"Entrepreneurial aspirations" to hear the background of deciding to start a business, the conflict until the business gets on track, and the desire to realize through the business.
In the 3rd session, we interviewed Mr. Yutaka Shimokawa, CEO of KINS Inc.
【profile】
CEO of KINS Inc. Yutaka Shimokawa
Since 2014, he has been working as a dentist at a medical corporation in Tokyo that handles designated intractable diseases. After that, he will serve as the chairman. We are developing an approach focusing on bacteria in the intestines and oral cavity for designated intractable diseases whose cause is not clearly determined. While leading many patients to remission, we focused on the connection between the human body and bacteria and the benefits they bring, and as soon as we adjusted our diet and lifestyle, we witnessed people who became healthy and beautiful. Established KINS with the concept of "bacterial care" to convey the experience gained at a medical corporation that the various functions in the body can be adjusted at the same time by adjusting the bacteria. We are making efforts to create a world where it is natural to cherish bacteria.
[What's KINS Inc.]
Keeps the bacteria in the proper balance and makes it easier to live.
It is said that there are about 1,000 trillion indigenous bacteria surrounding us. If you can control them well, you can regain the wonderful immunity and resistance that human beings originally have. However, the state of bacteria changes greatly depending on daily eating habits and lifestyle habits. "KINS" is a total service that allows you to maintain an appropriate balance of bacteria and lead a "living" lifestyle through one-to-one communication and supplements provided by the concierge service. As of October 2020, the products handled are KINS BOX (regular / single item), ESSENCE (regular / single item), BOOSTER (regular / single item), and FACE MASK.
Portfolio
Focusing on "beauty" as an entrance to spread preventive medicine
-Mr. Shimokawa was originally a dentist. Please tell us how you decided to start a business from there.
At the age of 30, I became the chairman of a medical corporation specializing in bacteria and genes. Many patients suffering from chronic diseases such as atopic dermatitis and ulcerative colitis visit the clinic, and we aimed for radical treatment by prescribing supplements to supplement the deficient bacteria.
A patient who is really in trouble, such as "I went to dermatology for 20 years and my symptoms haven't improved," comes to me with the last hope. And it gets better surprisingly with the power of the fungus. I have seen such a situation many times. On the other hand, in the case of a clinic, it is difficult to see many patients at once. In addition, the clinic I was in was a self-financed clinic, so the reality was that the number of people who could receive a medical examination was limited.
I want to save people who suffer from chronic illnesses that may actually be more. To that end, we want to fundamentally reduce the number of people with chronic diseases. Such feelings gradually swelled, and eventually I began to want to work on "preventive medicine" through bacteria.
At that time, I myself was suffering from diarrhea and sudden deafness due to the pressure of being in a responsible position at a young age. One of the reasons why I wanted to spread preventive medicine using bacteria was the actual experience of my physical condition recovering by practicing the latest information obtained through joint research with the University of Tokyo and doctor study sessions. is.
-Why did you choose to do business instead of as a doctor?
It is also meaningful to expand the clinic and spread preventive medical care using bacteria, but as I said earlier, the number of medical treatments that can be performed is limited, and the sense of speed is still inferior. I thought that it would be better if it could be made into a service, so I started a business in 2018 with my own funds. After that, we were fortunate to receive 100 million yen from angel investors, and we released the "KINS" brand less than a year after the company was established.
The position of director of a medical corporation was very stable, so I had to be prepared to jump out of it. But my wife told me. "It's not like Shimokawa's choice of stability." That one word also pushed me back to entrepreneurship.
-Please tell us the reason why you first focused on the beauty field when creating a service to spread preventive medicine.
I am good at sales, but it was difficult for me to spread preventive medicine at the clinic. It is a high hurdle to spend time and money on prevention during busy daily life, and people do not move easily until they get sick. If preventive medicine becomes the norm, it will surely save more people than it is now, but it will not be possible with the straightforward method. I was worried about such a dilemma.
