The corporate mission of D-POPS GROUP Co., Ltd. (Shibuya, Tokyo; CEO: Kazuhiko Goto; referred to as “our group” from here on), is to multiply the number of growth companies (so-called “unicorn companies”) that will revolutionize society. In accordance with this, our group has made an investment in Lezily Inc. (Chuo, Tokyo; CEO: Atsuki Okamoto; https://corp.lezily.com/), which provides a service that helps companies to prevent mental health disorders in their members.
Background
Since 2017, our group has actively promoted the business strategies of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) and corporate venture capital (CVC) with the intention of realizing a Venture Ecosystem. We have now grown into a conglomerate with 20 group companies and 26 investment companies (at the time of publishing), resulting in an expansion of our ability to support venture companies (i.e., startup companies).
Lezily operates under the mission of “Making life more sustainable”, aiming for a society where everyone can live with greater flexibility, instead of being broken by changes or stress. Although Lezily’s service is not public yet, it has a track record of working with a several-thousand-employee systems integrator (SIer) and a life insurance company with tens of thousands of employees, and it has demonstrated an effect of reducing absences and resignations caused by mental health issues.
Unlike conventional services that focus on the early detection of and early intervention for mental health problems in employees, Lezily’s service is seen as a proactive preventative measure that enables each employee to manage stress in a self-directed manner. They have gained a solid reputation for guarding against mental health issues among a wide range of industries, the likes of which has not been seen before in Japan.
Following this investment, D-POPS GROUP will support Lezily’s further growth by strengthening business collaboration.
Comment from Atsuki Okamoto, President and CEO of Lezily Inc.
The impetus for founding this company came from my own experience with an adjustment disorder at my previous consulting firm. When I received the medical certificate proving my condition, I felt like the person I was—a lively, energetic worker—had been broken, and I was overwhelmed with feelings of defeat and helplessness. My former company had a culture that valued its employees and was serious about mental healthcare, offering stress checks and counseling services. However, because I still experienced mental distress even in that kind of environment, I strongly felt that something more was needed to complement the organization’s efforts.
Therefore, as people who understand the pain of mental distress, we continued to search and experiment tirelessly, driven solely by the desire to find that “something” and provide a solution. At times, it felt like we were moving one step forward and two steps back, but we never stopped taking steps. As a result, our service is now used by some of Japan's leading companies, and we have secured investment from D-POPS GROUP.
President Goto, the CEO of D-POPS GROUP, believes that “there is always a way” and took action to expand the ecosystem and continuously provide value to society, even when he was told that “large-scale fundraising is impossible without going public.” We will learn from that conviction and stance, maximize the use of the extensive know-how within D-POPS GROUP, and dedicate ourselves to delivering this proactive preventative measure as widely as possible, even if it’s just one second sooner or to one person more.
While our service is currently private, we encourage anyone interested to contact us through our website. We are working wholeheartedly so that we can meet everyone’s expectations.
Comment from Kazuhiro Goto, President and CEO of D-POPS GROUP Co., Ltd.
We are delighted to have invested in Lezily Inc., and to have another wonderful partner join the Venture Ecosystem we are promoting.
Our Group’s operations have been rooted in human resource development since its founding. Since the pandemic, an increase in remote work and satellite office arrangements has enabled diverse work styles tailored to individuals. On the other hand, I feel it has become more difficult to notice subtle changes and the stress levels of our members due to the increase in communication via chat tools and online conversations.
The Group believes that the importance of the mental health preventative care services offered by Lezily will only grow with the changing times, and we are confident that this service will play a significant role in enriching people's lives and protecting their psychological well-being. Due to our desire to cooperatively solve societal issues and support many people, we decided to make this investment. Moving forward, we will grow alongside Lezily, led by President Okamoto, and strive to enhance Lezily’s corporate value.
Comment from Genta Sugihara, Advisor to D-POPS GROUP Co., Ltd.
The GenAI boom is sweeping through not only the technology sector but society at large. Discussions abound about “jobs that will disappear due to the spread of AI” and “tasks that will be reduced by AI”. However, jobs that only a living human can do—such as face-to-face customer service in physical stores, sales requiring advanced negotiations, and engineering of generative AI itself—will continue to exist. At the same time, in an era demanding increased productivity and efficiency, the stress levels for workers will rise higher than ever before.
As a company that pursues investment activities centered on the theme of combining the real world, people, and technology, we aim to support Lezily’s efforts to normalize autonomous stress management, contributing to overall societal efficiency and improving people’s mental health.
Company Name: Lezily Inc.
Company President and CEO: Atsuki Okamoto
Address: 2F Ginza Otake Busidence, 1-22-11 Ginza, Chuo, Tokyo
Established: December 15, 2021
Company Website: https://corp.lezily.com/
