Traversing Global Frontiers: The Odyssey of Mr. Goto from Gaudiy to AssetHub
Traversing Global Frontiers: The Odyssey of Mr. Goto from Gaudiy to AssetHub
This article will unravel Mr. Goto, a dynamic figure who transitioned from co-founding Gaudiy to spearheading AssetHub in San Francisco. Mr. Goto shares his insights on the challenges of starting up in a competitive global market and how his experiences have shaped his approach to innovation. Join us as we explore his journey, the evolution of his ventures, and his perspective on the future of AI in the gaming industry.
Notable content:
Early Ambitions and Startup Experience: Mr. Goto reflects on his diverse roles at Gaudiy and his initial drive to start a business.
Transition to AssetHub: He discusses the inspiration behind founding AssetHub and his focus on innovating within the 3D AI sector.
Challenges in the U.S. Market: Mr. Goto shares his experiences with the competitive U.S. startup environment and the cultural adjustments required for success.
Future Outlook and Product Development: He provides an update on AssetHub’s development progress, early user feedback, and future expansion plans.
—Thank you for joining the RiZiN podcast. I sincerely appreciate it. To introduce this podcast, the RiZiN podcast invites entrepreneurs, business people, and investors who are active overseas, and shares their stories through interviews. The reason we started this podcast is to increase the number of startups and business people challenging themselves overseas, and to provide useful media for those who want to challenge themselves overseas. by focusing on interviewing Japanese people active abroad. Mr. Goto, thank you for coming today. I look forward to talking with you.
Mr. Goto: “Thank you too.”
— Thank you. So, let's get started. Could you give us a brief self introduction?
Mr. Goto: “Sure, My name is Goto. I've been in San Francisco since last year. I am working on a product called AssetHub... We use 3D AI to make game development about times more efficient. And originally, before coming here, since , I cofounded a Web. startup called Gaudiy, which was introducing Web. to major entertainment companies. and doing things like that. That's what I've been doing.”
— Thank you. In your previous job, you were at Gaudiy as a cofounder, What was your role at that time?
Mr. Goto: “Well, I was really involved in the product, the users, and within the organization. I did what I could. I was doing a lot of things. At the very beginning, I was even involved in product development and engineering. I was also managing the community, and handling user support. I was really doing a wide range of tasks.”
— I see. It's really typical of a startup, where you're not limited to just one role, but doing a lot of different things.
Mr. Goto: “Yes, that's right. I think I was like a jack-of-all-trades.”
— I see. How did you come to start AssetHub? What was the trigger for starting it? Gaudiy had also raised a significant amount of funds, so did you always have the desire to go independent from the start?
Mr. Goto: “Yes, when we initially started Gaudiy, when I was a student, I already had the desire to start a business in the future. I participated in an internship at an internet venture, where I met Ishikawa, the CEO of Gaudiy, I wasn't really thinking of starting a business then, but the timing was great, so we decided to start. So, I always wanted to do it at some point, and the desire to do it was very strong. With the current trend of AI, and the desire to create products globally and expand them worldwide became stronger. So, I studied at that time, which led me to where I am now.”
— I see. So, Gaudiy was your first company, right?
Mr. Goto: "Yes, I haven't really had a job, so I might lack social norms...”
— Not at all, since you're already running a startup, I don't think age matters much. I see. By the way, how old are you now?
Mr. Goto: “I'm now. I just turned 29.”
— I see, so Gaudiy was your first company, and after several years, you went independent. And now you're in America. That's impressive, quite a dynamic move. How should I put this, the motivation behind starting your own business, and the desire to create a product that would be successful overseas, when did those feelings start? When did you start feeling that way? I'm very curious about that, and also was there any background or trigger that led to that?
Mr. Goto: “Yes, really in terms of wanting to create a product that would be successful globally, that feeling strengthened when it comes to the Web . field where even from Japan, businesses often expand globally. In Gaudiy, from the beginning, we wanted to create global protocols and develop systems and concepts using new technology that would spread globally. We had a strong desire to do that from the start. we were doing a lot of that, but it became clear that doing business in Japan is difficult. So, many tech startups end up focusing on enterprises, and growing that way. Gaudiy was no exception, it proceeded that way. In Japan, it's challenging to create a product for users and later expand it globally. Back when we started Gaudiy six years ago, Since we were working on gaudiy, we wondered if it was possible, but now, even large Japanese megaventures find it difficult to expand overseas. That realization made it clear that it's tough to proceed that way. So, I thought it would be difficult, but I wanted to challenge, so tried, and failed. So, if we're going to do it, we should start globally we should make everything globally, and then bring it back to Japan as a secondary market. I felt it. So, now we are operating from the US.”
— I see. So, this is really just the trigger You joined Gaudiy, and the WEB. Attraction, and from the first day globally, that Maybe you can compete globally You actually felt it while doing it, and there Yes, 90 days maximum. When you actually started a startup yourself, That's what you thought.
