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[Founder Interview #01] Kazuhiro Goto (D-POPS GROUP) – Part 1

  • Interview
2025.07.28

Personal ideals, and ideals as a business owner, all about realizing a Venture Ecosystem

For this article, we interviewed our own President and CEO of D-POPS GROUP! Our company is aiming to realize a “Venture Ecosystem” that is indispensable to society. We are striving to create a platform where startup companies can grow.
We asked President Goto about his thoughts on realizing a Venture Ecosystem and contributing to society.
(This interview was conducted in July 2025.)

Sugihara:
It’s been over 27 years since you founded your original company, D-POPS, and this October 1st will mark exactly 10 years since D-POPS GROUP was established and you transitioned to a group company management system. About five years ago, you started advocating for ecosystem management. Could you describe your journey of these past 27 years, as well as the past 10 years of group management and the last five years of ecosystem management?

Goto:
To put it simply, I’d say my life as a business owner has been like that of a Buddhist monk training in the mountains, ha ha. It’s been a continuous series of hardships—all kinds of adversity, headwinds, and hitting rock bottom. At the same time, there’ve been many moving experiences and memorable encounters, and I can truly say it’s been a fulfilling 27 years.

Initially, as the CEO of a startup, I focused on business and built a 10-billion-yen company. But I also experienced how focusing solely on one business and being dependent on a single revenue stream could be a major risk. From there, I decided to transition to full-scale group company management.

After transitioning to group management and managing 10, then 15 companies, I received a lot of requests to give lectures and lead study groups. As I accepted these requests within my capacity, I got to know the reality of entrepreneurs and business owners who, like me, were truly struggling to manage their businesses. The study group where I felt the most direct connection, where I could remember the faces and businesses of all participants over the years, eventually developed into the “Goto School” intensive training sessions that I now hold almost every month. So far, approximately 300 entrepreneurs and business owners have participated. As a result, the inspiration to dedicate my life to realizing a Venture Ecosystem—or, as you said it, the start of “ecosystem management”—suddenly came to me.

Through the creation of this Venture Ecosystem platform, we increase our number of allies, enable the sharing of know-how, information, and networks with each other, and even if one company suddenly faces headwinds, suffers a big deficit, or hits rock bottom, the Venture Ecosystem protects and supports it, achieving a strong risk portfolio. These allies can be in any form, such as group companies, investment portfolio companies, or strategic capital and business alliances. I even support companies with which we have no financial relationship. Ultimately, what I want to achieve is the establishment of a social system that supports entrepreneurs and managers by walking alongside them.

Sugihara:
As an entrepreneur, you have walked a difficult path that the average company employee in the world today couldn’t even imagine. What has been the source of your drive and passion?

Goto:
When it comes to passion, I have never lost it since starting my business. It’s been overflowing continuously since I was 25. The source of it was a study abroad experience in the UK.

I saw so many students from around the world who had a clear dream for the future and were studying incredibly hard to achieve it. Before studying abroad, I honestly spent my college years just having fun (like being the president of a tennis club and an intercollegiate club), but I started to feel a great sense of anxiety about the future of Japan.

I worried that 10 or 20 years from now, with Japan’s economic power declining and other countries developing significantly, especially in Southeast Asia and the BRICS nations, I feared that we would be unable to maintain the prosperous Japan that our predecessors built before and after the war. Then, just as I was thinking how I wanted to powerfully nurture and change young Japanese people, I came across a book by Konosuke Matsushita and realized that company management could be a way to foster young talent.

Initially, my passion was focused on directly nurturing young people. When the number of employees grew to several hundred, I focused on nurturing executives. When the number of employees reached several thousand, I dedicated my efforts to fostering entrepreneurs and presidents. But the core principle has always been the same: I want to create an environment where young people who will lead Japan’s future can grow and take on challenges. I believe that has continuously been the source of my passion.

I always hope to leave a better society for the next generation of children and the generations after them, even after I am gone. Ultimately, I want to do this not only for Japan but for all people on Earth.

Sugihara:
I imagine that your difficult journey was saved by many instances of great fortune and strong luck. Could you share with our readers any secrets you have for “taking hold of strong luck”?

Goto:
Simply put, I place a lot of importance on being the kind of person that even God might want to support. I also believe it’s important to have an unrivaled passion, to put in effort that is second to none, and to have a vision and goals that have social significance. In addition, I think one needs to have a heart of sincerity, humility, and gratitude.

