FeatureGroup Company Leaders Discuss
the First Step to a Vibrant Future

Our Mission is “Inspiring the world with entrepreneurship.” While working to achieve thisWhat drives the creation of businesses that are first toidentify changes in society and industry?

achieve in the near future.

I will leverage the capabilities
we have built over 20 years andour client orientation to promote
the overall growth of
our clients’ businesses.

Mission, how do we help resolve the issues that society and industry are facing today? In
this feature, leaders of Septeni Group companies discuss the social issues and trends inindustry innovation that drove them to create businesses, and the vision they want toI am committed to the growth of
our clients' businesses in a rapidlychanging environment. We willachieve this by deepening
collaboration with the Dentsu Group.

I will expand our domain fromadvertising agencies to data &solutions with an eye on
capturing the rapidly growing
DX support market.

Yusuke Shimizu

Yuichi Kono

Masayuki Muto

President andRepresentative Director

Representative Director

Representative Director

SEPTENI CO., LTD. and
Septeni Japan, Inc.

Septeni Data Solutions, Inc.

SEPTENI CO., LTD. andSepteni Japan, Inc.

Inspiring the world with entrepreneurship
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Feature: Group Company Leaders Discuss the First Step to a Vibrant FutureGroup Company Leaders Discuss
the First Step to a Vibrant Future
What drives the creation of businesses that are first toidentify changes in society and industry?

We aim to create original blockbuster
intellectual property (IP) in digital
media and build a new ecosystem forthe manga and anime industries byestablishing a subscription modeland utilizing data and AI.

I look at social contribution
activities as an industry anduse our accumulated data tolead to change and growth.

Starting from the childcare domain,
I will take a new approach thattargets the ¥3.8 trillion“grandchild care” market.

Takefumi Okada

Keisuke Shimogaki

Yosuke Marutani

Director

Representative Director

Representative Director

COMICSMART, Inc.

gooddo Inc.

TowaStela, Inc.

Inspiring the world with entrepreneurship
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OUR MISSIONOUR STRATEGYOUR WAYCOPORATE DATA8Feature: Group Company Leaders Discuss the First Step to a Vibrant Future

SEPTENI CO., LTD. and
Septeni Japan, Inc.

▼ For more details, see

https://www.septeni.co.jp/en/

We will continuously explore new possibilities
and create solutions to help grow our clients’businesses in tandem with the rising importanceand complexity of digital marketing.
Yusuke Shimizu
President and Representative Director
SEPTENI CO., LTD. and
Septeni Japan, Inc.

Leveraging the digital and datacapabilities that we have built indigital marketing over 20 years andour client orientation
Digital marketing has become even more criticaldue to rising demand for DX and the impact of
the COVID-19 pandemic. At the same time, theincreasing complexity of DX has made it difficult
for clients to accurately identify the issues theyneed to resolve and the methods for doing so.
We see an increasing need for comprehensive
digital marketing beyond advertising that
supports business growth by increasing
profitability. The key to addressing thesechanges is to leverage both the digital and datacapabilities we have built over 20 years and thehuman resources in whom we have instilled thevalue of client orientation.

Integrated Report 2020

Joined SEPTENI CO., LTD. in 2006. Became Group Executive Officer andPresident and Representative Director of SEPTENI CO., LTD. and Septeni
Japan, Inc. (current positions) in 2018.

Using Amazon advertising as a DX
approach to achieving overall growthof our clients’ businesses

Aiming to be a group of visionary
professionals who use digital advertising
to energize numerous companies

The growing demand for DX in marketingis exemplified by advertising that uses theAmazon e-commerce platform, where we
provide support for numerous national brandclients. However, focusing on advertising
metrics alone is not sufficient for maximizing
sales on Amazon. We deploy strategies beyond
advertising that leverage our digital anddata capabilities and our client orientation
to help clients achieve overall growth oftheir businesses.

Opportunities to help clients, in ways such as
leveraging Amazon to support DX, are increasing
in tandem with the rising importance andcomplexity of digital marketing. We aim to
be a group of visionary professionals whocontinuously explore new possibilities andcreate solutions in digital marketing that giveour clients a roadmap to the future so theycan grow. By using digital marketing, I also
want to broaden our influence over a widearray of companies.

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9Feature: Group Company Leaders Discuss the First Step to a Vibrant Future

SEPTENI CO., LTD. and
Septeni Japan, Inc.

▼ For more details, see

https://www.septeni.co.jp/en/

We are collaborating with the Dentsu Groupto help clients grow their businesses.
Yuichi Kono
Representative Director
SEPTENI CO., LTD. andSepteni Japan, Inc.

Joined SEPTENI CO., LTD. in 2006. Appointed Group Executive Office andRepresentative Director of SEPTENI CO., LTD. and Septeni Japan, Inc. (currentpositions) in 2018.