So I came up with the idea of connecting preventive medicine with areas that already have needs. As the idea of "inner care" has been attracting attention in recent years, "beauty" and "health" are inseparable. In the field of cosmetology, there is a lot of interest in the world and it is easy for people to incorporate it into their daily lives, so I thought it would be the best way to spread preventive medicine.
For example, let's say a woman who is worried about rough skin picks up our service. If, while using it on a daily basis, other anxious symptoms improve, it becomes harder to get sick, and I feel better ... You are naturally practicing preventive medicine. In realizing that scenario, the means of "care using bacteria" was the best.
"Bacterial care" that can be expected to radically improve all symptoms
-" KINS" is a service for "bacterial care", but what is "bacterial care" in the first place?
It is said that there are about 1,000 trillion indigenous bacteria in the human body. You may have heard the term "intestinal flora", but the bacteria are present not only in the intestines but also in the skin, scalp, oral cavity, and so on. We call the method of regaining the original immunity and resistance of human beings by controlling them as "bacterial care".
For example, improving the intestinal environment with bacterial care can be expected to have various benefits such as aging prevention, allergy countermeasures, beautiful skin, good sleep, prevention of hypertension and diabetes.
-It has such a positive effect! Nevertheless, why is the beauty of fungal care not yet pervasive in the world?
The number of papers on the effects of bacteria on the human body has been increasing for about five years, and now it is being studied all over the world. On the other hand, the reason why there are not many services and products that promote fungal care is that the mechanism of the effects of fungi is as complicated as in space.
The mainstream of conventional treatments is the concept of symptomatic treatment such as "take medicine to lower blood sugar level when it rises" and "take painkillers if pain does not go away". But that is not the ultimate solution. Bacteria have the power to correct the cause of symptoms from the root, but it is not a simple thing that "incorporating this bacterium is effective for this symptom", and there are individual differences in the effects.
It is better for business to extract and promote one easy-to-understand bacterium. However, in order to maximize the value of the fungus, we must take a more comprehensive view of the fungus. It can be said that our challenge to not escape from the complex bacteria like the universe begins with "recklessness".
-Please tell us the specific service content of "KINS".
Currently, I specialize in the beauty field, and the main service is a regular purchase course called "KINS BOX". It is a service that can improve various disorders such as rough skin and bowel movements through fungus care, which includes a test kit that can check the condition of bacteria on the skin, a customizable supplement, and a concierge service that allows you to consult with LINE.
In addition, we are developing "KINS ESSENCE", which is used by sprinkling on food and beverages, and "KINS BOOSTER", a new product for growing skin-beautifying bacteria, by regular purchase and individual purchase.
-So to speak, it's a "fungus care subscription". Why did you adopt such a sales method?
The customer's body does not change when only the product is sold. In addition to taking supplements, it is very important in fungal care to accompany you for a long time without interrupting your relationship with customers, such as giving guidance on dietary habits to maximize the effects of bacteria. It is important. Therefore, the form of regular purchase was considered as a mast from the time of service design.
The world of fungi is extremely complicated. However, it is not necessary to promote understanding of the fungus from the beginning, and I thought it would be good if you could be interested in the fact that "the design is fashionable" and "the brand launched by the doctor can be trusted". At first, I started using "KINS" because I wanted to cure my rough skin, and when I noticed it, my period pain was alleviated, I had difficulty catching a cold, and my mind was stable. And if it becomes commonplace to take care of bacteria with "KINS" every day, awareness of preventive medicine will naturally increase.
-When I first saw the "KINS" brand site, I misunderstood it as a stylish cosmetics brand. There was such a strategy in branding.
After starting the business, I had the opportunity to meet Kinya Tagawa, the representative of Takram, and asked Takram for branding. At that time, I didn't even know the word D2C, but I wish I could learn from Mr. Tagawa a successful example of an overseas D2C brand and develop it in the healthcare field. A company that is serious and enthusiastic about healthcare, yet is good for business. I call it "a refreshing metamorphosis of bacteria" (laughs), but since there was no such company, I decided to aim for that position.
