What does your startup do?

Ideologic Design Inc. is a business design consulting company. We provide business solutions and market research services. For our newest project, we created an educational game that we are currently calling PALMYRA. It is a territorial game that lets players think of strategic ways to expand their territory and compete to take over other player’s territories. The game’s strategy is simple like Othello but encourages players to think strategically like in Chess. This means that Palmyra enhances players’ strategic thinking skills in order to win the game.

We expect that it will help enhance children and adults' cognitive learning skills including logical thinking, strategic thinking, and spatial recognition skills. Our target customer is not only limited to children in elementary schools and young children learning centers, but Alzheimer patients in nursing homes and hospitals. As we believe our product provides solutions for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Alzheimer patients in both educational and medical aspects as well, we are passionate about helping children and adults think smarter and communicate more effectively with his or her family, school, friends, and the community.

What problem are you trying to solve?

As I am a single mother, I often face issues including: 

1. Single and working parents tend to have less time to spend with their children. In addition, life becomes busier with innovative products like smartphones, SNS, and other similar products. 
2. Although not all children are the same, the current Japanese public education system does not adequately deal with gifted and talented children and children who have autism spectrum disorders. ​​​​​

Why did you choose Fukuoka?

I was born in Kitakyushu city, which is about an hour train ride away from Fukuoka city.  I became familiar with Fukuoka’s startup community when I was commuting to the Globis MBA program and I often worked at Startup Café. I felt comfortable starting my business in Fukuoka because I had friends in the startup community and knew many people in Fukuoka in general.  

What do you think about Fukuoka's startup community?

Fukuoka’s startup community is expanding and becoming increasingly more global. Because Fukuoka is a nice and compact city with a heartwarming community it has been able to attract talents from across the world. 

How has Fukuoka City helped your startup?

I met Fukuoka city’s startup team three years ago. At the time, I was one of the finalists for the Gakken Accelerator 2015 that was powered by the 0→1 Booster. That was my first startup challenge. Startup Café had just opened thanks to support from Fukuoka City. Since I needed to develop a business proposal and marketing plan to use when I pitched in front of board members and investors from Gakken, I went to Startup Café every day that week in order to polish the business plan.  Such startup experience had also given me an opportunity to become a project leader of startup final project in GLOBIS MBA curriculum in 2016.  

Everything that Startup Café did was incredibly helpful and I appreciated it very much. Now, Fukuoka city operates many startup events and gives entrepreneurs the chance to pitch not just here in Fukuoka, but also on a global stage. Fukuoka city gives us access to wonderful opportunities, and everyone on the team is very supportive and open minded.

Do you have advice for people considering doing a startup in Fukuoka? Anything you wish you’d known before starting your company here?

Fukuoka city issues Startup Visas, which are pretty unique and are great for foreign entrepreneurs. The Visa gives foreign founders access to beneficial opportunities with fewer risks and hurdles. My advice is to research the Startup Visa if you are looking to start a business abroad.