“Someone had to do it. More than calculating the risks, what drove me was a sense of mission—‘If not now, then when? And if not me, then who?”

On Wednesday, November 26, 2025, Shizenkan University held a session of Leadership Night, a signature component of the MBA program. This interactive lecture series invites leaders driving societal transformation to explore their life journeys and the essence of their leadership.

For this session, we welcomed Ms. Meyumi Yamada, Co-founder of istyle Inc., the company behind Japan’s largest cosmetics and beauty platform, @cosme, and currently a board director at istyle as well as an outside director for several companies.

Moderated by Shizenkan students (Inuo san and Shimizu san), the dialogue illuminated Ms. Yamada’s personal journey, the origins of her entrepreneurial path, and the convictions and struggles that have shaped her as a leader.

The Roots of Embracing Diversity: Life in Oshamambe

The session began with a look back at Ms. Yamada’s early roots. Drawn to natural sciences and making things from a young age, she entered the Department of Bioengineering at Tokyo University of Science, spending her first year in a dormitory on the Oshamambe campus in Hokkaido.

“It was a series of culture shocks for me at the time, but that year had a tremendous impact on shaping my values,” she reflected. Through interactions with classmates from diverse backgrounds and with local residents, she naturally developed a deep respect for diversity. This experience later became the foundation for her commitment to valuing the “voices of everyday consumers” in her business.

The Birth of @cosme: A Sense of “Discomfort” and a Drive to Act

After graduating and working for a cosmetics ingredient manufacturer, Ms. Yamada eventually chose to start a business—a decision fueled by a discomfort she felt toward the cosmetics industry at the time.

“It felt like the logic of the makers—the manufacturers—came first, and the voices of the users, the consumers, were not truly being heard.”

During the early days of the internet, she began publishing a personal email newsletter simply because she wanted to “create a database for consumers.” This became the prototype of what is now @cosme.

When asked by a student how she perceived risk back then, she answered:

“My sense of mission—‘I have to do this now’—and my sheer curiosity outweighed any thoughts about risk.”

Acting on intuition and genuine passion became the driving force that drew co-founders and users to the project.

Leadership Struggles and the Challenge of “Cosme Bank”

Ms. Yamada spoke candidly about the struggles behind the scenes: differences in direction with co-founders, the difficulty of fundraising (including a 10-hour pitch to an angel investor), and other challenges that accompanied early success. Her line, “The moment you quit is the moment you fail. As long as you keep going, it’s not failure,” carried the weight of someone who has pushed through many obstacles.

Today, her passion is directed toward the Cosme Bank Project, which connects two social issues: the waste generated by the cosmetics industry and the challenges faced by women experiencing economic hardship. The project delivers donated cosmetics from companies to individuals who need them most.

Having raised her child as a single mother, Ms. Yamada expressed her motivation:

“I want to bring color and confidence to people who otherwise have to give up cosmetics for economic reasons.”

Her commitment to giving back to society using the resources and experience gained through business resonated deeply with the audience.

A Message to Students

In closing, Ms. Yamada referenced research showing that “environments with more smiles correlate with higher well-being,” encouraging students to cultivate environments where they can smile alongside people they truly respect.

Rather than a one-way lecture, this Leadership Night unfolded as a dialogue that uncovered the essence of leadership. Ms. Yamada’s unpretentious words and unwavering commitment to “seeing through the eyes of everyday consumers” offered powerful guidance for students embarking on their own leadership journeys.