Ai Robotics Inc. President and CEO Makoto Tatsukawa

2024.12.14

Entrepreneurship itself is not the goal. It's more like a lifestyle.

◾️Profile
After gaining experience launching web services and a mail-order cosmetics brand while attending university, she founded Rocket Venture Inc. (now 4MEEE Inc.), a media company for women, in 2013. Eight months after the service began, the company was bought out by a listed company for 600 million yen and she entered the media business. In April 2016, she founded Ai Robotics Inc., which will be listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Growth Section in September 2024.

Makoto Tatsukawa is constantly challenging himself in a wide range of fields, including selling the D2C brand "Yunth," which utilizes AI technology cultivated in-house, such as the proprietary AI system "SELL." We spoke to Tatsukawa, who is truly a leader for the next generation of entrepreneurs, about his journey to where he is today and his outlook for the future.

◾️I have been interested in the entrepreneurial profession since I was in elementary school.

I have had the desire to run a company since I was in elementary school. Ever since I was little, I have loved researching what highly accomplished people in the world do, and most of them end up running their own businesses.

Also, when I looked at the Forbes rankings of the world's richest people, I saw that the people at the top were all people who owned equity, that is, stock in their own companies. I thought that increasing the value of one's stocks is the basic principle of building wealth and the quickest way to do so. So I vaguely began to think, "I need to get involved in equity in the future."

　So, to learn what a corporation is, I read a book called "Rich Dad Poor Dad" by Robert Kiyosaki. Through this book, I ultimately felt that "if you work for yourself, there is a limit to the results you can get. Therefore, the fastest way to become successful is to grow as an entrepreneur using capital as a base."

　In other words, if you want to make a huge fortune, you have no choice but to either sell the company you started or take it public. So, I decided to start my own business.

◾️The essence of doing business

The essence of running a business is not for yourself. When there is some inconvenience in society or difficulty that someone is facing, it's about proposing "there is an improvement like this" or "we can make it more convenient," in other words, solving the problem. Starting a business itself is not the essence, but we feel that our purpose is to face social issues and solve them. To do this, you eventually need an organization, hire people, and create a flow of money. For some people, starting a business or being bought out is the goal, but for me it's the way I live my life. Nowadays, doing business comes as naturally as breathing, so it's become like a part of my lifestyle.

◾️Increased options with the use of AI

I believe the power of AI is truly amazing. While regular RPA (Robotic Process Automation) does not incorporate AI, we have incorporated AI into RPA, created our own unique system, and are now advancing highly accurate automation. That's why we named our company Ai Robotics.

I feel that the use of AI will greatly expand people's options. First, work will become much more efficient, which will increase income. Business tasks that previously required 100 or 200 people can now be managed by just 20 or so people. In that case, it will become possible to pay each employee a higher salary.

I think that the economic disparity that will arise depending on whether or not we introduce AI will broaden the range of choices people have in the future.

The range of options available to you is largely determined by your financial situation. For example, if you have money, you can have a 5,000 yen lunch, but if you don't have money, you can only eat a 100 yen rice ball, and if you have zero yen, you can't eat anything at all. However, I also feel that no matter how much money you have, it's meaningless if you don't have the time. By using AI, people who have been busy up until now can find time to do so. The changes that can be brought about by using AI are amazing. That's why our current vision is to provide a wide range of options.

◾️Message to university students

When I talk to students, I often think that they limit themselves based on their ignorance of the world. You never know what's going to happen in this world. There could be a coronavirus pandemic, and the future is unpredictable. It's possible that aliens will be walking the streets of our cities five years from now. In this modern age, even if there are differences in universities and career paths, there's no need to be bound by conventional wisdom. Rather than narrowing your thinking, I think it's important to consider a wide range of options, try as many things as possible, and fail quickly. I think most people want to succeed, but I think the sooner you fail, the more likely you are to succeed.

In a situation where everyone around you is excellent and highly capable, the most important thing is to be liked by others. The best person is someone who is sincere and loved and trusted by others. For example, thoroughly analyze the other person, understand them thoroughly, and become more knowledgeable about them than anyone else, even more so than they themselves. In that situation, I believe the other person will definitely like you.

　Toru Kenjo, president of Gentosha, often talks about "imagination for others." Exercising imagination for others requires an overwhelming amount of effort, so it's extremely difficult. But if you put in the effort and are able to move the other person's heart, there's nothing you can't do in the workplace, and I think you'll be invincible in this world. This is what we've established as the VALUE of AI Robotics.

　Another important thing is our policy of "no waste in life." Anything you do will lead to your future, so try it. Also, if you think you're a genius and stand out from the crowd, please apply to our company. Let's work together!

Interviewed by Student Newspaper Online on November 8, 2024 by Toyo University third-year student, Ota Fuuka

Musashino University, 4th year student Nishiyama Ryusei / Toyo University, 3rd year student Ota Fuuka / Hosei University, 4th year student Shimada Daiki 　