Turning buried technology into a raw material for leap forward, polishing it up in one go and creating one business after another

New CEO Satoshi Konno talks about BIRD INITIATIVE's challenges and mission

In this interview, we spoke with Satoshi Konno, the newly appointed CEO of BIRD INITIATIVE, about his journey so far, the background to his appointment, his business strategy, his role in society, and his vision for the future.

Table of contents
1. Representative Director's self-introduction and career background
2. Company Mission and Vision
3. Business Strategy and Competitive Advantage
4. Corporate culture and organizational development
5. Future Outlook

01Representative Director's self-introduction and career background

Q: Tell us about your career and experiences so far.

For the past 30 years, I have been consistently involved in the creation of new businesses, taking on challenges in the world of "zero to one" and "one to 10," which can be tough at times but is so fascinating that once you step inside, it's hard to escape.

He started his career as an IT infrastructure engineer, focusing on mastering fundamental skills for the first 10 years. During this time, he supported the launch of new businesses utilizing cutting-edge technology and even launched them himself. After receiving the President's Award and being sent to the US to study for an MBA, he began his path as a capitalist.

Over the next 20 years, he has further refined his investor perspective and, as a capitalist, has invested in 23 companies, leading 13 of them to IPO, building a track record in supporting the growth of startups (as of the end of March 2025).

He also co-founded a data center software development venture with around 60 employees in Los Angeles, USA, and successfully sold the business. He also participated in the formation of a national intellectual property fund with a scale of 30 billion yen, contributing to the creation of an upside of over 20 billion yen. He has accumulated knowledge through practice about how to grow a business by combining finance and investment with intellectual property and intangible assets.

Since then, he has supported the growth of companies by utilizing technology, investment, and intellectual property strategies across the board through the launch of an intellectual property-focused investment fund and his activities as a startup mentor for the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, the Japan Patent Office, and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government.

Q: How did you come to lead the BIRD INITIATIVE?

As a venture capitalist and angel investor, I have supported many startups, but I have been particularly interested in supporting the creation of startups born from large corporations, so-called "carve-out companies."

While most startups are started by students and young entrepreneurs, the growth of startups that utilize the technology and knowledge of large companies is essential to increasing Japan's competitiveness in the medium to long term.

With this in mind, BIRD founder Kitase-san and NEC CTO Nishihara-san approached me and said, "We would like to entrust BIRD with a new challenge." I believe they recognized that my multifaceted background as an engineer, investor, entrepreneur, and intellectual property strategist was a strong match for BIRD's vision.

Q: Are there any people or events that have influenced you?

The person who had the greatest influence on me was my father. He was originally an engineer, but I grew up watching him play a global role as president of the US subsidiary of a major Japanese company. I believe that seeing him from up close from a young age, how he approached his work and employees, and how he was not afraid to take on new challenges, has had a major impact on my career. My love of technology is also due to the strong influence of my father, who educated me well to aim for a PhD in engineering and gave me the opportunity to use computers and computer languages ​​from a young age.

02Company Mission and Vision

Q: What do you think is the mission of BIRD INITIATIVE?

BIRD's mission is to be a company that continues to create "KOTORI (new businesses)" one after another.

Our goal is not to simply provide ideas or theoretical ideas, but to create businesses that will actually move the market and have an impact on society. Rather than being obsessed with short-term profits, we will focus on creating businesses with solid differentiating factors and technology at their core in order to achieve long-term sustainable business management.

It won't be a BIRD!
We will not be a consulting company that "runs away from support."
We will not be a company that mass-produces reports without launching new businesses.
We will not be a company that simply lists new business ideas that do not lead to profits.

BIRD is committed to being a "new business executor" and a "place that creates business breakthroughs."

Q: What are your thoughts on contributing to society?

KOTORI is not just a new business, but something that solves social issues through the power of technology. By achieving this, we believe that BIRD's creation of many KOTORI will ultimately lead to the resolution of many social issues and become a driving force for opening up the future.

By maximizing the potential of technology, tackling unresolved social issues, and creating new value, we will contribute from Japan to the world and to the future.

03Business Strategy and Competitive Advantage

Q: Please tell us about your current main business.

BIRD is making the most of its strengths and is developing the following two businesses as its core businesses.

(1) Consulting for creating new businesses based on R&D and technological development

Leveraging the knowledge gained from our past support experience, we support the entire new business creation process, from unearthing technologies that have the potential to become breakthroughs hidden within large companies and research institutions, to exploring, verifying, and commercializing new businesses that utilize those technologies. We are particularly notable for our ability to handle highly challenging commercialization efforts, such as "carve-outs," which require external fundraising, thereby increasing the feasibility of social implementation. We do not simply provide advisory services, but also accompany companies through the execution phase, accelerating the launch and growth of their businesses. Of course, we can also provide support for the launch of wholly owned subsidiaries and joint ventures other than carve-outs, with an awareness of accelerating business growth and creating synergies with the parent company.

(2) Carve out Studio business (trademark "Carve out Studio®" acquired)

BIRD aims to mass-produce startups through its unique "carve-out studio model," which guides businesses through the shortest path to starting a business, from refining business plans and building structures to exit strategies, fundraising, and company establishment. This flexible support system, incorporating external perspectives such as investors, which tend to be lacking in new businesses launched by large corporations, significantly increases the success rate of new businesses, while enabling businesses to be created and scaled up using external funding and perspectives.

