Daikichi Seki, CEO of aiESG, founded aiESG after working for a general company after obtaining his Ph. He is currently working hard to accelerate the company's growth and to get it listed on the stock exchange, while striving to provide new value to society.

Daikichi Seki, CEO of aiESG, who leads young researchers and is at the forefront of business management, shared his thoughts on his career and business.

Daikichi Seki Profile
D. in Physics from Kyoto University Graduate School, he worked as a data scientist at the AI Center, an AI development organization under the direct control of the president of a major consulting firm, where he launched and coordinated industry-academia collaborations with Kyoto University and Kyushu University, and developed and implemented industry-academia collaboration strategies. In 2022, he joined aiESG as Co-Funder/CEO.

I want to create a new business that contributes to society through AI with my own hands.

aiESG is an AI startup launched in 2022 by a group of like-minded individuals from Kyoto University, based on Kyushu University's Manaki Laboratory, which is at the forefront of ESG evaluation research in the world, with the aim of implementing ESG evaluation in society by utilizing cutting-edge AI technology and a solid research track record. The company's grand vision is to "create a society where happiness is linked and there is no distortion. Our goal is to change the world by using AI technology to implement ESG.

Chasing after money will not satisfy you forever. Then, let's bet our lives on exciting work and social contribution!

The roots of our company's foundation can be traced back to the lives of people living in poverty that I witnessed in Bangladesh and Myanmar, which I visited as part of my graduate school curriculum. At that time, amidst accidents resulting in deaths due to labor in poor conditions, I saw people who were not materially well off, but who for some reason were living vigorously and devotedly in the hope of happiness. I was deeply concerned about my own life and life, and I sometimes wondered what I should do.

Perhaps it was during this time that I found the starting point for my decision to take the helm in joining aiESG. The key factors in my decision were the desire to create something with my own hands and the potential for rapid growth and a sense of excitement. We did not want to be just a startup seeking rapid growth and profit generation, but to establish ourselves as a Social Business that contributes to the world by achieving results in ESG. This is the philosophy that I have and will continue to uphold as my own.

What is the background that led you from your undergraduate days as an underdog in job hunting to your current position as CEO of aiESG after completing your doctorate?

-From undergraduate days to graduate school at Kyoto University

As for my undergraduate degree, I majored in physics at Waseda University. In my third year of university, I was still vaguely thinking about job hunting without giving much thought to the future. There was a time when I was in a hurry because I thought I was a so-called "job hunting underachiever," but miraculously I had an opportunity to get a ticket to participate in an internship directly linked to employment at a major securities company. During the internship, I saw students with sharp critical thinking skills in the same class as me, and cool adults who were both excellent and relaxed, and I remember feeling keenly that I was overwhelmingly inadequate. As a result, it did not lead to a job offer, and although my heart was broken for a while, I decided to improve myself even more and prepare to become a strategically selected candidate, and after graduation, I redirected my efforts to enter graduate school.

I chose Kyoto University because it was the top university in physics, which I majored in as an undergraduate, and because it was home to many excellent people whom I admired.

To make academic research implementable in the real world

At the beginning of graduate school at Kyoto University, I was preparing to move on to a place of employment where I could work hard and earn money in order to become the "cool adult member of society who is excellent but also has room to spare," which I had longed for. However, when I wanted all kinds of things, including the aforementioned experience in developing countries and money, I would work hard until I got it, but the moment I got it, I had an experience that made me think, "Is this what it's like? I suddenly began to think that I would never be satisfied working for money forever. Then, I was seriously thinking about pursuing a PhD and becoming a researcher all the way up to a professor.

However, when I analyzed my career as a researcher objectively, I found that prominent professors, who are far superior to me and reign at the top of their fields, are busy raising funds for their research after they have completed their own research to some extent, and I felt uncomfortable here as well. I felt a sense of discomfort. As long as we live in a capitalist world, do researchers have no choice but to reach for money (fundraising) in order to secure research expenses? This is the question.

