Curiosity × Breakthrough Engine Drives the Dawn-Market. Let’s Unveil Who the Mysterious CSO is.
This 9th member interview is the appearance of Mr. Mori, who became CSO in Aug 2021. Diverse careers cultivated so far and aggressive business strategies born from them. Let’s unravel who the mysterious CSO is.
-To start with, please tell us about your history.
I was born in Japan to Japanese parents, I usually went to school until the middle of junior high school, but due to family circumstances, I rarely went to high school. What I was doing during those three years was living as a day trader in the morning and as an online gamer in the afternoon. As a result of being so absorbed in it, I was actually a heavy player who ranked first position in a job with an Asian server in a certain online game. After that, when I went to college, I thought “I want to go out to the world” and went to the Republic of Malta in the Mediterranean Sea, a country famous for scuba diving, to study English.
-You suddenly moved overseas, didn’t you?
Even though I hadn’t studied English at all, I thought, “Isn’t it faster to go?” While I was at a pub or diving center, I talked to a native instructor and asked him to teach me “Please correct what I made a mistake”. To be honest, it was more efficient and fun than a language school, so I got into it. I lived there and went diving every day and became a professional instructor in 6 months while translating for Japanese people.
-I would love to hear from you as a professional diver someday!
At first, I was a playing professional, but my ability was recognized, and I investigated sunken ships and caves in each country, and at one point I was also an American Special Forces trainer. When I was working diving for about three and a half years, I happened to meet a Japanese person who was training as an astronaut as a professional diver. From that point, he told me that it is not so hard to be an Astronaut if I add the study of astrophysics to my career as a professional diver. Think from there, I studied around 50 countries as a backpacker for a year, and as a result, I entered the skipping class to the Faculty of Theoretical Physics at the University of Edinburgh in the United Kingdom. There, I studied astrophysics and string theory to unravel the mystery of the fundamentals of the universe, and graduated at the top.
While attending school, I also experienced the launch of the astronaut training facility Blue Abyss, and there was political unrest due to Brexit (Britain’s withdrawal from Europe) at the timing of “What should I do next?” So I returned to Japan two years ago. After returning to Japan, I was fully immersed in space x business while doing space-related activities and management consulting at the general incorporated association SPACETIDE, and I met WARPSPACE.
-It’s finally out!
I think it was the first time I met Mr. Tsunemachi, who was participating in the audience when I was on stage at an event called NEXT SPACE in Yspace.
At that time, it was the timing that WARPSPACE needs a human resource who understands space technology, can speak English, and has negotiation ability. And he asked to join and advance overseas in WARPSPACE.
Blue Abyss is a business that has a very long span until it will get on track in the future, so now, as a way to utilize my skills, I joined from May 2021 and up to now.
For the ultimate adventure
-What made you decide to join WARPSPACE?
Considering the theme of “human beings go to space” over a long span, I think that communication infrastructure is indispensable. However, there weren’t many businesses that challenged it when I was studying space.
Even so, WARPSPACE is now so concrete toward the realization of optical space communication, and it may be the best to honestly think that it is “interesting”. And in the future, I think that manned x space will come in as infrastructure everywhere, so I would like to create this communication infrastructure even if I want to go to space.
-Do you want to go to space after all?
Yes, I especially want to go to the moon.
-Why is it the moon?
Because It’s the ultimate adventure, isn’t it? I’ve been around the world, studying English by myself, going to caves and sunken ships, skydiving, aiming for unexplored areas with backpacking, etc., but it’s an extension of this kind of adventure. I think the moon is the ultimate place.
I’ve done a lot of adventures in the ocean as my career, so next time I want to go to space and go to the moon myself.
Speaking of inter-satellite optical communication, aiming for WARPSPACE
－It’s been about 5 months since you joined in May 2021, but what kind of work are you doing at WARPSPACE now?
As a Chief Strategy Officer, of course, I am doing a wide range of things besides the company’s strategy. I also look at marketing and public relations, and there are many scenes where I actually move my hands at the front desk. For example, I may actually go to business or write my own proposal to be submitted to a government agency as GR.
However, there is a strategy involved. Right now, it’s an image of steadily filling in from the outer moat, such as selling components and paying hometown taxes in order to make our company known to many people and to create more customers for our future core business, Warp Hub InterSat in the end. We haven’t started the service yet, so we’re talking about things that we can collaborate with in the future, especially overseas.
-It’s a very important position. I think there are many aspects of BizDev, but why is it Strategy?
It’s true that BizDev is the actual movement, but the name is that “Strategy” is more major and easier to recognize than “Chief Business Development Officer”.
I thought about “Chief Business Officer”, but in the actual scene, CBO is often asked “What B?”, so I thought it would be better if it was easy to understand, so I chose “Strategy”.
In addition, I am not the strongest person in the company in the field such as CTO or CFO, but I have both understanding of the satellite industry and technology and understanding of management, so the movement is I think we are in the process of steering the direction of the entire business. Looking at the entire service and development project in parallel with Mr. GM Higashi, I feel like thinking about how to insert the product according to the needs of the customer, and conversely, how to develop it according to the needs.
However, if you notice it, whether it’s sales materials, marketing, event planning, or HR, I’m also moving my hands on all the related movements, so I’m doing everything! That gag is always happening.
-How do you see the future of WARPSPACE from the CSO’s point of view?
First of all, in terms of the future of the company, when we look at the realization of inter-satellite optical communication, we are about five years ahead, so I think there is a good chance if we go to sell it overseas. Of course, there is a technical competition, but it is important to come up with ideas first, so the small satellite industry is growing steadily, and I feel a lot of hope.
And beyond that, as a representative of Japan, I would like to overtake the world’s competitors, and I think we are in a place where we can actually do that. By joining at this timing, I became able to attack the US and overseas markets more and more than before, and I was able to talk more and more, so I would like to go my favorite overseas and take more and more business. I would like to come and make it happen. I would like everyone to say “WARPSPACE for inter-satellite optical communication”.
Compass of Behavior
-Finally, which is Mori’s most important “Compass of Behavior”?
Our Compass of Behavior
01. Leap
02. Goal oriented
03. Decide with fact
04. Chase one chance
05. Resilient spirit
06. Respect your crew
07. Love family
08. Adventure
09. be attractive
Definitely it’s just 08.Adventure.
I have a habit of enjoying my life, especially what I think is difficult to do. No matter what I do, I like the sense of accomplishment that goes beyond difficult and dangerous things, so I think this is an adventure-centered life both as an individual and as a company.