Q: How is a carve-out different from a spin-out, where a company creates a wholly owned subsidiary?

Some people may not be familiar with the term "carve-out," but it refers to the process of separating and independent non-core businesses or new technologies from large companies and rebuilding them as new startups or operating companies. This is a common business development method in Europe and the United States, and has been gaining attention in Japan in recent years.

In particular, rather than simply establishing a subsidiary with 100% investment from the business company itself, BIRD is promoting "entrepreneur-led" carve-outs that increase management freedom through external fundraising.

In this model, motivated business managers from large companies become entrepreneurs and launch new companies in collaboration with BIRD and external investors. The introduction of external capital allows for flexibility in growth strategies and enables speedy, market-oriented decision-making that was not possible with the traditional subsidiary model.

Furthermore, BIRD accompanies companies from the conceptual stage of carve-outs to refining business plans, fundraising, the practical aspects of incorporation, and support for acquiring initial customers. By acting as a bridge between entrepreneurs seeking new challenges and companies, BIRD accelerates the creation of businesses that will pave the way for the future.

※ For those who would like to know more about entrepreneur-led carve-outs, please refer to the following guidance on implementing entrepreneur-led carve-outs published by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. Please take a look at page 10, "Significance as a business company," in particular.

URL：https://www.meti.go.jp/policy/tech_promotion/curveout_guidance.pdf

Q: What do you think is your competitive advantage within the industry?

BIRD's greatest competitive advantage lies in its unique know-how that dramatically increases the success rate of new business creation and the execution environment that supports it.

In particular, our strength lies in our ability to build practical systems based on the international standard, ISO56002, an innovation management system, which we have cultivated while supporting the creation of new businesses at large corporations. The ISO56000 series is an international standard for promoting innovation activities systematically and continuously, and is a framework that systematically organizes everything from strategy formulation to execution and evaluation. BIRD flexibly applies this framework to each company's challenges and culture, and takes an approach that goes beyond mere formal implementation, by helping to establish an effective system within the organization.

BIRD's power source!
We are a group of specialists specializing in creating new businesses for large companies.
Our culture places emphasis on "trial and error" rather than "preparation," so the first thing we do is "give it a try!"
We have an in-house development team and our rapid development of MVPs (minimum viable products) accelerates verification.
Generative AI can increase new business creation productivity by 100x.
We are building a system that will turn intellectual property strategies into tools for business growth.

By combining these, we are creating businesses at a speed and scale that would not have been possible with conventional methods.

04Corporate culture and organizational development

Q: What kind of corporate culture do you value?

We value the attitude of "never running away from support." This means that no matter what phase of business support we provide, we will not just provide lip service, but will be firmly with KOTORI until it "takes off." Even if BIRD's support ends midway, we will continue to work responsibly, believing that it will serve as a source of nourishment for KOTORI's future.

Q: What values ​​and mindset do you expect from your employees?

Starting a new business is always going to come with a mountain of challenges. It's not an easy path, but I think it's important to be able to face innovation in a positive way, because it's essentially "fun and hard to quit."

It's a world where you never know until you try. The process of tackling the challenges that only become clear through action can be tough, but there's also the excitement of taking on the unknown, the sense of accomplishment when you accomplish it, and the realization of personal growth that comes from overcoming challenges one step at a time. I want to work with members who appreciate these positive aspects.

Q: What efforts are you making to grow the organization?

We hold an internal study group called "BIRDEMY" on an irregular basis, providing a forum for members with diverse backgrounds to share their experiences and the vivid experiences they have had after completing a project. We also hold "Visa Meetings (Lunch Meetings)" as a casual opportunity for interaction, promoting natural communication between employees.

Through these efforts, we are promoting the creation of an environment in which knowledge sharing and a desire to grow occur naturally.

05Future outlook

Q: Could you please tell us more about your future growth strategy?

BIRD will accelerate sustainable growth through the following three steps:

Step 1: Explore and verify business opportunities through consulting services
We unearth technologies and intellectual property that have the potential to become breakthroughs from the technological assets that large companies and research institutions have developed over time and with funding, and we support the search for new businesses. We determine whether a business has the potential to shine if polished, and we polish it through verification to prepare it for KOTORI.

Step 2: Creating and scaling KOTORI through a carve-out studio business
By utilizing external perspectives from external experts and investors, BIRD will produce a succession of scalable startups, with the aim of becoming the creator of the next generation of unicorns.

Step 3: Establish a growth engine by building a revenue model from KOTORI
The success of the startups we create will lead to profits in various forms, such as dividend income, profits from business sales, revenue and profit sharing, etc. By investing in further KOTORI creation, we will create an ecosystem for business creation.

Through this ecosystem, we aim for BIRD itself to become the "creator" of the next generation of unicorn companies.

Q: Please tell us your thoughts as the CEO.

BIRD is not just a company that follows trends, but wants to be a company that creates the future itself. In other words, we want to be a "market maker" for new businesses.

We plan to publish the "Future Technology Report 2035" by summer. We plan to continue updating this report every year, looking ahead to technology 10 years into the future, and stay ahead of the coming needs of society.

Rather than waiting for technological advances, BIRD aims to take the lead and create the industries of the future through collaboration with governments, academic institutions, and startups, going beyond the boundaries of a company.

Q: Finally, please give us a message.

BIRD is more than just a new business support company.
As a player in creating the future, we aim to lead Japan's industrial competitiveness and continue to create new value!