STATION Ai Co., Ltd. President and CEO Hirotaka Sahashi

2024.07.03

Creating a global startup that will take off from Aichi to the world

STATION Ai Co., Ltd. President and CEO　Hirotaka Sahashi　(Hirotaka Sahashi)

■ Profile
After joining SoftBank Corp., he worked in the Human Resources Department before moving to SoftBank Group Corp., where he was responsible for business strategy in the President's Office. After the Great East Japan Earthquake, he founded SB Energy Corp. and oversaw the renewable energy business as General Manager of Business Planning. Since 2014, he has worked at SB InnoVenture Corp., where he has promoted the creation of in-house entrepreneurship development programs and hands-on support. In September 2021, he founded STATION Ai Corp., launching a business that will become one of Japan's largest open innovation hubs, including support for startups.

STATION Ai, located in Aichi Prefecture, is one of Japan's largest open innovation hubs. As a place to support the growth of startups and companies, it offers the latest facilities and comprehensive resources, creating an ideal environment for entrepreneurs and companies to realize their innovative ideas. We spoke to the company's representative, Hirotaka Sahashi, about the company's role as a base for global expansion with an eye on the global market and its efforts.

■ What led me to join SoftBank as a new graduate?

My motivation for joining SoftBank was the NHK program "Project X: Challengers." My professors at university showed me several episodes, and before I knew it, I had grown to love the show. One episode that particularly made an impression on me was "Project X: Challengers: A Small Factory Takes Flight to the World - The Battle of a Transistor Radio Salesman." The episode depicted a nightly discussion at a Japanese restaurant in Manhattan during the postwar reconstruction period, where salesmen from various companies gathered to discuss how to overcome postwar poverty and make Japan a prosperous nation. Watching this program, I was drawn to the excitement of working amid the dynamic forces driving the country, and I decided I wanted to work for a company like that. Then, when I started my job search, I came across the book "Masayoshi Son: The Young Lion of Entrepreneurship." I wanted to work with Masayoshi Son, the founder of SoftBank, and decided to apply to the company.

■ Be interested in creating business systems

Ever since my student days, I had wanted to start my own business, so even after joining SoftBank, I had a strong desire to take on the role of business manager. My first experience launching a business was the reconstruction support project for the Great East Japan Earthquake. After this experience, I was put in charge of SoftBank InnoVenture, a system for creating in-house startups, and since then I have been supporting people who start businesses and working on startups. Currently, many of the successes of new businesses at SoftBank are created by Son, and there is a high degree of dependency on him alone. This was born from the desire to reform this organization and create an organization where businesses can continue to be created even without Son.

In addition, I was involved in establishing SoftBank's "30-Year Vision," which aims to continue contributing to people's happiness through the information revolution over the next 30 years and to become a corporate group that is most needed by people around the world.

■ STATION Ai aims to produce world-class startups

STATION Ai is one of Japan's largest open innovation hubs, bringing together startups and large corporations in Aichi Prefecture. Aichi Prefecture's startup strategy is a key project for Governor Omura Hideaki. And we at STATION Ai are at the heart of it. I believe that Aichi Prefecture, outside of Tokyo, is capable of creating a startup ecosystem that can compete globally. Toyota and other areas in Aichi Prefecture are manufacturing hubs, overwhelmingly strong in the manufacturing industry, with many national corporate headquarters and many owner-operated businesses. Manufacturing creates jobs, which also leads to the development of the service industry.

　Additionally, the strength of existing industries is important for the establishment of a startup ecosystem. This is because startups can grow significantly by having companies provide them with large amounts of risk capital and using their assets, such as manufacturing bases and technology. Furthermore, Aichi Prefecture is home to many Nobel Prize winners, including Nagoya University, and is an area where the seeds of interesting research lie dormant. In this respect, too, I believe the region has great potential as a place where startups are born.

I would like to share the results of our work here with the world and create a cycle that attracts startups from around the world to this region. By creating this cycle, I believe we can create a world-leading industrial region.

■What is the appeal of STATION Ai?

As of pre-entry in June 2024, STATION Ai is home to 426 startups. I think it's quite rare, even globally, for startups and large corporations to coexist on this scale. We modeled it after STATION F in France. France was once considered a barren land for startups, but STATION F has brought about major changes, and five years later it has become known as a startup hotspot in the EU.

　I think the reason so many companies are gathering here is because many of them see great value in it. For example, startups tend to take a long time to make decisions and communication costs are high. However, in an environment where large companies are nearby, the sense of speed is different. Furthermore, when startups are concentrated here, they can collaborate while sharing what they can and cannot do with each other. Another advantage is the added value that comes from this kind of collaboration.

　STATION Ai is also a smart building. It is equipped with various sensors and has the ability to collect and learn data. After it opens, we will open up all the data obtained here and set up a system to conduct demonstration experiments within the building. We are also committed to creating a robot-friendly building and creating a space where chance encounters can occur and startups can interact with each other.

■Message to university students

Through STATION Ai, I would like to instill a culture in the future where people join startups, start their own businesses, and succeed. This is because, in the future, if you don't have the skills to create or start your own business, it will be risky. Not everyone needs to start their own business, but I think it would be good for more people to acquire the fighting power to consider starting a business as an option. I hope that through the entrepreneurial experience, people will be able to experience the fun and appeal of providing new value that doesn't exist in the world.

Student Newspaper Online, May 24, 2024, Interview by Keio University 5rd year student, Sari Tsuka