Mr. Goto: “That's right, yes”
— I see. So, this is really just the triI see, that's interesting In the second half, With the keyword "global" I'd like to hear various stories I'm thinking So, from Mr. Goto's perspective, I think we can dig deepergger You joined Gaudiy, and the WEB. Attraction, and from the first day globally, that Maybe you can compete globally You actually felt it while doing it, and there Yes, 90 days maximum. When you actually started a startup yourself, That's what you thought
Mr. Goto: “Yes”
— That AssetHub As I understand it... Is the technology using D? You make it Easier and more efficient What is it It's like, in short, providing it efficiently And easily, that's how I understand it to put it simply, that's how I understand it But, What made you decide to do this What was the trigger, or what made you decide to compete with this What was the Trigger?
Mr. Goto: “Well, at the very beginning When we thought about targeting 3D, It was around or , after WEB 3. Became popular in the later part At that time, they were saying the metaverse is coming,”
— Yes, it was very exciting
Mr. Goto: “Yes, but, When you actually look at the 3D spaces and things made there, The quality is often not that good What is it, I thought, So far, you were making websites and apps in 3D, And you think there were fewer variables to consider, But when you use 3D, more visual and artistic Things have to be considered, and the variables increase a lot When that happens, Creating content using 3D, Things or artistic sense, The number of variables to consider increases a lot, then, making something using 3D is really difficult. So, there will be something to make it easier in the future So, first I wanted to think of something to disrupt in the 3D related area At that time, in , Mid-journey came out, and the generative AI started. So, combining that with 3D will definitely come 3D is far more complex than images So, I decided to cover that area and after a lot of verification, I reached the current business.”
— I see, I see but indeed such 3D spaces, indeed In the future... how can I say... If Internet processing speed and infrastructure improves, probably, such in Metaverse, in America, probably, The technology in the AR and VR improves more than in Japan, and Apple also make Apple Vision Pro Therefore, I think it will start accelerating Also, regarding infrastructure and such like a gear or something... wearable items continue to gain mass adoption, Indeed, various things like games and so on, The metaverse is also included, it feels like 3D technology will become more commonly used. I think it's amazing that you noticed it By the way what stage is the product you are creating now? How do you prepare now?
Mr. Goto: “Well, now Just a little more and we can release the closed beta version For this past year, we've been focusing solely on Game studio directors, modelers, Both in Japan and America, we've been talking to professional creators We've been talking to them about use cases and what's really usable And we've been verifying these, and I think we've finally found it Technologically, we've been able to develop it, and we want to expand In this year, just two weeks ago, we went to GDC which is... the Game Developers Conference. We talked to various studios, got on the waiting list, and some really wanted to use this use case... For example, We talked to a man from SEGA US, He really hates AI. But he said he would only want to use our product he wants to use it. That's the kind of evaluation we got, and in San Francisco, AI x Games is a very hot topic, And we feel like we've carved out a unique position”
— I see. So now you are going to release the closed beta and test users... By the way, who are the clients? I mean... Who are the clients for AssetHub?
Mr. Goto: “Yes, basically game related people It varies in scale, but mainly Midsized studios of about people we target people like directors who are developing games or people who manage their team. They want to make the process more effective or reduce costs because it is very high we are looking for like that. So, we are having them implement it.”
— I see, so the business model is like SaaS model?
Mr. Goto: “Yes What we are doing now is, basically, we are creating An AI native 3D model tool, and in the next year to a year and a half We want to upgrade it to an enterprise focused So first, it's a prosumer model, by subscription, that's not too expensive, individuals can use it. Also midsized studios can use it. That's what we are doing.”
— I see That's exciting, so your clients are Midsized studios of about people, targeting them You are going to roll out the closed beta That's what you are talking about In America, are there many indie studios Are there many indie studios in America? And what is the general scale of indie studios How big are they? Do people count as indie?
Goto-san: “It's difficult to define”
— It's difficult, right?
Mr. Goto: “The number of game studios is Of course, America is number one In terms of numbers, There are about to times more in Japan That is, game developers Independently raise money to create games It's easier to do than in Japan In Japan, only recently the government started supporting indie developers, Before that, there was almost no culture of individual or small studios raising money to make games on their own, So, most of them...”
— That's right They were making it as a hobby and releasing it after a long time, so the numbers are still small... But it's going to increase from now, and in America, That is the most advanced in the world I see, by the way, how many people are in your team now?
Mr. Goto: “Now we are working with 4 people including myself. It's really a startup.”
— It really feels like a startup atmosphere
Mr. Goto: “Yes”
— In terms of roles, are most of them engineers?
