive and work with us for a long time, rather than just focusing on the sheer number of hires. Sugihara: That’s wonderful. You mentioned that when people join opzt, you don’t necessarily just hire those who already possess high skills, but you also have programs to educate your employees. Could you elaborate on that? Can someone with no background in technology really become the kind of talent dispatched to that sector? Akamatsu: As part of our fundamental training, in addition to basic education on business etiquette, information security, and compliance, we conduct training tailored to each assignment. Especially in the tech sector, we don’t just have them learn online; we prioritize getting them to a point where they can use what they’ve learned in actual practice. We do this by creating assignments for them to present, supporting their acquisition of certifications, and pairing this with follow-up support from senior engineers. Furthermore, we believe that the ability to report, communicate, ask for help, and to understand a client’s intent is just as crucial as technical skill. So, we adjust our programs for each individual to cover these areas as well. Our goal is to develop talent that makes clients say, “I want to request this person for the job again.” ◆The Era of AI Agents: Stormy Seas or Smooth Sailing? Sugihara: Now, for this kind of staffing business—especially within the tech talent sector you’re focusing on—generative AI, and more recently, agentic AI, is a point of concern. Do you view this trend as a tough situation, or an opportunity? What countermeasures or approaches are you taking? Akamatsu: I think it’s definitely a storm and a critical situation, but more than that, I consider it a massive opportunity. As I mentioned earlier, standardized and routine tasks are increasingly being replaced by AI, and I can already feel that replacement happening in reality. However, if we just continue with the same kind of HR services we’ve offered up to now, I believe our company will undoubtedly disappear. On the other hand, I can feel a steady, upward trend in the demand for talent who can utilize data, talent who can implement AI into businesses, and talent with the level of communication and interpersonal skills that AI cannot replace. In that sense, if opzt itself can change and ride this wave, I believe we could be catching a very massive wave indeed. At our company, we are trying to develop talent capable of using AI even in non-engineering roles like administration, management, and recruitment, beyond just AI specialists and data scientists. By educating people to be on the side that uses AI rather than being used by it, I hope to create a differentiation strategy not found elsewhere. ◆Three New Initiatives for Further Growth Sugihara: Thank you. Are there any specific new initiatives you are currently working on for the further growth of your business? Akamatsu: There are three main things. First, as we discussed earlier, we are prioritizing the growth of our AI and data business, as well as the infrastructure sector surrounding data centers. Second, instead of dispatching individuals one by one, we are steadily increasing contracts with higher added value through outsourcing, where we provide support as a team. Third, even within our existing HR services, we are utilizing AI to enhance productivity in tasks such as recruitment, interviews, and staff follow-ups. Sugihara: Are there clients who need an entire team to be dispatched? Akamatsu: There actually are. Right now, engineers with those specific skills are either no longer available, or their rates have become expensive. So, we are seeing an increase in cases where we form and dispatch a team combining experienced professionals with the young talent we are training. As they grow, we add the next wave of new staff to the team, creating a cycle of continuous on-site training. Sugihara: I see, the younger members gain experience working alongside their mentors on the same job and in the same field with the same client, building their skills to eventually become leaders themselves. Akamatsu: Right. Our clients are also unable to train such talent themselves, so there is a strong demand to outsource the whole process to us. While this system can make things difficult sometimes, it allows our company to bring in inexperienced individuals, so we have recently been proposing to send whole teams to client companies quite often. Sugihara: Indeed, while sending someone individually helps that specific person build skills and experience, it raises the question of whether know-how is accumulating within the company itself. Usually, that person would have to come back and act as an instructor for internal training. But that training time doesn’t translate to revenue right away. Instead of making them just play the role of a teacher, they are essentially providing on-the-job training for younger members while both are getting paid by the client, and they themselves learn something through that, as well. Akamatsu: Exactly. So we are rapidly expanding this method right now. Interview conducted by D-POPS GROUP’s advisor Genta Sugihara. opzt, Inc. Company President and CEO: Fuminori Akamatsu Address: 5F Nomura Real Estate Building, 4-2-12 Honmachi, Chuo Ward, Osaka Established: September 10, 2013 Website: https://opzt.net/ In the second part of the interview, we discuss: ・President Akamatsu’s experience as a musician and how he applies it to business management ・The catalyst for founding opzt, its 13-year trajectory, and organization building ・“SELEBRO”, the entertainment business he launched after a serious illness ・The story of joining D-POPS GROUP and his resonance with realizing a Venture Ecosystem ・opzt’s 5-year vision and a message for the readers ・And other topics
