"YouTuber" is one of the top rankings for "jobs that elementary school students want to be in the future." A popular occupation that says, “We have launched the Youtuber Academy because we have not had a place where children have dreams of wanting to be a Youtuber,” says Saito of FULMA (Fulma), who just graduated from university this spring. Ryotaro. The purpose is not to cultivate popular Youtuber and millionaires, but from the educational point of view, there is no overcast in its straight thinking, "I want to have the confidence and desire of the children to do what they want." In this interview, Mr. Saito, who is one of the young venture managers active in Shibuya, welcomes the volunteer activities in high school as a starting point, and the process until starting up the experience program for children and the Youtuber Academy is carefully examined. I got a word.

All started with high school volunteers.

_In the high school years, volunteer groups for children are organized. Why did you start volunteering in the first place?

When I participated in a local event or camp when I was a child, I thought that something different from what I imagined, I thought I could make it more interesting. For example, although it is a sports lek, “Why not a sports drink and tea?”, Though it is a really trivial thing, I wanted to realize what I wanted to do when I was a child. Then I also hate to be refused just because I can not do it alone because I am a child, and I strongly felt that I would like to change such barriers. Therefore, we set up a volunteer group for children "FLEAD" with junior high school classmates and juniors under two, and took local children to a camp, provided learning support, or I was helping out at the festival. The town president's grandfather was very supportive of us saying, "This must be done by all means!" Some of the adults "does not involve people strangely!" There was also a negative voice. Of course, if you think about it now, you can understand it because there is a risk such as an accident, but it is for the convenience of adults, and we wanted to reverse that way of thinking.

_ After that, it seems that the views of the adults who had been negative changed significantly.

There is an award that supports middle and high school students' volunteer activities called "volunteer spirit award", but I happened to see a poster when I was in the third grade of high school. Our activities were not really budgeted, so it was the opportunity to apply for seeing that there was a "prize". As a result, I received the highest award "Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Prize", but the effect of the award is huge, and I received interviews with local media or "I was better than I thought!" Changed at once, and it became a good turning point to have our activities recognized. I am really grateful that we have the present, thanks to this award.

_ Please tell me how you started your company after entering university.

You went to the intern in May of your first year college student. I didn't even know the word intern at the time (laughs), but I also felt like "I'm going to volunteer in Tokyo," but I felt the limitations of my own knowledge, so I'll try to work once. I searched variously on the Internet, and I found the "Asoview!" As a reservation site for leisure, play and experience. I thought that I would do an experience report on this site where I could curate and book information such as paragliding experiences and pottery classes, but when I went to the office I placed a phone call on my desk. It was a business (laughs). It was fun, but I am very busy and work on a daily basis, and I think that I can not keep it going. Again, in the short life I've lived up to now, when I look back at "What was the most enjoyable time of doing?", I thought that it was time I was doing Freed in high school. If I could do that, I thought I would be happy all my life. So to speak, FULMA is what I did as a volunteer, to make it a business in order to continue sustainable.

I worked in the intern until February of the following year, started preparing for entrepreneurship in March, and registered the company in July in the second grade of university. At the age of just 20 years old, "If you don't register now, you may not live for a lifetime," and the last is "Ayer." It was a very short-term start-up, so there was no website at the beginning and no services were released. At first it is feeling that it was started only by feeling.

What does the company name _Fulma mean?

The company name "Fulma" is originally an abbreviation for FULLMIND. Finally, I added it from the idea that "If the children's heart grows richly, that alone is fine". However, when it was about two months since registration, the spelling of the mind is said "It's MI!" Though it is a full mind as a thought, it is said that it was a mistake from the time of company establishment. But playfulness is also important (laughs).

With a good view over Ebisu Garden Place Tower on the 27th floor, we have an office in the incubation office "COEBI" where young entrepreneurs gather.

What is You Tuber? Start from zero experience

_ What kind of services were you deployed at the time of establishment?

We have a mission to "make the children want to do!" However, children have various layers, and there are stages from “children who do not know what they want to do at all” to “children who understand insanely and put out in words”. We want our children to experience various things and find out what they want to do, for children who have no idea what they want to do, regardless of the tastes of their parents. Therefore, I started a service that can receive various experiences as much as monthly fixed amount, but it is tough anyway. I immediately closed the service (laughs).

_ I think a child-friendly task is a good idea, but what caused the failure?

If you think about it now, I made a mistake in how to fight. I will make 6 to 8 new tours that children can participate each month, but it would be nice if there were around 100 employees, but at the time there were only 2 people. It was quite difficult to keep producing high quality content while doing other things. In addition, it is difficult from the beginning even if it is "flat-rate system", so you have to start from single use first. However, since there is no money in the first place, advertising costs can not be spent, and as a result, the customer can not stay. Furthermore, if you think from the standpoint of a parent, I was missing some important perspectives, such as whether or not I will leave my important child to a company where a university student I do not know well. I started with the enthusiasm that “children are all about the experience!” But judging that our physical strength is not enough at that time, I stopped the project in a few months.

