Daisuke Teshima
Social Entrepreneur
President and CEO, Trife Co., Ltd.
Vice President, Eco Friendly Institute Co., Ltd.
Representative Director, NPO Sell the Challenge
Registered Management Consultant by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry
Guest Professor, Faculty of Business Administration, Kanto Gakuin University
Born in 1970 in Machida City, Tokyo. Graduated from Meiji University Faculty of Law, Department of Law. During his student days, he traveled solo through India and other Asian countries. Just before graduation, participating in the Honolulu Marathon alone sparked his interest in triathlons. Amid the job hunting after the bubble economy collapse, he joined Uchida Yoko Co., Ltd., a listed specialty trading company. After new employee training, he was the only one among 115 new hires assigned directly under the managing director. As a sales representative in a three-person new building materials business startup project team with his mentor sales department head and a senior architect, he engaged in national and private large-scale architectural projects in Tokyo during the lingering good economy of the 1990s. Through daily cold calls to design offices, general contractors, construction sites, clients, local influencers, and politicians, he achieved top market share in the shortest time.
Around age 26, encouraged by his late best friend Kazuo Nakamura, he challenged himself to obtain the national qualification for small and medium enterprise management consultant while working. Studying in the early mornings, late nights, on commuter trains, and at the company library after meeting sales targets. After passing the primary exam, he quit his job upon invitation from a senior at a preparatory school who worked at a foreign investment bank, but Yamaichi Securities collapsed at the same time, leaving him jobless. At that time, he embarked on his childhood dream of a six-month solo journey through South America.
Upon returning to Japan, he worked at the Osaka office of Industrial Efficiency Consulting Co., Ltd., collaborating with IBM Japan on IT strategy, database marketing, SFA, and CRM consulting for electric power companies and others. After obtaining the small and medium enterprise management consultant qualification by passing the secondary exam, he applied to Tohmatsu Consulting Co., Ltd. (now Deloitte Tohmatsu Consulting LLC), which was featured in the Nikkei newspaper for launching a marketing strategy consulting team. His pioneering expertise in sales × IT was recognized, and he was hired, returning to Tokyo. At Tohmatsu Consulting, he engaged in various strategy consulting projects for listed companies, including management strategy, business strategy, marketing strategy, and new business development. He learned various strategic planning methods from outstanding members gathered from the marketing world of foreign consumer goods to luxury cars.
In 2003, to challenge international business, he transferred to the startup phase of Idea International Co., Ltd. via a recruitment agent. Restarting as one salesperson in a venture of about 20 people. Gradually gaining positions, he oversaw marketing strategy, MD strategy, buying, production base development in South China, and global supply chain construction with Hong Kong and Shenzhen as hubs, focusing on growing markets. As head of the marketing strategy office and new business development office, he promoted the launch of multiple new businesses such as kids’ interior.
In 2005, having a child with disabilities triggered his exploration of social businesses. As a new business aimed at creating jobs for people with disabilities, he launched the Italian organic social cosmetics brand “Agronatura (later Terracuore)” from scratch in Piemonte Acqui Terme, Italy. Within 9 months of launch, it became a brand with a market price of 1 billion yen and the company’s mainstay business, achieving annual donations to NGOs exceeding 10 million yen, and contributing to IPO (stock listing). He became the pioneer as the first Japanese to develop a European organic-certified cosmetics brand.
In 2006, with support from Italian partner companies, he became independent and founded Toraifu Co., Ltd. After independence, as a social × organic brand producer who could start with experience and himself alone, he launched multiple organic social brands domestically and internationally: 2006 “Liclis Luce by United Arrows,” 2007 “APODEA,” 2008 “Do Organic,” 2009 “Infinistoria,” 2010 “She with Shaplaneer,” 2011 “QUON,” 2012 “Le Biet by Deuxieme Classe (Baycrews),” “Oceanwell,” and others. The organic cosmetics created in Italy, Switzerland, France, Germany, Nepal, Bangladesh, and elsewhere exceed 300 items. In 2009, he established the volunteer group “NPO Sell the Challenge” with parents of children with disabilities who are business professionals as the core, conducting product development and marketing support activities for facilities for the disabled. The activities were featured on NHK Metropolitan News and others.
After the Lehman Shock, economic deterioration and the bankruptcy of Italian partner companies led to losing everything and becoming penniless. The refrigerator was empty, he moved to a minimal home, and without transportation fees for volunteer work, he continued support activities by bicycle. Helped by many people during hard times, he made ends meet with corporate consulting, brand production, PR work, and lectures.
In 2011, Kohei Nagatoshi, a researcher who saw his blog “Try Our Life” written for 5 years on the theme of “fusion of welfare and business,” consulted him about the practical application of “highly purified nisin A.” In 2012, having a second child with disabilities, learning about the “after parents’ death problem” for the disabled through incidents of elderly parents and disabled people dying alone in the neighborhood. Also, witnessing his father, a former prosecutor, weaken due to oral troubles in terminal cancer, and losing his uncle, a lawyer, to cancer and aspiration pneumonia, he, together with Nagatoshi, challenged the promotion of healthy lifespan for the elderly with safe oral care products, job creation for the disabled nationwide, solving the after parents’ death problem, and sustainable “balance of economic and social value,” starting the social × bio venture business “ORALPEACE Project” in a small rented room in Aoba Ward, Yokohama City. With capital of 500,000 yen, limited savings, and cooperation from volunteer members centered on parents of children with disabilities who share the same anxiety about the future, he began the challenge of developing a sustainable social contribution activity to solve family problems and a social business that can maintain one’s livelihood without relying on donations or welfare.
