Interview with Katsuhiro Agoh, Representative Director of Enrise Holdings, one of the 100 Best Venture Companies In Japan

Definer CEO Sakamoto interviewed Katsuhiro Agoh, a representative of Enrise Holdings, Inc.

Mr. Katsuhiro Agoh, the president of Enrise Holdings, Inc. Mr. Agoh currently manages a group of IT companies and has been selected as one of the 100 best venture companies.
We interview him to learn about his true face, beliefs, and philosophy behind his career and achievements.

Greetings

Sakamoto

Hello, President Agoh! Thank you so much for taking time out of your very busy schedule today! Your advice on the management of IT companies, both in strategy and execution, has always been very helpful to me.

Mr. Agoh

I'm glad to hear you say that. It's my pleasure, too, and I look forward to working with you today!

Joined an IT venture company as a new graduate, admiring The Three Musketeers of venture business.

Sakamoto

We would like to ask President Agoh, who has been running an IT company for a long time and growing it, about his career and career. May I begin by asking you about your background and career?

Mr. Agoh

When I was in college, Mr. Son of Softbank, Mr. Nanbu of PASONA, and Mr. Sawada of HIS were introduced in a magazine as the "Three Musketeers of Venture Business". At that time, the Internet was in its infancy, Windows was being introduced, and pagers were gradually giving way to cell phones.

Sakamoto

I see. I know about pagers and Windows 95, but the current smartphone generation probably doesn't know about that world. What kind of places did you work after being influenced by the "Three Musketeers of Venture Business"?

Mr. Agoh

I graduated from a venture company jointly established by Softbank and PASONA. I believed that the Internet was the next world and technological innovation, and that the future lay there. I believed that the Internet was the next world, the next innovation in technology, and that the future lay there. I felt that I could experience this at a venture company. I felt that I could experience this at a venture company.

Sakamoto

I see. Nowadays, some people go to work for venture companies, but back then, when I was a new graduate, you really had a great foresight! What were you doing at the company where you found employment?

Mr. Agoh

In a word, it was an IT outsourcing company. We take care of all satellite communications. We build data centers and take over the data center business. We build call centers and take over the entire call center business.

At the age of 25, I started my first company with an older person and sold it to a major company.

Sakamoto

I see. At that time, the lifetime employment system was still in place, and the culture of outsourcing was gradually developing. I would be very happy if you could tell us how you started your business.

Mr. Agoh

When I was 25 years old, I started a company with someone about 30 years older than me as chairman and myself as president. We grew the business for 10 years, but then it became part of a major company, so I talked with the chairman and decided to establish a new company.

Sakamoto

Wow, you have already exited the company. That's really great. And then you went on to establish your own company.

Mr. Agoh

Exit is a nice way of putting it. In terms of capital policy, the person who was the chairman of the board owned most of the shares. An MBO by an individual was not possible after the corporation had grown. In this situation, I started my own company as a new challenge.

Sakamoto

I see. This is a story that many entrepreneurs and business owners can learn from. What kind of business did you start?

At the age of 35, he started a new company of his own and entered the Best Venture 100.

Mr. Agoh

I have been consistently engaged in the business of training IT human resources, developing engineers, and contributing to companies as Enrise when I was about to turn 35~36 years old. My background is that there has always been a shortage of IT human resources in the market. On the other hand, there are also barriers to entry when jumping into the IT world. To fill that gap, we offer the Enrise Academy, which provides IT education and human resource development for inexperienced people to nurture engineers.

Sakamoto

I see, the shortage of human resources in the IT industry is indeed serious. There are market reports not only in Japan, but also in the U.S., Singapore, Japan, India, and other countries. I strongly feel it firsthand. May I ask what is important to you in running your own IT company?

Mr. Agoh

I always say that the growth of people is the growth of the company. People are not resources, but capital. For example, we value the Chinese character for "human resources. Technology and money are tools for a purpose. What kind of joy is being created, what kind of worldview is being created? In today's parlance, we must decide on our purpose, communicate it clearly, and take action based on a clear understanding of our strategies, tactics, and organizational issues.

Sakamoto

I see. I will definitely keep this in mind as I grow as a executive. Also, your company has been selected as one of the 100 Best Venture Companies in Japan, and I recognize that you are one of the most successful executives in society. On the other hand, may I ask you about your worries, or dare I ask you about the challenges you have faced so far?

As a executive, I value the philosophy that "everything starts with people".

Mr. Agoh

I've been in top management and top sales until I was in my 20s or 30s. I feel that if I continue to do things that way, I will be limited to an organization of 150-200 people. I feel it is important to gradually move backwards myself. My theory is that it is good human assets to have both technical skills and management skills, and on top of that, what is leadership?

Sakamoto

I think all presidents of companies with annual sales of several hundred million yen to several billion yen or more say the same thing. May I ask what you are particularly good at, Mr. Agoh?

Mr. Agoh

As a executive, my ability to think logically can be covered by various means. But the ability to take action cannot be covered by others. You have to act on your own, and I think that networking is related to that. Know how to win that suits you. In my case, my role is to support and encourage people. To nurture human resources and grow as a company.

Sakamoto

I, too, will keep this in mind and pursue the growth of people as a company. Finally, may I ask you about your important work philosophy?

Mr. Agoh

People are not resources, but capital. I hear that you want to create feelings, conflicts, and joys for them, including services. I feel that is what I want to emphasize. As a major theme, Mr. Son of Softbank keeps saying "platform strategy," and I feel that I too want to create a platform that maximizes people's potential, that pursues people's potential for growth.

Sakamoto

Too nice! I will run a company that pursues the maximization of people's potential.