＜Why I created this venture＞Driven by a theoretical researcher's overwhelming sense of mission (Taiki Sato, TopoLogic Inc.)

With such a vision of "solving challenging social issues and realizing a prosperous and sustainable world," the company aims to implement new materials and topological materials, which were the subject of the 2016 Nobel Prize, into society.TopoLogic CorporationIt is. Mr. Taiki Sato, CEO and Representative Director, decided to join the company because he was impressed by Mr. Nakatsuji's overwhelming sense of mission for social implementation as a professor at the University of Tokyo.

I want to challenge myself to utilize more difficult, new technologies.

When he was a student, Mr. Sato majored in aerospace engineering and studied the improvement of gas turbine engine efficiency based on fluid mechanics and thermodynamics. Aerospace engineering is a discipline with a strong systems engineering approach that combines various engineering disciplines such as fluid mechanics, materials engineering, control engineering, and thermodynamics to meet the performance requirements of the application. I believe that through my research, I acquired the ability and mindset to develop while integrating technologies for actual application," says Sato.

After graduation, he worked in management consulting, mainly for clients in the manufacturing industry, and later participated in an industrial drone startup, crossing the manufacturing floor from various perspectives. However, while pursuing solutions to social issues through drone technology, he wanted to challenge himself to utilize newer technologies.

The deciding factor was empathy for Mr. Nakatsuji's enthusiasm.

It was during this time that he met Mr. Nakatsuji through an acquaintance. Topological materials are special materials that have quantum specific properties and do not fit into any of the existing metals, semiconductors, or insulators. Some topological materials are insulators on the inside but conduct electricity on the surface, and are expected to find applications that could not be realized with conventional materials. Normally, these materials function in a special environment of low temperature and high pressure, and it has been difficult to utilize them in the general public.

Despite this background, it was Mr. Nakatsuji who discovered a material that functions even under normal temperature and pressure. Mr. Nakatsuji is a professor in the Department of Physics at the Faculty of Science who conducts theoretical research but has a strong sense of mission to implement his findings in society. I had never met a teacher like him before," said Sato. His enthusiasm led him to strongly believe that he, too, wanted to change the world with this technology, and he decided to join TopoLogic, which Mr. Nakatsuji had founded, to promote the application of his research results.

Although Mr. Sato was a complete stranger to topological materials, he is discussing with Mr. Nakatsuji about where he wants to go in terms of research and management of the company by applying the ideas he learned in aerospace engineering. Currently, he is taking advantage of this material, aiming to apply it to heat flux sensors and magnetic memory. Heat flux sensors, in particular, can observe the inflow of heat before the temperature changes. If this technology is realized, it will be possible to detect heat movement inside machines that cannot be captured by conventional temperature sensors, opening up new possibilities in manufacturing.

Different strengths make us friends.

The difference in culture between academia and business firms can also be a challenge for social implementation. In academia, the pursuit of research and theory is emphasized, and an ideal vision of what will happen when applied is presented, but there is little discussion of how to disseminate the results to the world.

At TopoLogic, these seemingly contradictory ideas are fused together, with Mr. Nakatsuji talking about the big vision and Mr. Sato thinking about how it can be implemented. This is why TopoLogic is not just developing technology, but is able to work with the larger goal of solving social issues.

There are many barriers to social implementation, but with the cooperation of colleagues with different specialties, a path will surely open up," says Sato. He recalls that the ability to overcome these barriers was gained through his research activities at the university. The problem-solving and project management skills acquired through research are also useful in the real business environment. Going forward, Sato and her colleagues will continue their journey toward social implementation by gathering together their diverse strengths.

(Text by Shodai Takino)

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Taiki Sato
Mr. Kato holds a Master's degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Tokyo Graduate School of Engineering, and spent six years at McKinsey & Company, where he was engaged in management consulting mainly for manufacturing clients. In November 2021, he was appointed CEO and Representative Director of Topcon. With his experience in management consulting and business development at a start-up company, he aims to vertically launch TopoLogic Corporation's business.