Tomoaki Kojima, President and COO, Sourcenext Corporation

Developing unconventional products that connect developers and users

■ Profile

Born in Tokyo in 1977. Graduated from the Faculty of Letters at Kyoto University in 2000, studied marketing at the University of California, and returned to Japan to join Sourcenext in 2001. He has produced large-scale partnerships with BitDefender and Sun Microsystems (now Oracle), and has handled acquisitions of Fudemame, Fudeoh, and B'sRecorder. He has held various positions, including sales manager in Europe and Asia, and CEO of Sourcenext B.V. (Netherlands), before reaching his current position.

Sourcenext Corporation continues to produce excellent products, including the famous POCKETALK, an AI translator. Last year, they released MeetingOWL, a 360-degree webcam for conference rooms that supports remote meetings. It perfectly matched the needs of the COVID-19 pandemic and became a hit. We spoke to President Kojima about the secret behind the speed at which they were able to launch this product, as well as their values ​​and vision for the future.

　I was busy working part-time jobs, including teaching at a cram school and as a private tutor seven days a week. My graduation thesis focused on the history of economic warfare, which sparked my interest in economics and business administration. So, I decided to start over in my third year and major in business administration. I was disappointed that I missed a point in my English proficiency test and immediately decided to study abroad at the University of California. Peter Drucker lectured at the university next to where I studied, and I attended several of his lectures. I was deeply impressed by the active participation of students, lining up to ask questions after class. Even though Drucker was over 90 years old at the time, I was deeply moved by the fact that he was instilling his life experiences and dreams in young people. I was captivated by his ability to share his experiences and dreams with others, something that ordinary people would not experience. I felt that I too wanted to be someone who could share my experiences and life experiences in the same way. I decided that a career in management would be the perfect path to achieve this, and so I decided to pursue a career as a manager.
　After returning to Japan, I chose a company where I could be involved in management from a young age. At the time, our company offered software that taught typing in a game-like way, and one of the reasons I applied for the job was that I felt it was an interesting idea that was outside the box. After receiving a job offer at the final interview, I felt that speaking with the company's top executives was important in understanding the company, so I told them I wanted to meet the president. They immediately offered me an opportunity to meet in person. I was also attracted by the president's personality, so I decided to join the company.

■Company culture based on thorough merit

　After joining the company, I was responsible for incorporating overseas products into product development, and in my fourth year, I even witnessed the company's IPO. During overseas negotiations, I had the valuable opportunity to speak directly with CEOs of overseas companies, and hearing about their experiences outside of work was also enjoyable. I've worked in a variety of departments, but I've never felt it was a struggle. Of course, I've made many mistakes, such as poor sales of contracted products, but I always believed that failures could be used to improve my future, and I approached things with a long-term perspective. At age 28, I became an executive, and I was always thinking about what I would do if I were president. Regarding future business development, currently, 4% of sales are domestic, with overseas sales accounting for only 9%. I would like to expand globally so that this sales ratio becomes 5:5. To achieve this, I plan to venture overseas myself, and I believe that building a system that can pass on to the next generation is a future challenge.
　Regarding future business development, currently 9% of sales are domestic sales, with only 1% overseas. I would like to expand globally so that this sales ratio becomes 5/5. To achieve this, I myself plan to venture overseas, so I believe that a future challenge is to build a system that can be passed on to the next generation.
　Our company is known more for the names of our products, including POCKETALK, Fudemame, and Fudeoh, than for the name of our company itself, but we have a small, elite workforce of 140 employees. Our company culture is based on meritocracy, and we address each other by name, regardless of hierarchical status, using the honorific "san" (san). This is not only a mild and easy-to-address phrase, but also because even if our positions were reversed, we could continue to call each other by our current names, so there's no need to be shy about each other. This is intended to ensure that employees are always aware that meritocracy is a fundamental premise. Our male-to-female employee ratio is 6:4. The same ratio is held for managers, and we thoroughly evaluate employees based on merit, regardless of gender.  

■ Creating products that are close to our customers

　Creating approximately 20 to 30 new products a year requires as many as 100 failures. These failures also lead to the creation of new products. Our role is to connect product developers with users. To achieve this, we strive to create an environment in which all employees are involved in product planning, so that they can be close to our customers, rather than just planners and marketers being involved in product planning and sales promotion. One specific initiative is the MI system, in which each employee proposes marketing ideas. Since becoming president, I have accelerated the MI system by switching from daily reports to using Slack, so that ideas can be shared within seconds.

■Enjoy change and value speed

　Speed ​​is important in the IT industry. As our company's business has evolved from PC software to smartphone apps and IoT, the world is constantly changing, and with it, the business we do. We are looking for people who understand that change is natural and who value and enjoy speed. It is also important to value the company's philosophy. Products are not permanent. Rather than simply applying because you're attracted to the product, consider whether you can empathize with the company's philosophy.

■Message

　I think the most important thing during your student days is to have a wide range of knowledge. It's important to have diverse values ​​through studying abroad and talking to people from other universities. By doing so, you'll be able to think about whether you're being bound by common sense when you approach something. By gaining experience in looking at things from a different perspective than usual, you'll develop the ability to look at things objectively.

Student Newspaper October 2021 Edition Yokohama City University 4th year student Yuina Oguma