Committed to working with theDentsu Group to create integrated
online and offline proposals that will
help our clients’ businesses grow as
DX gains momentum in marketing
The COVID-19 pandemic appears to have
expedited the digital shift in a wide range ofindustries by five to ten years, and DX in corporaterelated marketing is likewise accelerating.
Marketing that digitally fuses in-person and online
experiences is also emerging, and we expect
to see a continuing trend of marketing with nobarriers between mass and digital advertising.
In tune with these changes, we are committed
to the growth of our clients’ businesses in a rapidly
evolving environment. To achieve this, we areworking with the Dentsu Group to create
integrated online and offline proposals thatcombine our respective strengths.

Integrated Report 2020

Building on the alliance with theDentsu Group to evolve marketing
methods and strengthen collaborationin all domains
In the two years since we began collaboratingwith the Dentsu Group, both companies
have gained a greater understanding of theirrespective domains of expertise and ourcomplementary relationship has continued toevolve. Many new marketing methods haveemerged through the linkage of mass anddigital advertising data. In addition, we havebegun collaborating in the expansion ofdomains such as entertainment. We will
also strengthen cooperation in the data &solutions domain to address client issues
that advertising cannot.

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Helping a wide array of clients growtheir businesses and deliver optimal
products and services to users
Further progress of DX in marketing will drive
the transformation of businesses themselves
as companies create their own content andconnect directly with users. Currently, however,
only a few companies make full use of digitalpromotion. By supporting the businesses of awide array of clients, including those we servein collaboration with the Dentsu Group, we will
help clients deliver optimal products andservices to users.

OUR WAYCOPORATE DATA

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Feature: Group Company Leaders Discuss the First Step to a Vibrant Future

Septeni Data Solutions, Inc.

▼ For more details (Japanese only), see

http://www.septeni-ds.co.jp

Generating innovative, futuristic designs
related to solutions and organizations forcorporate clients
Masayuki Muto
Representative Director,Septeni Data Solutions, Inc.

Joined SEPTENI CO., LTD. in 2001. Appointed Group Executive Officer (currentposition) in 2017. In 2019, appointed Director of Dentsu Digital Inc. (currentposition). In 2021, appointed Representative Director of Septeni Data Solutions,Inc. (current position).

Establishment of a new intermediateholding company to create a structure
to capture growing DX demand

Supporting the innovation of ourcorporate clients through conversion
into a profit center

Raising profitability by establishing anecosystem centered on data, people
and education

The DX support market is growing. To
strengthen our competitiveness in this market,
we need to carry out “domain expansion” bybuilding a data & solutions-centered ecosystem
for DX support within the Group. Therefore, toaccelerate this business we have established
an intermediate holding company, Septeni
Data Solutions, Inc., to consolidate management
resources by integrating control of the fourGroup companies that have been responsible
for this domain.

Two of these four subsidiaries have beendeveloping services for the Group. We areusing this reorganization to convert theminto profit centers that assist DX support
operations for non-Group companies. We
have also started developing products suchas software as a service (SaaS) packages
to promote DX. We will provide corporateclients with futuristic DX design to support
their innovation in addition to our datadriven solutions.

I want to establish an ecosystem that assists
development by hiring and training engineers
for continuous DX support. We will better
demonstrate our unique strengths by creating
a loop among three types of service: the datacentered services we have been cultivating,and services centered on people and education.
I hope this initiative will play a part in improving
profitability and thus lead to the growth ofthe Septeni Group.

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Feature: Group Company Leaders Discuss the First Step to a Vibrant Future▼ For more details (Japanese only), see

https://ganma.jp
http://routem.jp

COMICSMART, Inc.

I want to raise the value of manga artist
as a profession and make it an occupation
children admire.
Takefumi Okada
Director,
COMICSMART, Inc.

Joined SEPTENI CO., LTD. in 2003 after graduating from university. In 2018,
appointed Director of COMICSMART, Inc. (current position). In 2019, appointedGroup Executive Officer (current position).

Supporting the development ofmanga artists and the production
and management of their works tohelp create numerous stars in thedigital domain
About 10 years ago, with the spread of e-bookplatforms and social media, the manga industry
began moving into digital media, which
increased the ways for manga artists to present
their work. In the future, instead of just a few
talented manga artists active in major magazines,
there will also be numerous manga stars whomake their names in the digital domain.
However, the industry is still lacking in termsof training of manga artists and the production
and management of their works. I saw anopportunity and started this business.

