Delivered on October 6, 2025
One-Year Anniversary Interview with Uncle Startup by Macagua
Speaker: Takeshi Yamamoto
CEO of Macagua, Inc.
Affiliation and position information is as of the time of distribution
In this podcast, we welcome guest Yamamoto, CEO of Macagua Inc., a company specializing in the utilization of people flow data, to discuss his unusual entrepreneurial story, the business potential of people flow data, and the challenges facing his "old man startup."
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The Expulsion of Foreign Companies from Japan Triggered His Startup
Yamamoto founded his own company after his previous employer, Ajira, a global information data provider, decided to withdraw from the Japanese market. Having spent roughly five years promoting Ajira's services in Japan, the sudden disappearance of a popular service would not only be a major business loss, but would also betray the trust he had built with customers over the years.
Business decisions made by foreign companies are fast and demanding.
The reason for the withdrawal was that the Japanese market's growth rate was deemed to be falling short of expectations. However, convinced that Japan still had great potential for utilizing people flow data, Yamamoto decided to keep the service in Japan by founding his own company, Macagua Inc., and taking over Ajira's business as its exclusive distributor in Japan. This "old man startup" is an unusual endeavor born out of a social context and his own sense of mission.
Why is people flow data needed now?
Yamamoto strongly emphasizes the importance of people flow data. Data-driven decision-making has yet to take hold in Japan, with many companies relying on intuition and experience. However, people flow data visualizes the "real" movements of people that are invisible through simple digital marketing, bringing new perspectives to business.
For example, inbound tourist movement data provides detailed insights into which countries tourists are visiting, in which regions, and what places. This can be used to deliver effective advertising and develop tourism strategies. People flow data has the potential to be used in a wide range of industries, including retail, food service, and automotive, and is becoming an essential tool for business development.
One Year After Founding, Challenges and Prospects Emerge
It's been about a year since Yamamoto founded Macagua Inc. While the "protected environment" he once took for granted has disappeared and his responsibilities have increased, he has also gained the freedom to expand his business based on his own actions.
However, he also spoke about the challenges unique to a startup run by an older man. He said the pressure to not fail is particularly great, especially with family and loans to protect. Still, what motivates Yamamoto is his unwavering belief in people flow data and his customers. He says his current top priorities are continuing to support existing customers and spreading the value of his services to companies in need.
Makagua Inc.'s future goal is not to become a "large corporation," but to become an "elite group" that continues to provide high-quality services despite its small staff. Through steady efforts, he aims to spread awareness of the importance of utilizing people flow data throughout society and become a company that everyone knows as "that company providing that service."
Summary
Makagua Inc. is an "old man startup" that has turned the crisis of foreign companies withdrawing from the Japanese market into an opportunity, aiming to continue and popularize people flow data services.
People flow data visualizes people's real-world behavior and is an important tool to support business decision-making. It holds great potential, especially in inbound analysis and the fusion of digital and physical worlds.
While his new challenge as a business owner comes with great responsibility and loneliness, his driving force is his belief in people flow data and his customers.
Going forward, rather than pursuing the size of the company, the company aims to improve the quality of its services and ensure that people flow data is widely recognized in society.