So Nishina<\/strong> Takahiko Ito<\/strong> Nishina: We operate on two axes: our CX (Customer Experience) platform business, and a professional services business that supports strategy design and business transformation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the CX platform business, we develop products including the “KARTE” series \u2014 which uses clients’ 1st Party Customer Data and other data to provide real-time, user-tailored actions in a one-stop fashion, equipped with a rich array of features. We support clients broadly, from user analytics and customer journey design through to site improvement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the professional services business, we operate two offerings: “PLAID ALPHA” \u2014 which provides consistent accompanying support from data-based strategy formulation and implementation through to business outcome creation \u2014 and “STUDIO ZERO,” which supports business transformation across industries, armed with deep expertise in business development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ito: STUDIO ZERO operates under the mission of “accelerating the transformation of industries and society.” There are three stances we hold central to that, and we call them “ART” after their initials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The first is Aufheben. Rather than choosing one side when two conflicting views \u2014 A and B \u2014 are in tension, it means generating a new, higher-order solution “C” by making use of both. The second is Respect \u2014 Plaid and our clients standing on equal footing and mutually respecting each other. The third is Travel \u2014 the idea of aiming together for transformations that go beyond what was conventionally conceivable, rather than settling for a predictable future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This “ART” stance is our reason for existing. We don’t stop at drawing a strategy \u2014 we are thoroughly committed to “execution” and “impact.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nishina: Yes. We approach our work with the stance of “architecting” not just the client’s business, but the organization itself \u2014 one that is capable of sustainable growth. That is why we use the title “Business Architect.” Legally, we are external parties, but we believe that real transformation cannot happen unless we act with the sense of ownership of “a member involved in the final decision-making.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nishina: We currently have about 20 members: five leaders and thirteen members. Notably, only one of those comes from a consulting firm background \u2014 the majority of the organization consists of people with operating company experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is both our strength and a hiring challenge. Some operating company professionals have driven Aufheben while communicating with multiple stakeholders even without prior client-work experience. On the other hand, some past hires were cases of mismatch \u2014 people who were too attached to the idea that “my logic is the most correct one.” Prior client-work experience is not required, but being able to respect others’ thinking without imposing your own agenda is critically important.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nishina: Current projects run with a minimum of two people and a maximum of six. Because we are working on the theme of business development with a single client while also at times developing new businesses or developing people capable of business development, the total number of people across an account tends to be higher. That said, to ensure each individual member provides deep impact for the client, we cap simultaneous assignment at two projects per person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ito: To give an example from my own current work: I’m handling an engagement for a major corporation that wants to “create new businesses in the data business domain.” There is a theme for the new business, but it’s a crowded market where even early movers haven’t yet achieved significant success \u2014 we’re at a phase of building together from “which challenge do we solve, and how?” The first thing I committed to was thorough collection of primary information. Centered on our team, we conducted interviews with 50 to 60 target practitioners over the course of one month. Clients were surprised \u2014 “you’re going that far?” \u2014 but it’s on the basis of this thorough deep-dive into primary information that we hold weekly discussions with the client about “what is the challenge we should solve?” A lot of our work involves this kind of painstaking effort \u2014 thoroughly engaging with the client company, its organization, and the people in it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ito: Yes \u2014 the client isn’t looking to us for answers either. We present facts and say “this is how we interpreted them \u2014 how do you see it?” and engage in genuine debate. I used new business development support as an example, but it’s the same for transformation support of existing businesses. It’s not uncommon for a client to think they have a problem with business strategy, but for repeated rounds of discussion to reveal that the essential challenge is actually “organizational structure” or “decision-making processes.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ito: Of course. A typical consulting firm might say “that’s outside the scope of the contract,” but we don’t hesitate to say “if you want to produce real impact, you should do this first.” That is our practice of the stance of “Respect” and “Aufheben.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nishina: The origin of my career was a vague dream I held around age 20 of “wanting to build infrastructure that enhances self-efficacy by age 50.” To start by learning about infrastructure, I joined NTT Docomo as a new graduate. But I gradually realized that learning sales was what mattered most for building infrastructure, and since NTT Docomo’s role was primarily planning with limited sales exposure, I left. After that, using the single keyword “can scientize sales” as my guide, I cold-called Salesforce.com’s main line and made the move. While building experience in their customer success division, I sensed the potential of the SaaS business model \u2014 still unusual at the time \u2014 and through fortunate connections joined Plaid, which was then still pre-listing. That said, I had an insufficient understanding of startups at first and experienced failures in management and valuation, which led me to enroll in Waseda University’s MBA program to systematically learn about management. After acquiring those skills, I left Plaid once to gain practical experience \u2014 serving as CFO and CPO at a Series B startup, working on fundraising and product development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nishina: At the point when I was graduating from my previous company, I reconnected with Plaid’s founder, Kurahashi. Plaid had just listed at the time, and through our conversations I came to understand that he felt a challenge with the overly strong image of “Plaid = solving marketers’ challenges.