Integrated Report 2020

From a manga artist development
support program built from scratch tohit manga app GANMA! with over 14
million downloads
Aiming to create a new ecosystem for thecontent industry by supporting and cultivating
future star manga artists who get their start on
the Internet, COMICSMART began by creatinga manga artist development support program
called RouteM from scratch. In 2013, welaunched GANMA! as a venue for presenting
their work. It has earned support as a manga
app that has published more than 220 original
works with more than 14 million downloads.** Cumulative number of downloads on Android and iOS asof April 2020

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A focus on flat-rate subscription services,and data and AI-driven support forinnovation in the anime industry
At GANMA!, we have prioritized our flat-rate
all-you-can-read subscription services as astrategic area in order to grow it into a pillar ofearnings. We are also focusing on the anime
business, with the intention of producing highquality animation through our strong networkin the industry that will lead to the monetizationof our IP assets.
Other initiatives will include using data andAI to innovate labor-intensive operations.
Through our various businesses, I want to raisethe value of manga artist as a profession andmake it an occupation children admire, on parwith professional athletes in baseball, soccerand other sports.

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Feature: Group Company Leaders Discuss the First Step to a Vibrant Future▼ For more details (Japanese only), see

gooddo Inc.

https://gooddo.jp
https://note.com/septeni_group/n/n74cce9df1665

I want to create and popularize ways to make iteasier to take part in social contribution activities.
Keisuke Shimogaki
Representative Director,
gooddo Inc.

Joined SEPTENI CO., LTD. in 2006 after graduating from university. After experiences
including launching a Facebook advertising team and working in sales, established
gooddo Inc. as a new business in 2014. Operates a multifaceted business with theaim of creating a society in which everyone can easily participate in all kinds ofsocial action.

Perception of growing awareness ofsocial good amid a shift from massculture to the individual leads todecision to start a business
The impetus for starting this business cameabout 10 years ago when I was involved in a
Facebook-related business and sensed a shift
in the focus of the time from mass culture to
the individual. Around the same time, I foresaw
an increase in consumer behavior driven byconsideration for society and the environmentand growing awareness of social good. I wanted
to establish a completely new platform thatmakes it easy for people to contribute tosocial good.

Integrated Report 2020

Providing an easy way to take action
to help resolve social issues
We developed the social contribution platform
gooddo to provide people concerned about
various social issues with an easy way to takeaction to help resolve them. So far, about 33
million people have visited our website, which
has enabled more than 500,000 users annually
to take part in social contribution activities
without cost to them, providing more than¥200 million in support for domestic NPOs. At
first, it was difficult to obtain support for thebusiness model, but its track record of results
is gradually growing.

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Aiming to maintain Japan’s leading
database of people working to resolve
social issues
I intend to expand support to many sectors,
such as companies and universities that are
working to achieve the SDGs. In addition,
I am planning to create and utilize a databaseof gooddo users. We aim to popularize avalue system in which actions for social goodlead to higher social and economic status,
and to maintain Japan’s leading databaseof people working to resolve social issues.

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Feature: Group Company Leaders Discuss the First Step to a Vibrant Future▼ For more details (Japanese only), see

TowaStela, Inc.

http://www.towastela.co.jp
https://note.com/septeni_group/n/n714ed89a38cf

Utilizing social media and a database tomaximize the joy of raising children
Yosuke Marutani
Representative Director,
TowaStela, Inc.

Joined SEPTENI CO., LTD. in 2011. In 2014, won second place in the Septeni
Group’s in-house “gen-ten” new business plan contest and transferred toSEPTENI VENTURES Co., Ltd., which develops new businesses. Established
TowaStela, Inc. in 2016 and is involved in new businesses in the childcare industry.

Running a business that helps resolve
the common worries everyone has
about raising children

Providing products that help resolve
worries, and services that make raisingchildren more enjoyable

Transforming childcare by approachingthe “grandchild care” market, which
involves grandparents

When I became a father, I experienced
firsthand the difficulty of raising a child. That
was the impetus for starting this business.
Nowadays, the number of nuclear families anddouble-income households is rising in Japan,
making it hard for such families to dedicate
time to childcare. Everyone has worries about
raising children, such as having no one in their
immediate circle they can easily ask for help,
so I decided to start a business that helps toresolve those worries. I won second place forthis idea at the Septeni Group’s in-house
contest for new business plans and turned it
into an operating company in 2016.

At TowaStela, our vision is to help maximize
the joy of raising children. To achieve this,
we provide products that can help resolve
worries about raising children, and services
that make raising children more enjoyable forparents. Our official Instagram account posts
information to more than 400,000 followers
on original products and services handled byour e-commerce business that are useful andfun for moms and dads.

Soon we will start a new business focusing on“grandchild care.” We have the means and thedatabase to approach the age bracket withgrandchildren. We intend to leverage thisadvantage to further stimulate this market,
which is said to be worth ¥3.8 trillion. We areconcurrently planning an e-commerce businesscentered on sustainability. By 2030, we aim tobe ranked among the top three brands in thechildcare industry.

Integrated Report 2020

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