My wife was the number one target for creating the brand's worldview. I thought that if I didn't aim for a product that I or someone close to me would like to use, my insights would shift.
With the cooperation of my wife and friends as a monitor, we proceeded with the development steadily. It was also useless. When I tried to imitate the bottle design of a fashionable cosmetics brand, I was struck by "This is XX!" (Laughs).
Aspirations that cannot be realized without becoming the top of the industry
-It's been about a year since the release in October 2019. Nowadays, many influencers love "KINS" and the number of users is increasing rapidly. Was it good from the beginning of the release?
No, at first I was struggling with marketing and had about 30 users. I had experience in attracting affiliate customers when I was a medical corporation, but when I hit a lot of half-finished jabs with an ad strategy, I moved away from the brand's world view of running along with customers and building long-term relationships. It ends up. Everything went wrong until I realized it was important to get more engaged on the right straight.
However, it was a turning point when I started to seriously face each customer at insta-lives and offline seminars and increase the density of communication. It happened that one of the people who attended the seminar was a famous beautician who became a fan of "KINS". From there, it began to be recognized as "a brand used by cool people, although no one knows it yet," and it has grown into an event that attracts fans. Also, the beauticians and celebrity influencers who became fans naturally started to advertise on Instagram. Among them, there was a moment when a lucky wind blew, such as the one who happened to come to the seminar had millions of followers, and now we have 2,000 new users in a month. rice field.
-I heard that the churn rate is overwhelmingly low.
It is said that the customer survival rate of general supplements after one year is about 5 %, but about half of the customers continue to use "KINS" even after one year. This is because the UX is designed to include the experience so that the user can actually feel the effect. Utilizing marketing automation, we measure NPS every month through a questionnaire survey through the concierge. And if it doesn't go well with the current supplements, we have a mechanism to deliver customized products with different prescriptions.
Also, this is a unique feature of our company, but even if you don't feel that much, there are some people who are fans of "KINS". I think that many people think, "I want to be a member of" KINS"" and "I want to support the growth of" KINS"" because I have been steadily facing each and every one of them.
-In the meantime, we received an investment from JAFCO in October this year. Could you tell us how you considered raising funds from venture capital?
If the UX is increased, the number of users will increase, if the number of users is increased, the database will be enriched, and if the database is enriched and more detailed services can be provided, the UX will be further enhanced. It is important to go through that cycle for future business expansion.
As part of this, we launched the booster "KINS BOOSTER" that can care for bacteria in October, and we plan to release new products once every three months in the future. In addition, we have decided to raise funds due to plans such as in-house production of the system.
My ambition is "to make it a matter of course to prevent chronic diseases." It can never be achieved with temporary funding and can only be achieved by listing and becoming the industry leader. Bacterial care is the current means of achieving the vision, and we do not know what will be the best means in three years. If you become the top, you will be able to get the latest information as soon as possible. It is a decision with an eye on the future.
-Why did you choose JAFCO among the many venture capital firms?
The ideal was venture capital that respected my management policy. Mr. Nagaoka, who is in charge of JAFCO, sympathized with my method and came up with a business plan from scratch that could maximize that. As a result, I found that the amount of money I needed was three times the amount I initially expected, and I am grateful for the accurate advice. Even now, 60 % of people are moving like our employees.
Mr. Shimokawa and Tatsuya Nagaoka, the capitalist in charge of JAFCO (left)
-What is your immediate goal to aim for after getting a partner called Jafco?
We aim to achieve monthly sales of 100 million yen by the end of 2021 by rotating and visualizing the UX improvement cycle I mentioned earlier. And it is listed.
-Thank you. Finally, do you have a message for those who want to become entrepreneurs and young entrepreneurs?
I think the key to success is not to escape from the muddy smell of producing 0 to 1. In my case, I wanted to achieve both freshness and muddy odor, so I was particular about how to refresh my steady marketing and sales activities (laughs). I would like you to look at each customer's face, listen to their hearts, and work with the spirit of making everyone a fan.
