“I don’t personally possess extraordinary skills or decades of industry experience,” says Issey Sugeno, Director of ENILIS Inc. Yet, within months of joining the group, he was instrumental in launching a new subsidiary, and in just over a year, he was appointed Director. Leading new business ventures and M&A initiatives, he expanded his role in October 2025 to include Assistant General Manager of IP Production.
What is the management style of Sugeno, a leader who remains humble yet steadily drives the organization forward? We sit down with Keito Noguchi, CEO of Brave group, to retrace Sugeno’s journey and the impact he has made.
CEO of Brave group Inc.
Keito Noguchi （@keito_noguchi）
Keito Noguchi embarked on his entrepreneurial journey by founding Vapes, Inc. in 2011 while still pursuing his studies at Keio University.
In 2016, he orchestrated the transfer of the company over to Benesse Holdings, Inc. Following this, he has been engaged in the founding of over 50 startups as a business angel, showcasing his commitment to fostering innovation. In 2020, Keito Noguchi stepped into the position of CEO at Brave group Inc., a position he currently holds, leading the company with a clear vision and dedication.
Director, ENILIS Inc.
Assistant General Manager of IP Production
Issey Sugeno（@sugeno0728）
While a student, Issey gained experience in launching domestic and international locations for a food service company. After graduating, he joined a major entertainment corporation, where he was responsible for planning and launching various new business initiatives. He then moved to a food-tech startup, serving as Head of PR and Marketing before founding his own company focused on overseas apparel e-commerce. Following the sale of that business, he joined Virtual Entertainment Inc. in January 2023. In April 2023, he transferred to the newly established ENILIS Inc., overseeing new business planning and promotion as Department Head. He was appointed Director in April 2024 and has concurrently served as Assistant General Manager of IP Production since October 2025.
From Entrepreneurship to a New Challenge
Noguchi: Before launching ENILIS, you were part of Virtual Entertainment Inc. Could you walk us through how you first joined the group?
Sugeno: After wrapping up a company I had been running myself, I was looking for my next challenge and found a job posting for Virtual Entertainment.
I was torn between helping with my family’s business or building my career again. Around that time, a friend suggested looking into the VTuber industry.I wanted to be involved in something big, so I looked for the company closest to an IPO in the sector. The name VSPO! kept coming up, and I knew “this is the place.”
Noguchi: You started in the New Business Development Department. Was it clear what you’d be doing from day one?
Sugeno: Actually, on my first day, Mr. Hoshi (Director, Chief Innovation Officer) simply told me to “crunch the numbers for the VLiver business.”
I started with market research and created the business plan for HareVare, which became the predecessor to the ENILIS VLiver Project. While waiting for that to be greenlit, I was simultaneously drafting business plans for other VTuber projects like Uniraid!.
Noguchi: And that led to the establishment of ENILIS Inc. in April 2023, where you rapidly launched several projects starting with VLiver initiatives.
Sugeno: Exactly. It feels like three years have flown by since then.
Noguchi: Since founding ENILIS, Mr. Sugeno has spearheaded a wide range of initiatives, from business launches to M&A and PMI (Post-Merger Integration)—including the management integration with brossom and the merger involving MateReal.
Mr. Hoshi has expressed a strong desire to entrust him with even more responsibilities moving forward, and I feel exactly the same.
A Strategic Appointment: Linking Talent, Career, and Growth
Noguchi: In October 2025, you took on the additional role of Assistant General Manager for IP Production. How did you feel when you were first approached?
Sugeno: Honestly, I wondered if the timing was right. I felt I hadn’t accumulated enough quantitative results yet. I’ve always believed that a management position requires a level of trust where everyone in the organization feels a sense of security seeing that person in the role.
I hesitated briefly, but after hearing Mr. Noguchi’s intentions, I decided to take the leap.
Noguchi: With our current slogan being Respect First and “Unity,” I felt IP Production needed deeper collaboration and cross-group initiatives to share know-how. Mr. Sugeno’s name came up as the ideal person to drive this.