Even I am shocked by how good luck completely disappears when I stray away even slightly from these practices, but when I follow them diligently, then astonishingly great circumstances occur. One more thing I would add is that I think it’s very important to associate with people who also have good fortune. I feel that our chairman, Dr. Semmoto, and our corporate advisor, Mr. Fujisaki, are like sources of strong luck for me. I feel the same way about our non-executive director, Mr. Naito, and our advisor, Ms. Ishiguro.

Sugihara:
In your stories, you often say that you owe everything to your connections*. What conscious efforts are you doing on a daily basis to maintain good connections?
*The original Japanese term connotes both fate as well as one’s connections with others.

Goto:
My answer is quite similar to my response about strong luck. I believe that good connections are born from making sure that positive energy overflows from within myself. In other words, from having an altruistic heart and love. And also, when an opportunity presents itself, making sure to properly convey the vision and social impact I am trying to achieve. I feel that when people are on the same page as me, our bond deepens; sometimes they support or help me; and in the end, it becomes a good connection.

Sugihara:
You as an individual and D-POPS GROUP as a company are involved in many social contribution activities, such as supporting the “Walking Together Hand-in-Hand with Children Foundation” and the non-profit organization “bond Project”. Are these efforts in CSR activities also based on your idea of improving your luck?

Goto:
Yes, that’s right. My desire to help suffering children—even just a little—is pure, but when I put my energy into activities like these, I also have this mysterious feeling that good fortune will come to me as a result. However, even if good fortune doesn’t come, I think it’s a natural human instinct to wonder if you can do something to help when you see a child or a person who is suffering.

Sugihara:
So, you’ve grown D-POPS GROUP to this large size through your management skills, your constant effort, and being blessed with good fortune and great connections. The company’s sales have surpassed 30 billion yen, and it is already big enough to be listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, even under the newly-revised listing requirements. Could you tell us why you are choosing to remain unlisted?

Goto:
Naturally, I understand the benefits of being a listed company, but my management style is quite unique, so I think it would be difficult for all investors to understand it. I’m constantly investing with a medium-to-long-term vision (I don’t worry too much about short-term results), and I devote about 15% of my time to the activities of the aforementioned foundation that supports abused children. Another form of volunteering I do is to spend about 20% of my time on the so-called Goto School (supporting the individual growth of entrepreneurs), which I convene when requested.

If I were the president of a listed company, my mission would naturally be to focus on producing results for my company, and I feel that doesn’t fit with who I am right now. However, listed companies have already emerged from within our Venture Ecosystem, and many more are expected to be born from it in the future.

Sugihara:
So, for you personally, going public is not a goal or an objective. On the other hand, you support startups aiming to go public by offering investment and management advice. You also have a vision of building a platform that will produce numerous “unicorns”. What kind of support activities do you engage in, both as an individual and as D-POPS GROUP?

Goto:
Honestly, this is also difficult to answer in one word. I could say that I am available to entrepreneurs and business owners for advice and questions 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. I fully mobilize all my knowledge, experience, know-how, network, and the majority of my time for the sake of CEOs who are going through a particularly tough phase or to the leaders of growing companies that are experiencing a growth curve. And as balls get tossed into my court from every angle, I use my 27 years of experience and database to provide support.

As an active business owner who has managed many companies, and now with almost 60 group and investment companies, holding Goto School for representatives from 300 companies, and other various activities in my life, I believe there are extremely few business owners in the world in a similar position as mine. That’s why I work hard every day with the belief that I must be the one to create a Venture Ecosystem in Japan. When I’ve been able to guide the CEO of a company on the verge of bankruptcy to make a V-shaped recovery, I can truly feel the social significance of my work.

Sugihara:
Although it’s a private company, the board of directors and advisory team have a truly impressive lineup. You have also gradually increased the number of advisory members, including myself. As much as you can share publicly, could you explain your thoughts on the meaning and purpose of this structure?

Goto:
Frankly speaking, I am a total expert in management strategy, so I believe that technical matters are best handled by professionals in those fields. In that sense, I think it’s very important to have many “super specialists” on my team of advisors, and I find them all to be incredibly reliable.

The people we support are entrepreneurs, and as such, they won’t listen to someone unless that person has skills that are on another level. Because of this, I am always on the lookout for such people, hoping that even just one of them will join our team every few years. The members of our Board of Directors and our advisors are my mentors, coaches, and sometimes even feel like a father, an older brother, or an older sister to me. In other words, the Venture Ecosystem is also functioning for my own growth, and I am always being helped by it.

