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Company
会社情報
Founder & CEO
Yousuke Okada
Born in Nagoya, Aichi prefecture in 1988. Okada started programming at the age of ten, majored in CG at high school and won the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Award in the National High School Design Competition. As a university student, he presented his CG-related research at a number of international conferences. He started his career in an IT startup, then founded ABEJA in September 2012. He is board chairperson of the Japan Deep Learning Association (JDLA) since 2017, and has served on government expert committees led by METI, MIC and IPA, including the AI and Data Contract Guidelines Study Group, the Camera Image Utilisation SWG, the Industry and Regional Development WG of the IoT New Era Future Development Study Committee, and the AI Social Implementation Promotion Committee. He is also a DX Fellow of Nasu Shiobara City since 2021, and chairs the AI Data and Personal Information Protection Study Group at JDLA. Author of “How to Implement AI in Business” (Nippon Jitsugyo Publishing) and co-author of “THE Deep Learning Textbook: Official Textbook for the Deep Learning G-Test (Generalist)” (Shoei-sha) and others. Member of the editorial board of 'AI White Paper 2022' (KADOKAWA).
Key Members
COO
Motohiro Koma
Born in Osaka in 1979. After graduating from the Faculty of Science and Engineering, Waseda University, Koma joined Yahoo Japan in 2002. As an engineer and data scientist, he was involved in search engines services and product development leveraging Machine Learning and Natural Language Processing before shifting to a business management role. As the senior product manager in charge of search engines, he led a number of large projects. In 2012, he was appointed as the Head of the Data Solution Division and General Managing Director and conducted establishment of the organization for company-wide data integration, and the business strategy development and execution. Then, he moved to KDDI, followed by Recruit Holdings in 2017 where he served as Director of corporate data & AI strategies. In 2020, he became Executive Officer, the Head of the Data Strategy Department and the Head of CEO Office at FLYWHEEL. In September 2020, he joined ABEJA as the Head of CEO Office, then took a role as COO in December. He has been in the current position since November 2021.
CFO
Kazuki Hanabusa
A Certified Public Accountant. Born in Tokyo in 1978. After graduating from the Faculty of Policy Management at Keio University, Hanabusa joined Nomura Securities in 2003, where he was engaged in M&A advisory in the Corporate Information Department and IPO advisory in the Public Underwriting Department. He handled large M&A projects worth hundreds of billions of yen and led the team as the Deal Manager. He handled IPO projects ranging from support for companies to be listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Mothers to listing deals worth hundreds of billions of yen. He joined IRIDGE in 2013 as CFO, where he established internal controls and prepared for an IPO. The company executed its IPO on TSE Mothers in 2015 and raised funds through third-party allocations, made subsidiaries through M&A, and executed mergers. He joined ABEJA in November 2021 and took a role as Executive Officer CFO in December. In the current position since March 2022.
CSO
Naoki Tonogi
Born in 1988 in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture. While a student at the School of Economics of Nagoya University, he participated in the establishment of VOYAGEGROUP Nagoya Lab and was involved in the development of new smartphone-related businesses as a business manager. In 2012, as a new graduate, he joined a professional service company specializing in new business start-up consulting, and gained experience in new business start-up and project management for several major listed companies. He joined ABEJA in June 2013 and became a director in September of the same year. He then held key positions such as COO and CFO before becoming CEO of ABEJA Singapore in March 2017, leading the ASEAN business and organization with a focus on Singapore. He then served as Executive Officer and Head of the CEO Office before assuming his current position.
Outside Director
Kunihiro Tanaka
Born in 1978 in Osaka prefecture. In 1996, while being a student at National Institute of Technology Maizuru College, Tanaka established Sakura Internet and started internet server business which was still uncommon at the time. The company was listed on the TSE Mothers in 2005, then the TSE First Section in 2015. Although he is originally an engineer, he leverages his extensive entrepreneurial experience to mentor startup companies and student engineers.
Outside Director
Koji Asano
Born in 1979 in Hyogo prefecture. Asano started his career at Link and Motivation in 2003. After launching the organisational improvement cloud 'Motivation Cloud', he was appointed a director of the company in 2018. In April 2020, he became President of People Tech Studio and Knowledge Work. Author of “THE TEAM 5 Laws” (NewsPicks Book) and other books.
Outside Director
Hitoshi Matono
Born in 1975 in Nara prefecture. In 1997, Matono joined Yasuda Fire & Marine Insurance Company (Currently Sompo Japan). In 2020, he was appointed Special Assignment Manager, Digital Strategy Department, SOMPO Holdings. In 2021, he was appointed General Manager of Digital Strategy Department and Data Management Office. He was engaged in development of insurance products, formulation and execution of business strategies for the group and operating companies, strategic investment and M&A operations. Currently he promotes the execution of the company's digital strategy and the creation of new businesses through the use of real data.
Standing Corporate Auditor
Junichi Tobaru
Born in Okinawa prefecture in 1982. Tobaru joined KPMG AZSA (now KPMG AZSA) in 2007, where he handled financial statement audits of listed real estate companies and Japanese subsidiaries of overseas corporations, DD/planning support in business restructuring, and DD in M&A, etc. He registered as a certified public accountant in 2010. In 2013, he joined PwC Taiwan, where he was engaged in supporting Japanese companies and providing FA services for Japanese companies' acquisition of Taiwanese companies. In 2018, he established Tobaru Certified Public Accountant Office, which provides accounting consulting services, various tax services, support for start-up companies and auditing services for public companies, etc.
