How to accelerate “Co-Creation with Startups”?
Young researchers at fibona face innovation in beauty.
2020.05.21
fibona is an open innovation program that brings Shiseido’s knowledge and expertise together with external partners in collaboration. It was launched in July 2019 under the Shiseido Global Innovation Center (GIC), Shiseido's R&D base in Minato Mirai, Yokohama.
One of fibona’s main activities is "Co-Creation with Startups," which is giving birth to new beauty innovations.
An online dialogue was held between young researchers involved with fibona. Takeru Ominami, who has been in charge of the project since day one, and Takuma Hoshino, who voluntarily joined fibona after being inspired by their activities, spoke honestly about the significance of collaborating with startups beyond their specialized research fields and changes in their values.
How will our work styles and attitudes toward beauty change in 2020, when our behavior and lifestyles start to undergo major transformations? Imagine where fibona is now and where it will be in the future.
What brought the two of you to fibona?
Ominami:
I have been working as a researcher specializing in machine learning, data analysis, and image processing since joining Shiseido in 2018. I started working on fibona at the end of my first year when I was approached by my supervisor.
Hoshino:
Ever since I was in college, I have been working on basic research to simulate how drugs and creams penetrate the skin. Since joining the company in 2019, I have been studying the external and internal structure of the skin in the Basic Research Department.
I decided to get involved with fibona at a kick-off event around three months after joining the company. Since I tend to focus only on my area of expertise, I had always wanted to keep an ear to the ground and be exposed to information from both inside and outside the company. I was also interested in the possibility of coming across technologies and initiatives that would be useful for my future research by interacting with people from startups.
I became fully involved when I co-organized a a talk event called Pitch Tokyo with Aniwo, which provides information on the technology powerhouse Israel. We brought together key players in digital health and beauty tech for a heated discussion. I studied abroad in Israel and was well aware of just how innovative their latest technology is, so I worked hard with Ominami, who planned the event, to make it a reality.
fibona is celebrating its first anniversary. Looking back on the past year, what are some of your most impressive activities?
Ominami:
I was involved in the selection process for the Co-Creation Program, which aims to recruit and co-create startups, and in the post-selection process, we came up with an arrangement for collaboration. It was an unprecedented experience. It required me to have the ability to make decisions quickly and to think about the criteria for making decisions in the first place.
The activities at fibona require a completely different pattern of thought and behavior from my usual research work. I feel that my perspective has been broadened as I was able to come into contact with a part of the company's overall management strategy that a single researcher cannot easily become involved with.
Hoshino:
I was particularly impressed by his participation as a researcher in the "Around Beauty Meetup," where innovators from inside and outside the company come together to exchange ideas related to beauty.
The themes are always very interesting. The theme of the first session was "The World of Beauty Achieved Through Tech x Habit," which discussed the impact of technology on human behavior and habits. The fourth session was "Exploring the Value of Experience Through Marriage," which was a talk on how the five senses, such as smell, taste, and hearing, affect beauty. It was very exciting to get a different perspective from my previous research.
Three startups were selected for the Co-Creation Program. From what perspective are you approaching the companies and promoting collaboration?
Ominami:
With DiGITAL ARTISAN Inc., which has mass production technology for 3D scanning, we have just begun new research and development using the company's sensing technology. With no new folk studio Inc., an IoT shoe company, we have begun research on beauty and walking styles.
Although we have established various criteria for the output we will create together, when working with a startup, I also place importance on the gut feeling of whether or not the company seems interesting. I look for unexpected surprises and excitement about the possibilities for creating the future.
Also, we are developing services that are far removed from Shiseido's business. Since we are collaborating with ambitious startups, I feel that it would be a waste if the projects were within the scope of the services we have already been working on.
In my personal opinion, the foundation of innovation is what Steve Jobs (Apple co-founder) called "connecting the dots.” It is by connecting unrelated things that new concepts are born and paradigm shifts can occur.
And most importantly, how much heart and soul you put into your business and how seriously you take it. We pay particular attention to the enthusiasm of everyone on the management board.
What did you keep in mind when working on the project?
Ominami:
It’s a matter of striking a balance that benefits our company, the startups, our business partners, society, and all those involved with us.
What Shiseido has valued for many years is to be on equal footing with our partner companies. We absolutely did not want to be in a position where only Shiseido would benefit from the technology and wisdom provided by the startups.
