We will surely make your service a "thing"! ｜DOSHISHA Corporation

DOSHISHA Corporation

-What made you decide to engage in open innovation? Why did you choose Creww's open innovation program (creww collaboration)?

Since we had once implemented the creww collaboration and felt that it had produced positive results, we decided to use the creww collaboration again for this second event.
In our previous program to create new businesses through open innovation, we did not proceed with discussions only with startup companies, but with the help of Creww, who worked in between us to make sure that the collaboration was successful. We succeeded in creating several new business "seeds" within the company that would have been difficult to realize on our own. However, we also realized how difficult it is to create a new business, so we will take into account our previous experience and reflections, and aim to create a new business in a different domain of our company this time!

-Did the DOSHISHA Accelerator 2017 change the way you think about open innovation, your understanding of startups, or anything else within your company?

I was reminded once again that there are many start-ups in Japan that are developing outstanding technologies and services in various fields, and I was impressed by their attitude of working on their businesses with a sense of speed. I was also impressed by the attitude of the startups, who are working on their businesses with speed. I was able to reaffirm that open innovation is essential for companies to grow in the future as a measure to cope with the fast life cycle of the times. I believe that this project will lead to changes in our company in the future.

-What were some of the positive and difficult aspects of the process leading up to the "Doshisha Accelerator 2017" (e.g., getting the word out internally, coordinating, getting approval, etc.)?

Since open innovation is a new approach within our company, I felt it was important to spread a common understanding within the company before implementing the program. In addition, I feel that it is important to share opinions from different perspectives, such as those of those in charge and those in charge of practical operations, in order to create the program from various perspectives.

-What were some of the positive and difficult aspects of the progression of the "Doshisha Accelerator 2017"?

One of the best aspects of the Creww collaboration was that the people from Creww were able to act as intermediaries between the startups and us, giving us access to mid- to long-term perspectives and past successes that we would not have been able to realize on our own.
On the other hand, the difficult part was to think about how to derive a common solution that would be the greatest common denominator for both startup companies and our company, and to spread a common understanding within our company to the project members, since the environment and objectives to be achieved are different.
However, because the Open Innovation Program is a program in which startup companies from different cultures and our company exchange opinions with each other to create new businesses, even if a proposal is attractive to the project members, it may be rejected if it is simply judged from our company's point of view. The most difficult and enjoyable part of the program was the flow of considering how to change a proposal that might be attractive to the project members but would be rejected if simply judged based on our concept and how to obtain the approval of management and how to actually reach a collaboration agreement.

Selected as WINNER, Workshift Solutions, Inc.

-What was the deciding factor for you to apply for the Doshisha Accelerator 2017?

Originally, we wanted to make effective use of our 50,000+ freelancers and crowdsourcing platform.
In the course of considering how to utilize this system, we saw on the web page of the creww community that DOSHISHA was interested in "creating a system for continuous idea generation" and decided to apply for the program.

-What do you hope to achieve through the DOSHISHA Accelerator 2017? What resources of the host company did you find attractive in order to achieve it?

We want to create a world where anyone can easily share their ideas with the world, and where these excellent ideas are actually commercialized. In order to realize such a world, DOSHISHA's brand power, product planning and development capabilities, and sales floor displays are indispensable.

-What were some of the positive and difficult aspects of the program with the host company?

We were very pleased with the interest shown from the initial stages of the proposal and the smooth communication and meetings we were able to have. It was also very good that we were able to actually visit DOSHISHA's office and explain the resources that a large corporation has. Considering the process of the program in the future, I feel that it will be an issue how to smoothly proceed in the direction that DOSHISHA's Corporate Planning Department is thinking and the direction that the people on the actual site are thinking.

WINNER, Kids Star Inc.

-What was the deciding factor for you to apply for the Doshisha Accelerator 2017?

We thought that we could create new value by combining our strengths in "family," "users," and "software" with DOSHISHA's strengths in "hardware" and "commercial distribution.

-What do you hope to achieve through the DOSHISHA Accelerator 2017? What resources of the host company did you find attractive in order to achieve it?

First, we would like to create new value by combining our strengths in software and existing users with DOSHISHA's resources. We would like to commercialize the product by testing it in the market.

-What were some of the positive and difficult aspects of the program with the host company?

One good point was that the person in charge at DOSHISHA was a user of our products, so he had a good understanding of our services. We were able to communicate very smoothly about the business and the perspective of the siting group. There were no particular difficulties, but if I had to pick one, I would say that both parties had a lot of possibilities, and we had a hard time deciding where to settle on for the presentation.

Selected as WINNER, Fumoa Inc.

-What was the deciding factor for you to apply for the Doshisha Accelerator 2017?

We saw on the recruitment page that DOSHISHA has a nationwide network of 4,800 companies and 300,000 stores, and that they are skilled in the development of lifestyle-related products utilizing famous licenses. We believe that by combining our strengths in character creation and character production, we can create IP, produce related goods, secure sales channels, and enter the licensing business in one integrated process.

-What do you hope to achieve through the DOSHISHA Accelerator 2017? What resources of the host company did you find attractive in order to achieve it?

By combining DOSHISHA's pipeline to retailers, product development capabilities, and our strength in character creation, we hope to create and nurture IP and develop a character business.

-What were some of the positive and difficult aspects of the program with the host company?

We were very happy that the people in charge at DOSHISHA did not take the stance of waiting for proposals from venture companies, but rather took the stance of presenting the plans they developed with us startup companies to management as "our own plans.
This is actually the third time that our company has been selected for a creww collaboration, and we feel that companies with whom we have met several times in person and had close conversations are more likely to have more complete solutions to their issues.

WINNER, Future Standard Inc.

-What was the deciding factor for you to apply for the Doshisha Accelerator 2017?

Until now, our company has mainly provided solutions for B2B due to our lack of marketing and mass production capabilities for B2C. We entered the "DOSHISHA Accelerator 2017" because we thought that if we could collaborate with DOSHISHA, which has a very broad product lineup ranging from home appliances to household goods, we could create products for B2C.

-What do you hope to achieve through the DOSHISHA Accelerator 2017? What resources of the host company did you find attractive in order to achieve it?

First, we aim to incorporate our SCORER service into the camera products that DOSHISHA already offers. If this initiative goes well, there is a possibility that in the future, by combining DOSHISHA's wide range of lifestyle products with our service, we can realize a joint development of not only products, but also "service-oriented consumer electronics products".

-What were some of the positive and difficult aspects of the program with the host company?

However, we felt that depending on the idea, there could be a very high degree of affinity with our services, and it was a very exciting process to hold various discussions with both companies to make this happen.

Selected as WINNER, Pet Board Healthcare, Inc.

-What was the deciding factor for you to apply for the Doshisha Accelerator 2017?

We entered the Doshisha Accelerator 2017 because we are developing IoT services and wanted to collaborate with a large company with abundant resources for hardware development.

-What do you hope to achieve through the DOSHISHA Accelerator 2017? What resources of the host company did you find attractive in order to achieve it?

We were attracted to DOSHISHA because it possesses many aspects of hardware development, realization of sales channels (domestic and overseas), product planning capabilities, and sales channels that are difficult to solve on its own.

-What were some of the positive and difficult aspects of the program with the host company?

We are just getting started and hope that it will turn out well.

writing (e.g. as a profession)

INNOVATIVE PORT Editors　
INNOVATIVE PORT" is an open innovation media operated by Creww, Inc. that connects startups, entrepreneurs, entrepreneurs in recovery, and companies aiming to create new businesses on the theme of social issues.