FY24
Our Ventures
Part of setting our own course is doing things “the Moon way” – using what we’ve learned throughout our journey to push forward. Our ventures have learned, experimented, and discovered their own paths to success over the past year, and we’re celebrating all that they’ve accomplished.
New Companies
This year, two Moon ventures have launched to become new companies! Congrats to these amazing new businesses!
Tomopiia Inc. was established as a new company in July 2023. Tomopiia provides an SNS-based nursing service that aims to create a world where people living with cancer can live their lives fully, without anxiety and loneliness. Patients can receive individual support by chatting with certified nurses anytime, anywhere, anonymously. Learn more about Tomopiia’s establishment and how they’re changing the future of healthcare here.
Junichiro Shigemura, founder
Founder Naohiro Hoshino established aequol Co., Ltd. as a new company in September 2023 starting with the Metajob! service. Metajob! is a job-matching service that enables new ways of working through avatars, metaverse, robots, etc. and matches remote workers with companies that need online personnel. aequol was founded with the mission of making terms and conditions of working equal, regardless of distance, appearance, conditions, and other factors. The company has also formed many partnerships this year, including work with the Organization for Promotion of Migration and Interchange. With the organization, Metajob! released a migration consultation service using AI and a portal site for migration and settlement operated by Numazu City in Japan. They later collaborated with CHUKYO TV. BROADCASTING CO., LTD. to launch a service that enables companies to gain support by reaching out to Gen Z-ers. Find out more about aequol and Metajob! in their official announcement here.
Naohiro Hoshino, founder
Partnerships & Acquisitions
A venture’s path to success is never a solitary one. These Moon ventures have made big strides this year by forming invaluable partnerships.
Newborn sleep training service and platform Lullaby formed a partnership with Pigeon Corp., a leading global baby care company. With the partnership, Lullaby has developed parent resources to add to their portfolio of services, including support for childcare leave, seminars, and stroller rentals. The partnership has also allowed for several collaborations with local governments that enhance use of the Lullaby app, including the Nenne Improvement Pack and the Pre-Return Support Plan for Childcare Leave.
Yukari Tago, founder
Suup, a reservation platform for people to discover and book nearby work and meeting spaces, was transferred to Itoki Shared Value, Inc. The Itoki Corporation operates coworking spaces in addition to office furniture and recycling services. Suup is the first Moon venture acquisition!
Shohei Horiguchi, founder
Ventures
Moon Ventures
Soft 3DP, a 3D printing-based fashion platform, has been optimizing their material performance and exploring novel construction techniques. This year, they collaborated closely with notable fashion brands to develop prototypes in tandem with these partners. Anticipating further progress, they expect to unveil new offerings by early FY25.
Moon Creative Lab
This year, GORIL, which teaches English pronunciation, launched their first iOS app. They also unveiled the web app "GORIL48," which provides visualizations of English vowels and consonants. They began testing lesson offerings for B2B clients, confirming an average improvement of over 90%. They are now providing their products to large companies and have applied for patents in Japan and the US.
Satoshi Yoshida, founder
Pioneer Guild, which aims to create ideal career support, launched "CareerForth," a B2B tool that uses data to visualize career paths and efficient routes to desired positions. They quickly partnered with five talent agencies, including Tokyo Stock Exchange-listed companies. They are currently developing "Career Co-pilot" for personalized career proposals and job listing prioritization for individuals.
Hiroyuki Narihara, founder
Inna Circle, an online platform providing flexible and on-demand childcare services, was established in the Philippines this year, enabling official operation and revenue generation. A collaboration with Philippine Normal University (PNU) integrated Inna Circle into PNU's training program, offering students in early childhood education opportunities for practical childcare experiences. This partnership enables Inna Circle to scale its team of qualified child minders.
Grace Aldas and Dell dela Torre, founders
VOOX, a platform that offers bite-sized audio content for lifelong learning, established a partnership with Audible. This lead to great success, opening new avenues and launching exciting podcasts for both platforms. VOOX diversified content formats, significantly increasing content production, and introduced original podcasts featuring esteemed authors like Takeshi Yoro and Dai Tamesue.
Guihua Hong, founder
Boost Ventures
Agritech is a service that helps farmers improve productivity toward sustainable farming. After conducting field research in Brazil, the team gained valuable user feedback and is now on track to work with a few large global corporations.
Mitsui & Co.
Mobility Business Unit I
Marimari is a waste recycling service that addresses challenges in sorting, waste collection, and environmental pollution in Greater Jakarta. During their time in Boost, the team conducted user and field research and are preparing to launch an MVP soon.
“Moon's business mindset and structural thinking has added considerable value to this project."
-Aris Munandar
Aris Munandar, founder
Eureca makes outer space accessible for everyone through a combination of interactive e-learning, job matching, and an open community for passionate space enthusiasts. The team had two sprints in which they developed multiple prototypes and website branding.
Naoya Shiraishi, Yasuhiro Hasegawa, Haruka Yorfuji, founders
Carbon Mileage incentivizes air travelers to make carbon-conscious choices to enable a sustainable aviation ecosystem. During an intensive sprint at Moon’s Palo Alto studio, the team conducted user research and built a functioning prototype.
Junya Fukui, founder
ISSHO is a SaaS tool which ensures “no work goes unnoticed” by visualizing often overlooked contributions and impactful results. During their time in Boost, ISSHO developed their first MVP, conducted user research, and created their UI/UX.
“Don't forget to celebrate the small wins along the journey, and when it gets tough, don't say ‘why me,’ just say "try me.’”
-Yuki Obata
Yuki Obata, founder
An automated, multilingual contact center solution, DELIGHT optimizes customer service processes, reducing costs and improving efficiency. After a series of sprints, DELIGHT improved their website and created sales demos. Since then, they have gained new customers and retained current ones.
“What stands out is the incredible support we've received from the Moon team. This journey is a shared one, and our success is a reflection of the collective faith and effort of this amazing team.”
-Naqui Shaikh
Hiroyuki Anno and Naqi Shaikh, founders
XYLOCOPA is an "AI digital marketer" that manages and automates brands’ loyalty programs and activities on a single platform. Through a sprint with engineering and design teams, the team was able to refine their design and have begun building their product.
Kiminori Yamaguchi, founder
VoicePing provides real-time voice translation by using industry-focused AI technology. From multiple sprints, the team learned to adapt to global time differences and has begun engineering their product.
“Applying Moon's human-centered design thinking to the user journey helped the venture explore their product from a new perspective.”
-Chiaki Narusawa, VoicePing Engagement Manager, Moon
Akinori Nakajima, Jack Nguyen, founders
DEW created aq, a line of eco-friendly cleaning products that transform everyday cleaning into a delightful indulgence without plastic waste. The team held two sprints which helped DEW refine its marketing and hold its first popup sales event.
Yuka Usami, founder