 

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

D-POPS GROUP

Company President and CEO: Kazuhiro Goto
Address: 32F Shibuya Hikarie Bldg., 2-21-1 Shibuya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
Established: October 1, 2015 (Founded: February 4, 1998)
Website: https://d-pops-group.co.jp/en/

 

Next, in the latter part of the interview, we discuss:

・Success stories unique to the ecosystem
・The complexification strategy
・The “ideal form” of a Venture Ecosystem
・Venture Ecosystem Summit 2025
・And other topics

Be sure to check it out here:
https://d-pops-group.co.jp/en/column/executive-interview02-latter-part/

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[Founder Interview #01] Kazuhiro Goto (D-POPS GROUP) – Part 2
Personal ideals, and ideals as a business owner, all about realizing a Venture Ecosystem For this article, we interviewed our own President and CEO of D-POPS GROUP! Our company is aiming to realize a “Venture Ecosystem” that is indispensable to society. We are striving to create a platform where startup companies can grow. We asked President Goto about his thoughts on realizing a Venture Ecosystem and contributing to society. (This interview was conducted in July 2025.) This is the latter part of this interview. You can check out the first part here. Sugihara: So, all of your preparations and activities are for the sake of your vision of “realizing a Venture Ecosystem”. You currently have 25 group companies and 35 portfolio companies. Could you share some examples of companies or situations that have had success or experienced benefits that are unique to the Ecosystem? Goto: There are so many ways to answer this question that I can’t tell you all of them, and of course, I can’t reveal specific company names. However, I can certainly share from my own experience about how to avoid a shortage of funds. When it comes to raising funds, there are a tremendous number of ways to do it. If you pursue all of them simultaneously with a furious momentum before the deadline, in most cases, a large-scale fundraising will be realized. Similarly, when it comes to a V-shaped recovery, if you change everything at once—your business model, organization, sales methods, etc.—most companies that are in the red will become profitable. I am the type of business owner who takes on big challenges and makes a huge gamble when the time is right. As a result, I have experienced countless dire situations in the past, but even then, I always work with a smile on my face so others don’t seem to notice, ha ha. Ultimately, my personal philosophy is that when business owners achieve exponential self-growth and can clearly articulate their strategy, their performance will grow significantly, and they will almost never fall into the red. I prioritize helping CEOs to grow, because when they achieve that kind of growth, their performance often improves dramatically afterward. Sugihara: You sometimes use the phrase taoguang yanghui (韜光養晦)* when talking about your “complexification strategy”, and this website was one example of that. Could you share a few more examples of how D-POPS GROUP has implemented the idea of taoguang yanghui? *These Chinese characters loosely translate to “hide your strength, bide your time”. Goto: I’ve been talking about our complexification strategy for a long time. To put it simply, it’s a strategy for throwing competitors off our scent. It refers to a state of being so complex that a competitor couldn’t imitate you even if they tried. I was taught the phrase taoguang yanghui by our company’s Advisor Fujisaki, Japan’s former Ambassador to the United States. He said that Deng Xiaoping, the supreme leader of China in the 1990s, used this phrase to represent China’s foreign policy and security strategy. Even within D-POPS GROUP, we opened the first ten mobile phone shops of our D-POPS chain under different names. And when Dr. Semmoto (the founder of Japanese’s well-known KDDI and eAccess) joined as the chairman of our board, we kept it a secret for the first three years. In the same way, we also limited the information on our previous website to about 30% of what is now publicized, and even now, we still don’t list all of the names of our group companies, which together account for over 10 billion yen in sales. Sugihara: You often say that our Venture Ecosystem is only about 30% of the way to reaching the ideal form you have in mind. Could you reveal a bit of your vision of what 100% would look like, with some concrete numbers? Or is it still confidential, ha ha? Goto: The goal is to evolve our Venture Ecosystem to the point that when entrepreneurs in Japan look for investment or support, their first thought is “D-POPS GROUP”. When we get there, one simple metric is that the combined sales of our group companies and portfolio companies will exceed one trillion yen, and if we narrow it down to our group companies (those included in our monthly consolidated balance sheets), we will have achieved 100 billion yen in sales. I also imagine that we will have several times the current number of top-class advisors and super-professional talent on board. I envision supporting, assisting, and staying in tune with around 500 companies in total. Of course, it would be impossible for me to accomplish all of that alone, so I will need to create an unbelievably high-quality support system. Before I started my own business, I figured that as long as I had passion and strategy, I could recruit and partner with any number of excellent people. In reality, the truth was much harsher: no one showed any interest in a company with virtually no sales, and