Nekuino, known for its online medical examination service for pills, "Smarna." Through a business that solves women's health issues, the company's vision for the future, which seeks to update how people relate to medical care throughout their lives, what they expect from the city of Shibuya to realize it, and how the event is approaching. Mr. Osada, Director of Future Design Shibuya, talked about his expectations for SOCIAL INNOVATION WEEK 2022.
Strengths of Online/Strengths of Shibuya
Osada of all, I would like to ask you again about Mr. Ishii and Nekuino.
Ishii After graduating from the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences in 2001, I joined a foreign-affiliated pharmaceutical company as a new graduate, which was the beginning of my plunge into the world of medicine. In 2005, I changed jobs to a company called Novartis, where I was involved in an organ transplant project, and worked there for about eight years.
After that, I started a consulting company for hospitals, but the turning point came in 2015. It's been unlocked. That's how I gathered my friends and created a company called "Nekino" now.
However, it was necessary to create a model that was different from the leading companies in the field of online medical examinations. Therefore, we focused on men's ED, AGA, and areas related to so-called complexes. That's where I felt that "online" shows its power, because it can build a bridge in areas where it is difficult to go to a hospital.
After that, we started the area of pills for women.
Osada 's interesting. That will eventually lead to the "#Shikatanakunai" project that we are working on together.
-“ #Shikatanakunai
A project that aims to create a society where everyone can look forward and live in their own way by reexamining the things they have given up on regarding their bodies and sexuality.
https://fds.or.jp/pressrelease/412/
https://shikatanakunai.com
IshiiThe "Smarna" pill online medical examination service that we are doing is also a service for taboos and complex areas, and it is quite difficult to say to people. But in order to change that, let's think about our perspectives not only on menstruation and the pill, but also broadly, and send out messages to the world under the keyword "#Shikatanakunai it." This project started with.
Although I thought it was important to communicate within the city of Shibuya, it was necessary to communicate in a way that was not direct, such as for outdoor advertisements. In such a situation, Future Design Shibuya approached us, which was the reason why we decided to work together.
Osada thought that Shibuya would be the key.
Ishii: When I went to a café just before this interview, four college-aged women sitting behind me were talking about online medical examinations for pills, and one of them was trying hard to talk about the goodness of Smarna. I told the three of them. I thought it would be better to pay her a guarantee (laughs)
Osada: Amazing (laughs)
Ishii Maybe that kind of conversation is happening in the city of Shibuya. I think it's a city where the value of things accumulates through direct communication with friends, rather than through word of mouth on the internet.
A long-term presence that matches the life stage of women
Osada kind of vision do you have for the future?
IshiiI would like to finish the service called "Smarna" by 2025. What is settled is the penetration rate of the pill. In Western countries, the pill is said to be regularly used by about 30% of the target population. On the other hand, Japan's 2018 statistics are 3%. As of 2022, it is said to be about 6%. The average in developed countries is about 17 to 18%, so if we can reach this level in the next five years, I think that would be one of the goals of the service called "Smarna".
In terms of changes in women's life stages, it is necessary to solve problems such as infertility and menopause. As a project of "Smarna", the next goal is to connect this as the second and third pillars. Some of the people who first came to Smaruna have finished raising their children and are returning to the contraceptive phase, and some are entering the menopausal phase, so I would like to have a dialogue with these people. I want to start
It's like staying close to the axis of Osada Women's Health for a long time.
IshiiThat 's right. Our roadmap for 2030 is to create a situation in which customers' medical data can be handled as a personal file on a common platform that transcends each phase, looking not only at pills, but women's health as a whole. .
Osada: It's like watching everything, including life planning and things like that.
IshiiI think there is a possibility that it will be a medical service that will stay close to you throughout your long life.
The Osada municipality is also doing that kind of thing, isn't it? Is it important to cooperate with local governments?
Ishii Yes. Some local governments are using the Smarna Counseling Room. I would definitely like to do something like that in Shibuya City as well.
Osada 's right. It would be nice to build a platform that eventually connects with the local community while building up phases little by little.
SOCIAL INNOVATION WEEK, new sprouts born from Shibuya
IshiiI think that we will be able to report on the results of what we have been doing this past year at SOCIAL INNOVATION WEEK (SIW), which starts on November 8th, so I am really looking forward to it.
I also hope that SIW will connect with various companies and organizations and develop. In the "#Shikatanakunai" project, next year and the year after next, we will of course be working on the theme of menstruation, but we will also be promoting activities in areas such as work styles and education. I think it would be interesting if you could raise your hand and join us.
I think that the themes we deal with tend to land in the form of an NPO, but if we can run it as a business, I think it will easily become sustainable. Even with such a theme, I think that the way startups fight in the 2020s is to firmly establish a proper pillar of profit and invest in it. I would like to become one of the model cases in terms of solving social issues in such a way.
Osada think it is the role of SIW and the platform of Future Design Shibuya to create more and more new businesses like that.
IshiiThat 's right. I would like to do various collaborations with member companies of Future Design Shibuya.
Osada are still few start-up companies in Future Design Shibuya, so it would be nice if more people like that could come and connect with various companies and move on to the next.
IshiiThere are many start-up companies for B. There are few companies in Japan that provide proper services for C. But for C-oriented startups, I think it's very effective to involve the local community in doing something.
Osada think there is a dream that a startup for C, which is currently challenging, will team up with a community, conduct an experiment there, and then create new buds that will lead to the next. I'm thinking
IshiiI think that is also the role of startups. It's important to raise the expectations that these guys are really going to change the world, not just the corporate value of "profit x how many years".
Osada SIW is also happy if you can find such possibilities in the city of Shibuya.
《SIW2022 “#Shikatanakunai choice” project contents》
Shibuya Idea ConferenceIs that really the only way? ”
November 11th (Friday) 19:00 – 20:00 @GAKU & online distribution
<On stage>
Kenichi Ishii Nekino Co., Ltd. CEO
Kumi Nagano Senior Director of Communications (Public Relations), Tinder Japan East Asia
Siorine (Shiori Onuki) Midwife / Sex Education YouTuber / CEO of Rine Co., Ltd.
Momoko Nojo General Incorporated Association NO YOUTH NO JAPAN Representative Director
I'm sure there's no choice but to do it.
Focusing on the body and sex, the speakers, who are active in creating an open society, hold talk sessions about social issues that cannot be overlooked in their activities and the future they are aiming for. I will deliver the opportunity to think.
《SOCIAL INNOVATION WEEK SHIBUYA》
https://social-innovation-week-shibuya.jp
Secretary General Dialogue Series
Michiyo Ono – Mental and physical health for all women. The first "awareness" from Shibuya
Takuma Inoue – Continuing to create attractive “precedents” for utilizing public spaces
Chiaki Hayashi – Co-founder of Loftwork Co., Ltd. | Face the future you really want to live
