As human beings, our ultimate aim can be stated simply: to be happy. Human beings are social creatures, unable to live without interacting with others. We believe that the most rational way of turning happiness from a goal into a reality is by maximizing things which bring goodness to others, and minimizing those that do not. We must work to achieve our fullest potential in the environment given to us—in other words, fulfilling our reason for being. While our individual efforts may be small, the combined endeavors of many can bring about large benefits to society that return to us on a personal level.
For the Spiber Group, our every effort from conceptualization to action, are nothing more than a means of maximizing our individual contributions to society. We are driven by the belief that the realization of protein-based materials will allow us to make the biggest positive impact on the world. Science and technology are the powerful tools to get us there, and forming a team—a company—maximizes our chance of success. With long-term vision, we must take the lead and tackle the problems others will not, either because they are deemed too complex or too risky. Our resolve is steadfast, and we are up to the challenge.
Brewed Protein™ as a solution
Humankind’s existence is made possible thanks to the bounty of Earth’s natural resources. The growth of our societies and economies, for example, is driven by the accelerating consumption of fossil fuel stores created over millions of years—consumption which, if not stopped, will eventually lead to their depletion. Accordingly, the question of how we should negotiate humanity’s relationship with nature has never been a more pressing one.
With development grounded in close observation of the natural world, Spiber’s Brewed Protein™ materials are produced through a fermentation process that utilizes sugars and microbes, rather than petrochemical or animal-derived raw materials. With their potential for mainstay industrial use, Spiber believes that Brewed Protein™ materials represent a compelling contribution towards our shared endeavor to create a more sustainable future for humanity and nature, both now and for generations to come.
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Corporate Information
- Company Name
- Spiber Inc.
- Founded
- September 26, 2007
- Team
- 235 members (as of Apr. 2020)
- Average Age
- 36.6
- Paid-in Capital
- ¥35.4 billion (incl. capital surplus)
- Business Domain
- New-generation biomaterial development
- Location
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Headquarters:
234-1 Mizukami Kakuganji Tsuruoka, Yamagata 997-0052, Japan
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Prototyping Studio:
240-1 Mizukami Kakuganji Tsuruoka, Yamagata 997-0052, Japan
Headquarters
234-1 Mizukami Kakuganji Tsuruoka,
Yamagata 997-0052, Japan
->Go to Google Maps
Prototyping Studio
240-1 Mizukami Kakuganji Tsuruoka,
Yamagata 997-0052, Japan
- Board of Directors
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Director and Representative Executive Officer: Kazuhide Sekiyama
Director and Executive Officer: Junichi Sugahara (Ph.D)
External Director: Toshiyuki Arai (Attorney and Counselor at Law Admitted in Japan and New York)
External Director: Kaori Matsuhashi (CPA Admitted in Japan)
External Director: Masaru Tomita (Director General of IAB, Keio University)
External Director: Naoki Tabata (Visiting Researcher, The School of Advanced International Studies at The Johns Hopkins University)
External Director: Hiroshi Takikawa
- Executive Officers
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Kazuhide Sekiyama
Director and Representative Executive Officer
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- Brief Biography
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Mar. 2005
B.S., Faculty of Environmental Information, Keio University
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Mar. 2007
M.S. (Bioinformatics), Keio University
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Sep. 2007
Co-founded Spiber Inc.,Representative Director & CEO
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Jun. 2014
Director & Representative Executive Officer,
Spiber Inc. (current)
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Sep. 2014
Representative Director, Xpiber Inc.
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Dec. 2018
Director, Spiber (Thailand) Ltd.
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Apr. 2019
Director, Xpiber Inc. (current)
- Message
- Humanity faces a multitude of global issues that must be addressed, but our risk-averse nature inevitably leads us to prioritize projects with myopic, short-term gains. Japan boasts one of the most advanced societies and economies in the world, and we believe corporations in such favorable positions are obligated to take the initiative in solving complex global issues, and provide humanity with a positive vision of the future. We are willing to accept the inherent risks that come with taking on the impossible and shifting paradigms, because we believe this is the way humanity moves forward. Tackling new questions and trying new approaches to old ones is an immensely exciting and fascinating process, and that is what motivates us. We want to push humanity forward. This is the guiding principle that keeps the entire team focused on tackling the pressing problems facing our world.
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Junichi Sugahara
Director and Executive Officer
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- Brief Biography
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Mar. 2007
B.S., Faculty of Environmental Information, Keio University
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Sep. 2007
Co-founded Spiber Inc., Director
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Mar. 2009
M.S. (Bioinformatics), Keio University
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Mar. 2011
Ph.D. (Bioinformatics), Keio University
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Jun. 2014
Director & Executive Officer, Spiber Inc. (current)
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Sep. 2014
Director, Xpiber Inc. (current)
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Sep. 2018
CEO, Synplogen Co., Ltd.
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Aug. 2021
Director, Synplogen Co., Ltd. (current)
- Message
- Watching my children as they sleep peacefully, I feel a strong desire to see them lead full, happy lives. I believe that the aspiration to end grave environmental destruction, the crisis of limited resources, war, and hateful crimes is part of basic human nature. We should leave behind a sustainable and plentiful society for future generations. On the other hand, when I start to think about the future in earnest, I realize that there is not much time left to achieve this vision. There is no margin for error; no time to exhaust ourselves with excessive, unproductive competition. In order to make the world a better place, it is crucial that we implement solutions quickly and on an unprecedented scale, no matter what the risk. Spiber, in my mind, is the means to that end.