I would even be able to pay them proper compensation. So, my vision is that as a Venture Ecosystem, we will possess all the necessary management resources—human resources, financial power, know-how, information, and network—on behalf of startup business owners, allowing us to provide the right kind of support at the right time. I believe that whether or not they use these resources is up to each company’s owner. D-POPS GROUP’s support is not a top-down approach; it’s a form of backing that we provide as needed. I also believe that in the future, when our group companies or other companies we support reach unicorn-level size, we must have the financial strength to spare several billion to tens of billions of yen. In addition, I see our current focus on investing in AI-related companies as a way to build a system that can support cutting-edge digital strategies by having a large number of talented engineers join our team. When I think about how to build this kind of system, the goalposts gradually move further and further away, so I guess we will never really stop chasing this ideal. Sugihara: It was recently announced that you will be holding the “Venture Ecosystem Summit 2025” this October. What kind of event are you aiming to create? What has the response been like from the people you invited: entrepreneurs, business owners, and some guests from large corporations? Goto: The response has been phenomenal. It was fully booked in less than a week, and even I myself wasn’t expecting the seats to go that fast! At the same time, I had been preparing for this for a full year with the clear intention that if I were to host such an event, I would plan and execute it at the maximum level of my production capabilities. Every year, at D-POPS GROUP’s annual all-hands event, we have the privilege of listening to lectures from prominent figures like Chairman Semmoto and Advisor Fujisaki. However, at last year’s event, an inspiration suddenly came to me: “It would be a waste to society to keep this within our group alone.” So, on the spot, I declared that we would hold a Venture Ecosystem Summit for promising entrepreneurs and business owners. I guess the business owners to whom we sent invitations really caught my passion, because we had originally expected to invite about 500 guests and only have about 250 of them sign up, but over 90% of them indicated they wanted to participate, so it instantly became fully booked. Currently, the expected number of attendees is about 250, but we are planning to negotiate with the venue and make adjustments so that a few dozen more people can participate (up to a maximum of 270). There are still entrepreneurs and business owners I want to invite, so I guess some of you reading this article may be disappointed and wondering, “Why didn’t I get an invitation??”, ha ha. Please feel free to contact me, and I will work on getting you a seat. Anyway, the event’s itinerary has become jam-packed with evocative learning opportunities, from lectures and panel discussions to live performances by calligraphers and musicians. I believe it will be an incomparable event, and hope this one day will become a turning point in the lives of all those who participate. Sugihara: It sounds like it's going to be a fantastic event. Now, focusing on the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, the Japanese government finally seems to be putting a lot of effort into supporting startups. In that sense, creating a Venture Ecosystem as a private company is a truly timely initiative. Do you feel a tailwind from this? Goto: I feel it very strongly. Lately, inquiries about CVC investments, capital and business alliances, and M&A offers are all flooding in. Even though I don’t feel like our Venture Ecosystem is complete yet, many people are asking to join it. I hope to continue providing solid support to entrepreneurs with high aspirations, great potential, and a strong desire to contribute to society. Through trial and error, I want to further analyze how to create the Venture Ecosystem that Japan needs the most. I believe that I must, in the remainder of my life, complete an Ecosystem that only D-POPS GROUP can create. Sugihara: Once you have achieved a certain degree of success in creating a Venture Ecosystem in Japan, do your vision include the rest of the world? Goto: Of course. We are already investing in the US, India, and Israel, but the global Venture Ecosystem still has many gaps. We plan to increase the number of partners who can work with us on a global level as a matter of course and to work out a system for that. Sugihara: What is your ideal vision for yourself and D-POPS GROUP in five years? Goto: My personal ideals and my ideals as a business owner are both centered on realizing a Venture Ecosystem. I have a great ambition and a strong will to leave behind something that, at the moment of my death, I can confidently say made a great contribution to the world. I plan to accomplish this with absolute tenacity. In five years, I hope that when people are talking about support for startup companies, they will mention “D-POPS GROUP’s Venture Ecosystem” without even having to think. Of course, I have clear KPIs that I am consciously working toward, such as the number of group and portfolio companies, sales, and profits. But in the end, it’s all about realizing my vision of a Venture Ecosystem. Sugihara: Lastly, do you have a final message for the readers who are visiting this website? Goto: Life is a one-time thing for everyone, so I believe it’s important to live without regrets. The bigger the vision you have, the more you will need partners. If any of the people who have read this interview become our partners in the future, it would make me incredibly happy. And I would also be very happy if this interview provided some kind of business insight.   Interview conducted by D-POPS GROUP’s advisor Genta Sugihara. D-POPS GROUP Company President and CEO: Kazuhiro Goto Address: 32F Shibuya Hikarie Bldg., 2-21-1 Shibuya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo Established: October 1, 2015 (Founded: February 4, 1998) Website: https://d-pops-group.co.jp/en/
