[No. 205] Takamasa Suchi

Hello, my name is Takamasa Suchi, and I am the Representative Director of Zip Infrastructure Inc. It is a great honor to have this opportunity to write for the Keio University Alumni Relay.

In this column, I would like to share a part of my life story and hope that it shows prospective students preparing for their entrance exams that there are many different paths in life.

As a child, I enjoyed playing in the dirt and reading picture books about space and vehicles. I also have fond memories of playing in rivers, stargazing, and visiting science museum exhibits in various places.

In junior high and high school, I joined the soccer team and was passionate about the sport. However, I didn't improve at all and experienced my first major setback when a friend who started playing in high school took my spot as a regular player within six months.

After that, I focused on studying for entrance exams but faced my second major setback when I failed to get into my target school, the University of Tokyo. This led me to think deeply about what I was living for. Until then, I had vaguely wanted to be number one in some field, but I began to question if that would truly bring happiness. I realized that even if I became number one in one area, I would just seek to be number one in a higher field, and it would be an endless pursuit.

So, I decided to pursue what I truly loved, thinking that I could work hard without forcing myself and that it would be enjoyable even if I didn't become the best. I expanded on my childhood interest in space and vehicles, set my sights on the space elevator, and ultimately decided to enroll in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the Faculty of Science and Technology, Keio University, because it had a student club that researched space elevators.

In university, I was not a very serious student and rarely attended classes, but I fully enjoyed dormitory life and club activities. The late-night meetings at Hiyoshi Dormitory, the barbecues, and the Kei-So Hike (walking from Hiyoshi to Jingu Stadium on the day of the Keio-Waseda games) were tough at the time, but now they are fond memories. Universities with student-run dormitories are rare these days, and I'm glad I went to Keio because I was able to live and interact with people from other faculties.

In my student club, I designed and built CANSATs, which are models of pico-satellites, and climbers, which are models of space elevators. I had never seriously engaged in manufacturing before, so gaining experience with CAD, lathes, and milling machines was invaluable.

However, as is common with manufacturing-focused student clubs, we bought a lot of parts and our activity funds were completely insufficient. So, with the idea that since we were already manufacturing and designing things, we should take on contract development work, I founded Zip Infrastructure Inc. I poured all my energy into this during the latter half of my university life.

But, of course, just starting a company doesn't mean that work will come your way. It was during this time that I learned that elements other than technology, such as sales and business development, are also crucial for manufacturing.

The COVID-19 pandemic also brought many restrictions to both my daily life and research, and I have fond memories of building experimental equipment at home to write my graduation thesis. I am grateful for the unconventional guidance I received, which allowed me to choose a theme that would be useful for my future rather than one already existing in the lab, and to conduct experiments and simulations at home. I would like to thank Professor Masaki Omiya for his guidance.

After graduating from university, I began to focus full-time on Zip Infrastructure Inc., where we are developing the self-propelled ropeway, Zippar.

Zippar is a new transportation system that leverages the low construction costs characteristic of ropeways while enabling curves over roads, which was previously impossible. With this new transportation system, which is more punctual than buses and cheaper to build than subways, we aim to eliminate urban traffic congestion around the world.

As the president of a hardware startup, the skills required to lead the company include not only a foundation in manufacturing and business development but also the ability to attract people and capital and to unite the team.

Coming from a manufacturing background, I myself was concerned about whether I could handle such considerations and execution. However, I have come to realize that my consistent stance since my university days has been to identify the fields truly necessary to create the world I want to realize and to take on those challenges. I continue to work hard every day with this in mind.

I imagine many of the people reading this are students preparing for entrance exams, so I'd like to say a word to them. Having experienced two major setbacks, entering university was the catalyst that allowed me to break free and decide to do what I love. Of course, you can do anything at any time in your life, but entering university is a unique opportunity. Let's pursue what we want to do and live a life without regrets.