May 23, 2018

Taejun Shin was selected as a Young Global Leader 2018

It gives us great pleasure to announce that Taejun Shin, our CEO and Founder of Gojo, was invited to be a Young Global Leader (“YGL”) 2018. The World Economic Forum selects 100 people under the age of 40 from around the world to be YGLs, giving them the opportunity to learn and inspire each other for the next 5 years.

“One hundred of the world’s most promising artists, business leaders, public servants, technologists and social entrepreneurs have been asked to join the World Economic Forum’s community of Young Global Leaders. They are joining a community and five-year programme that will challenge them to think beyond their scope of expertise and be more impactful leaders. They were nominated because of their ground-breaking work, creative approaches to problems and ability to build bridges across cultures and between business, government and civil society. “ (from the YGL website)

For more details about YGL, please see the following link.

Gojo is determined to earn trust and reputation by consistent good work and behaviour per its Guiding Principles and believes that media exposure or membership is incidental. However, we are grateful for these opportunities and leverage them only for the benefits to our clients’ lives.

May 10, 2018

Gojo appoints new COO, Principal and Country Representative

We are pleased to announce that Gojo recently filled three important positions, that of COO, Principal and Country Representative in Myanmar.

Mr. Takefumi Uda joins Gojo as COO from late May 2018. Prior to joining Gojo, Mr.Uda was part of the senior management team and the driving force behind Sushiro, contributing to the company becoming the most successful sushi restaurant operator in Japan. During the 7 years at Sushiro, Mr. Uda was engaged in business planning, handled HR for 35,000+ employees, involved in IT and quality assurance among others. Microfinance and restaurant operation has much similarity in that the quality of front-line staff is the most important part to make the business successful.

Mr. Kuniaki Sanui joined us as Principal in April 2018. Mr. Sanui has 13 years’ experience in the finance and private equity industry, including Mizuho Bank and J-Will Partners, and 3 years at the Boston Consulting Group. His extensive experience is expected to contribute to our fundraising, investment and management support among others. Currently, he is working on fundraising activities within Japan.

Mr. Shun Ito joins Gojo as the Country Representative in Myanmar from June 2018. Mr. Ito used to be a management consultant at Roland Berger and has been determined to join us out of his passion to work for the people of Myanmar. He speaks Japanese, English and Burmese, a rare and perfect combination for a company like Gojo. He will reside in Myanmar with his family members.

Passionate and capable people are the most important competitive edge for finance business, and we are pleased to have them on board. We continue to recruit talented people to achieve our vision and mission to make the Private Sector World Bank.

Takefumi Uda | Chief Operating Officer

After graduating from Osaka University, Takefumi started his consulting career; first as a product development consultant for manufacturing companies at Information Services International-Dentsu and then as a management consultant at A. T. Kearney. After that, he joined Akindo Sushiro, a family sushi restaurant, first as a consultant and then as the Executive Officer and worked as one of the 4 management members of the company. He managed corporate planning, marketing, HR, quality assurance and IT of the company and built organizational & operational foundations to run problem-solving at all level of the company, enabling its sustainable growth. At Sushiro, Takefumi was the driving force of the company’s growth, contributing to transforming Sushiro to be the leading company in the industry. His strength is to develop business foundations and HR system for a “people business” where the quality of the front-line staff works as the competitive edge. He is a part-time lecturer at Rikkyo University Business Leadership Program.

Kuniaki Sanui | Principal

After having 13 years experience in the finance industry and 3 years at management consulting, Kuniaki joined Gojo in 2018 as a Principal mainly working for fundraising activity inside Japan. After graduating from Hitotsubashi University, he started his career at Mizuho Bank in 2003. After then he joined J-Will Partners, a leading PE fund in Japan in 2006, and worked on investment and management support activities for Japanese enterprises. In 2013 he joined the Boston Consulting Group and was involved in various management consulting projects for manufacturers, transportation companies and media corporations. Prior to Gojo, he worked at Ant Capital Partners, engaging in private equity investments. He loves fishing and spends the weekend in a house located in a coastal area nearby Kamakura.

Shun Ito | Country Representative, Myanmar

After studying at Keio University, Faculty of Economics, and graduating from School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London, Shun joined Roland Berger and worked in the Japan and Singapore Offices. As a management consultant, he was involved in multiple projects across Southeast Asia. As a freelance consultant, Shun worked in rural Japan in Akita for a local supermarket chain. His early childhood was spent in the UK and Brazil. Proficient in English and Japanese, he also has basic Burmese skills. Tennis is his favourite sport. During an earlier stint in Myanmar, Shun ordained at a Buddhist monastery and practiced meditation.

February 28, 2018

Gojo completed a $4 million commitment line agreement with Tokyo Star Bank

Gojo & Company, Inc. (“Gojo” or “we”) is pleased to announce that we completed the closing of a $4 million commitment line agreement with The Tokyo Star Bank, Limited (“Tokyo Star Bank”). The fund will be mainly utilized for our Cambodia operations, where the economy is dollarized.