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Plaid has held, since its founding, the value of “PLAY & AID” \u2014 cherishing full immersion in something, expressing your own capabilities, and above all enjoying it, and wanting to actively support those things through business. Returning to that origin, he came to me with a request: “We want to become an entity that goes deeper into the executive layer and supports the transformation of businesses and entire organizations.” I started in an advisory capacity, then returned to Plaid in 2021 and launched STUDIO ZERO.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is my third employer. At Senshukai, where I joined as a new graduate, I worked on fulfillment planning, company-wide BPR projects, EC strategy formulation, and launching a new business with Nintendo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But as companies like Rakuten and Amazon were rapidly generating new value, I wanted to be part of creating transformation at an even faster pace, and made the move to a startup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ito: Yes \u2014 Foodison. I had always, as a consumer, felt the unique appeal of Japan’s primary industries and traditional crafts, while also feeling a sense of crisis that those industries were in decline. That led me to wanting to drive transformation in those domains. I joined Foodison \u2014 which was working to transform the seafood distribution industry \u2014 from its early founding phase, and experienced the choppy waters of startup life: building new fresh food distribution networks, launching new businesses, fundraising, navigating the pandemic, and a Growth Market IPO.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While driving the business as an executive officer, ten years passed since I joined, and I reached a milestone of turning 40 \u2014 and I found myself wanting to take on a new challenge from scratch. It was at that point that I met Nishina. The uniqueness of an in-house entrepreneurial unit at an operating company, the organization’s distinct character of calling itself a “group of business builders” while operating a consulting business, and the assemblage of members who had been at the forefront of various industries \u2014 I remember being genuinely attracted by all of that. I found myself thinking “what on earth is this organization?” while instinctively feeling “this looks interesting.” When I actually spoke with Nishina, I was moved by his overwhelming passion and sense of excitement, and decided on the spot to join.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nishina: Someone who can understand and practice our “ART” stance at the level of day-to-day work is a strong match. Actually, “ART” has a flow to it \u2014 it starts with “R (Respect).” Having respect for the client’s organization and culture, and even for structural challenges like “why can’t they do this?” \u2014 holding that respect, organizing the structure, and becoming someone who is in turn respected \u2014 only once that equal relationship exists does “A (Aufheben)” \u2014 the crossing of views \u2014 become possible. The result of that is what enables “T (Travel)” \u2014 the challenge of venturing into uncharted territory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Someone who has experience of moving things forward through this “R\u2192A\u2192T” process \u2014 in business development, alliance negotiations, or any other context regardless of role \u2014 will likely find a strong affinity here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ito: “Openness” is also necessary. When I joined, I was confident in my operating company experience, but the way we engage with our work here is completely different. For experienced people, past successes can sometimes get in the way. Being able to set aside past successes and approach new methods with genuine openness \u2014 that’s essential. Without that thinking, you may not even be able to get to the starting line of Respect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ito: There are two things I personally feel. The first is the sheer number and depth of “at-bats.” If you’re at an operating company, you can be deeply involved in a single business, but running multiple transformation projects across diverse industries in parallel is simply not feasible. Being able to do that is what makes STUDIO ZERO compelling and interesting as work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The second is being able to get “the best of both worlds” from startups and large corporations. Running hypothesis validation at startup speed while multiplying the overwhelming assets and resources of a large corporation to drive dynamic transformation \u2014 I call this “startup muscles and large-corporation muscles,” and the environment where you can develop both simultaneously while generating real impact is, I think, the greatest attraction of all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nishina: We encourage around three days of office attendance per week, but because we have many client visits as well, we’re not always in the office. The only time the whole team is in the same physical place is usually Monday morning meetings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We also have many members who are raising children, and the environment is flexible enough for school pickups and drop-offs and similar needs. It’s an environment where you can be autonomous as a professional while also working flexibly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nishina: As STUDIO ZERO, I want to keep generating new examples of transformation that involve our clients. By connecting those examples with academic domains and disseminating them as know-how, I want to spread a sense of self-efficacy \u2014 a feeling that “maybe we can do this too” \u2014 throughout society. That is also my personal mission.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nishina: With STUDIO ZERO supporting transformation at the executive level, while also encouraging reform that leverages Plaid’s assets such as products and technology, and with PLAID ALPHA connecting these as CX and DX consulting\u2026 I want us to remain a partner supporting transformation as this kind of trinity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ito: In my own words, I want to increase what I call “animal spirits.” A term from the economist John Maynard Keynes, it refers to the “desire to act and believe in the future even in the face of uncertainty.” In an era of rapid change and unpredictable futures, I believe that in large corporations \u2014 and in Japan as a whole \u2014 the challenge-embracing spirit of “there are risks, but let’s try it!” will become increasingly important.