No matter how motivated a leader is, cross-sectional projects won’t move unless the people around them are willing to follow. Even before this appointment, Mr. Sugeno was communicating daily with producers across different sectors, deeply understanding the unique traits of projects beyond ENILIS.
That foundation of trust is why I knew he could handle the role. We prioritize “the right person in the right place,” where individual aptitude, career goals, and Brave group’s growth align. As a generalist who thrives when involved in broad management, this role fits him perfectly.
Merging Perspectives: Brave group vs. Subsidiaries
Noguchi: There are many types of leaders—some lead through charisma, others through an overwhelming work ethic. I feel our styles are quite similar.
Sugeno: I feel the same, though I’m mindful of the gap between us. While I’m still working on the level of detail and communication quality you possess, our decision-making processes and the points we value often overlap. I view Mr. Noguchi as the “advanced version” of my own leadership model.
Noguchi: Our subsidiaries are full of “geniuses”—star players and producers. The Brave group management style is about supporting these talents from behind the scenes, listening to various perspectives, and unifying the group. The IP Production management role requires that same balance: leading when necessary, but also stepping back to let the productions shine.
Sugeno: I see my role as merging the perspectives of Brave group and its subsidiaries. They don’t always share the same viewpoint. My job is to carefully find the common ground that allows us to unite as “Brave All.”
Noguchi: That is the hardest part—constantly switching between the perspective of the parent company and the subsidiary. It’s almost a specialized skill to think while empathizing with multiple stakeholders. If you’re not careful, you can get crushed between the two. The final decision must be the “single best point” for both. It’s the challenge of “middle management” at a high level.
When caught between views, what is your criteria for that final step?
Sugeno: It varies by situation, but I place immense importance on the communication required to “land” the decision after it’s made. Beyond talking to executives, I spend time explaining things to staff on the ground. Three months into this role, I’m starting to feel the impact of those daily conversations.
Noguchi: I can see your perspective reaching new heights.
Sugeno: For me, the most valuable part has been gaining access to decision-making processes I couldn’t see before. It’s broadened my horizon and significantly sharpened the resolution of my own decisions. I feel a real sense of growth there.
The Goal: “Doing Everything Possible”
Noguchi: Looking ahead three to five years, what are your goals?
Sugeno: It’s simple: “Do everything I can.” My job is to maximize revenue, profit, and organizational strength for both ENILIS and IP Production. Additionally, looking toward Brave group’s IPO and beyond, I want to focus on organizational building, including nurturing successors.
Noguchi: As a group, we are still on the path toward our peers. For now, we need to scale growing projects while using cross-sectional planning to boost seed-stage projects. Post-IPO, M&A may become even more active.
I want Mr. Sugeno to be in a position where he can delegate his current duties to someone he has trained so he can take on the next big challenge.
A Message to Readers: Involving Others Strengthens the Self
Noguchi: Finally, do you have a message for our readers?
Sugeno: In entrepreneurship and launching new ventures, we are hit with fresh troubles and obstacles every single day—to the point where it’s hard to recall specific “low points” because the challenge is constant. The primary reason I’ve been able to overcome these hurdles is, above all, the presence of my team.
I don’t personally possess extraordinary skills or extensive industry experience, so to be honest, the ceiling of what I can achieve alone is quite low. However, our members each bring their own unique expertise and perspectives to the table. I am constantly running forward with their support.
Ultimately, since resources are finite, what one person can accomplish on their own is limited. While it’s important to have your own opinions and take initiative, I feel it’s even more crucial to maintain a mindset of involving those around you through proactive and thoughtful communication. By prioritizing communication built on a foundation of Respect First, I hope we can all embody this term’s slogan, “Unity.”
Furthermore, while some of our projects are scaling rapidly and others are still in their seed stage, we are supported by so many people. No matter how much we grow, I want our focus to remain on how much we can give back to our fans.
Noguchi: Mr. Sugeno has built his career brick by brick, even through the tough times. Now, it’s just a matter of seeing the results. I’m rooting for him.
Sugeno: I’ll do my best to live up to those expectations.
(Interview Date: February 12, 2026)
