Your time outside Japan offers you a unique perspective. Use it to learn, grow and enrich others by sharing what you experience.

I hope your continued challenges and journeys become role models for the next generation.

— Creating Future Security at the Intersection of Innovation and Diversity —

Based in Silicon Valley, SOMPO Digital Lab is at the forefront of shaping the future of SOMPO Holdings. We spoke with Mr. Albert Chu, who leads innovation at the Lab, about its mission, the significance of Silicon Valley, and his thoughts on JWIBA.

Albert Chu – CEO, SOMPO Digital Lab (Title as of the time of the interview: August 2025)

Q1. Could you tell us about SOMPO Digital Lab’s business and its role in the U.S. and Silicon Valley?

SOMPO Digital Lab is a specialized organization responsible for driving innovation across SOMPO Holdings. We currently operate across three locations: Tokyo, Silicon Valley, and Zurich.

Our mission is to identify emerging technological innovations around the world at an early stage and apply them to SOMPO’s core domains—insurance, nursing care, health, and well-being. The Silicon Valley office was established in 2016, and I joined the organization in 2020.

We structure our activities using a concept we call “Horizons.”

• Horizon 1 (1–2 years)

This phase focuses on identifying startups and technologies directly connected to insurance, nursing care, health, and well-being, and translating them into service improvements or new business initiatives.

Examples include insurance underwriting, risk assessment, operational efficiency in caregiving, and new customer experiences—solutions that can be applied to the business in the short term.

• Horizon 3 (3–5 years)

This horizon addresses technologies with the potential to fundamentally transform the industry over the mid to long term.

Around the time I joined in 2020, major themes included AI, blockchain, and Web3. Even before the emergence of ChatGPT, we strongly believed in the transformative power of AI and actively invested in research.

Today, we continue to see new waves such as generative AI and agent-based AI emerging one after another.

AI in particular continues to have a profound impact on the insurance industry. While SOMPO has already introduced AI into insurance and nursing-care operations, the technology evolves almost monthly. It is essential for us to continuously track trends, experiment, and learn in real time.

Additionally, in the U.S., legislative discussions around legally defining stablecoins began in 2024, potentially reshaping digital finance and cross-border payments. One of SOMPO Digital Lab’s key roles is to capture these developments locally and bridge them back to business applications in Japan.

Q2. What is the unique significance of having a base in Silicon Valley?

Silicon Valley has led global innovation for more than 60 years—from semiconductors and PCs to the internet, mobile technology, social media, and now AI. There are three main reasons SOMPO Digital Lab is based here.

1. A World-Class Innovation Ecosystem

Startups, venture capital firms, accelerators, and universities are densely concentrated, creating an environment where new technologies and business models continuously emerge.

It is often said that roughly half of all U.S. venture capital investment originates from Silicon Valley.

2. A High Concentration of Startups in Insurance, Healthcare, and Aging

There are many startups in InsurTech, HealthTech, and Healthy Aging—areas directly aligned with SOMPO’s core businesses—allowing us to quickly identify trends and form partnerships.

3. Proximity to Leading Academic Institutions

With Stanford University and UC Berkeley nearby, cutting-edge research in AI, biotechnology, robotics, and other fields is produced daily. The seamless connection between academia and business found here is extremely rare globally.

By positioning ourselves at the center of this ecosystem, SOMPO is able to identify the next wave of industrial transformation early and translate it into value for Japan’s insurance, nursing care, and well-being sectors.

Q3. What was your first impression of JWIBA, and why did SOMPO Digital Lab decide to become a sponsor?

I first learned about JWIBA when its Co-president, Makiko Kawabe, was a visiting researcher at Stanford. At the time, she shared her vision of creating a community where Japanese women studying and working in Silicon Valley could connect and learn with a sense of security. I found her idea truly innovative.

At the core of our work is “innovation,” and innovation requires diverse perspectives, experiences, and values. JWIBA embodies this diversity, which strongly resonated with SOMPO Digital Lab’s philosophy.

Later, when she joined SOMPO Digital Lab, it felt natural to think, “This is an initiative SOMPO should support.” That is how our sponsorship began.

Q4. Since becoming a sponsor, have there been any surprises or insights?

What impressed me most was the speed at which the community has grown. As the JWIBA Summit has evolved from its first year to its second, both the number of participants and the scope of themes have expanded rapidly. It truly feels like a “living, evolving community.”

More importantly, the diversity within JWIBA directly fuels innovation. “When an organization is highly homogeneous, change happens slowly. Diversity and mutual respect are what enable new challenges to emerge.”

This mindset is central to SOMPO Digital Lab, and it is why we feel such strong alignment with JWIBA.

Q5. Could you share SOMPO Group’s initiatives around Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DE&I)?

At SOMPO, we actively promote diversity through various initiatives. Three particularly symbolic examples are:

1. Diversity Week

Across the entire group, including Japan, we host events that deepen understanding of diverse values and backgrounds. These initiatives encourage dialogue and foster a culture that positively embraces differences.

2. The “My Purpose” Program

Every employee articulates their personal purpose—what they value and the direction they want their life to take—on an annual basis and shares it with their manager.

By understanding each individual’s purpose and aligning it with their work, we aim to enhance both growth and job satisfaction.

3. Actively Appointing External Talent to Leadership Roles

Unusually for a traditional large corporation, SOMPO actively appoints leaders and executives from outside the organization. By welcoming leaders with different experiences, cultures, and values, the organization significantly broadens its perspective.

For SOMPO Digital Lab, sponsoring JWIBA itself is a powerful symbol of our commitment to DE&I, and it is an initiative we are truly proud of.

Q6. What are your expectations for JWIBA going forward, and are there areas you would like to collaborate on?

To further expand the value of the community JWIBA has built, I see great potential in its globalization.

JWIBA’s reach already extends beyond Silicon Valley to Japan and other parts of the world. Looking ahead, I could envision initiatives such as:

• A platform that allows alumni to stay connected over the long term

• Expanded cross-regional events and exchanges

• Hybrid initiatives involving experts and students from Japan and other countries

• The evolution into a truly global community

I hope that JWIBA, born in Silicon Valley, will grow into a platform that connects Japanese women, researchers, and professionals around the world.

Q7. Do you have a message for JWIBA participants?

Your time outside Japan offers you a unique perspective. Use it to learn, grow and enrich others by sharing what you experience.

I hope your continued challenges and journeys become role models for the next generation.

Interviewer: JWIBA Operations Team – Junko Akiba

Interview Date: August 2025

This article reflects information as of the time of the interview and has been published with the interviewee’s approval.

This article is published as part of the benefits for JWIBA Annual Sponsors (Super Gold).

We would like to express our sincere gratitude to everyone at SOMPO Digital Lab for their continued support of JWIBA’s activities.