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Together with clients, we take the first plunge into uncharted territory ourselves, igniting the client’s passion. And then the client propagates that “animal spirit” within their own organization. I want to create as many of those exhilarating moments as possible through STUDIO ZERO. Beyond those moments is where I believe our mission of “accelerating the transformation of industries and society” truly comes to life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I deeply resonated with STUDIO ZERO’s policy of “ART.” The interview made it clear that this is not simply strategic advice \u2014 this is a group of business architects who practice Aufheben (elevation of thinking), respect the structural challenges and corporate culture of clients, identify the essence of the challenge to be solved, and accelerate transformation through execution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What particularly stood out was the style of going knee-to-knee with clients from both inside and outside perspectives \u2014 with the eyes of an entrepreneur \u2014 driving projects that never stop at “a plan that was never meant to be executed.” The passion for raising the self-efficacy of both companies and individuals, and the strong vision of increasing “animal spirits” in an unpredictable era, felt like precisely the environment for anyone who wants to lead change in Japanese industry and society. This is a place that will be more than sufficient for those with that ambition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n ConsulNext Senior Consultant<\/strong> <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Executive Officer and Representative of STUDIO ZERO
Worked in sales and sales planning at NTT Docomo and Salesforce.com. Led overall sales activities for the company’s SaaS business, contributing to its listing. Subsequently achieved a significant improvement in company-wide performance as CFO\/CPO at PR Table. After returning to Plaid, launched STUDIO ZERO, which he now oversees. Management advisor for Dot-me Inc., a company co-launched with Mitsui & Co. ISO 30414 Lead Consultant (international standard for human capital disclosure). “Producer” in the external talent skills standard for local government DX (for roles including CIO Assistant). Research Associate at Musashino Art University’s Social Creative Research Institute. Completed an MBA at Waseda University Graduate School of Business and Finance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Senior Business Architect
After handling fulfillment planning, company-wide BPR projects, and EC strategy at Senshukai, launched a new business with Nintendo. Subsequently joined Foodison in its early founding phase. Served as business head for the retail business, BtoB fresh food EC business, and new business development, and experienced a Growth Market IPO as an executive officer. Has broad experience spanning business advancement at large corporations to 0\u21921 and 1\u219210 stages at a venture company.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\nAn Organizational Structure That Drives Transformation with the “ART” Spirit<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/mirai-works.co.jp\/consulnext\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ph03_plaid-1.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n\u2014 Could you tell us about Plaid Inc.’s business?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\u2014 Both of you are involved with STUDIO ZERO. Could you tell us about STUDIO ZERO’s purpose and reason for existing?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\u2014 STUDIO ZERO uses the title “Business Architect” rather than “consultant.”<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\u2014 Could you also tell us about the organizational structure?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Gathering Primary Information and Searching for the Essential Challenge<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/mirai-works.co.jp\/consulnext\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ph02_plaid-1.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n\u2014 How are actual projects structured and run?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\u2014 Could you give us a concrete sense of what a “Business Architect” actually does?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\u2014 So you discuss together rather than presenting answers.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\u2014 Do you point out the essential challenge even when it differs from what was originally requested?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Rich Business Experience and What Led to Joining STUDIO ZERO<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/mirai-works.co.jp\/consulnext\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ph04_plaid.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n\u2014 Could you tell us about your career backgrounds and how you came to join STUDIO ZERO?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\u2014 How did you come to be involved in launching STUDIO ZERO?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\u2014 Mr. Ito, could you tell us about your career background?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\u2014 Your second company was a startup in the fishing industry, I understand.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
What We Are Looking for: “R\u2192A\u2192T” Cross-Domain Experience and “Openness”<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/mirai-works.co.jp\/consulnext\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ph07_plaid.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n\u2014 What skills and mindset does it take to thrive at STUDIO ZERO?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\u2014 What do you think is the appeal of operating company professionals challenging themselves through STUDIO ZERO?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\u2014 Could you also tell us about how people work? Plaid has an office in Ginza \u2014 what is the balance between office attendance and remote?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Wanting to Propagate Self-Efficacy to Society Through Transformation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/mirai-works.co.jp\/consulnext\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ph05_plaid-1.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n\u2014 Finally, what would you like to realize going forward \u2014 as STUDIO ZERO and as individuals?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\u2014 How do you see STUDIO ZERO’s role within the broader group?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\u2014 What role would you like to play, Mr. Ito?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n\u3010Post-Interview Note\u3011<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/mirai-works.co.jp\/consulnext\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/img-tsukada.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
Masahito Tsukada<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nPlaid Inc. \u2014 Company Information<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>Address<\/strong><\/td> GINZA SIX 10F, 6-10-1 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 104-0061<\/td><\/tr> <\/span>Capital<\/strong><\/td> \u00a53,091,157,000 (as of September 2024)<\/td><\/tr> <\/span>Representative<\/strong><\/td> Kenta Kurahashi<\/td><\/tr> <\/span>Business Activities<\/strong><\/td> Development and provision of SaaS including the CX platform “KARTE,” and DX support for companies, organizations, and local governments through professional services<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n Plaid Inc. \u2014 Job Listings<\/h2>\n\n\n\n