Mr. Goto: “Yes It's really development focused, all members I found them all here, but One of them is a PhD researcher in AI, Another one is an engineer who has experience a business at Facebook, So, in the US, the personnel costs are generally high So it's a very small and strong team, but... That's how we are doing it now”
— Are they all foreigners, or Are you the only Japanese person, Mr. Goto? That's amazing Are you doing it as a solo founder now...? Do you have a cofounder? You are doing it as a solo founder, right? With the PhD researcher and the Facebook engineer.
Mr. Goto: “They are the cofounders now...”
— You brought them in, I see How did you find them? How did you persuade them?
Mr. Goto: “Well, really I am going to do it, include the product and members, Since I don't know what is global, I did it all overseas I started looking from March last year initially talking at events, or using Y Combinator's matching service, I comunicated a lot there. One of them came to an AI event where I was a speaker... He was there... I am also talked about AI in 3D. When I was presenting, PhD researchers think that he wants to do with me because he research on 3D AI. Then, we started have a relation. The other one was living in a shared house in South San Francisco. It costs... It was about $500 a month, which is very good for San Francisco There is a shared house in South San Francisco, the guy who is living there is... a former Facebook employee from before it was called Meta, His name is David. we met there, and we are doing together.”
— That’s interesting. By the way, in San Francisco, there are shared houses for $500? I didn't have that image, everything in America seems so expensive
Mr. Goto: “But really, depending on the place, they exist But they are too far. I mean South San Francisco is a bit far away. It's about a minute drive. So, they are moving to downtown, but they found a place for about $600 So they exist”
— Is it a shared house for students, or can anyone, including adults and businessmen, stay there?
Mr. Goto: “Where they live now is not specifically... It's not specifically for students, but anyone can use it And the place itself wasn't that dirty...”
— Are they all... around the same age? Are your co-founders and other members... all close in age?
Mr. Goto: “Yes they are in their early 30s, so... they are about a generation older But we don't really worry about age, they are almost the same age... Yes, like that.”
— So, you four are creating a product that can disrupt the 3D field That's great That's exciting, by the way, are there any competitors now? In America, when the AI wave came, Many AI startups were born and disappeared, What is it like now, the flow of WEB3.... WEB3. was also very popular for a while, but now what is the flow of Web3. and AI in America?
Mr. Goto: “Well, first of all, WEB3. has changed a lot recently, but it's not heard much In San Francisco, it's all about AI There are many competitors, We also have several competitors, and... We are differentiating ourselves and competing with them, In terms of competition, there are no areas without competition, Or areas where there is no competition at all I think there are nothing.”
— I guess so.
Mr. Goto: “So, it's a lot... How can I say... My problem is why Japanese products don't spread when they are done in Japan But in overseas, various types of services come out early and businesses are established My awareness of the problem was strong, and I thought one of the reasons was the competition I mean... For example, AI researchers making 3D AI services, there are already about companies, even just I've seen.”
— They are all working in stealth.
Mr. Goto: “Yes, recently Andreesen invested in a company, or some people invest at closed beta, and it was at Stanford Job Fair or something, there are quite a few. I think it's amazing, for example, in Japan, if there is a strong funding and strong people, more and more Researchers come in. when there is already competition that has raised 1 billion yen, and it's hard to enter as a seed or pre-seed, I guess they can’t. But here, it's a lot.”
— I see.
Mr. Goto: “But in response to that, there are also startups that specialize in different areas to differentiate themselves. So, We think about the strategy assuming there are big companies, and the intensity is very high. That's why various startups come out and occupy various positions early”
— It's very interesting, in the second half, I'd like to dig deeper with the keyword "global" I’m looking forward it. By the way, how many years have you been in America now? Since you went to America, About a year?
Mr. Goto: “Yes, I haven't got my visa yet, so I’m going back and forth for months.”
— You are going back and forth for months, so now you are going back and forth, In a highly competitive field, running a startup, There must be many hard things What hard things have you experienced since you decided to compete in America with your startup? And I would like to ask what you learned from that.
Mr. Goto: “Yes, so far, it's like, There hasn't been anything extremely bad yet, But, I think while doing it, for example, Gathering users at first, managing the team, it's different from what we did in Japan And, For example, through JETRO, I received support from Alchemist X, a US accelerator, and they said to me like... A mentor there told me something surprising... In Japan, it is recommended to get enterprise companies and monetize, but they told me it's better to get SMBs than enterprises as an evaluation for investment, So the way you get initial traction and fundraise is totally different, and It's much easier to get SMBs there than in Japan Probably through cold emails... sending emails to strangers to acquire them, Or send a message on LinkedIn and get them, it’s easier to do that. Also, there are established methods for doing this So, we have to change my mind, such a cultural gap is...”
— The cultural gap... I see, I see Thank you, the first half of the video has already flown by in just under 30 minutes. In the second half, I'd like to ask various questions with the keyword "global", So, the first half of the video will end here Thank you for watching, we will be posting the second half as well, so please check it out Thank you for today, Mr. Goto.
Mr. Goto: “Thank you.”