Yuto Nagatomo's Ally Reveals Business Tactics #03

The terms "venture," "startup," and even "intrapreneurship" have been in use for quite some time. Amid the "Work Style Reform" movement, major corporations—indeed, major corporations especially—are being compelled to fundamentally reexamine their personnel and evaluation systems. However, the reality is that they are still groping their way forward. In this series, Yuta Tsumura, who runs Cuore Inc. in tandem with Yuto Nagatomo, will delve deeply into the essence of this issue over three installments.

Cooperation: Kohei Shiraishi (Dentsu Inc. CDC)

Starting a business isn't just about money.
That said, some things simply cannot be achieved without money.

What Nagatomo and I share is that we aren't starting businesses solely for money. Our ultimate goal is social contribution. But unless the scale and value of the business grow—in plain terms, unless significant funds come in—the scale of social contribution can't expand either. To borrow Nagatomo's words, it's about "wanting to increase our influence," but I believe the core of this lies in "building a community."

The "investment" activities Nagatomo is involved in are exactly the same. Making money isn't the goal. He invests in partners who share his vision for the future society he envisions and who seem capable of achieving things he couldn't accomplish alone. Through this, vague ideals take on concrete form. I believe that helping him organize these thoughts is also an important part of my role.

Discussing the purpose and investment strategy for the angel investment initiative launched in late December 2019 at Yuto Nagatomo's home in Istanbul, Turkey. I travel there about once every two to three months.

What is Yuto Nagatomo's future vision?

I don't know what kind of career paths most soccer players aspire to or are actually pursuing, but personally, I don't think Nagatomo's path will be one where he becomes a soccer coach or commentator simply because he played the game.

I think he'll become someone who moves beyond the boundaries of his own career to drive something much larger—like Mr. Kawabuchi, who is revolutionizing the soccer and basketball worlds; Mr. Ota, who is rebranding and promoting the value of fencing; or Mr. Tamesue, who is building his own investments and businesses.

Since we were high school classmates, I'll be blunt: I wouldn't want Nagatomo to teach me soccer. Yet, I have mountains to learn from him. I want to learn about his mentality, forged by surviving countless battles on the world stage; the boldness to challenge born from that experience; and the quality of effort that forms his philosophy of success. I want to learn these bigger things. And I want to grow alongside him.

The title of Nagatomo's first published book was "Japanese Man," and this really strikes me as quintessentially Nagatomo. Nagatomo is certainly an innovator, and you might recall him for his bold statements. Yet he's an extremely Japanese kind of innovator—the type who checks every detail, meticulously plans, and arrives at rational conclusions. Above all, he values passion and drive more than pure logic. He's constantly seeking partners who share his vision and excel far beyond him in specific fields.

In the business world, rules and morals only increase; they never decrease. While some mock this as a "compliance recession," I believe breaking through this stagnation requires building "teams" that share that sense of purpose and passion. My job is to create the people and systems that will help build the future Nagatomo envisions.

A two-shot taken after the Red and White Match at Higashi Fukuoka High School's graduation ceremony. They spent three years together in the same soccer club and were in the same class during their second and third years. About 12 years after graduation, they founded this company and started their business.

〈Related Sites〉

The Fat Adapt meal plan recipe site is here:
The FLOWIN site is here:
The CUORE ONE online fitness site is here:
Yuto Nagatomo's official site is here:
Tetsuya Kato's Instagram is here.

〈 Editor's Note 〉
~Reflecting on the 3-Part Column Series~

Mr. Tsumura's three-part serialized column taught us many things. The origin of the venture lies in Mr. Nagatomo's "experience." That experience was meticulously "analyzed." As a result, business seeds emerged—seemingly unrelated to Mr. Nagatomo at first glance—such as "food," "health," and "investment ventures." These seeds were nurtured into sprouts by "hooking" the expertise of "professionals." Entrepreneurship is teamwork. Above all, its true purpose lies in "contributing to society." Calmly analyzing surging passion to steadily carve out the path forward. Tsumura's "theory of entrepreneurship," which overturns the conventional image of the so-called "entrepreneur," is truly inspiring.