Tokyo Star Bank is a Tokyo-based bank with more than $20 billion total assets and is a wholly owned subsidiary of CTBC Bank Co. Ltd., a Taiwanese bank. Its mission is to provide “Financial Freedom”, allowing the customers to be free from concerns over financial matters. This resonates with Gojo’s mission to provide “Financial Access For All “and thus Tokyo Star Bank and Gojo have started a new relationship that will go a long way to create a tension free financial future of our clients.

This marks the first bank borrowing for Gojo, although our affiliates have many banks and impact investors as lenders. By leveraging the relatively low cost of funding, we wish to expand loan funding from Japanese and Taiwanese financial institutions, so that more resources are available for the financially excluded clients in Gojo’s partner countries.

To make this deal happen, many stakeholders, especially shareholders of the Company supported us a lot, and we are truly grateful for it. We wish your continuous support for us.
The alliance with Tokyo Star Bank takes Gojo a step further towards it’s mission to be the “Private Sector World Bank” providing financial access for everyone in developing countries. Gojo aims to reach out to more than 100 million people in all continents by the end of 2030.

Sincerely yours,
Taejun Shin
Founder, Representative Director, and CEO

February 23, 2018

Completed the 2nd close of our Series B financing

We are pleased to announce that we completed the 2nd close of our Series B Financing. Link and Motivation Inc. (“Link and Motivation”) and Nissay Capital Co., Ltd. (“Nissay Capital”) joined Gojo & Company Inc. (“Gojo” or “we”) as shareholders. The fund will be mainly used for investments in microfinance institutions, including follow-on investments for the existing affiliates and subsidiaries.

Founded in 2000, Link and Motivation is a unique consulting company providing consulting services from the perspective of motivation. The company combines academic insights of management theory, social system theory, behavioral economics and psychology to develop “Motivation Engineering”, the core technology of its consulting services. Gojo expects that Link and Motivation will bring their expertise on motivation management to our microfinance operation, which is essentially a “people business” for which motivation of staff matters a lot.

Founded in 1991 as a fully-owned subsidiary of Nippon Life Insurance Company, the largest Japanese life insurance company by revenue, Nissay Capital has made investments for more than 1,000 startups as one of the most reputable VCs in Japan. The investment is made by its 8th fund, whose investment tenure is 13 years, enabling the fund to maintain the long-term view with us. We believe that we gain business insights from the experience of Nissay Capital.

We consider this funding another step forward for us to achieve our mission – to be the Private Sector World Bank. Now we are gaining momentum to have more institutional investors. We expect to have the final close of our Series B Financing by 3Q18 to make our total capital more than USD 30 million.

Despite many hurdles ahead of us, we keep calm and carry on with our mission of making quality financial services available to everyone in the world. We wish your continuous support for us.

Sincerely yours,

Taejun Shin
Founder, Representative Director, and CEO

February 2, 2018

Lecture at Hitotsubashi University, Japan

On 28 January 2018, Taejun Shin, the CEO of Gojo & Company, Inc., delivered a 2 hours lecture for Executive MBA students at the national Hitotsubashi University. Hitotsubashi University offers one of the best MBA programs in Japan and has a large number of international student researchers under academic exchange agreements with several prestigious universities and research institutions including University of Chicago, Oxford and the University of California.

The lecture was presented as part of the lecture series provided by reputable business executives, such as Takeshi Niinami, President and CEO of Suntory, and Yoshihiko Miyauchi the Founder and Senior Chairman of ORIX Corp. to name some. Prof. Ken Kusunoki, a faculty member at Hitotsubashi University and a reputable Professor of Strategy, facilitated the session to further deepen the understanding of the lecture.

Taejun inspired the students who are the middle management people of the world’s largest companies, by providing his personal story, his vision and the business model of Gojo. Gojo expects that the event further augments Gojo’s reputation in the business community and helps develop new business alliances with global companies. 


For further information please contact:
info@gojo.co

January 23, 2018

Interaction with the Global Social Impact Investment Steering Group (GSG) Japan National Advisory Board

On 28th November 2017, Gojo CEO Taejun, took part in a meeting of the GSG Japan National Advisory Board to provide insights on improving the number of social impact investments in Japan.

