GSFS FRONTRUNNERS: Interview with an entrepreneur

Making the World Fascinated by What You are Fascinated with

At the anniversary party of the company foundation
The name of the company, “Collinear,” represents his policy: “individuals on the same line together,” or in other words, “peers who look in the same direction.”

Artificial intelligence (AI) and digital transformation have become indispensable in modern-day businesses. Collinear Inc., founded by Akira Ogura, helps companies improve their productivity by implementing AI and digital transformation techniques without laying off employees. The company also helps businesses to use the management resources they gained from improvements in their operations.

“Our consultation fees are based on our customers’ success. We do not charge any fees until our customers achieve successful results. Our focus is on providing optimal solutions to our customers rather than gaining temporary profits to our company. We believe that this approach will result in long-term benefits for both parties,” says Ogura.

Ogura was born in Toyama Prefecture and loved playing soccer as a boy. His dream was to become a researcher at a pharmaceutical company that helps people with medication. After studying organic synthetic chemistry at Waseda University, he researched the basic technology of biopharmaceuticals for artificially potentiating and synthesizing proteins at the Graduate School of Frontier Sciences (GSFS). Having organized many events and socialized with graduate students at the GSFS, he realized that there were many people who had more potential to be researchers than him. This made him decide to venture into the business world. After graduation, he gained consulting experience in a foreign company, which helped him develop his entrepreneurial skills. Eventually, he started a business with his friends, encouraged by his wife.

“I had a difficult time when I started my business because I was not sure what to prioritize. At first, we focused on improving sales, but my colleagues and I became exhausted. When I realized that I wanted to make my employees happy rather than to get more money, everything went well,” recalls Ogura.

In 2022, Collinear Inc. won the Japan DX Award in the Support Organization Section for the project “Demand Forecast for Employees’ Better Mental Health and Time Management” in association with a company in Toyama Prefecture. His business is now expanding, including the project of planning and managing the business academy of Gamba Osaka, a renowned soccer team in the Japan Professional Football League.

“When talking about soccer, we are like standing between the forward and midfielder. We commit to the business right behind the front runner. We will enhance each other’s potential and complete the mission together,” says Ogura.

Maximizing and sharing your unique value with others can generate new values, which may be the goal of digital transformation.[

(Original Japanese text by Yoko Takada)

Telephone cards he collected as an elementary school child
“When I first started the business, I would always look for a pay phone to save money.”