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[Entrepreneur Interview #13] Shoto Masuda (D-POPS Corp.) – Part 2
“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/
  • Group Companies
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2025.05.07
[Entrepreneur Interview #13] Shoto Masuda (D-POPS Corp.) – Part 1
“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.) ◆Background of Initial Employment Sugihara: President Masuda, thank you for agreeing to this interview. You joined D-POPS right after graduating in April 2012, correct? Could you tell us how you came to join the company? Masuda: During my university days, I went to Beijing to study abroad for four and a half years. I didn't really know how job hunting worked. So, during the summer break after the first semester of my senior year, July and August, I used those two months to start my job search. I think I actually interviewed with about five companies. I tried for major trading companies and such, but it didn’t work out. In the end, the companies that offered me a job were D-POPS and a large company listed in the First Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange. I received that large company’s offer first, but my feelings changed as I went through the interviews with D-POPS. When I interviewed at D-POPS, the company atmosphere seemed bright. I could really envision its future development. Also, after speaking directly with Mr. Goto, I had a strong intuition that joining this company would change my life, or that I’d encounter a huge positive opportunity for my life. So, midway through the process, my mindset shifted to “I want to join this company”, and I was hoping they wouldn't reject me, ha ha. By the way, my final interview with Mr. Goto lasted about three hours. Sugihara: How big was D-POPS at that time? Masuda: I think the company was probably around its 15th fiscal year. Sales hadn't reached 10 billion yen yet…I think they were around 7 to 8 billion yen. At that time, the strong rallying cry throughout the company was something like, "Let's reach 10 billion yen in sales!" ◆Getting Appointed as CEO Sugihara: D-POPS is the founding business established in 1998 by President Goto, founder and CEO of D-POPS GROUP. However, you became president of D-POPS in March 2024, even though you’re only in your mid-30s. I hear you were promoted at an exceptional pace over these 12 years, becoming a general manager, executive officer, and so on. Looking back, what are your thoughts? Masuda: Well, I certainly think “luck and timing” played a role. In addition, the fact that the company was on the verge of a major transformation was a significant external factor, I believe. You see, about a year after I joined, D-POPS and Good Crew had already reached 10 billion yen in sales. From there, when President Goto envisioned further growth strategies, he shifted from D-POPS growing alone to gradually developing a group structure. At that time, President Fujita, who was my superior, left to establish Advancer, and then President Hosaka left to establish STAR CAREER. When my superiors became independent, or “graduated” in a sense—and I think this involves both external and internal factors—there was a period when the company’s performance declined, and the organization underwent a major change. I was in my third year then, still only a store manager, but at that point, what was originally a large pyramidal organization was flattened, and almost everyone became approximately the same level, directly under the president. A manager in their third year is considered young, right? Even at that level, we were given a lot of discretion. Meetings that were previously only attended by the top management became intense morning discussions involving about 20 selected individuals, which provided a great learning opportunity. It became a chance for members in their third year, like myself, to seize opportunities. We took on challenges one after another. Rather than feeling like assignments were given to us from above, it felt more like “We’re going to seize these ourselves.” It was lucky that we were presented with equal opportunities, but I believe the proactiveness to seize those chances was also incredibly important. Sugihara: As you seized opportunities and moved up the ranks, what was the area where you put in the most significant effort? Masuda: I worked the hardest at constantly reaching out to my superiors. It was also around the time Dr. Semmoto joined, and I made sure to sit next to and learn from President Goto and other surrounding business leaders and advisors—people who were significantly above me—whenever there were opportunities for dinners or study sessions. Not many people want to do that. But I knew that if I dove fully into it, there would always be something to gain. And in terms of work, from the company’s perspective, they usually ask people to take charge of areas with poor performance, right? I proactively took on such positions, driven by the desire for those areas to improve as quickly as possible. Thus, when performance picked up in those areas, I gained