Space BD is a venture company founded in 2017 during the dawn of Japan's space industry. This case explores how a venture company seizes opportunities and grows in a pioneering but unpredictable industry. The protagonist and founder, Nagasaki, had a management philosophy centered on “serendipity (acquiring fortuitous opportunities),” “destiny (building personal networking and collaboration),” and “grace (contributing to industry and society as a whole)” as factors for business success. Through his extensive network, he connected with many key people who provided valuable business ideas and support, enabling him to start his own company.
The company's business concept was to be a “space trading company” and to develop new space-related businesses. Soon after its inception, the company secured a contract with JAXA to deploy nanosatellites and conduct experiments on the International Space Station. This led to the development of a series of essential value-added services businesses for companies and research institutions that sought to develop and conduct experiments in space, including transportation on space rocket, right acquisition for satellite launches and experiments, specifications inspection and satellite components procurement, etc.
Thereafter, the company grew by embracing challenges in new domains, such as satellite launches from SpaceX's rocket and protein production experiments. However, the journey was not always smooth. At each point, Nagasaki looked back and advanced while reflecting on matters like addressing the challenges of organizational growth and what management should consider during times of making challenging decisions.