On the other hand, a project that does not bring benefit to Shiseido will not last long. It was important to maintain a relationship of "give and take" on an equal basis, without one side giving too much.
As we proceeded with the project, there were times when the direction of the team and the company's strategy differed. However, I never gave up, and I was able to communicate what I thought was right and politely persuade them, which allowed me to learn more about the company, gain new colleagues, and learn coordination skills.
Has your participation in fibona broadened your perspective as a researcher?
Ominami:
My network of contacts and channels have expanded greatly. By stepping out into an unfamiliar community, I formed new relationships and expanded my network as people I met there introduced me to their contacts. In this way, I was able to have a rich experience that broadened my "map of relationships" with a vigor that I had never seen before.
Hoshino:
I was also inspired a lot. Being a member of fibona made me realize that beauty is not only about getting cosmetics to effectively penetrate into and enhance the beauty of our skin. I believe that my experience at fibona will give me the perspective I need to come up with new ideas for my research.
Working on fibona, I value speed above all else. In my case, my research on skin is not immediately commercialized and released to the world. In order to learn firsthand about the speed at which society progresses, I would like to work with the same sense of speed as a startup, such as through our 、"Speedy trial"in which various ideas are developed and beta versions are launched in a short span of time.
Covid-19 has forced us to continue working from home. Have there been any changes in the way you work?
Ominami:
Telework has long been encouraged at GIC, and I used to do so myself. As an engineer, I can work anywhere with a single computer. Even now, my work style is almost the same as when I would come to the office.
Since going fully remote, I no longer have to spend time commuting or traveling to meetings, and I am able to focus more on my work. Now, sometimes I even write programs right up to the start of a videoconference (laughs).
Hoshino:
Although I am no longer able to conduct experiments in the office, I can now devote myself to analyzing the data accumulated from my previous experiments
At GIC, all of our offices have free-address seating. It’s normal not to have coworkers or supervisors all on the same floor, and I have developed a habit of actively communicating with those around me. Thanks to this, I believe I was able to smoothly adapt to a fully remote work environment.
In my personal life, a big change is that I can now use the two hours I used to spend commuting on my work and with family. I can go shopping and have meals with my family more often now. I will definitely cherish this kind of time I’ve spent with my family after the pandemic is over.
People's sense of beauty has changed with the times. What kind of beauty innovations will be required in the coming years?
Ominami:
We are at a major turning point in time, and people's awareness of beauty is undergoing a major transformation.
For example, as telecommuting becomes more mainstream, I feel that more and more people are finding it bothersome to put on makeup just for a videoconference. On the contrary, some people are putting more effort into beauty by using a sheet mask during teleconferences. The need for makeup that accentuates the face with a mask on and lipsticks that don’t smudge will also increase.
Now that we see the world through a digital filter, we feel that the variables of input information are less than real. Perhaps, after the Covid measures are relaxed, we may return to a more realistic orientation, with a greater desire to see seasonal flowers and architecture and to meet people in person.
As a researcher, are there any technology areas that you are focusing on?
Hoshino:
For many years, Shiseido has been engaged in research on visible skin changes such as wrinkles and blemishes. Personally, I have taken this one step further and am focusing on technology that can visualize skin problems that are difficult to see from the surface. I dream of using technology to make the skin changes and problems that we "somehow" feel visible and to eliminate the anxiety and loneliness people suffer from.
Ominami:
I am interested in an open platform based on Shiseido, like SaaS (software as a service) in the IT industry, where Shiseido creates a platform and various developers work to provide services and creativity for a large number of users. I would like for the platform to have a wide reach and large user base.
Now that fibona is entering its second year, what is your outlook for the future?
Ominami:
From the second year onward, I feel that I need to have the boldness to organize the sprouts of new synergies created at fibona into a business. I would like to firmly define the goals of the project, draw a roadmap for quick achievement of those goals, and execute it.
Recently, we've been getting an increasing number of inquiries from our business units asking if we can introduce them to startups. We are now planning to play the role of a company-wide startup matching hub in cooperation with the business divisions.
Hoshino:
I would like to promote fibona's activities more overseas. I hope to use my experience in Israel, where I studied abroad, to expand our activities globally, not only in the West, but also by combining the beauty of the East with the beauty of the Middle East.
（text: Kanako Ishikawa、edit: Kaori Sasagawa）
（2020/05/22 Some notations have been modified.）