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Fusing the Expertise of Gift Selection Professionals with AI: Smartly Delivering Corporate Appreciation to Employees【2025 ICT Startup League Member Interview: Matabi Technologies Co., Ltd.】
Have you ever received a gift from your employer for your birthday, an award, or long service? Gifts convey feelings of appreciation and recognition. In corporate management, these gifts are generally implemented as measures to boost employee engagement (sense of attachment/willingness to contribute) and performance, especially in multinational corporations in Europe and the US, and have been gaining attention in Japan in recent years.
However, considering various factors like the recipient's preferences, budget, and fairness, the selection and arrangement of these gifts often become a significant burden for the person in charge. Matabi Technologies Co., Ltd. is tackling this gift-related challenge with **"AMP GIFT,"** a service that fuses **AI technology** with the **expertise of seasoned professionals**.
We asked Mr. Riki Ueno, CEO, about what led him to the domain of gifts, the background of his company's founding, the challenges of existing catalog gifts, the challenge of "AMP GIFT" to revolutionize gifting, and his vision that "a gift is not merely an object, but a vital communication tool for conveying feelings of appreciation and connection."
Matabi Technologies CEO Riki Ueno"AMP GIFT's" Challenge to Revolutionize Gift-Giving
First, please tell us about your professional background.
Ueno: I was born in Osaka and, after graduating from Kyoto University, I joined Oisix, a membership-based home delivery service. After working in digital marketing and corporate operations there, I moved to Israel. In 2014, I co-founded Aniwo Ltd., which supports open innovation between local startups and major Japanese companies. Coincidentally, the person I launched the company with at the time is Mr. Kanato Terada, CEO of AironWorks, who was also selected for this year's ICT Startup League. I left Aniwo in 2018, and founded Matabi Technologies Co., Ltd. in the same year.
What motivated you to start your own company?
Ueno: My work in Israel strongly influenced me through the local entrepreneurs. Israel is known as a "Startup Nation," a major entrepreneurial country on par with Silicon Valley in the US. I was inspired by their attitude of tackling various problems using wisdom, technology, and teamwork, and taking on challenges as a startup, even in a difficult environment with limited resources. I learned from them the mindset of enjoying the problem-solving process—the phrase **"Enjoy Your Problem"** was constantly heard in the streets. This attitude left a lasting impression, and the desire to positively engage in solving societal issues became a major reason for me to start a business.
Mediterranean beach in Tel Aviv, IsraelWhy did you start a gift service?
Ueno: I have vivid memories of receiving gifts at work milestones that made me feel, "They really thought about me." A gift is not merely an object; it's a vital communication tool for conveying "feelings" like appreciation and connection. I believe that in the age of AI, where the quality of communication is changing, the significance of gifts will only increase. On the other hand, from the perspective of the company giving the gift, I realized the challenge firsthand when I was in charge of arranging employee gifts. It required careful consideration of many factors—the recipient's preferences, budget, fairness, trends, and timing—making the selection process far from easy. As someone who wasn't naturally good at choosing gifts for people of different genders and ages, I felt the high hurdle of deciding "what makes a good gift." While the effectiveness of employee gifts has been proven in global behavioral economics and management research, I aimed to solve the social issues related to gift-giving that I had observed through my own past experiences, leading to the development of this corporate gift service.
The custom of giving gifts isn't very common in Japanese companies, but is it more prevalent in overseas companies?
Ueno: That's right. In domestic Japanese companies, it's not common to implement employee gifts as a human resources (HR) measure, except for long-service awards or celebrations among close colleagues. In contrast, overseas (especially in the US and Europe), gifts from the company to employees—for onboarding, short-term work anniversaries, awards, and holiday gifts—are generally carried out as an HR measure, with over half of major companies implementing gift-giving initiatives for their employees. In an environment with much higher job mobility than Japan, maintaining employee engagement and boosting performance is crucial, so these initiatives are positioned as part of a strategic measure. In the West, where employees have diverse backgrounds, including different races and religious views, the non-verbal understanding common in Japan is less applicable. I believe there's a recognition that gratitude must be formalized to be conveyed, which is why gift-giving is more established there.