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In an era where the shortage of IT talent is a major social issue, our ability to mobilize a large workforce all at once whenever necessary is a significant competitive advantage. ③Bringing Together Our Strong Points We are able to demonstrate our synergistic strength by combining the specific expertises of each company, including project management and direction, design, creative, frontend, backend, AI implementation, etc. Furthermore, skill sets that are difficult to assemble within a single organization can be fully covered when our three companies collaborate, vastly expanding the technical domains we can handle. ④Cultivating Talent Across Company Borders When veterans from one company work together with junior engineers from another on the same project, it creates growth opportunities that cannot be found within a single firm. Exposure to the different corporate cultures and technical approaches of other companies provides engineers with invaluable professional experience that accelerates their development. 3. The Three Coming Together: The Birth of “One Tech World” ①Why We Chose the Alliance Model We chose this system over a simple outsourcing relationship to ensure speed and quality by collaborating on a daily basis, rather than searching for new partners for every individual project. We believed that by teaming up with trusted colleagues who understand each other’s strengths and weaknesses, we could provide significantly higher value to our clients. ②Agility Through a Horizontal Structure By accepting projects as a horizontal alliance of three equals, we are able to keep the commercial flow simple and costs low while maintaining a flexible team structure. We have established a system where the primary contractor serves as the single point of contact while the alliance as a whole manages the project. ③Speed and Simplicity of Communication We utilize tools such as Slack to ensure smooth communication between our three companies. We also place a heavy emphasis on creating systems for information sharing and problem-solving through regular meetings. This commitment to open communication has been the key to increasing our collaborative speed. ④Development Rules as a Common Language We are actively developing standardized development rules for the alliance, clarifying the boundaries of responsibility and standardizing project management protocols. When different companies work together, keeping a set of rules that we have in common is essential for guaranteeing high-quality output. ⑤Keeping Everyone Up-to-date with AI Led by techbeans, we hold AI-related study sessions to create an environment where employees from all three companies can acquire AI utilization skills. As an AI-leading company, techbeans also actively publishes blogs and interviews, helping to drive AI adoption across the entire alliance. 4.The Journey to Launching: Inevitability, Rather than Coincidence Pre-2020 (Laying the Groundwork for Collaboration) The birth of One Tech World was preceded by a history of collaboration within the group. Around 2020, techbeans and @SOLUTION participated in the development of “DAMO”, the proprietary CRM system for D-POPS. This period allowed us to accumulate a track record of successful joint projects, cultivating the fertile ground necessary for a deep-seated partnership. December 2023 (Adding the Power of Creativity) idealump, a firm with significant strengths in design and creative production, joined D-POPS GROUP. This expanded the group’s IT capabilities into a three-company system, completing a lineup that could cover everything from technical development to high-end design. May 2024 (The Alliance Starts Moving) Following a call to action by @SOLUTION, the One Tech World development alliance was formally established between the three companies. Group synergy was demonstrated immediately, with idealump taking charge of renewing D-POPS GROUP’s corporate website during the same period. 2024–2025 (Expanding to Over 20 Collaborative Projects in 18 Months) In the year and a half or so since the alliance’s inception, the number of collaborative projects within the group reached approximately 20. By establishing a solid communication infrastructure, we have realized a higher speed of collaboration than we ever had before. Honestly, the sense of momentum we are experiencing is unlike anything any of us felt in the past. November 2025 (Stepping Outward: DXPO Exhibition) One Tech World made its debut as a unified entity by co-exhibiting at a major IT seminar event series in Japan called DXPO. By highlighting our strengths as an alliance—such as our AI-integrated products and our deep pool of talented engineers—we are working to increase our appeal among external clients. 5. Future Challenges: Racing Through the AI Era as a Unified Trio ①Overcoming the “Turning Point” in Development Since the launch of the alliance, we have successfully driven more than 20 collaborative projects within the group. Through continuous efforts to streamline communication, we have achieved a level of collaborative speed that we’ve never experienced before. This has made it possible for us to handle projects of a scale and scope that would have been impossible for a single company to manage alone. ②Accelerating Development with AI The development landscape is currently at a major crossroads. As the industry shifts toward accelerating development speeds through AI, techbeans—as an AI-leading company—is spearheading this movement by publishing AI-related blogs and interviews and hosting internal study sessions for the alliance. By supporting the employees of all three companies in mastering AI, we are significantly strengthening