​ ​This time, we will talk with Mr. Shinpei Kato, the founder and CTO of Tier IV, Inc., the creator of the world's first open source software for autonomous driving "Autoware", and Mizuki Takahara, the capitalist in charge of JAFCO.

【profile】
Founder and CTO of Tier IV, Inc. Shinpei Kato
​ ​Born in 1982, from Kanagawa prefecture. After earning a PhD (Engineering) degree from Keio University in 2008, he has been a researcher at Carnegie Mellon University and the University of California. He returned to Japan in 2012 and became an associate professor at Nagoya University. He has published numerous papers as an international computer science researcher. Developed automatic driving software "Autoware" applying the research results and released it to the world as open source. Founded Tier IV, Inc. in 2015. In 2016, he became an associate professor at the University of Tokyo. In 2018, he established The Autoware Foundation, an international industry group, and became the chairman.

​ ​[What's Tier IV, Inc.]
​ ​A startup from Nagoya University founded in December 2015. "Autoware" is the first front runner in Japan to perform remote-controlled autonomous driving with no driver's seat on public roads in 2017, and has conducted about 70 demonstration experiments in 18 prefectures. In 2018, we established "The Autoware Foundation" to promote the international standardization of "Autoware", and are developing efforts to improve technology with autonomous driving development companies, public institutions, academic institutions, etc. all over the world. "Autoware" has been adopted by hundreds of organizations in more than 10 countries around the world, including the US Department of Transportation and the Federal Road Administration, as well as major OEMs and start-up companies. In August 2020, the cumulative amount of funds raised reached 17.5 billion yen.

Portfolio

From the anxiety of the first meeting, I was convinced that "this person will save Tier IV"

Kato When I founded ​Tier IV, I had no knowledge of management.​ ​In August 2015, the autonomous driving software "Autoware", which had been developed over about three years, was released as open source. I started a business four months later.​ ​I didn't know anything, but when I applied for a venture company support program, Mr. JAFCO came to hear me. That is the first point of contact with Mr. JAFCO.

​ ​Takahara​ ​I met in 2017, about two years after that. You went to see Mr. Kato after receiving a consultation about making a scheme for investment.

​ ​Kato​ ​That's right. Immediately after starting the business, I didn't make an investment, but the members who co-founded Tier IV were friends with President Toyoki of JAFCO, so I was able to reconnect. After talking with President Toyoki, I once again understood JAFCO's history and achievements, and thought that it was a company with a great sense of security. However, after that, when I was introduced to Mr. Takahara as the person in charge, I actually felt that he was lonely (laughs).

Takahara When I first met you, I was only present at the hearing and took the minutes at the end, so that's right (laughs).

Kato: But when I saw him carrying out complicated document preparation and accounting work with amazing accuracy, he immediately changed his mind, saying, "This person is the one who helps Tier IV." Let's get along with Mr. Takahara (laughs). That intuition wasn't wrong.

Takahara I'm glad I worked with my own hands​ ​and won the trust (laughs).​ ​When I first got involved, Tier IV had no full-time employees, and all of them were involved as side businesses. If someone doesn't do the business, it won't turn as a company! I thought, so I was winding up whatever work I could do. For example, even when hiring employees, the basic rules of the company, such as "what should I do with employment contracts and salary settings," have not been decided. Using JAFCO's know-how as much as possible, I was also involved in various in-house maintenance and system design.

Kato It took a year from the time I met Mr.Kogen until the full-scale investment was made. From that stage, there aren't many capitalists who commit to that level.

Takahara Mr. Kato​ ​released "Autoware", which he developed over three years, in open source, and from the beginning he said, "I want to democratize autonomous driving with open source and create a company that can overcome Silicon Valley." .. In the appearance of talking calmly and very logically about that grand vision, I felt that "Mr. Kato will really realize it," and the image as an "entrepreneur" rather than a "researcher" is strongly impressed. Remains as.​ ​And, as long as I am involved, I have the feeling that "it is my responsibility to be a member of the company and clear the issues that need to be solved for business growth together." bottom.

