Solana Superteam Japan, Exclusive Interview with Hisashi Oki - What is the strategy of Web 3.0 “Talent Group”?

How and why did you enter the Web 3.0 field, Mr. Oki?

Hisashi Oki (Oki) : I entered Web 3.0 field in 2018. I first started my career as an editor of the crypto asset media CoinTelegraph Japan, and later became the editor-in-chief. After serving as Editor-in-Chief of CoinTelegraph Japan, I became a Head of Public Relations for the crypto asset exchange Kraken Japan, Head of Asia for dYdX Foundation, and now I founded and represent Solana's Superteam Japan.

I originally studied economics and politics in Europe and the Netherlands. I was aiming for a PhD program but gave it up, and when I was 28 years old, I took a job as a director of TV Tokyo's New York office. As I was exposed to American politics, economics, ideology, and markets there, I felt that “Bitcoin was the one place where I could put all of this to use.

As I was exposed to American politics, economics, ideology, and markets there, I felt that “Bitcoin was the one place where I could put all of this to use. So I returned to Japan and joined CoinTelegraph Japan as an editor.

Could you tell us about any products you are currently paying attention to in the Web 3.0 area?

Oki : I am focusing on Bitcoin in terms of spreading correct knowledge and usage.

After launching Solana's Superteam Japan, I felt that Bitcoin and Ethereum are once again important and great. On the flip side, I believe that these two have not reached their full potential in Japan.

I personally believe that Solana is the next blockchain after Bitcoin and Ethereum. I also believe that in order to build a project, it is important to have a long-term relationship with the enterprise, the project, and the community members. We don't want to just receive a grant and be done with it; we want to make a lasting commitment.

Bitcoin has a founder, Satoshi Nakamoto, but we don't know who he is. Also, Bitcoin doesn't have a Founder, right? In other words, it has grown to this size organically.

On the other hand, Ethereum has a foundation and a founder named Vitalik Buterin, and I think it is a chain that is looking at long-term education.

I think each has its own role to play, but I feel that they have yet to penetrate the market. I think that is why the full-fledged blockchain wave has not yet arrived in Japan.

I have the idea that Bitcoin and Ethereum should be the champions, but at this point, I think there is a movement to skip these two basic blockchains and start using other projects from the beginning.

Of course, using other blockchains is not necessarily a bad thing. However, I can't deny the feeling that the basics have not been solidified because the basics have been skipped. It seems strange that ethereum is not the first blockchain to be mentioned by businesses developing apps, for example.

What made you join Solana's Superteam Japan after working as the Head of Asia at dYdX Foundation?

Oki : It was a good match, and also fit what I was feeling.

To begin with, Superteam is an organization that was created in response to the limitations of the Foundation. Foundations, including Solana, are important organizations, but they are not omnipotent and have their weaknesses. One of its weaknesses is that it is not well suited for “Go to Markets (GTM),” or expansion to markets in different countries.

For example, if you want to hold an event in Japan and need $5,000, you need to get approval from a few people in the foundation. And since the senior managers of all foundations are usually located overseas, you often get the feeling that, “You don't know anything about Japan, do you? I often feel that “You don't know anything about Japan, do you?

If this is the case, you don't even know what the decision is based on, and you wonder why you are applying for a budget.The reality is that decision-making is inefficient and sometimes ambiguous without correct decisions being made.

In addition, foundations are often established for the purpose of complying with the regulations of each country. Therefore, the legal team is in a strong position within the organization and is very conservative. We try to maintain infrastructure without making mistakes, so that is why foundations are not structurally suited for GTM, and they have limitations.

Superteam was created to solve such foundations' problems. Some of our members actually belonged to foundations of various projects, and many of them feel the same way and have similar ideas.

Superteam is a “talent group” with various skills

Please tell us about the role of Superteam and its current activities.

Oki : In a nutshell, Superteam is a "talent group". We are a group of people with various skills. Some are developers, some are skilled at writing articles, and some have strong legal backgrounds.

Superteam's goal is to continue to discover and nurture talent. And we want those talents to be used by companies and projects. For example, when a company wants to develop a project in Solana, they can consult with Superteam and ask the talent to work on the project.

If there is someone who is actually knowledgeable about listings, we would ask that person to work on a project overseas, such as when a project wants to list on a Japanese crypto asset exchange but is unable to create the appropriate materials for Japan. Superteam would like to increase the number of these talents, and of course, the talents themselves need to keep improving their skills.

What is the best way to join Superteam?

Oki : I think that AJ, who actually joined Superteam, can be a role model.

AJ first joined the Solana Discord community and then applied for a position on a platform called “Earn,” which lists projects from companies, and after he succeed with that, he moved up to “Contributor,” which is the second of three levels of positions.

I was very impressed by the way he continued to be active and contribute to the community. Such activities were recognized by other members, and I became a “Member,” which corresponds to Level 3.