the collective development power of the entire alliance. ③Becoming the “Preferred Choice” through Creative Excellence Among the three companies, idealump possesses particularly strong design and creative capabilities, serving as a powerful asset when approaching external clients. While it comes a bit later than our initial launch a year and a half ago, we plan to significantly strengthen our inbound marketing strategy in 2026. We aim to capture new markets by fully utilizing the unique strengths of our three-member partnership. ④Opening the Door to Enterprise-Level Projects The alliance was brought together by the vision of the originator, @SOLUTION. Much like the bundling of three arrows, this partnership has turned the dream of approaching major corporations—once impossible for a single firm—into a reality. In an era of chronic IT talent shortages, the ability to mobilize a large, skilled workforce the moment it is needed serves as a massive competitive advantage. ⑤Expanding Collaboration with External Partners Moving forward, we plan to invite partner companies from outside D-POPS GROUP to participate in our projects. However, this will not be open to everyone. We will only admit partners who meet the specific high standards set by One Tech World. Our goal is not simply to become a large IT organization, but to be a collective of highly skilled IT talent and, above all, a group of companies that clients can trust implicitly. We will continue to increase the value of this alliance by balancing the expansion of our scale with strict quality assurance. 6. Summary: Choosing to “Bundle Together” In this article, we have summarized the initiatives of One Tech World, the development alliance formed by three IT companies within D-POPS GROUP. In this era when IT is accelerating faster and faster, issues that a single company cannot solve alone are increasing. Just as in the Three Arrows parable, by leveraging group synergy and mutually complementing each other’s resources, expertise, and talent cultivation, One Tech World represents a new collaborative model that IT companies in the future will be pursuing desperately. D-POPS GROUP will continue to harness the potential of our Venture Ecosystem, striving to make new, valuable contributions to society through the sharing and nurturing of exceptional IT talent. techbeans inc. Kazuhiro Maekawa
  • Group Companies
2025.12.18
[Venture Ecosystem Case Study] Breaking Through the Online Wall! The Challenge of Three Companies to Expand Kodomamo Across Japan’s Mobile Phone Shops
“Is my child being bullied at school?” The parents and guardians of children everywhere share this same anxiety, and the parental control app Kodomamo seeks to resolve it using the power of AI. Today, this innovative service is gaining significant presence in mobile phone shops across Japan. This success is the result of a strategic partnership built on the strengths of three companies: the provider of the app itself, Adora Inc.; the company with extensive know-how in mobile phone shop operations, D-POPS Corp. (website in Japanese only); and the partner with a robust network across mobile phone shops nationwide, Advancer.inc (website in Japanese only). This article outlines how these three partners in our Venture Ecosystem tackled the challenge of distributing the Kodomamo app across Japan and led the project to a successful resolution. [The Challenge] Increasing Awareness of Kodomamo ① What is Kodomamo? Kodomamo*, provided by Adora, is an original parental control application designed to safeguard children. Specifically, when installed on both the child’s and parent’s smartphones, it can detect when a child is involved in dangerous online chats, enforce screen time limits to prevent overuse, and help prevent use of a smartphone while walking. *The name is a portmanteau of the Japanese words ‘kodomo’ (children) and ‘mamoru’ (to protect). The above graphic shows off some of Kodomamo’s key app features and accolades. However, when the service was first launched, it faced a major obstacle: the wall of awareness: how to get the people who need Kodomamo to know it exists. ② Points of Contact Between Kodomamo and Customers Kodomamo’s customer touchpoints were primarily limited to online channels and within the app itself. While efforts were made to direct users to the official website through social media and web advertisements, it was difficult to reach potential customers through passive advertising alone. Furthermore, the in-app chat function served only to support existing users and could not act as a contact point for new customers. While countless parents were worrying about their children being bullied, there was a stark lack of opportunity for them to learn about the potential solution of Kodomamo. Without overcoming this situation, the service could not truly contribute to society. [The Hypothesis] Reach Customers through Mobile Phone Shops To solve the challenges mentioned above, we hypothesized that a network of mobile phone shops throughout Japan could be the best way to connect Kodomamo with its customers. The realization of this hypothesis would not have been possible without support from D-POPS (with its expertise in managing mobile phone shops) and Advancer (with its strong network across shops nationwide). There are many benefits to introducing Kodomamo through mobile phone shops: ① Direct Customer Contact Staff can propose Kodomamo directly to parents who visit the store, especially when their children are getting their first smartphone. ② Support from Specialized Staff Just as carrier payment plans can be complicated, there is significant demand for support in selecting and setting up the most suitable app from a large selection. Knowledgeable staff can also