BOOSTRY Inc. CEO Toshinori Sasaki

Utilizing blockchain technology to realize "direct finance"

CEO of BOOSTRY Inc.　Toshinori Sasaki(Toshinori Sasaki)

■ Profile

After graduating from the Graduate School of Systems and Information Engineering at the University of Tsukuba, he worked as a financial IT consultant at SAP Japan.
Since 2008, he has worked in fundraising at Nomura Securities' IB division.
Since 2016, he has been working in the new business development department within the Nomura Group, and at N-Village, a subsidiary of Nomura Holdings, where he is engaged in research into fundraising using blockchain.
He launched BOOSTRY in September 2019 and is currently working on P2P finance and the integration of marketing and finance.

BOOSTRY Inc. offers a new fundraising model through blockchain. Its vision is to connect challengers and fans and create new value for the world. Together with a small but elite team of 25 employees, half of whom are seconded from Nomura Research Institute, the company is pioneering new financial markets. We spoke to President Sasaki Toshinori about his aspirations and future prospects.

■ Founding a company to explore the possibilities of IT and finance

"In the future, artificial intelligence and the biotechnology industry will grow." With this in mind, I decided to study AI at the University of Tsukuba, despite my lack of interest in biology. I became so immersed in my AI research that I even spent my free time visiting the lab. When considering a career, I wanted to become a consultant with an understanding of IT and business, so I joined the Japanese subsidiary of a German software company. Through IT implementation projects and system development, I gained a wide range of knowledge about corporate IT services. I then joined Nomura Securities to study finance, which is directly related to corporate business. In the investment banking division, I gained practical experience in fundraising for companies and local governments, as well as fundraising through various financial products. A turning point came in 2016. I decided to transfer to the newly established Fintech New Business Development Department within the group. After working in management and strategy for new departments and the launch of other companies, I founded BOOSTRY in 2019 as a subsidiary of Nomura Holdings, driven by my desire to "realize my passion."

■ Our goal is a world without financial institutions

We offer "ibet," a platform for managing securities using blockchain technology. Traditionally, becoming a holder of securities like stocks and bonds required going through a securities company. Our solution is to redefine the functions traditionally performed by securities companies using blockchain technology, creating a securities trading system that bypasses the securities company. Simply put, blockchain is a system for sharing information. By applying this technology, we can instantly determine who owns securities. Because information is shared by everyone on a blockchain, it offers high security and is less susceptible to abuse. Furthermore, since "ibet" is free to use, the system's functions are updated daily as various companies join the network, making it easier to use. Our open, free blockchain system, independent of any specific company, differentiates us from other services.

■Connecting challengers and supporters

Ibet users have two main needs. The first is fundraising, which allows them to raise funds by issuing corporate bonds and real estate securitization products. The second is building a fan base. The Ibet platform enables them to interact with individual investors, who are difficult to approach. The strength of our service is that it strengthens the connection between challengers, including large corporations, and their fan investors. In recent years, corporate bonds using this type of structure have become increasingly popular not only among individual investors, but also among corporate investors. This is due to the growing interest in bonds issued to raise funds for environmental projects, such as so-called green bonds. An open-source platform like Ibet is ideal for providing services that are in line with these times.
One of the services we offer that utilizes the ibet network but is not a security is a smartphone app called the ibet app. Using this app, you can complete the buying and selling of memberships and tickets issued by companies, and receive tickets as perks. It also allows you to complete transactions using only a credit card, using a system that circulates digital rights.
Furthermore, when operating services for financial institutions, the company does not attract securities issuers. This is because, with a small staff of just 25, it would be difficult for it to handle everything on its own. Instead, it provides an app in response to requests to distribute preferential treatment in the form of digital tickets to investors who purchase securities, and supports building relationships with investors.

■ Aiming for a world without financial institutions

The people we want to have as members of BOOSTRY are people with curiosity and a sense of balance. Without curiosity, people cannot grow, and we believe that continuous growth leads to success. Furthermore, after joining the company, we want people to be curious and absorb a wide range of things, not just what they are given, and to have a balanced interest in things rather than just being interested in one thing. To do this, it is important to keep your antennae up, take an interest in things outside of your area of ​​expertise, and expand your horizons. We would like to increase the number of people in the company who can talk not only about their own work, but also about the organization.
Another thing I often tell my employees about my work is to "enjoy everything you do." I want them to take their work seriously, but if it's not fun, they won't absorb it as quickly. That's why we leave it up to the individual to decide how to proceed and how to do things, and only set company guidelines. It's precisely because we have a culture of leaving things up to our employees that new businesses are more likely to be born. In fact, Investors, a service we created for corporate finance departments, was created by identifying issues at the field level and turning them into a business, and I believe this was only possible because we had a culture of leaving things up to our employees.
Our future vision is to expand the market with our current services. As a venture company within a large corporation, rather than increasing our own profits, we want to expand the market and contribute to the companies operating within it. Ultimately, we want to create a world without financial institutions. To realize this society of true direct finance, we want to increase the number of blockchain participants and use cases, and further strengthen the connections between challengers and supporters.

■Message to university students

What I want to say to all students is that I want you to put your all into anything that you enjoy. Don't worry about whether it will be useful in the future or whether you can use it in your work, but find a few things that you can be passionate about and work on them. What you gain from that will surely be of help to you once you enter society.

Interview with Student Newspaper Online on February 5, 2024, by Meiji University Graduate School 1st year student, Yaku Sakai