So, overseas companies adopt this strategically.
Ueno: In recent years, Japan has started to see labor environment changes similar to those abroad. We are seeing a trend of increased job changes and shorter tenure, making the maintenance of employee engagement vital from the perspective of human capital management. Furthermore, responding to diverse values is also important. Due to concerns about harassment, there are discussions about whether previously common celebrations, such as maternity gifts, might be "too intrusive," and in some cases, these practices have been discontinued. Companies need to be more mindful and responsive to diverse values, such as how to address the needs of younger generations who face a generation gap. We aim to create a market that responds to this changing situation and increases positive experiences for both companies and employees.
Existing services include catalog gifts. What are your thoughts on this service?
Ueno: Catalog gifts (where a company sends employees a catalog with various gifts based on a budget, and the employee can choose and apply for a product from that catalog) are convenient for ensuring fairness and are often used for employee benefits. However, they are considered uniform and lack a sense of specialness, making them hard to choose from. Also, it's not uncommon for recipients to forget to make a selection and let the expiration date pass. I felt there was a costly waste and a missed opportunity when companies spent their budget but the gratitude "didn't fully reach" the employee.
What exactly is the "AMP GIFT" service?
Ueno: The company giving the gift inputs: **① basic information** about the recipient (employee), such as gender, age, job type, and trends; **② the gifting situation**, such as an award or birthday; **③ optional data** like the recipient's hobbies; **④ the budget**; and **⑤ the notification date**. Then, **AI and professional experts**, mainly former department store employees and HR veterans, leverage their expertise to narrow down and present six individually optimized gift options. The recipient then selects one item from these options and receives it at home. The reason we don't narrow it down to just one gift is for risk mitigation. The service manages the entire flow, from gift selection to notification and shipping, seamlessly. Confirmation of receipt status and reminders are automated, so managing employee gifts is possible without cumbersome work or the risk of forgetting to celebrate.
By the way, what does AMPGIFT stand for?
Ueno: The "AMP" in AMP GIFT comes from the word **"AMPLIFY,"** meaning to increase the effect of something. The name is derived from the idea that the service is a gift service designed to amplify and convey the company's appreciation to its employees.
What kind of companies have adopted it?
Ueno: Although still in a trial phase, it has been adopted for birthday gifts, maternity leave gifts, and award gifts by companies, including a consulting firm with about 200 employees and a financial company with 1,500 employees. Target user companies are primarily those actively engaging in human capital management or those where talent retention and success are easily linked to performance (IT, professional firms, real estate, temporary staffing). There are no initial or fixed service fees. Unlike traditional catalog gifts, the company is not charged if the recipient (employee) does not select a gift, ensuring the sentiment is not wasted.
What has been the feedback from employees who have used the gift service?
Ueno: We've received positive feedback like, "This is a company that cares about its employees," "It's been a while since I got a birthday present," and "I hope they continue this next year." We've heard that it becomes a topic of conversation with colleagues and superiors about what they received, and it leads to communication with family members who don't usually talk about work. Currently (November 2025), cases where a gift is not exchanged (forgotten because it was too troublesome to choose, like a catalog gift) are rare, and we've achieved a **99% exchange rate**. Popular gifts are not just food or sweets, which are often chosen in typical catalog gifts, but tangible items like home appliances (popular among men) and hair care products (popular among women). Men tend to choose practical items, while women tend to select self-care products.
AMPGIFT imageA System to Materialize the Giver's Feelings and Assist Them
Could you share your medium- to long-term vision for the next 5 or 10 years?
Ueno: The goal AMP GIFT seeks to achieve is not merely the automation or efficiency of gift-giving. It's about spreading a story-driven gift experience where the feelings of each individual are conveyed. By fusing AI technology with the expertise of gifting professionals, we enable individually optimized gift selection and eliminate the complexity of arrangement. We hope that this gift experience will serve as a catalyst for activating communication in the workplace and society, boosting the engagement and motivation of working people, and thus contributing to the evolution of organizations and society as a whole toward a better direction. We dream of a world where appreciation and connection naturally circulate among various people.
To realize that vision, partner companies and human resources are indispensable. What kind of people or companies are you looking to collaborate with?