One week after his father’s death in December 2012, a press conference on the invention of the innovative oral care formulation “Neonisin” at Kyushu University Press Club. In June 2013, a press conference for the establishment of the ORALPEACE Project at Kioicho Forum. July, ORALPEACE launched. In 2014, won the Grand Prize and Audience Award at “Yokohama Business Grand Prix.” One morning in June, due to family circumstances, he had to leave home and started single life and work at an apartment in Yokohama Chinatown, using an ironing board as a desk. From the great disappointment of losing everything except the work he believed in, he devoted himself to the business without rest for the next 5 years. The following year, 2015, won the Grand Prize and Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Award at “Japan Venture Awards,” reaching the pinnacle of Japanese venture executives. In 2016, opened Bashamichi office, supported Kumamoto earthquake on-site, selected as “Japan Foundation Social Innovator / 10 People Shaping Japan’s Future.” In 2017, “Good Design Award” winner, press conference on the invention of “Neonisin-e,” first profitable year. In 2018, expanded to three continents, in 2019 won “Japan Society for Bioscience, Biotechnology and Agrochemistry Technology Award,” regained family. In 2020, expanded to 15 countries worldwide, selected as “Entrepreneur in the Asia-Pacific” by Springer, the world’s largest academic publisher, and his activities were introduced worldwide on NHK International Broadcast program “Direct Talk.”
The technological innovation of ORALPEACE by Japanese national research institutions—”kills trouble-causing bacteria in the oral cavity while being safely digested if swallowed”—became a useful new invention for humanity in the 21st century. In 2021, selected by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) as an item for the International Space Station (ISS) with NASA participation. As a space venture connecting space technology to solving social issues on Earth and for humanity, the first in the world to enter the space personal care market. In 2022, won the first Good Design Award for space personal care products. In 2022, relocated to the US and fully launched ORALPEACE’s global expansion. To the present.
Registered Management Consultant by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (registered in commercial department in 2001). Co-authored book “Marketing Strategy Handbook” (Tohmatsu Consulting Team Malibu / PHP Institute). Guest Professor, Faculty of Business Administration, Kanto Gakuin University (social entrepreneurship theory and international expansion of Japanese ventures from 2022).
Started kendo at age 6 due to a serious injury. Born to a sincere and dedicated father from Matsuyama City, Ehime Prefecture, who aimed for the legal world shortly after the war and moved to Tokyo, and a mother from a family that came to Tokyo from Satsuma (Kagoshima Prefecture) during the Meiji Restoration, involved in the Namamugi Incident in the late Edo period, loving art and travel. The family has resided in the Azabu (and separately Kamakura Yukashita) area since the Meiji era and raised many scholars from Kagoshima, but dispersed to the suburbs due to the grandfather’s death in war. The grandfather was Sotomio Hiwatari, founder of Meiji University Shooting Club (started a trading company in Kobe about 100 years ago. Later served as an army officer, died in battle. Rests in Baisenin Temple in Gaienmae). The sister aiming for the legal world became a court clerk. He himself became interested in professional services and businesses with public value, leading to the development of highly public-interest businesses.
Received high evaluation in childhood intelligence tests, excelling in intellectual ability, information processing, memory, deep insight, logical structuring, and strategic planning skills. Exhibiting unique perspectives with thoughtfulness and humility, he leveraged a strong curiosity grounded in global awareness and multicultural understanding cultivated through solo travels in Asia and South America. After graduating from Meiji University Faculty of Law, he obtained the small and medium enterprise management consultant qualification. Following strategic planning for listed companies at Deloitte Consulting, he transitioned to a venture company, successfully launching an organic cosmetics brand and contributing to its IPO. Furthermore, inspired by family hardships, he pivoted to social entrepreneurship, demonstrating high resilience and sense of mission by continuing volunteer activities even in penniless circumstances after the Lehman Shock. Subsequently, utilizing creativity and abstract thinking, he founded the innovative bio × social venture “ORALPEACE Project.” He developed the world’s first natural oral care product fusing support for the disabled and green technology, achieving the record of loading on the International Space Station (ISS), and now expanding to over 15 countries worldwide. Winning the Grand Prize (Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Award) at the Japan Venture Awards 2015, he stands at the pinnacle of Japanese entrepreneurs. Additionally, through establishing an NPO and serving as a university guest professor, he continues educational and social contribution activities, pioneering paths for solving social issues through business, earning high acclaim domestically and internationally. As a rare gifted visionary innovating human health and sustainability, he provides inspiration for the next generation of children.
Specialty is developing social entrepreneurship and international brand businesses that help the weak. Hobbies are travel and reading and writing and guitar play, rock music and motorcycles/cars, outdoors and lure fishing, triathlons and surfing.
“We are creating new businesses that balance social and economic value in Japan and expanding them worldwide. Based on cutting-edge Japanese lactic acid bacteria biotechnology research used in space and medical fields, this project contributes to protecting the health of precious cute babies and entire families, protecting the global environment for health, reducing caregiving burdens due to global aging and economic independence for the disabled, solving the after parents’ death problem for the disabled, and human advancement into space. It would be wonderful if we could be of help to many people by joining forces with everyone around the world. Wouldn’t you like to become a collaborator or fan of the ORALPEACE Project? In the coming era, no matter how difficult the situation, by believing in yourself and your companions, tackling with tenacity, utilizing each person’s individuality and abilities, helping loved ones and those in need, and realizing your own dreams while supporting each other, I believe we can live truly happy lives. I would be grateful if you could lend your strength to this small project. Thank you very much.”
