How A Homeless School Dropout Became CEO Of A $1 Billion Company
Taihei Kobayashi has gone from sleeping on the streets of Tokyo to heading a technology startup whose market value topped $1 billion. His?rise in life may sound cinematic but, yet true and inspiring.
Kobayashi¡¯s company, which helps startups and other firms design and create new businesses and products, went public in July. Since then, its shares have more than tripled.?
His rags to riches story?
Kobayashi was sent out of home by his parents when he was just 17 years of age as he quit his high school to focus on his band. He dropped out ignoring the plans of his parents to get him university education. He left the house to live his life doing what he enjoyed.
He played music during the day and slept outdoors using cardboard boxes to keep warm during freezing winter nights. He was homeless for a year and a half.? He gone through the cold winters on the streets and felt like in hell.?
A series of encounters got him off the streets and eventually into a job as a software engineer. He was one of the core members in establishing the predecessor to a company now known as Sun* Inc. ¡ª pronounced Sun Asterisk ¡ª in Vietnam in 2012. He¡¯s now chief executive officer of the firm.??
"I might have died"
It¡¯s an outcome few could have imagined two decades ago.? ?
According to Kobayashi, his parents couldn¡¯t accept his decision to drop out of high school. ¡°The winters were cold,¡± says 37-year-old Kobayashi of his experience on the streets. ¡°There may have been times when things felt like hell. But I¡¯ve overcome those times.¡±
¡°I might have died,¡± he says. ¡°I slept anywhere I could. ¡ About 80% of the time it was somewhere outside.¡±??
Kobayashi ended up spending two winters on the streets of the Shinjuku and Shibuya districts of Tokyo.?
Kobayashi stake is worth $74 million
Over the years, Sun* grew its business and now has more than 70 clients. The company listed in the Tokyo Stock Exchange¡¯s Mothers market for startup firms in July. Its shares rose almost sixfold to a high in September, taking its market value above $1.4 billion. They¡¯ve since dropped 37%, with the company¡¯s market capitalization dipping back below $1 billion. Kobayashi¡¯s 7.9% stake is worth about $74 million.
In 2019, Kobayashi returned to Japan from Vietnam by which time the company started getting business from bigger firms, including those in the blue-chip Nikkei 225 Stock Average. Its customers include Masayoshi Son¡¯s SoftBank Corp., according to the Sun* website. With an intention to go more aggressive in offering their services to big Corporates, Sun* gone public.??
Cheerful message is that Kobayashi has since reconnected with his parents and his time on the streets is a distant memory.
¡°What I want to do now is keep working to realize our company¡¯s vision,¡± says Kobayashi, truly reflecting his commitment.