Ueno: In terms of partner companies, we are particularly keen to deepen collaboration with companies offering talent management products and services. Secondly, we seek partners who can work with us to grow the employee gift market itself. For example, we believe it would be excellent to collaborate with department stores as they strengthen their corporate gift business, and we are currently discussing this. Department stores already have a high-quality product lineup, so cooperation would be ideal.
What motivated you to apply for the ICT Startup League, and what research are you pursuing?
Ueno: The opportunity to apply arose when an entrepreneur I knew shared information about it. In terms of funding, I felt this level of generous support was unmatched, and I definitely wanted to take on the challenge. In the League, we aim to improve the quality of AI-based gift selection. We are engaged in research and development to achieve more sophisticated and low-risk gift selection scalably by utilizing the knowledge and data gained from our current usage and by leveraging AI agent technology.
What do you expect from the ICT Startup League?
Ueno: The content of the value-up sessions and the academy is what drew me in. The real-life experiences shared by successful entrepreneurs are very appealing, and they sealed my decision to participate. The existence of a community among the selected members is also significant. When you're focused on day-to-day business operations, your perspective can sometimes narrow. I'm delighted to have horizontal connections with entrepreneurs who are at a similar stage and are striving to change the world, particularly through technological development.
Finally, what are your aspirations for the future?
Ueno: While we are advancing AI agent development in this League, we are actually approaching the combination of "gifts" and "AI" cautiously. Given recent technological advances, I believe it's inevitable that AI will be choosing gifts in the near future. However, at present, being told, "This gift was chosen by an AI," could give the impression that it lacks genuine feeling. Therefore, we don't believe it's the right focus to overly emphasize our service as "AI Gift." We believe that the most crucial part of gift selection is the time spent thinking, "Because this person is like this, this product might be good for them." Consequently, our goal is not to automate the act of giving itself. We are developing the AI to assist people who have the "feeling," by lowering the barrier to gift selection. What we want to create is a system that materializes the giver's feelings and assists them. We aim to implement this service in the world not with the term "AI Gift," but as a service that "assists with feelings."
Editor's Note
Through the interview with Mr. Ueno, we were able to delve into the profound philosophy behind the "AMP GIFT" service. What was particularly striking was his aspiration to "create a society where gratitude naturally circulates."
His stance is not just about making arrangements more efficient but about staying close to the "giver's feelings," which are all the more important in the age of AI. I felt that it is this challenge-taking spirit, tackling the complex and emotional task of "gift selection" head-on, that has produced this innovative service.
Furthermore, his clarity in positioning the service as one that "assists with feelings"—explicitly understanding the user psychology that "a gift chosen by AI dampens the sentiment"—is a testament to the service's sincerity. We look forward to the day when the company's efforts to balance efficiency with the delicate nuances of the human heart are fully realized.
■ICT Startup League
This support program started in 2023, initiated by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications' "Support for Sprout Research and Development for Startup Creation" project.
The ICT Startup League provides startup support through four pillars:
① R&D Funds / Hands-on Support
Research and development funds of up to 20 million yen are provided as a subsidy. For hands-on support, the selection committee members involved in selecting League members continue to support and promote growth even after the selection process. For companies that the selection committee evaluates as "absolutely must be adopted," the committee members themselves provide continuous support, such as advice on the business plan and offering growth opportunities—a true "super-fan" support system has been established.
② Discovery and Nurturing
The League provides learning and networking opportunities that accelerate the business growth of its members.
It also aims to discover people looking to start a business in the future, thereby expanding the base.
③ Competition and Co-creation
The League functions as a positive competitive arena, like a sports league, where startups learn together and compete to win the necessary funding (up to 20 million yen). It also provides a space for co-creation, where League members collaborate to expand their businesses through various opportunities, such as sessions led by the selection committee members.
④ Dissemination
The efforts of League members are communicated in partnership with the media! By letting more people know about their businesses, the goal is to expand the opportunities for new matching and chances.
■Related Websites
Matabi Technologies Co., Ltd.
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Matabi Technologies Co., Ltd. (LEAGUE MEMBER)
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ICT Startup League