However, there are no rules, and the consent of existing members is not always required. In some regions, there are conditions such as the recommendation of two or more people, but at least in Japan, Superteam does not have any regulations at present. What we consider important as a common denominator is how committed they are to Solana and how much they like Solana.

Try first. Failure will lead to progress. Then improve.

What are Solana's attractions and strengths?

Oki : In terms of community, in addition to the high level of literacy, it is the fact that each member is independent but can unite. Everyone can come together for the sake of Solana.

Also, Solana is a project that originated in the United States and has a pragmatic culture. Let's try first,” he says. Even if we fail, it will lead to progress. Let's improve.” This attitude of just moving forward is pushed to the forefront.

In other projects, the design is solidified and the emphasis is more on not making mistakes. There are good and bad sides to this, but Solana is influenced by Silicon Valley, and there is a strong American mindset of not thinking too deeply and letting your hands do the work.

Japan is also interesting when it comes to mindset, and I think there are two distinct sides to it. Specifically, there are two types of people in Japan: conservative people and innovative/crazy people who have unique ideas. I feel that the energy of innovative and crazy people is especially important and beneficial to Japan.

What do you think about the functional aspects of Solana?

Oki : Of course, the network is fast and the commissions are low, but this is also useful for development. The reason is that it makes it easier to suddenly implement in a production environment during development.

What this means is that even if we fail, Solana can keep costs low. With other chains, the process would be to try it out in a test environment and then implement it on the main network, which would take a lot of time, due to the combination of fees and other factors. I feel that this functional advantage is also linked to Solana's “try first” mindset.

Also, Solana is product oriented. Some say that crypto assets are still in the early adopter stage and that products are not widely used, but I myself have the feeling that we cannot continue in such a situation for much longer. I would like to convey to as many people as possible that we should create products that can be used right away, and that we will never get started unless we give it a try.

Please tell us about the use cases that you think are a good match for Japan, utilizing Solana's technology.

Oki : First of all, I would like to do proper research. We will start by interviewing Japanese enterprises and projects and ask them what kind of issues they want to solve with blockchain. We would like to find out through this process.

Intuitively speaking, I feel that Japan has a strong trade sector, which is also influenced by FX culture. Also, we have recently received a great number of inquiries about DePIN, which uses blockchain to streamline and improve infrastructure in the real world.

For example, there is Solana's DePIN project called “Hivemapper,” which uses a dedicated in-vehicle camera to collect and provide the latest mapping data for a fee, which I feel would be a good match for Japanese people. I think the element of doing a proper job and getting paid for it is to the Japanese liking.

What do you feel are the barriers to promoting Solana in Japan at this point?

Oki : To be honest, there are many barriers. This includes regulations, including taxation, as well as the fact that projects are not created with the long-term value of the blockchain in mind. Currently, I feel that many products are released for short-term purposes.

Also, I think the impact of the crypto asset fraud leakage that occurred in Japan in 2018 is very significant. I feel that the impression of crypto assets has become bad and time has stood still because of it. Before the fraudulent outflow, during the so-called bubble era, there was an atmosphere that society as a whole was trying to promote blockchain and crypto assets, but now it's hard to feel it so much.

Also, the language barrier is very high and very thick. In my personal opinion, I think it is better to enter an overseas project first, instead of suddenly starting a business in Japan. It is important to communicate well there and gain trust. The contacts you gain through communication will be very useful for starting a business in Japan.

Without communication, no matter how good a product is in Japan, it cannot be conveyed to the rest of the world.

Conversely, except for the taxation of crypto assets and communication skills, I believe that players around the world recognize that Japan is the best place for the development of Web 3.0.

Sincere Efforts Toward Mass Adoption of Crypto Assets

Lastly, please tell us about the future goals of the Solana project and Superteam Japan's goals for the future.

Oki : Solana is earnestly working toward mass adoption of crypto assets. We have a desire to make good products and move on first, without being bound by genres. For this reason, Solana has adopted the slogan "Crypto for Everyday Life".

As for Superteam Japan, there will be a global hackathon in September, and we would like to increase the presence of the Japanese team there. For this purpose, we will hold a 10-day event called “Super Tokyo” from August 17 to 27.

One of the days will be a conference, followed by a workshop called “Startup Village. With this, we would like to gather the best talents to form Team Japan for the Global Hackathon.

I believe that the greater the presence of the team, the greater the recognition of Japan in the world, and the broader the scope of our activities, so we will focus our efforts on this.

Profile

◉Hisashi Oki

Superteam Japan Lead

After graduating from Waseda University, Mr. Kuroda studied political and economic philosophy at a graduate school in Europe. He then worked as a news director at TV Tokyo's New York bureau. After returning to Japan, he served as editor-in-chief of Cointelegraph Japan, and in December 2022, he was appointed head of public relations for the Japanese subsidiary of the exchange Kraken. dYdX Foundation's Head of Asia, and in May 2024, he was appointed Lead of Solana's Japanese community, Superteam Japan. Lead of Solana's Japanese community, Superteam Japan, from May 2024.