assist both parents and children in getting the application installed and functioning on their devices. ③ Continuous Service Customers gain the peace of mind that they can ask questions at a physical store if any issues arise after they begin using the service. The concept of maximizing the value of a “face-to-face” experience in a physical store to solve problems that cannot be solved online perfectly embodies D-POPS GROUP’s core business model of Real Business × Technology × Group Synergy. [The Strategy] A Three-Pillar Approach for Expansion in Japan To turn our hypothesis into reality, we constructed a strategy based on three key pillars: ① Sales Channel Expansion Even among the approximately 7,000 mobile carrier shops around Japan, the major telecommunication company NTT docomo boasts an overwhelming number of “docomo Shops”, so we set our sights on working with them. To do this, we had to go through their proprietary product application system, an approval process necessary for retailers to handle their own unique products and services. Part of our strategy involved submitting our application through D-POPS, which manages a number of docomo Shops. After it was approved, Advancer leveraged their network of dispatched personnel to pitch our services at docomo Shops nationwide. ② System Integration Initially, Kodomamo only supported in-app purchases, which was unsuitable for sales in mobile phone shops. The in-app purchase model made it impossible to accurately track sales performance at each individual shop and provided insufficient incentives to those businesses due to high payment processing fees. To resolve this, we sought system integration that aligned with the shop owners’ business models, creating a mechanism that could visualize sales results and provide appropriate incentives. ③ Sales Scheme Construction Through consultation with D-POPS’ top sales members, who have extensive know-how of sales in mobile phone shops, we established the most effective sales scheme. Specifically, this involved combining the proposal with the mandatory guidance provided to customers under 18 regarding filtering services. This scheme allows Kodomamo to be naturally proposed as an option precisely at the moment parents are considering safety measures for their children’s smartphones. This multifaceted strategy, driven by the close cooperation of these three companies, transformed a mere concept into a plan ready to be executed across Japan. [The Execution] Growth Trajectory Accelerated by the Venture Ecosystem Here is a timeline of the execution based on the challenges, hypothesis, and strategies we explained so far. July 2024: D-POPS GROUP invested in Adora (Press Release on Investment in Adora Inc.) August 2024: The project was launched by a team from Adora, D-POPS, and Advancer. October 1, 2024: Sales were initiated at Smartphone Consultation Desk TOP1, D-POPS’ chain of mobile phone shops. At this beginning stage, they accumulated sales know-how, and promotional materials were produced by fellow group company graphD. Late October 2024: The proprietary product application for docomo Shops managed by D-POPS was approved. Armed with this approval and their newly-acquired sales experience, campaigns began at docomo Shops nationwide. Kodomamo received favorable reactions at many shops as “a socially meaningful and profitable product that is easy to sell together with a smartphone”. February 2025: The proprietary product application for Rakuten Mobile Shops managed by D-POPS was approved. This secured a new sales channel for future store expansion. The above graphic advertizes Kodomamo’s relevance for minors who use smartphones, its collaboration with the Aichi Prefectural Police, and a pricing guide with a list of available features. In this way, D-POPS GROUP’s Venture Ecosystem became a powerful engine accelerating Adora’s growth. [Results and Next Challenge] Rapid Expansion and Future Issues The sales channel expansion targeting docomo Shops, which began in earnest in November 2024, achieved adoption in approximately 300 stores in less than a year. The breakneck speed at which it spread is a significant achievement brought about by the collaboration of the three companies. However, the next challenge is now clear: improving the rate of acquisitions per shop. While the number of shops adopting Kodomamo has increased, there is some variation in the number of acquisitions at each location. To address this, Advancer, which has offices all over Japan, established a new support team composed of members with mobile phone shop sales experience. They are working to raise the overall performance by providing tailored support to shops struggling with acquisition rates. Additionally, D-POPS and Advancer are jointly supporting Adora in securing adoption with their partners, such as MVNOs (Mobile Virtual Network Operators) and device manufacturers. [Conclusion] Potential for Unlimited Growth through the Venture Ecosystem This article summarizes the case where three partners in our Venture Ecosystem collaborated to successfully tackle the difficult objective of boosting Kodomamo awareness—a task that would have been impossible for a single small company—and achieved substantial results. These efforts go beyond the simple provision of funds. Pooling the expertise and resources of various companies within the group in this way shows a strong case for the successful model of supporting the growth of a startup company. D-POPS GROUP will continue to leverage the unlimited potential of the Venture Ecosystem to create new value to benefit society. Written by: Shoichi Sakamaki (D-POPS Corp.) Shuhei Hosoda and Nizo Ohashi (Advancer.inc)
  • Group Companies
2025.10.30
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