日本語
“VAIABLE”, a company engaged in consulting and service development in the Web3 field, is developing a marketplace called “VaiNFT” that makes NFTs easily accessible to anyone. Although utilizing NFTs can be technically complex, we worked together with Solashi to develop a unique solution to break through these technical barriers. This time, we spoke with Mr. Sadamitsu, the CEO of VAIABLE Inc., about how they overcame these challenges.
Lowering technical hurdles to make NFTs accessible to everyone
――To begin with, could you please introduce yourself and give us an overview of VAIABLE’s business?
Mr. Sadamitsu: Our company was founded in June 2022 and is still young. We provide consulting and service development in cutting-edge technologies such as AI and Web3. After completing my doctoral studies at university, I worked in R&D at NTT Laboratories. Later, I became the head of the AI department at Future Corporation, an IT consultancy firm, before founding VAIABLE.
――VAIABLE operates the NFT platform “VaiNFT”. What was the background to launching it?
Mr. Sadamitsu: With the rising popularity of NFTs in recent years, I became interested in the technology as a way to clearly define digital content ownership and authorship. While there's been a trend toward capital gains, I'm more interested in what’s coming next.
Nowadays, copyright issues surrounding creators are a major social concern, and I believe securing copyrights properly is very important. With this in mind, I wanted to create a service that allows everyone to easily utilize NFTs. However, issuing NFTs traditionally requires cryptocurrency, and there are high technical barriers to entry.
I believe there is still a lot of potential in how NFTs can be used. One possibility is using them as tickets or certificates of participation. With NFTs, you can include artist images and give concert participation a lasting value. They can also be used to record the value of individual experiences—for example, contributions to crowdfunding or experience in software development could be represented as NFTs. This is technically possible.
These kinds of uses should be accessible to everyone, but the reality is that creating and distributing NFTs still involves high technical barriers, making adoption difficult. That’s why we launched “VaiNFT”—to overcome those barriers and make NFT usage easy for all.
Web3 expertise × technical capabilities × reliable communication: The reasons for outsourcing to Solashi
――What led to the decision to outsource the development offshore?
Mr. Sadamitsu: After founding the company in June 2022, I independently launched a prototype marketplace—the predecessor to “VaiNFT”—that summer. However, there were some issues. It was built on Shopify, where I manually listed NFT items and sent the NFT to the customer upon order. It was a painstaking process.
Unlike OpenSea, the largest NFT marketplace that can automatically mint and trade NFTs, this setup did not fulfill my goal of “making NFTs easy to use without relying on cryptocurrency.” So I realized that we had to develop our own system and began looking for a vendor.
――What were the deciding factors in choosing Solashi?
Mr. Sadamitsu: I first met Mr. Shimazoe at a large event and got the impression that he was very knowledgeable about technology. That impression deepened as I spoke with individual engineers. There are only a few vendors with real knowledge and experience in Web3, and even fewer capable of handling the “free NFT issuance technology” we wanted to implement. That was actually a major hurdle.
Solashi overcame that hurdle, which was a key reason for choosing them. They not only had solid technical skills, but I also trusted them in terms of communication. Being offshore also helped us achieve our goals at a reasonable cost, which was another deciding factor.
Mr. Shimazoe: It’s common for project requirements to be unclear at the start of outsourcing, but Mr. Sadamitsu’s requests were very clear, so we didn’t have to make large proposals. Most of our communication focused on confirming technical feasibility. Being involved from the early stages of the product allowed us to work very effectively, in my opinion.
Solashi’s strong comprehension and high developer skill helped solve complex issues
――How did the actual support process unfold once you made the request?
Mr. Sadamitsu: First, we asked them to do a technical investigation. When they responded that it seemed feasible, we asked them to build a proof of concept (PoC). Although we initially expected it to take 2–3 months, they delivered it in just one month. Seeing the high feasibility, we then requested the full development of the production system.
Mr. Shimazoe: Even before it became an official project, I had been talking with our engineers who are well-versed in Web3, and they said, "I want to give this a try." So, they started working on it as a trial before we even received the official order. He was very enthusiastic and proactive, which made me think, "We really should move forward with Mr. Sadamitsu." We adjusted expectations accordingly. We are fundamentally a technology and development company, and I believe everything clicked well in terms of the engineer's attitude and internal communication. Thanks to that, we were able to enjoy working on it.