​ ​Kato​ ​That's right. The world I envision hasn't changed since the beginning of the development of "Autoware." We believe that the only way Japanese startups can beat big Silicon Valley companies is "open source." Software is valuable to be used by many people. If engineers around the world use it, we can increase the number of friends and become the de facto standard in the field of autonomous driving.

And I think I have to be a symbol of Japan's deep tech. The fact that I am entrusted with a computer science course at the highest school in Japan means that if I could not create a global platform, computer science in Japan would have lost. I think it is necessary to form a team with such determination and enthusiasm.

​ Ta​kahara ​Mr. Kato's great point is that he keeps saying that without showing off his technical capabilities. Tier IV currently has about 160 employees, but almost no one has quit since its inception. There are few such startups. I think that Mr. Kato's attitude, which is always open, attracts people around him, even though he is a leader in the industry and is in the position of "teaching at the highest school".

A third-party perspective is indispensable for the management meeting. There is a sense of conviction in the remarks backed by the achievements

Kato Mr. ​ Kogen participates in Tier IV's management meeting, and he is a really good balancer.​ ​Tier IV's management has an insatiable spirit of inquiry and uncompromising rigor, and sometimes there is no way out because they argue that "let's improve that" and "there are issues here as well". .. In such a case, Mr. Takahara throws a loose word from a third-party perspective, saying, "I'm done enough."

​ Takahara​ ​Now that we have excellent members in the management, there are fewer scenes where I do practical work such as creating materials as before. Tier IV can now be seen from a slightly different position from practice, and even at the management meeting, it is possible to talk from a slightly different angle. Management is discussing it very seriously, but sometimes they think, "I don't care about the details," or "Why don't you take action once?" As a person involved in Tier IV, not as a capitalist, I think​ ​it is important to have an opinion from a different angle.
Kato JAFCO​ ​has an overwhelmingly large investment record compared to other venture capital firms. Even if you are in Tier IV, you will not notice it, but Mr. Takahara, who has seen other cases, says "it's okay", and the persuasive power and sense of security are great.

​ ​​Takahara In​ ​general, the relationship between an entrepreneur and a shareholder does not always have a stake in it. But in the end, I believe we can be a partner who aims for the same goal. With that in mind, I've conveyed my thoughts without hiding them, and that's why I think I have a relationship where I can talk about severe things.

​ ​Kato​ ​That's right. Now, Tier IV is rapidly expanding its organization. Mr. Takahara lightly blows the wind to the management team, who tend to think hard about themselves, sometimes saying, "There aren't many startups that are working so hard." It would be a problem if its existence disappeared.

A university-launched startup that confronts the world's largest companies. I want to be a member of the story of success

Takahara ​I feel that the word "deep tech" has become quite popular in the world in the last few years. However, Mr. Kato has been seriously simulating "how can a university-launched venture win over Silicon Valley" tens of thousands of times since the development of "Autoware" long before that. As a result, I think it is the current strategy to aggregate knowledge from all over the world through open source. I want Tier IV to be one of the success patterns to confront Silicon Valley monster companies.

​ ​Kato: The story is that a small Japanese startup creates a world coalition army instead of its own and wins an overwhelming share of the market. Now that Tier IV has partnered with many overseas companies, "Autoware" is being used in various regions. But from now on, I want it to be used in more countries and regions, even if we don't know it. If you can feel the spread, you may think that what you have done has taken shape.
Takahara​ ​I want to be a person who has been involved in the challenge as much as possible.​ ​Once you reach your goal, Mr. Kato will be headed for a new challenge, so I'd be happy if you could say "Let's do it together" at that time.

​ ​Kato​ ​Thank you for your continued investment (laughs).​ ​I'm still only about 30% of what I can do. The same is true for Tier IV. The potential is even higher. I'm saving now, thinking that I'll be able to demonstrate 100% of my ability only after I have properly prepared all the systems.​ ​As an investor, it is a major premise to meet your expectations. On top of that, if Mr. Takahara helps, I will step on the accelerator toward 100%.