I thought, "Wouldn't it be interesting to create a world in which researchers are immersed in their research and funding is provided by professionals in the field? Wouldn't it be interesting to create such a world? This was the beginning of my hypothesis.

This led me to join a major global consulting firm after obtaining my Ph.D., as I had a strong desire to learn how things work on the front lines of business at least once as a career path after graduation. I was also curious to find out what kind of logic and motivation these talented people used to think and work. After joining the company, I actually learned the ropes of business and how to make money at a general company, led the development of a new AI in an organization directly under the president, and delivered products to a major listed company with a market capitalization of over 10 trillion yen.

Just then, a colleague from Kyoto University asked me if I would be interested in launching a startup in the blue ocean of ESG by using AI to analyze big data. I was then approached by a colleague from my days in Kyoto about launching a startup in ESG's blue ocean.

I was fascinated by the field of "AI and ESG," which combines social contribution and technological innovation, and decided to take on this challenge. At aiESG, I strongly felt that I might be able to contribute to solving human rights issues and social inequalities and creating a better future through AI technology by making the most of my data analysis skills cultivated through astronomy research and problem-solving abilities developed through consulting. Especially key to my decision were "the potential for rapid growth" and "the excitement of building a world where research is utilized and implemented within capitalism.

Together with our colleagues, we are motivated to create a new solution that supports the enhancement of corporate ESG initiatives and self-disclosure by combining the knowledge and data assets that the Managi Lab has accumulated over the years with the technology and experience of each of us. We are eager to make a social contribution in the field of ESG.

The appeal of working at aiESG and future goals

Since its inception in 2022, aiESG is in its third fiscal year, has raised 500 million yen in Series A funding (December 2024), and is expanding steadily with 2-3x sales growth.

The appeal of aiESG is its emphasis on the balance between social contribution and technological innovation. We do not just develop AI technologies, but always work on them from an ethical viewpoint to see how they can benefit society. In addition, our members come from diverse backgrounds, which makes for a stimulating daily life. In a word, excitement. I believe that no other job is so rewarding.

From now on, as a public institution of society, we will strive to improve the goals and wellbeing of all of our stakeholders, or as I like to call it, "sampo yoshi". Incidentally, as CEO, my goal is to "get aiESG listed on the stock exchange and fulfill the career visions of our employees.

aiESG is looking for people with balanced IQ / EQ

Finally, I would like to send a message to anyone who is now even remotely considering employment with aiESG.

In a sense, researchers and consultants do the same job. That is, "Find an issue, form a hypothesis, collect and analyze a vast amount of data, and conclude whether the hypothesis is correct or not. Repeat the process and make the best decision". In this sense, many people with master's and doctoral degrees already have skills that can be used immediately in aiESG.

On the other hand, in order to achieve meaningful results in the real world, it is important to communicate with clients to understand their objectives and wellbeing, what kind of world they are working in, so to speak, and what are their essential challenges? The EQ part of building a trusting relationship through close conversations, sensing what they are most happy to be able to do, is also an important element. Without this, it is impossible to grasp the true needs of the client and provide the best solution.

In this sense, we believe that the human resources we seek are, in a word, "people with a good balance of IQ / EQ.

We are looking forward to meeting people who share our Philosophy of "altruism" and "sampo yoshi," and who find the fast-changing environment of a startup interesting, humorous, and exciting.

Appeal for extra: Origin of "Daikichi".

My parents gave me the unusual name "Daikichi. I was told that the name was given to me in the hope that I would become a mirror image of my parents and that I would be a person with no two sides of the same coin. I think I grew up to be the person I wished to be, even if I say so myself, in addition to having received a bold name. Perhaps because of this, the people in aiESG's circle of friends are very warm-hearted and passionate (a secret pride of mine). Why don't you join us and have a nice trip with us?

Interviews and employment opportunities are also available on Wantedly.
https://www.wantedly.com/companies/company_9232529/post_articles/959410