Outside Auditor
Takuma Shimizu
Born in Tokyo in 1975. After registering as a lawyer, Shimizu joined the International Division of Asahi Koma Law Office (Currently Nishimura Asahi law firm). He established Iota Law Office and is currently the representative attorney. In addition to his main role as an attorney focusing on corporate legal affairs, he is also an adjunct lecturer (Civil Law Seminar and Judicial Systems) at Keio University's Faculty of Law. He also takes many external director roles including an outside director (member of the audit committee) of CRE (listed on the First Section of the TSE), a supervisory director of Kajima Private REIT Investment Corporation, an auditor of CBcloud, and an outside director of medical corporation, clinical trial review committees, fishing cooperatives.
Outside Auditor
Masaaki Aoyama
Born in Kyoto prefecture in 1979. Aoyama joined Dream Incubator in 2004 and was appointed Executive Officer in 2015. He assists client companies in formulating and executing business development strategies such as management strategies, business strategies, sales & marketing strategies, new business strategies, and M&A. In 2012, he became a director of Ipet Insurance, and was appointed Director and Managing Executive Officer in 2016. He is currently an outside director (member of the audit committee) of VisasQ and an outside auditor of P. Mind.
Advisers
Technical Advisor
Hitoshi Matsubara
Doctor of Engineering. Matsubara graduated from the Department of Information Science, Faculty of Science, University of Tokyo in 1981 and completed the doctoral programme in Information Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, University of Tokyo in 1986. In 1986, he joined the Electronics Technology Research Institute of the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (now the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST)). He became a professor at Future University Hakodate in 2000, and vice-chancellor in 2016. In 2020, he became a professor at the Graduate School of Information Science and Technology, The University of Tokyo. His publications include “Progress in Computer Shogi”, “Can Astro Boy be Realized?”, “The Brain that Reads Ahead”, and “Introduction to Tourism Informatics”. Former President of the Association for Artificial Intelligence, Director of the Information Processing Society of Japan, and Director of the Tourism Information Society of Japan.
Technical Advisor
Yutaka Matsuo
Doctor of Engineering. After graduating from the Department of Electronic and Information Engineering at the University of Tokyo in 1997, Matsuo completed his doctoral studies in 2002, then became a researcher at the National Institute of AIST. In Aug 2005, he became a visiting fellow at Stanford Uni, then an associate professor at the University of Tokyo, Graduate School of Engineering, Research Institute/ Centre for Structuring Knowledge/ Department of Technology Management Strategy since 2007. In 2014, he took roles of Co-chair and Specially Appointed Associate Professor of the Endowed Chair in Global Consumer Intelligence, Department of Technology Management and Strategy, Graduate School of Engineering, University of Tokyo. His areas of expertise are AI, web mining and big data analysis. He received the Best Paper Award (2002), the 20th Anniversary Project Award (2006), the Field Innovation Award (2011) and the Distinguished Service Award (2013) from the JSAI. At the Society for Artificial Intelligence, he started from a student editorial board member, then editorial board member, deputy editorial board chair in 2010, editorial board chair and board member in 2012, then became chair of Ethics board during 2014 to 2018. President of the JDLA since 2017.
Advisers
Corporate Profile
Company Name
ABEJA, Inc.
Office Address
Bizflex Azabujuban 2F, 1-1-14 Mita, Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-0073, Japan
Establishment
September 10, 2012
Representative
Yousuke Okada
Directors
Yousuke Okada, CEO
Motohiro Koma, COO
Kazuki Hanabusa, CFO
Naoki Tonogi, CSO
Kunihiro Tanaka, Outside Director (CEO of SAKURA Internet)
Koji Asano, Outside Director (CEO of Knowledge Work)
Hitoshi Matono, Outside Director (General Manager, Digital Strategy and Data Management Office, SOMPO Holdings)
Auditors
Junichi Tobaru, Corporate Auditor (Certified Public Accountant)
Takuma Shimizu, Outside Auditor (Lawyer and Partner of IOTA Law and Patent Offices)
Masaaki Aoyama, Outside Auditor (Auditor, VisasQ)
Technical Advisors
Hitoshi Matsubara (Professor at Graduate School of Information Science and Technology, the University of Tokyo)
Yutaka Matsuo (Professor at Graduate School of Engineering, the University of Tokyo, and President of Japan Deep Learning Association)
Takami Yasuda (Professor, Graduate School of Informatics, Nagoya University)
Toshimitsu Urabe (Former Executive Officer and CEO of Business Service Division, Mitsubishi Corporation)
Koji Bando (Honorary Chairman, Funai Electric)
Ethical
Approach
to AI Committee Members
Akie Iriyama (Professor, Graduate School of Business Administration, Waseda University)
Arisa Ema (Associate Professor, Future Vision Research Centre, The University of Tokyo)
Hideko Kunii (Visiting Professor, Shibaura Institute of Technology)
Karyn Nishimura (Journalist)
Tomoyoshi Noda (Chair and President, Shizenkan Graduate University)
Hitoshi Matsubara (Professor, Graduate School of Information Science and Technology, The University of Tokyo) *Concurrently serving as advisor
Shu Yamaguchi (Independent researcher, Author, Public speaker)
Bank
Bank of Mitsubishi UFJ, Ebisu Branch
Mizuho Bank, Shibuya Branch
Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, Hibiya Branch
Number of employees
103 (As of August 2023)
Corporate Profile
Access
Head office:
Bizflex Azabujuban 2F
1-1-14 Mita, Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-0073, Japan
Transportation:
3-minute walk from Azabu-juban Station on the Tokyo Metro Namboku Line and Toei Oedo Line.
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