One of the ways to improve the number of social impact investments in Japan is through following the path of other entrepreneurs. An investment professional with a social vision, wanting to contribute to bringing about change in the world, Taejun became one of Japan’s youngest entrepreneurs at the age of twenty-six when he set up Living in Peace, an NPO run “part-time” volunteer workers, in 2007. The NPO even today serves as a role model of how business people can work to tackle social issues while working for companies. Taejun created the first microfinance investment fund in Japan in 2009, and went on to co-found Gojo & Company in 2014 along with two co-founders Sanjay Gandhi, a CPA and experienced microfinance professional from India and Tsuyoshi Nagashima, CPA professional from Tokyo and with a professional workforce spread across the world. Gojo was established with the aim to “make the private World Bank by 2030, providing financial access for everyone” and to serve the financially excluded population of the world through microfinance. At the discussion with the Global Social Impact Investment Group, Taejun spoke about how financial inclusion contributes to better opportunities and enhancing the lives of the clients around the world. Taejun proposed the idea that “entrepreneurs are the consequence of eco-system creation, i.e. we need all actors such as donors, investors, mentors, role models, supportive corporations among the others who support the social entrepreneurs”.

About Gojo & Company, Inc.
Gojo, established in 2014, is a holding company of microfinance institutions around the world. The company is headquartered in Tokyo and has subsidiary microfinance institutions in various countries. Gojo aspires to create a world in which everyone has an opportunity to overcome one’s own destiny and attain a better life. Gojo aims to reach out to more than 100 million people in all continents by the end of 2030.

About Global Social Impact Investment Steering Group
The GSG is an independent global steering group catalyzing impact investment and entrepreneurship to benefit people and the planet. The GSG was established in August 2015 as the successor to and incorporating the work of the Social Impact Investment Taskforce established under the UK’s presidency of the G8. The GSG currently has 15 member countries plus the EU, as well as active observers from leading network organizations. Chaired by Sir Ronald Cohen, the GSG brings together leaders from the worlds of finance, business and philanthropy.

Citation: http://gsgii.org/about-us/


For further information please contact:
info@gojo.co

January 9, 2018

Seminar at Mitsubishi Corporation

On November 30th, 2017, Taejun Shin, Gojo CEO, engaged in conversation with about 100 employees of Mitsubishi Corporation. It was organized thanks to staff union of Mitsubishi Corporation. Speaking about his life’s background, Taejun shared with his audience, the inspiration to establish Gojo, which came from his own life experiences, which fired his burning desire to serve the financially excluded people all around the world. Taejun said that he is inspired to do something extraordinary and that Gojo aspires “to be the Private Sector World Bank”. Sharing his views on microfinance, he felt that the “the field of microfinance needs innovation”. Speaking about the realities of running a business, Taejun stressed upon “the importance of both passion and business acumen” as the cornerstones of good management. The event showcased how in a short span of time the passionate and dedicated Gojo team has managed to successfully touch the lives of many people in the financially excluded sector to bring in change and make the world a better place.

About Gojo & Company, Inc.
Gojo, established in 2014, is a holding company of microfinance institutions around the world. The company is headquartered in Tokyo and has subsidiary microfinance institutions in various countries. Gojo aspires to create a world in which everyone has an opportunity to overcome one’s own destiny and attain a better life. Gojo aims to reach out to more than 100 million people in all continents by the end of 2030.


For further information please contact:
info@gojo.co

October 24, 2017

Completed the 1st Close of our Series B Financing

We are pleased to announce that Dai-ichi Life Insurance Company Limited (“Dai-ichi Life”) and Nippon Venture Capital Co., Ltd (“NVCC”) join Gojo & Company Inc. (“Gojo” or “we”) as new shareholders. We welcome them warmly. The $5.4 million funding from the two companies constitutes the first close of Gojo’s Series B financing whose final close timing is expected to be the end of January 2018 and amount $10 – 15 million. Gojo will use most of the raised funds to make investments in microfinance institutions.

It is Gojo’s first funding from institutional investors. Both Dai-chi Life and NVCC provide patient capital, thus enabling Gojo to maintain its long-term view and values. The funding also marks the landmark ESG investment deal in Japan.

Established in 1902, Dai-ichi Life, the lead investor in Gojo’s Series B financing, was the oldest mutual insurance company in Japan and demutualized in 2010. Dai-ichi Life and its group companies provide insurance services in Japan and other countries including Asia with consolidated assets amounting to more than $400 billion. We believe that Gojo will benefit from the experience of various insurance services provided by Dai-ichi Life and that we can partner to expand microinsurance in South East and South Asian countries.

Founded in 1996, NVCC is one of the largest venture capitals in Japan whose shareholders are such reputable Japanese corporations as Fujifilm, Daikin, Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group, Shin-Etsu Chemical, Nidec, ORIX among others. We expect that Gojo will be able to expand its existing market research business with the support from NVCC.

We consider this funding another step forward for us to achieve our mission – to be the Private Sector World Bank. To achieve the goal, it is imperative that we have institutional investors who share our vision and mission. We are grateful to Dai-ichi Life and NVCC for making the decision to be the first penguin.

Despite all hurdles ahead of us, we keep calm and carry on making quality financial services available to everyone in the world. We wish your continuous support for us.

Sincerely yours,

Taejun Shin
Founder, Representative Director, and CEO

Newsletter

Sign up to receive news from Gojo here.

B-Corp-Logo