_ After that you will start the Youtuber Academy, but please tell us how.

The flat-rate experience was targeted at “children who have no idea what they want to do,” but this time the other way around, “What do you think there are children that you want to do something that can not be realized?” What If you are investigating various things, "Youtuber" is placed at the top of the job ranking of the yearnings of current children, but there is no opportunity or place for children to learn safely. Youtuber was the biggest gap between what the children in the world wanted to do and what they could do. But as I love playing in nature, I can not be convinced that children go to the display. Well, that's my ego, and despite the company mission saying "supporting children's feelings" with the word "supporting children's wishes!", The theory that "natural experience is good" So it's funny not to do it, and it's nothing different from the adults who hit youtuber. You are the ally's friend, "he said from his companions. When I decided to do it, I had no resources, so I started preparing to do everything.

Have you been familiar with creating YouTube videos until then?

No, I have never done it. Hikakin-san? (Laughs). So, for the commercialization, I bought all the books that youtube named and asked "why are youtube interesting?" And "what is the industry doing?" I thoroughly analyzed what Top Youtuber was doing and the elements that became popular, and thought about how to drop it as education for children.

_ The courage to start doing without having experience is great.

At that time, we were participating in the program of "MAKERS UNIVERSITY" for future entrepreneurs and innovators managed by ETIC. Our mentor was Yusuke Mizuno, representative of "Life is Tech!" Mr. Mizuno is a programmer despite himself developing a wide range of schools. If you ask the person, "If you can't do it yourself, I'll do my best to have a friend," "I can only do a limited amount of things I can think of from my own area. Because there is no problem, there is no choice but to study. ”I was advised that we would like to start with zero experience.

Kashiwanoha T-SITE "T-KIDS Share School Exterior (Photo provided by Ryotaro Saito)

If there is no signboard for "Ashiya Bookstore", I'm sure I will cook (laughs)

＿一番初め教室はどこから始めたのですか？　

It is "T-KIDS Char School" located in Tsubakinoha T-SITE. We were so lucky that T-KIDS found it. As part of ETIC.'S “MAKERS UNIVERSITY” program, Shibuya Hikarie So there was an event called "demo day" to announce what I learned so far, and we mainly talked about failure stories. Finally, Mr. Mizuno, who is a mentor, said, “What do you want to do next?” And then he said, “In fact, I ’m thinking of doing business for Youtuber,” by chance. A CCC (culture convenience club) who runs "Ashiya Bookstore" came to the hall and asked us "I'm actually looking for a class of youtuber". The CCC staff was also a new graduate, and President Masuda was top-down and was told, "Look for a Youtuber classroom!", But I was wondering where to go. At that time we saw "I'm doing the business of Youtuber" and I flew saying "I was here!"

However, the story was in November, and the opening of "Kashinoha T-SITE" was March next year. "It will be four months, but will it be in time?" And asked, "I will definitely make it in time. I will not lose it" (laughs). It was very big that our first base was a fashionable space called "T-SITE". It is safe for parents who leave their children just because there is a signboard of "Ashiya Bookstore". If we were doing it alone in the rental space in the basement of the complex somewhere, I think it would have been a fuss (laughs). It gave us an opportunity to gain social credibility.

_ Did the class operation start successfully?

State of Youtuber Academy classroom in T-KIDS share school

However, I did a lot (laughs). In order to open the school in April, we had a trial session in March. At the same time as the announcement, the first event reached capacity immediately, and the second event was buried soon after 3 days. "That's good!" T-KIDS says, "Let's have another two-day expedition in March!" However, when I was told that “1 time ¥ 3,000 was too cheap?” And raised the participation fee for the third and fourth experience meetings to ¥ 7,000, the application was zero. I call it a visionary hyperinflation (laughs). Well, that's right, because what was 3,000 yen at one time is 7,000 yen after two weeks. If I try to open a school, I will apply for only one person. I decided that it would be impossible to stop the school and switch to a one-time workshop only. I held a 3,000 yen workshop for 12 years, once every other week for 2 years, for 12 years. If you pay the fee, nothing is left. Therefore I thought that I had to expand some classrooms and started sales activities in earnest. Going to ask for “Pokemon Global Academy” run by the Shogakkan Group, and having a voice from Mirai Lab, a programming learning school for elementary school students ... Now it is possible to develop the school in 12 places now The

Children who enjoy the class happily (Photo provided = Ryotaro Saito)