attention. And since they were challenging positions to begin with, even if results didn’t come immediately, I’d get words of encouragement like, “You’re doing great!” No matter what kind of challenge came my way, I made a conscious effort to tackle it head-on. Sugihara: How did President Goto approach you about becoming CEO of his company? And how did you feel at that time? Masuda: This part is a bit ambiguous. It wasn’t like President Goto called me in and said, “Okay, you’re the new boss now.” The truth is, although President Goto was still the CEO of D-POPS structurally, he had already been giving his undivided attention to managing D-POPS GROUP for several years prior to this point, and the management of D-POPS itself was basically delegated to the other top leaders. Within that context, the performance and organization of D-POPS progressively worsened. There was a very uncertain period. At that time, I was mainly in charge as the General Manager of Sales, and as I became an executive officer, and then a managing director and senior managing director, the company just wasn’t improving. I felt it was rapidly deteriorating, and I was struggling with the inability to see a clear path to recovery. President Goto and I had dinner opportunities about twice a year, just the two of us, and it was during one of those times that I asked him bluntly, “Please let me be president.” I had already decided within myself that we had no choice but to change. At that point, if President Goto were to return to operating D-POPS, it wouldn’t have been effective for all of D-POPS GROUP. So, I braced myself and thought, “I just have to do it.” Sugihara: From your perspective, were there multiple candidates for CEO at the time, or did you believe you were the only one? Masuda: The latter. I believed I was the only one. Perhaps there were others who thought differently, but I considered myself the only real possible successor. Sugihara: How many years ago did you start working with the awareness that you would be the president’s successor? Masuda: I’d say it was around when I turned 30 years old. At that time, I had become an executive officer, but I was only overseeing the Sales Division, so I wasn’t really looking at the company as a whole. However, given that President Goto was focusing on managing D-POPS GROUP, I definitely started to feel that I needed to take responsibility. From there, I started learning various things. These included encounters arranged by Dr. Semmoto, meeting people through President Goto, and even joining communities of business executives in my late 20s. The encouragement and stimulation from those around me was significant. At first, I wasn’t taken seriously at all because I lacked sufficient skill, but I somehow managed to hang in there. Over the past few years, I’ve gradually expanded my network, and I feel like I’m finally starting to see the fruits of all of my hard work and effort. ◆Business Overview Sugihara: Considering your long period of getting to where you are now, you’ve become quite the veteran. It’s been a year since you officially became the CEO of D-POPS. Could you give us a brief overview of D-POPS as a company and its current business operations? Masuda: D-POPS is now in its 27th fiscal year, and the telecommunications agent business, which was pioneered by our founder, remains our main focus today. We carry out our multi-brand store business via two lines. First, we operate under our own independent brand name, “Smartphone Consultation Desk TOP1”. These are telecommunications stores that carry all the major products and services from various manufacturers and Japanese mobile carriers, in addition to our own branded products, such as security services and insurance. Along with all of these offerings, we provide comprehensive consulting, retail sales, and after-sales support to our end-users. We currently operate over 30 stores, primarily in the Kanto region. The second line of store business is through specialty stores. As a telecommunications agency, we operate shops for the following major Japanese carriers: NTT’s docomo, KDDI’s au and UQ, and Rakuten Mobile. Furthermore, we’re involved in media operations, developing our own specialized telecommunications media called “PhonCierge”. And in PlusPass, a child company headed by President Hirai, who helped lead D-POPS alongside me, we operate a web media called “Smappy” which specializes in low-cost SIMs and smartphones. So, overall, we operate a telecommunications-focused platform that combines both real-world and online services, along with service businesses that support users. Sugihara: I believe there have been a lot of changes within telecommunications recently, especially in shop operations. What are these current industry trends? Masuda: There are various changes every year. Not just because of telecom carriers, but also because of Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications and other reasons. I think the biggest factor is the continuous alteration of various laws. However, D-POPS has been able to survive for over 20 years amidst all this because we’ve always really adapted to these changes. ◆What I Changed and Didn’t Change Upon Becoming President Sugihara: These past 20 years have been hectic, haven’t they? It’s been a year since you officially became CEO, in both name and reality. Can you tell us what significant changes you’ve made and what you’ve kept the same during this period? Masuda: This past year has truly been hectic and has flown by. Even before it was decided whether I’d become CEO, I had already made one firm decision. What’s truly great about