At Kurasu, people from a wide range of backgrounds come together to shape the future of coffee. One such member is Masa, who joined in August 2023 as CFO. With a career that spans both accounting and product management, Masa brings a wealth of experience to the team. We spoke with him about his past roles, how he decided to join Kurasu, and what drives him in his daily work.

An Unconventional Career Path: From Accounting to Product Management

—Could you tell us about your career so far?

I studied business administration at university. After graduation, I joined an SIer (systems integrator) as a new hire and gained experience in accounting. From there, I transitioned to Money Forward, a listed company developing accounting software and other financial solutions for businesses.

Even at Money Forward, I spent my first year in the accounting department. Soon after, however, I moved to product development, where I helped launch a new solution called “Money Forward Cloud Accounting Plus,” working as a product manager.

—Moving from accounting to product management sounds quite rare. What sparked that change?

I’ve heard it’s exceptionally unusual in this industry—almost unheard of, in fact.

It all started when I began sharing direct “user feedback” from the accounting side with the development team. Because Money Forward used its own products internally, I would notice potential improvements during my day-to-day accounting tasks, like features that were difficult to use or functions I wished we had.

Eventually, I started passing these thoughts directly to the engineers. After several rounds of back-and-forth, I was basically told, “You’re clearly passionate about this—why not come build it yourself?” That led to an offer to move into the product development division.

 

—I’ve heard that your experience in accounting also played a pivotal role in building “Money Forward Cloud Accounting Plus.”

Yes, that’s right. When I started, Money Forward had been a listed company for less than a year. However, our existing product lineup was primarily targeted at unlisted small and medium-sized enterprises. Using our own software internally revealed places where it didn’t quite meet the needs of a newly listed company.

Larger corporations often roll out custom on-premise solutions, but that’s not always feasible for a recently listed company. At the same time, there weren’t really any cloud-based products that fit perfectly, so there was a gap in the market—no “just-right” choice.

That meant the accountants at newly listed firms had to patch over less-than-ideal software with manual workarounds. We wanted to fix that reality and reduce the burden on corporate finance teams, who shoulder heavier responsibilities at listed companies. That’s what inspired the development of “Money Forward Cloud Accounting Plus.”

—What kind of work did you do as a product manager?

My mission was to hypothesize about what kinds of struggles different people face, and then figure out how to solve them. Obviously, you can’t fix everything at once, so I focused on identifying which challenges would have the biggest impact on both our users and our company, and then set clear priorities. From there, I collaborated with engineers, designers, and business teams to push each release over the finish line.

At the same time, it was important not to lose sight of the bigger vision by looking only at feature requests. Part of the product manager’s role is to define an overarching purpose for the product—something that communicates its social significance. By sharing that perspective, everyone on the team can find meaning in their individual work. That team-management aspect was also a big part of the job.

Jumping into a New Industry to Change the World

—What motivated you to join Kurasu?

It all started when I met Yozo. While I was at Money Forward, I took on a side project as the product manager for a coffee community app called “KOHII,” where Yozo happened to be the project lead.

I’d always been just a coffee lover, but working on KOHII—whose vision is to make delicious coffee a part of everyday life—opened my eyes to numerous challenges within the coffee industry. Low compensation for coffee farmers, structural barriers to expanding the market for high-quality beans, sustainability concerns—the list goes on.

Amidst all this, Yozo was determined to make real change in the coffee world. As I heard him describe where to start and why it mattered, I began to think, “I want to try this with you.” I felt a genuine excitement, realizing, “This could actually change the world.”

—Were you worried about joining an unfamiliar industry?

I’d never worked directly in coffee before, so I didn’t know how I could contribute. Plus, all my experience had been in B2B, and I figured a lot of my usual approaches might not work in a B2C setting.

However, based on my product manager background, I also thought, “Because the issues here are so big, the potential impact of solving them is just as big.” That gave me the confidence I needed. I told myself, “Let’s jump right in and figure out what I can do afterward,” and that’s how I decided to join Kurasu.

 

Embracing a Startup Mindset: Leveraging Every Strength

—What do you do at Kurasu? Is your work mostly focused on accounting as CFO?

I do handle accounting and finance, but I’m also involved in managing our product “Kigu,” business development, marketing, renewing our Shopify site, and serving as a project manager when needed.

On top of that, I’m responsible for inventory management, sales, HR tasks, and even system architecture. I’ll be working shifts at our café locations soon, too. Basically, I use all the skills and experiences I’ve gained so far to tackle every challenge the company faces, one by one.

—That sounds like a typical startup style of working.

Yes, Kurasu truly embodies what it means to be a coffee startup. It reminds me of my time at Money Forward right after it went public. If you want to work in a fast-paced way here in Kyoto, you’d either join an IT engineering team or come to Kurasu.

Kurasu’s speed from decision to execution is very startup-like. For instance, we recently decided, “Let’s do YouTube,” and within just a week we’d already begun filming (laughs).

Another fantastic thing about Kurasu is that everyone’s ideas about “what they want to do” are respected. As long as it contributes to our vision, we’re encouraged to try just about anything. We often have lively discussions before diving in, so each person moves forward with a clear sense of purpose—and grows in the process. That’s a big draw for me.

I’m already doing plenty of things I’ve never done before, like helping with fundraising, managing inventory, and showcasing our products at trade fairs. There’s so much more to learn, and I’m excited to see how I continue to develop.

 

—What sort of people work at Kurasu?

It’s an incredibly diverse group, and every individual has their own charms. Everyone comes from different backgrounds and careers, so you can’t really pin down “what kind of people” we have in any single phrase. But precisely because of that, there’s so much you can learn from your peers.

There are, however, a couple of qualities shared by everyone at Kurasu. First is a deep love and passion for coffee. Second is a love for challenge and crossing new frontiers. I think these are the key traits of people who thrive at Kurasu.

 

Big Scale, Excitement, and the Power to Shape the Future—in Kyoto

—What do you find challenging about working at Kurasu?

One major factor is that there are few “precedents” for what we do. Kurasu’s business model goes beyond the usual concept of a “coffee shop,” which means we often have to do our own research, form hypotheses, and experiment. It’s challenging but also a huge source of motivation.

Kurasu is currently in a growth phase, and our sales keep rising. As CFO, I see our financials every day, and I can say there aren’t many companies in Kyoto growing at this pace.

—That must mean there are plenty of exciting plans ahead.

We actually have several new ideas and projects we’d like to try—initiatives we think could really accelerate the entire business. The only issue is having enough team members to keep up. We’d love for more people who enjoy tackling challenges to join us at Kurasu!

As the company grows, we’re doing more team-based work, too. If you’re someone who wants to collaborate on projects with others, or if you get a thrill out of turning 1 into 10, we’d be delighted to have you on board.

We’re looking for people with flexible thinking and open minds to help us transform the future of coffee. Come join us, and let’s make it happen together!

 

Thank you for reading Masa’s story and learning about Kurasu’s vision for the coffee industry. We believe that with passion, innovation, and collaboration, we can drive meaningful change—both in the way coffee is enjoyed and in how the industry supports everyone involved. If you’re as excited as we are about shaping the future of coffee, we’d love to connect and explore the possibilities together. Here’s to creating a better coffee culture for everyone—right from the heart of Kyoto.