DNX

During my time at McKinsey, I worked on a project that improved annual operating profit by over ten billion yen — and yet found myself asking: “is this work that truly creates impact for society?” I wanted to do something that made more people genuinely happy. That question became the starting point for founding Kakehashi. Japan’s healthcare system was designed during its high-growth era, but it now faces the accelerating pressures of aging society. Someone has to solve this daunting social challenge. The complexity of aligning stakeholders — from the Japan Medical Association to the Ministry of Health — is precisely what makes this worth doing. That difficulty is why I believe we are the ones to take it on. Our relationship with DNX goes back to the seed stage. Even through the difficult periods when our sales forecasts were wildly off, existing investors continued to follow on with additional investments round after round — giving new investors the confidence to come on board. Whenever we raised a new round, we consulted with Akira, who has deep expertise in U.S. investment practices, and thanks to that, we were able to secure fair and appropriate terms that differed from the Japanese standard. Having a partner who engages with full sincerity and stays by your side until the work comes to fruition — that is exactly why I think of DNX as a true partner. In our Series D round, DNX went far beyond what we could have expected — from drafting materials and translating documents to structuring a complex round and supporting our M&A process. There is no other word for it than “super hands-on.”