D-POPS is how deeply our philosophy, vision, and human resource development were instilled as the company’s foundation by our founder, President Goto. I myself was educated through this, and it’s precisely why we’ve been able to survive. I felt that our approach to customers, employees, staff, and ultimately, society, has an excellent foundation, and all we needed to do is further refine it. Additionally, for several years, when President Goto resolved to focus solely on group management, the company was essentially without a commander. This led to a negative cycle where the upper management was adrift, mid-level employees kept leaving, and young recruits would join and then quickly depart. So, I knew we had to thoroughly rebuild from the ground up. Instead of just aiming to reduce the turnover rate in the short term, my first change was to create an environment where work is fulfilling and where both individuals and the organization can grow. To achieve this, I decided to gather all employees in person once a month for a dialogue. Partly due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but more so because our company has over 50 locations, opportunities for everyone to gather in person were limited to just a few times a year. While we do a lot of online communication now, I felt a strong sense of unease that it had become the primary mode of interaction. D-POPS has so many great qualities that I felt it was essential to convey them properly. Also, I wasn’t confident that I was adequately educating our people myself. So, I made this decision for myself around October 2023 (my appointment to the CEO position was in March 2024): to gather all our employees in person once a month. Sugihara: That’s quite an undertaking, isn’t it? Masuda: Yes, it is. Once a month, we’ll spend the entire day together, talking about our philosophy and vision at least—and even if that’s all we talk about for the day, that’s fine. I made that decision around October, prepared extensively, and then gradually rolled it out starting around February 2024. This led to our monthly all-employee group training sessions. The purpose of these sessions is, first, for employees to have proper in-person dialogue. Then, based on the theme of the day, such as how to integrate one’s personal philosophy with the company’s, we deepen our discussions. After all, work is a part of life. If it’s not engaging, or if it deviates too much from one’s personal values, there’s no reason to remain a part of the community. So, through in-person dialogue, we design an exciting future together. And since the timing for this coincided with my appointment as CEO, I decided to deliver these messages myself, rather than entrusting them to an external lecturer. Before starting these training sessions, I had been running “Masuda School” for about three years. That was for volunteers, not all employees, but it was in person, so I stopped that and shifted to involving all employees. In addition to those changes, we also renewed our company logo and website. Sugihara: That’s wonderful. It takes courage to halt a full day’s operations to make something like that happen. Is there anything you chose not to change? Masuda: I didn’t change D-POPS’s historic “Creed”. While I’ve changed many things since taking office, those guidelines teach us what’s important as human beings, so for now, I intend to keep them as they are. The aforementioned “Creed” is displayed on this wall at D-POPS GROUP’s office in the Shibuya Hikarie Building. ◆Thoughts Behind the Updated Logo Sugihara: Could you tell us about the thoughts behind the revamped website and the new logo? Masuda: The idea behind the new logo design is our aspiration to be number one in whatever we do. Our corporate vision includes contributing to our customers, providing employees with a platform for self-realization where they can control their own lives, generating profit, and continuously contributing to society. With that in mind, there’s a strong desire to be “number one” in our chosen business, even if it’s a niche market. So, when you look at the logo, you’ll see a part that looks like the numeral 1 to represent “number one,” and another part that forms the letter D for D-POPS. Our corporate colors are predominantly blue, including shades like sky blue. Blue often evokes feelings of brightness and freshness, doesn’t it? But it’s not just that; the logo also incorporates the idea of the passionate heart and composure of a blue flame into our corporate colors. That blue 1 is actually supported by a smaller gray part. This signifies that in both life and organizations, it’s not just those on the front lines who achieve results; there are also those who are on the sidelines backing them up. Therefore, we aim to create an environment of mutual support. We, as a company, are committed to providing strong support, continuously expanding our capacity to do so. Within that framework, we strive to be number one, believing in the path we’ve chosen and the mission we must accomplish. That’s the vision we poured into creating the new logo. D-POPS Corp.’s logo   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/   Next, in the latter part of the interview, we discuss: ・Strategies in the current market conditions ・TOP1’s sales and proactive policies ・About the new product, “OTHEBES” ・Our soccer-related activities ・“Realizing a Venture Ecosystem” ・And other topics Be sure to check it out here: https://d-pops-group.co.jp/en/column/dpops-interview-latter-part/
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2025.04.30
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