"Your research is meaningless," I felt indignation at that time, and that made me determined.

While the functionality of lactobacilli is becoming clearer, many of their research results have yet to reach people. The passion of the researchers themselves was the starting point for this project,ProBio Inc.was launched. His strong sense of mission amplified his own desire, and Yuki Nakajima began taking on the challenge of becoming the president of a venture company. He continues to grow and improve his skills in both research and management. (Reprinted from incu-be vol. 67)

Lab I've attended since my first year as an undergraduate.

Mr. Nakajima, the first president of ProBio Corporation, is a member of the laboratory of his co-founder, Mr. Kinoshita, an associate professor at Tokai University's Faculty of Agriculture. The relationship between the two, who are both involved in company management, dates back to their days as undergraduates. When he visited the laboratory as part of his seminar from the day of the entrance ceremony, he learned that Mr. Kinoshita was researching the functions of lactic acid bacteria and promoting their implementation in society. This sparked his interest, and Mr. Nakajima began attending the laboratory and conducting experiments in his first year of undergraduate school.

He explained his motivation for attending the school, saying, "I felt a strong belief in the way the professor, while publishing a number of papers, did not stop there and tried to be useful to society. Ms. Nakajima had been studying the effects of lactic acid bacteria on people under Mr. Kinoshita. During his master's course, he investigated how the small RNA molecules possessed by lactic acid bacteria exert their functions, leading to the submission of his thesis. It was a great joy when he made the world's first discovery, Nakajima says. However, seeing Kinoshita-san looking at social implementation, he did not want to end with the submission of the paper, but wanted to go beyond that to the point where it could be useful to others.

My passion, as I realized during my job search exasperation.

Mr. Kinoshita's trust in me had been strong since I was an undergraduate student, and he asked me if I would be interested in creating a company with him and serving as its president in order to utilize the lactic acid bacteria I had discovered at the university and make it useful to society. However, although I was interested in bringing my research to the world, I refused because I had no experience in management and could not imagine what it would be like to be the president.

What triggered this decision was a job-hunting activity I undertook in my second year of my master's degree. When he was rejected at an interview because his previous research themes were meaningless because they did not lead to profits, he felt indignant and realized that the research he had conducted with Mr. Kinoshita was irreplaceable. He recalls, "This was the impetus for our decision to pursue our research and business together."

Mr. Nakajima later became president of the company, but his determination remained unwavering. When ProBio, which was originally a limited liability company, was converted to a joint stock company, the capital was paid in equal amounts by both parties. In other words, in terms of shareholding ratio, he and Mr. Kinoshita have equal rights and have decided to manage the company on an equal footing.

After the establishment of the company, the roles are divided between the two and they are involved in the management of the company. For example, Mr. Kinoshita handles the companies that contact the university office, while Mr. Nakajima is mainly in charge of sales and marketing to find new business partners. The way he demonstrates a dynamic ability to act that rivals that of his respected professors shows how strong the passion he has cultivated through his research with Mr. Kinoshita has become.

Discontinuous movements are also connected by a single vector

Nakajima says, "I want to grow as the face of ProBio so that I can manage the company even if Dr. Nakajima were to devote himself to academia. Although he is currently away from the position of president due to his obligation to devote himself to research under the JSPS, he plans to utilize the JSPS system while expanding his research capabilities, and in the future, he plans to return to the company.

Such flexibility is made possible by the relationship of trust between Mr. Kinoshita and the company, which has been cultivated over the years. He is now conducting research with an eye toward social implementation, and is verifying the functionality of soy milk yogurt, which he discovered at university, in terms of its anti-inflammatory effects and improvement of cognitive function, as well as analyzing intestinal bacteria.

Not only that, but they are exploring other applications beyond food. For example, there are known cases where lactic acid bacteria can be utilized for plant growth and improvement of water quality, but the mechanism is unclear. While investigating this, we are considering whether we can make use of the laboratory's unique lactobacilli, aiming to contribute not only to people but also to the entire planet, including other living organisms. Mr. Nakajima, who says he is more interested in using profits to advance his research than in making money, can be described as both a researcher and a manager. We look forward to the future to see how he will deliver the value of lactobacilli to the entire earth.

(Text by Saichiro Yagi)

＜プロフィール＞
Yuki Nakajima
On November 1, 2021, he founded Godo Kaisha ProBio (now ProBio Inc.) with Hideki Kinoshita and became its first president. At that time, while managing the company, he also conducted research on lactic acid bacteria. Currently, he has been adopted as a JSPS Postdoctoral Fellow and is engaged in research.