Snapshot of SIIF Investment in A0 Group A0 Group Co., Ltd. was founded in 2015 CEO Daisuke Maki and has annual revenue of ¥ 1,000,000,000 (approximately US$6,400,000). It has five directors and 130 employees—full-time, part-time, and contract—and is headquartered in the 1,300-person village of Nishiawakura in the Okayama Prefecture. Equity Shareholder In Spring 2024, Japan Social Innovation and Investment Foundation (SIIF) purchased nine shares of A0 Group (A0) for ¥57,678,381 (about US$377,000) and became an equity shareholder. In the Shareholder Agreement, SIIF agreed to help A0 in business and organizational development. In the future, an academic organization or other experts may be brought in to assist with evaluation and to create and implement the company’s Impact Measurement and Management (IMM) practice. In addition to SIIF, A0 shareholders and investors include Daisuke Maki (CEO and board member), Agribusiness Investment & Development Corporation, Tobimushi Corporation, 2100 Corporation, and Hanoi Advanced Lab Inc. SIIF is A0’s first impact investor. As of now, important data points regarding the financial returns on investment for SIIF as a shareholder are not available, and the social and environmental returns have not yet been described or captured in detail. Shared Passion for 100-Year Nature-Based Vision and Systems Change According to Yuya Kato, SIIF Director of Business Development and Impact Officer overseeing the Systems Change Collective strategy, there are several reasons for SIIF’s investment. Kato states, “We believe in CEO Maki-san’s 100-year vision of creating nature-based businesses and communities that support the surrounding forests and natural ecosystem. A0 fits SIIF’s Systems Change Collective investment strategy that supports pilots to understand and assess systems change.” 6 Kato also believes that the scale necessary to test and measure systems change impact in a small rural is achievable. In addition, if proof of concept can be validated, it will enhance knowledge for the field of impact economy. Kato adds, “By showing concrete results and methods for assessing system change, we hope to prevent impact washing by the field.” 7
138
Ten Years in the Making
Powered by FlippingBook