Mr. Sadamitsu: The approach was very speedy and impressive. I also sensed that Mr. Tan, who was in charge, truly enjoyed the work. Since I come from a research background, I felt a sense of resonance between us.
Mr. Shimazoe: Within our company, it’s an unspoken understanding that Web3 is a technology for experts, and not many people deeply understand the fundamentals of blockchain. But we’ve always enjoyed working with this technology, and we’ve often talked with our engineers about how it’s meaningless unless this tech can scale.
So, when Mr. Sadamitsu approached us with this idea, we thought, “This could lower the barrier to entry and make it easier for anyone to start. It might be a gateway to uncovering something new,” and we decided to give it a go. It felt like a magical three months where the client’s dream came true.
――How was your experience working with Solashi?
Mr. Sadamitsu: There were quite a few hurdles during development, but I believe it was significant that we were able to come up with solutions by pooling our knowledge together. There were points where we could have gotten stuck and had no alternatives, but the team managed to find a way through—thanks to teamwork.
That was possible thanks to the members’ technical skills and understanding. The goals were simple, but once we started unraveling things, it got complex. Having every team member understand the bigger picture requires skill, and I think they managed to share that very well. Thanks to Mr. Shimazoe and communicator Ain-san spreading that understanding, it became easier to find solutions.
Mr. Shimazoe: We’re still a small company, and we frequently reconfigure our operations. Previously, the PM made all the decisions, but we changed the internal authority so that the bridge role, who interfaces with the client, could make decisions directly. This allowed her to take ownership, understand the product deeply, and untangle the complexities. A leader-level member acted as her buddy and provided strong support. Everyone's initiative really shined through.
Taking the first step so anyone can use NFTs in any situation
――What efforts were made to maintain team morale?
Mr. Shimazoe: In Vietnam, there may be a cultural trait of strong ownership toward one’s assigned responsibilities. They've shown commitment beyond expectations. During meetings, I deliberately avoid giving answers, instead asking how each person would think through and overcome issues. I feel their level has really improved through this approach.
――Looking back on this initiative, how do you feel?
Mr. Sadamitsu: They often exceeded expectations. For example, when there were three options for solving an issue—basic, mid-range, and premium—I expected we’d choose the basic one, or maybe mid-range at best, considering workload. But Solashi would go with the premium option. Sometimes I’d worry, “Are you sure about the work hours?” It was almost a reversed dynamic. That commitment to quality, I believe, resulted in a great product.
Mr. Shimazoe: If we get into the habit of just patching up problems as they arise, we’ll end up with a service that’s hard to maintain and difficult to use. All our members understand this. So instead of patchwork fixes, we constantly think from the perspective of ideal code quality, and whether that fits within the estimated work hours.
We also have an internal awards system, and this year’s Best Project Award went to the NFT project, while the MVP went to communicator Ain-san. She says this project gave her confidence. She used to think she couldn’t communicate with engineers, but by showing a willingness to understand, she’s now able to move projects forward together with them. I think this project was a turning point for many team members’ growth.
――Tell us about your future outlook.
Mr. Sadamitsu: “VaiNFT” is a tool to help spread the use of NFTs, but this is just the first step. As people start using NFTs in various scenes, appropriate applications will be needed for each scenario. I hope “VaiNFT” can serve as a gateway and lead to an expanding world of applications. I’d be happy if we could work together with Solashi again on those future endeavors.
Supervisor Profile
Akira Shimazoe
Representative of Solashi Japan LLC. Born in April 1989 in Fukuoka Prefecture. Graduated from the Graduate School of Information and Mathematical Sciences at Osaka Prefecture University. Joined Suntory System Technology Co., Ltd., an IT subsidiary of Suntory Holdings, in 2014. Broadly responsible for the development, operation, and implementation of vending machine delivery management, efficiency improvements, and sales management systems. Founded Yper Inc. in 2017, serving as CTO and CPO. Contributed to the launch and growth of the app-linked delivery bag "OKIPPA." Selected for Toyo Keizai's prestigious "Amazing Venture 100" and Forbes' "Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia 2019."
