Jul 19, 2023
EAP2 Guest Lecture by Safie, Inc.
(Mr. Tetsuharu Furuta, Ms. Yoko Nakauchi and Ms. Aya Ujita)
OBJECTIVE.
On 23 June 2023, the EAP2 class of the College of Business (COB) at Rikkyo University welcomed a guest lecture from three representatives of Safie, a platform-based company which provides cloud-based video-recording services to businesses (B2B). The speakers were Mr. Furuta, the Director of Business Administration Division and CFO of Safie, Ms. Nakauchi, General Manager of Corporate ESG Office, and Ms. Ujita, Specialist of Corporate ESG. They shared valuable insights into their company, and explained what it is like to work in, or even found and develop, a startup company.
To begin the presentation, Mr. Furuta explained the background of the company, including examples of customers that are using Safie’s products. He introduced how Safie’s products and services are used in various industries, showing their versatility and the size of their potential market. Subsequently, Ms. Ujita gave more detail regarding one of these business cases to give a concrete illustration of how Safie’s services provide advantages to companies in Japan and the need to address ESG issues. By introducing remote monitoring and analyzing with the AI technology provided by Safie, the case study company was able to attain a more effective working style. Subsequently, Mr. Furuta described the company’s history and how the company has evolved, by emphasizing the importance of finding “Product Market Fit,” which can be achieved by understanding customer needs and providing products that suit those needs. Finally, Mr. Furuta introduced the company’s future vision and explained its strategy to expand globally.
In summary, the session was a fascinating glimpse into life in the start-up sector. During the Q&A session, students asked about B2B business models and marketing, while others asked about threats and opportunities of digital platforms when entering overseas markets. Many students remained behind after the session to speak directly with the guests from Safie, discussing work life in a start-up company. and future opportunities.
Written by Rin Suzuki (2nd year student, Dept of Global Business)
To begin the presentation, Mr. Furuta explained the background of the company, including examples of customers that are using Safie’s products. He introduced how Safie’s products and services are used in various industries, showing their versatility and the size of their potential market. Subsequently, Ms. Ujita gave more detail regarding one of these business cases to give a concrete illustration of how Safie’s services provide advantages to companies in Japan and the need to address ESG issues. By introducing remote monitoring and analyzing with the AI technology provided by Safie, the case study company was able to attain a more effective working style. Subsequently, Mr. Furuta described the company’s history and how the company has evolved, by emphasizing the importance of finding “Product Market Fit,” which can be achieved by understanding customer needs and providing products that suit those needs. Finally, Mr. Furuta introduced the company’s future vision and explained its strategy to expand globally.
In summary, the session was a fascinating glimpse into life in the start-up sector. During the Q&A session, students asked about B2B business models and marketing, while others asked about threats and opportunities of digital platforms when entering overseas markets. Many students remained behind after the session to speak directly with the guests from Safie, discussing work life in a start-up company. and future opportunities.
Written by Rin Suzuki (2nd year student, Dept of Global Business)
Rin Suzuki with guest speakers after the lecture （From Left: Ms Ujita, Mr Furuta, Rin Zuzuki, Ms Nakauchi）
