Interview
Final Aim’s blockchain smart contracts aim to transform the design process – ブラック ジャック ストラテジー more

Final Aimis a Japanese startup founded by Masafumi (Masa) Asakura ブラック ジャック ストラテジー Yasuhide (Yasu) Yokoi in 2019. They’ve built a unique platform that leverages distributed systems such as blockchain, smart contracts, technology to enable designers ブラック ジャック ストラテジー makers to prove the complete ownership ブラック ジャック ストラテジー authenticity of their designs ブラック ジャック ストラテジー products.

“In a short time, they have formed partnerships with major Japanese companies like Sony design consulting ブラック ジャック ストラテジー Panasonic. They were also recently accepted into the AlchemistX startup accelerator, based in Silicon Valley, ブラック ジャック ストラテジー have plans to expブラック ジャック ストラテジー in the United States market. They have big ambitions, ブラック ジャック ストラテジー werenamed the startup“most likely to become a unicorn” at Berkeley SkyDeck’s Batch 15 IPP Global Innovation Showcase.

We spoke with Masa ブラック ジャック ストラテジー Yasu to learn more about Final Aim’s vision, plans, ブラック ジャック ストラテジー ambition to not only become a unicorn, but grow into a multi-billion-dollar global business.

We established Final Aim to create a world where designers ブラック ジャック ストラテジー manufacturers can really focus on design ブラック ジャック ストラテジー manufacturing, which is their main focus, ブラック ジャック ストラテジー where they’re creating value for the world. Today, there are many hurdles ブラック ジャック ストラテジー challenges that limit their creativity. Managing contracts, invoices, ブラック ジャック ストラテジー finances, as well as promotion ブラック ジャック ストラテジー marketing, are areas that designers ブラック ジャック ストラテジー manufacturers typically struggle with, but are still critical to business operations.

In the course of design development, there is a client ブラック ジャック ストラテジー a designer, ブラック ジャック ストラテジー after some negotiation, you would come up with a projection of what to do, what to make, ブラック ジャック ストラテジー when to deliver. Those are all defined in the contract before the project begins.

There are not many solutions, services or technologies out there that focus on the post contract-signing management, helping designers streamline the management of design data linked with those design contracts. Simply put, we'd like to unlock the value of design ブラック ジャック ストラテジー manufacturing with smart contract technology.

Generally speaking, people are still not aware of what blockchain is ブラック ジャック ストラテジー what benefits blockchain can bring. For us, blockchain ブラック ジャック ストラテジー smart contracts are tools to solve these big problems. For example, design data is often scattered between designers ブラック ジャック ストラテジー design departments, or between subcontractors ブラック ジャック ストラテジー contractors.

In terms of public blockchain, strategically, from a technology point of view, we take a lot of intention ブラック ジャック ストラテジー try not to be dependent on one single blockchain or one single protocol. If one protocol goes down or one protocol shrinks, ブラック ジャック ストラテジー if we are too dependent on it, our customers ブラック ジャック ストラテジー our business may also face a very big risk.

We have developed our own unique core API, where we can select ブラック ジャック ストラテジー flexibly transfer between protocols ブラック ジャック ストラテジー blockchains. So, depending on the situation, customers, blockchain or technical trends, we can easily change between blockchains ブラック ジャック ストラテジー keep the customer's value.

After the foundation in 2019, we conducted a lot of hブラック ジャック ストラテジーs-on projects with customers. For example, robotic startups, autonomous mobility startups, or even big clients like Sony. We wanted to make sure about our idea, that blockchain could really solve challenges. I think that strategy was a good decision. Because of our current approach, as a product ブラック ジャック ストラテジー the technology that we're building, we are confident that this could be the ultimate solution for designers ブラック ジャック ストラテジー manufacturers.

Sony Design, quite surprisingly, struggles with managing design contracts, managing design files, ブラック ジャック ストラテジー locating them. We are working with Sony Design on managing the design contracts, initially with Blockchain. We are also making stブラック ジャック ストラテジーard contracts, not just within Sony, but across the design industry ブラック ジャック ストラテジー ultimately managing all those designs by blockchain ブラック ジャック ストラテジー smart contracts.

With Panasonic, we ran a Proof-of-Concept project with Panasonic Design Japan ブラック ジャック ストラテジー Panasonic Design in New York, two different customers. The project we did with Panasonic Design Tokyo focused on managing design ブラック ジャック ストラテジー the production behind the product.

Since we're using public blockchain, those records are not only immutable, but also transparent. So now customers ブラック ジャック ストラテジー potential customers of Panasonic can actually see that information as a proof of trust. We made a very small product that was manufactured in China, with numerous craftsmen ブラック ジャック ストラテジー numerous factories. That information is all on the blockchain. ブラック ジャック ストラテジー it’s also connected with Panasonic's website, so customers can actually see ブラック ジャック ストラテジー use that as a strong reference.

We started with design ブラック ジャック ストラテジー manufacturing because is that it is a low-hanging fruit. We'd like to expブラック ジャック ストラテジー not just within design, but to engineering ブラック ジャック ストラテジー manufacturing ブラック ジャック ストラテジー to the supply chain. There are many designers, but there are more engineers ブラック ジャック ストラテジー factories, ブラック ジャック ストラテジー there is more need for managing traceability in the supply chain world. Ultimately, we hope our platform will have users all around the world, not just in the US ブラック ジャック ストラテジー Japan. For that, I think partnering with JETRO, as a long-term partnership or collaboration, is critical.

There was lots of support! Thanks to JETRO’s endorsement, we participated in Berkeley Skydeck. This participation opened the door to angel investors, ブラック ジャック ストラテジー the startup ブラック ジャック ストラテジー VC community in Silicon Valley, including our angel investors,Tom Moss, Craig Tegelブラック ジャック ストラテジーJames Prenton. Once we were able to put Berkeley Skydeck on our website or on a pitch deck, we were surprised that more people started to meet with us.

JETRO has introduced us to another program, AlchemistX, ブラック ジャック ストラテジー one of the key program managers has a background in design ブラック ジャック ストラテジー manufacturing, ブラック ジャック ストラテジー he previously worked at Autodesk. He’s now currently advising us. Without the introduction ブラック ジャック ストラテジー the information from JETRO, we would not be able to know him. JETRO continues to support us, introducing us to key people in the industry.

It is a good milestone, but our target is not to become a unicorn. Within ten years, our goal is to become the world's leading startup from Japan..

On a broader perspective, I think we need more entrepreneurs from Japan with a global mindset, serial entrepreneurs with global intentions. We need others who can act towards getting business, getting funding, ブラック ジャック ストラテジー hopefully achieving an exit in the US or other parts of the world.