Inspiring Innovators: Taro Sasaki
CEO and Founder of Hacobu, On being a little ‘crazy.’
At SAP.iO, we work with innovative people and new technologies that positively impact our world every day, and we think it’s time to share their stories with you! In our series, “Inspiring Innovators,” we get to hear how leaders of cutting-edge startup technologies overcame, thrived, and pursued their goals. SAP.iO’s Alexa Gorman sat down to discuss the road to success and lessons learned with some of our most inspiring startup founders.
Meet Taro Sasaki
Taro Sasaki has always enjoyed inventing things, even from a very young age. It is no surprise that his path led him to entrepreneurship, where he uses his love of discovery and educational training to create new businesses. With a background in consulting, Taro decided he wanted a more international perspective, so he attended business school in the United States. After spending two years in the States as a consultant, he returned to Japan, where a colleague shared an opportunity for him to be the CEO of a new beauty discovery eCommerce platform. His next steps led him to launch a new company that also provided goods in the food industry. With a taste for entrepreneurship, Taro decided that he wanted to launch a business that would look to solve problems that could make a difference in his community.
With this goal in mind, Taro Sasaki founded Hacobu. Hacobu developed MOVO, a cloud-based integrated logistics solution and operations management system utilizing in-vehicle terminals. It allows users to connect with carriers and shipping companies online. The platform accumulates distribution data from various companies to optimize the physical distribution system. In doing so, saving time, money, and providing data for properly sourcing suppliers to make the process running efficiently for the end users in communities both small and large. Toyota Industries Corporation, Nestle, and Unilever are just a few companies that utilize Hacobu’s innovative technology.
Let’s Chat
What need did you want to address in the market?
Taro recognized a problem in the logistics marketplace that needed fixing. Most business process logistics were being done over the phone, by fax, and email. He noticed that people locally in Japan were slow to adopt digital technology in this area. In addition to slow adoption, there was an increasing shortage of drivers. If these two things were left unaddressed, the situation would be disastrous. He shared that even the local governments saw the conditions in the logistic industry were deteriorating, therefore any changes for the better would likely be supported by the government. For Taro, the solution was to optimize this industry with digital technology. In doing so business would be streamlined and therefore creating an environment that might encourage an increase in drivers.
“The number of people in logistics was trending lower and lower, with a shortage of truck drivers projected to be only 1/3 of what will be required in 2027. It was apparent that optimization was necessary for the field to remain viable. If a better solution were not identified, it would affect the quality of life in Japan, which inspired us to change the logistics business in Japan.”
What challenges have you had to overcome as an entrepreneur?
Taro shared that cash flow is one of the biggest challenges he has had in his entrepreneurial journey. Over the years, starting multiple businesses, he has found it takes some time to improve this issue. He found that the best way to do this is to tighten the budget, continuously evaluate spending, and simply choose to spend less. With time and discipline, he was able to improve the outlook.
What characteristics do you think makes for a successful entrepreneur?
Taro said that to be an entrepreneur, you should be careful of being too logical. There are many jobs where you can make money and have a steady income, but being an entrepreneur is risky. You might not have a regular salary, but there’s definitely an upside to taking the risk. If you stay at it, you might create something the world has not seen before. You could make a difference in your community, and if you’ve created something a customer finds value in, the revenue will come. You must go through with your “crazy” idea and leave some of the logic behind to leap.
“It is hard to be an entrepreneur because if you think too logically, you might not take the risk and miss something. You must apply some logic, be smart, but also something you need to be a little crazy.”
What is the best advice you’ve received?
Good mentors can leave an impression on you and influence your journey. Taro credits some of his mentors for sharing advice with him that he still thinks about today. They said if you want to build a company, you need to have a big vision and a good purpose. Taro decided that he wanted to focus on something that would help to address social issues. He credits this ideology as a motivator to start Hacobu.
“The services that Hacobu provides is an essential platform for solving social issues in logistics. Without our platform, for example, people might not be able to get the essential product to the store they need for their customers. It is important to help better social issues and have a big vision that serves a greater purpose.”
What advice do you have for a person thinking about launching a business?
To a person about to embark on launching a new company, Taro would advise that you need to have the will to do so. Determination is key to keeping you heading down your chosen path. If you want to make an impact, solve social issues, and contribute to the betterment of people, will yourself to do so. You will find support from people, including investors, to guide you to your end goal.
What We Learned
From Alexa’s conversation with Taro Sasaki, we learned about his vision and goal for Hacobu to become Japan’s essential digital logistics platform. He noticed people in the logistics field were not adapting to digital technology and how it was adversely affecting the logistics industry. The hope of improving the quality of life in Japan inspired the team to create a solution that makes a difference. Taro’s love of creating and his need to provide a social service to his community drove him to find his big purpose-driven idea. He was just the right amount of ‘crazy’ to see his vision come to fruition.
Hacobu is a graduate of Tokyo foundry’s Industry 4.0: SAP S/4HANA & Digital Supply Chain cohort. To learn more about Hacobu, watch this video to see how Hacobu provides solutions on the logistics platform MOVO to enable users to share and exchange their logistics data. You can find them on the SAP store here.
If you are a startup looking to change the world for the better, like Hacobu, check out our upcoming programs here.
