There is a story that Kojima Hiromichi carries, one that begins not with a line of code, but with a lineage. He was born a descendant of samurai, raised in a world where the concepts of sincerity and friendship with one’s companions were not abstract virtues but the very architecture of a meaningful life. This ancient code, a quiet insistence on honor and connection, seems an unlikely foundation for a man who now stands at the vanguard of Tokyo’s technology scene, a man whose professional lexicon is filled with terms like “Pyramid principle thinking,” “Business process reengineering,” and the relentless, iterative mantra of the Lean Startup’s “Build-Measure-Learn Loop.”
Yet, to understand Kojima Hiromichi and his seed-stage IT services company, AGORAARS, is to understand that these two worlds are not in conflict. They are, in fact, the same. He is a man who sees the ghost of a lost friend in the future of mobility, the fate of the planet in the fragile beauty of a coral reef, and the rhythm of music in the act of writing software. With over a decade of experience as a product and project manager and more than five years as a management consultant at a global powerhouse like Accenture, he possesses the sharp, analytical mind of a modern strategist. But it is the story of his own life, a narrative of effort, friendship, victory, and profound loss, that fuels his true mission: to pioneer a future where technology and humanity do not simply intersect but coexist in a state of profound and sincere harmony.
Effort, Friendship, Victory
Long before Kojima was managing development teams, he was a young man devoted to sports. It was on the field of play that he first learned the elemental truths that would come to define his company’s ethos. He learned the pure, unadulterated joy of victory, but more importantly, he learned that victory was not an event but a process, the culmination of relentless effort and the precious, unbreakable bonds of friendship. This triad, “Effort, Friendship, Victory,” became more than a memory of his youth. It became a foundational philosophy, a belief that the greatest achievements are born from shared struggle and mutual trust.
This idyllic chapter of Kojima’s life, however, was tragically interrupted. He lost a dear friend in an accident, a loss so profound that it carved a new and permanent obsession into his heart. The abstract concepts of technology and innovation suddenly became intensely personal. The accident ignited a quest for mobility safety and for the creation of human-friendly technology, a technology that protects rather than endangers, that serves rather than dominates. The ghost of his friend became a quiet companion in his work, a constant reminder of the human stakes involved in every technological leap forward.
The Coral and the Code
Another piece of Kojima’s story, another formative experience that would shape the DNA of his company, took place far from the bustling energy of Tokyo. He once lived in Okinawa, an island of stunning natural beauty and complex geopolitical realities. It was here that he witnessed the daily presence of U.S. military bases and the struggles of the people living in their shadow. This experience gave him a nuanced understanding of power, technology, and their impact on ordinary lives.
However, it was in the vibrant, life-giving waters of Kunigami Village that Kojima found a new and powerful symbol for his mission. He became involved in coral conservation activities, working to protect the delicate ecosystems that are a bellwether for the health of our planet. The coral reefs, with their intricate beauty and their vulnerability to the warming of the seas, became a symbol of his resolve to “protect the future.” The act of preserving this natural wonder was not separate from his interest in technology; it was the same impulse. Whether it was a fragile coral or a human life, the mission was one of protection, of using intelligence and effort to safeguard what is precious.
Forging a New Path
Kojima’s professional journey provided him with the formidable toolkit he would need to turn these deeply personal missions into a viable enterprise. For over six years, from February 2019 to May 2025, he worked as a management consultant at Accenture in Tokyo. It was here that he mastered the traditional consulting methodologies, the rigorous, structured thinking that allows for the reengineering of complex business processes. His more than ten years of experience as a web product and project manager gave him the hands-on expertise to lead development teams to success.
In April 2017, driven by an entrepreneurial spirit, he founded studio911, a mobile gaming startup. The seed-stage company, backed by individual investors, successfully developed a Minimum Viable Product but ultimately made the difficult decision to discontinue development in 2018. This experience, while not a commercial success, was an invaluable lesson in the realities of the startup world, a real-world application of the “Build-Measure-Learn” loop that would become the core mindset of his future consultations.
In May 2025, all of these threads, the samurai lineage, the lessons of the playing field, the ghost of his friend, the memory of the coral, the strategic rigor of Accenture, and the hard-won wisdom of studio911, converged. He founded AGORAARS, an IT service provider with a mission that was both technologically ambitious and deeply human.
Hello, World!!!
The purpose of AGORAARS is stated with a simple, elegant clarity: “Build the coexistence society which is people and technology for people lives as people.” It is a vision for a world where technology serves to enhance our humanity, not to diminish it. The company focuses on three key technology domains that Kojima has identified as critical to this future: Artificial Intelligence, Mobility, and Robotics.
The company’s mission statement is not a dry corporate slogan, but an energetic, rhythmic anthem that captures the spirit of its founder: “Hello, World!!! Hear the Voice! Write the Code!! Make some Noise!!! We are AGORAARS!!!!” Kojima explains this with a beautiful analogy. “Just as music creates rhythm and connects the world,” he says, “our activities embody the spirit of music at their very foundation.” The mission is a call to action, a declaration of intent to listen to the needs of the world (“Hear the Voice”), to apply technical skill to meet those needs (“Write the Code”), and to make a significant, positive impact (“Make some Noise”).
As a seed-stage company, AGORAARS provides a range of IT services, including in-house development, growth support for other companies, and development support. With his business-level English proficiency, Kojima is adept at navigating international projects, leading his team with the same principles of effort, friendship, and sincerity that he learned in his youth. AGORAARS is more than just a company; it is the story of a life, a bridge connecting past experiences with a profound hope for the future. It is the culmination of a journey, from the quiet dignity of a samurai heritage to the dynamic, world-changing potential of a single line of code. It is Kojima Hiromichi’s sincere and determined effort to make some beautiful, and profoundly human, noise.
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