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Masaya Minoda
Executive Officer
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- Brief Biography
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Mar. 2011
B.A., Faculty of Economics, Sophia University
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May 2011
Joined Accenture
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Sep. 2015
Joined Spiber Inc., Business Development Division
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Dec. 2015
Team Manager, Business Development Division, Spiber Inc.
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Apr. 2017
Manager, Corporate Planning Office, Spiber Inc.
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Apr. 2018
Executive Officer, Spiber Inc. (current)
- Message
- While each of us is aware of the increasing severity of societal problems such as environmental destruction or conflict over resources, it is sometimes difficult for people to actively engage with these issues on a personal level. Accordingly, I feel it is imperative for us to develop effective and unobtrusive methods that empower individuals to contribute to resolving these problems while going about their daily lives. I believe Spiber’s vision and cutting-edge technology will give rise to creative ideas which, when industrialized, can provide compelling solutions to these issues. To that end, I intend to devote myself to increasing our company’s chance of success and the impact that we can have on the world.
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Tomokazu Nagai
Executive Officer
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- Brief Biography
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Mar. 2004
B.A. Department of English and American Literature, Gakushuin University
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Mar. 2006
M.A. (Intercultural Communication), Rikkyo Graduate School of Intercultural Communication
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Jan. 2015
Joined Tribal Media House. Inc.
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Mar. 2015
Ph.D. (Intercultural Communication), Rikkyo Graduate School of Intercultural Communication
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Mar. 2016
Joined Spiber Inc.
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Aug. 2017
Marketing Division Manager, Spiber Inc.
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Jul. 2018
Executive Office, Spiber Inc. (current)
- Message
- ‘Solving global problems through the power of protein-designed materials.’
Since even before I joined Spiber, this mission statement—both the incredible potential for positive change in society, as well as the magnitude of the challenge that it entails—continues to motivate me, galvanizing me into action. Transforming this exhilarating ideal from concept to reality is a truly daunting task, and the process of developing the necessary technology and overcoming the many challenges that lie ahead will undoubtedly be a long and arduous one. In order to achieve our goal as quickly as possible, we must adopt a broad yet agile mindset where we consider issues holistically and create value effectively and efficiently. Steady accomplishment of our objectives is vital in establishing Spiber as a cutting-edge industry leader—a company capable of pointing the way to a brighter future for humanity. Achieving this mission will require an extraordinary degree of courage and resolution, but it is my firm belief that our commitment to this endeavour will result in lasting and impactful change for all of mankind.
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Yunosuke Abe
Executive Officer
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- Brief Biography
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Mar. 2007
B.E., Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Niigata University
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Mar. 2009
M.S. (Advanced Materials and Science Technology), Graduate School of Science and Technology, Niigata University
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Mar. 2012
Ph.D., Graduate School of Science and Technology, Niigata University
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Apr. 2012
Joined Yamagata 3M Ltd., (now 3M Japan Products Ltd.) Engineered Products Manufacturing Department
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Jan. 2015
Joined Spiber Inc., Research & Development Division
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Jul. 2016
Team Manager, Research & Development Division, Spiber Inc.
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Apr. 2017
Section Manager, Production Technology Division, Spiber Inc.
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Oct. 2018
Division Manager, Fiber Textile Division, Spiber Inc.
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Apr. 2019
Executive Officer, Spiber Inc. (current)
- Message
- Every person contributes to society in some way, and we all reap the benefits of these contributions. Considering society at the global level, however, it’s clear that the contributions that each of us make to the world pale in comparison to the benefits that we receive. At Spiber, our mission is to help address pressing global issues through the implementation of our structural protein materials, which have the potential to serve as sustainable mainstay industrial materials. It goes without saying, however, that simply having such a goal does not guarantee its achievement. Accordingly, through further improvements to our existing protein materials processing technology, and with the assistance of like-minded partners and team members, I am dedicated to working towards the day when we can finally master the use of protein materials on a global scale.
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- Company Name
- Spiber (Thailand) Ltd.
- Founded
- November 21, 2018
- Team
- 37 members (as of Jan. 2021)
- Registered Capital
- 2,900,000,000 baht
- Business Domain
- Construction, operation, and administration of a mass production fermentation plant in Thailand
- Location
- 159/18 Serm-Mit Tower, 11th Fl., Sukhumvit21 (Asoke) Road, North Klongtoey, Wattana, Bangkok 10110, Thailand
- Managing Director
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Keisuke Morita
- Board of Directors
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Toshimasa Asai
Yu-Hsuan Miao
- Company Name
- Spiber Holdings America Inc.
- Founded
- September 8, 2020
- Registered Capital
- 110,000 USD
- Location
- 1209 Orange Street, Wilmington, Delaware 19801, USA
- Board of Directors
-
Daniel Meyer
Yoshihiro Oshima
- Company Name
- Spiber America LLC
- Founded
- September 9, 2020
- Registered Capital
- 100,000 USD
- Location
- 1209 Orange Street, Wilmington, Delaware 19801, USA
- Board of Directors
-
Daniel Meyer
Yoshihiro Oshima
Toshimasa Asai
- Company Name
- Xpiber Inc. / Subsidiary and joint venture with Kojima Industries Corp.
- Founded
- September 26, 2014
- Board of Directors
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Representative Director: Takane Suzuki
Director: Kazuhide Sekiyama
Director: Junichi Sugahara (Ph.D)
Director: Kunihiko Kawai (Chief Operating Officer, Kojima Industries Corporation)
Outside Auditor: Hiroshi Takigawa
- Location
- 234-1 Mizukami Kakuganji Tsuruoka, Yamagata 997-0052, Japan
