As the term Digital Transformation (DX) becomes increasingly entrenched in business culture, many companies are actively working towards incorporating data utilization into their digital strategies. However, very often, cybersecurity becomes an obstacle instead of a feature when a company attempts to commit to secure processing of data. This led EAGLYS Inc. on a search to find the solution to this dilemma.
EAGLYS enables businesses to pursue their goals in data utilization, while assuring that their data is always protected – by providing both secure-computing based cybersecurity, and AI analysis. Armed with this solution EAGLYS is currently working on projects with the East Japan Railway Company, Tsubakimoto Chain Co., and several other major Japanese companies.
Before founding EAGLYS, Hiroki Imabayashi was enrolled in Waseda University’s Department of Life Science and Medical Bioscience due to his interest in neuroscience. During his first year of graduate school, he went to Silicon Valley as part of an entrepreneur training program. While there, as he worked as a data scientist.
While working on one of the projects during the program, he requested essential in-house data – however the use of such data required numerous approvals over several month. Upon encountering such obstacles over and over he ultimately halted the project, as it would be impossible to obtain, analyze and use data in a useful timeframe.
At that time, he felt that even though we had the technology, we couldn’t use the data as a resource quickly and freely – which ultimately would stem the use of AI and any digital transformation efforts related therein.
This ultimately led to the search for the solution to the security problem the theme of his life, inspiring him to focus on secure computing – to enable a broader use of data that exists out there now.
After his return to Japan and his immersion into the research of cryptography, he was faced with the question as to whether become a researcher or an entrepreneur – however he realized a fundamental difference between pure research and business.
Researchers are focused on predicting the upcoming trends, and set research themes that are needed for solving problems that may occur decades into the future. On the other hand, business requires solutions to current problems, because it rests on financial considerations such as “how to raise capital, how to increase sales, and when to recover investment capital.” Given that Hiroki wanted to focus on solving current issues in data availability and accessibility, he decided to start a business and find solutions to today’s problems.
Only a few companies are currently actively promoting DX and the secure computing business is still in its infancy. To make EAGLYS’ technology known, Hiroki has participated in many pitch events – this includes two consecutive years at the “Get in the Ring Osaka” organized by the Osaka Innovation Hub. The second year of participation proved fortuitous with EAGLYS winning the 2020 tournament.
It is clear EAGLYS’ technology is needed in the coming era – and Hiroki’s dream of creating a “private data version of Google” to create a world in which businesses can access a variety of data is a critical piece to allow anyone to share and access knowledge and information in a way that we access data now.