How I Became a Jungler#1 M MATSUMOTO's case -The story of a University of Tokyo student's first career All-IN to a betting startup-

Introduction

Over the past three issues, we have explained our culture.
WHO IS JUNGLEˣ #1 -ABOUT "JUNGLEˣ"-2022/4/5 6:462022/5/31 10:22
From this issue, we would like to change the theme and tell you about the attraction and company culture of JUNGLEˣ by having crew members=JUNGLER talk about their encounter with JUNGLEˣ and motivation for joining.
This first entry is by M MATSUMOTO, who just graduated from the Faculty of Economics, The University of Tokyo last month and has also written the official JOURNAL.

Episode1:WARRIORS

Nice to meet you. I'm M MATSUMOTO and mainly involved in recruitment at JUNGLEˣ. I'm 22 years old, born in 1999, and just graduated last month from the Faculty of Economics, The University of Tokyo. Although I am a new graduate in terms of graduation year, I officially joined JUNGLEˣ itself last September, so it has been six months since I joined.
Until my retirement last December, I was an analytical staff member of the WARRIORS, the American football team of the University of Tokyo.
My experience with WARRIORS is unavoidable in describing my encounter with JUNGLEˣ, so please forgive me if this is a bit far-fetched.
I was a member of athletic clubs in junior high and high school, and I was thinking of joining an athletic club at university as well. I had to look for a club to join as a staff member because I had injured my knee in high school, and had a pneumothorax right after I entered university, which prevented me from having any real physical experience during my first year.
While visiting various clubs under the circumstance, I met the American football team WARRIORS. I joined the WARRIORS because of the lure of the importance of brains, the chance to win even for students of the University of Tokyo, the human appeal of the HC and manager, and the philosophy of football that trail braizing the future.
In particular, empathy for the philosophy that trail braizing the future was a big motivation for me. WARRIORS has a vision that having students of the University of Tokyo work hard in the right way and become the best in their sport in Japan will solve the problems in Japan; the concentration of power in coaches, the reign of terror, stifling of player autonomy, immature governance that encourages the privatization of club, and black box financial circulation.

Episode2:Unexpected Enterpreneurship

On March 3, 2021, Mr. Mori, the WARRIORS HC, Mr. Misawa, the manager, T TSUMURA, and I held an online meeting.
T and I were friends from Koyo Gakuin, an integrated junior and senior high school in Hyogo Prefecture. We entered the same university, were in the same class, and joined the WARRIORS by chance. T has used his self-taught programming skills to help the staff work more efficiently as the first System Engineer in WARRIORS' history.
I hope you will refer to the next scheduled entry of T TSUMURA for a discussion of that area.
The meeting agenda was about the future of T. Although T's genius and excellence were well known to all WARRIORS, the HC and the director were concerned that his outstanding ability alone would not be properly evaluated in Japanese society after graduation.
After discussing various options, we concluded that he would rather start a business than waste his talent in a company that does not value him fairly. As for me, because T could not do the paperwork and did not have to do it in the first place, I would follow up on all negotiations with external parties and back-office operations. Thus, we established TMR Technology as a two-person company with T as CEO and me as the director.
For my part, I was curious to see how far T's genius would grow and felt that I was the only one who could accept him without making him just another weird, so I went along with that idea without second thoughts.

Episode3:Meeting and Joining JUNGLEˣ

To gain the strength necessary to develop the products we want to develop in the future as TMR Technology, I first met JUNGLEˣ while taking on contract development projects with companies that approached us.
On May 8, 2021, at our first meeting, I was shocked. The vision that betting solves many problems inspired me, such as a profit structure that does not put athletes first, minor sports that cannot become professional, declining rural areas, and unrewarded scientists in Japan. The fact they valued us as the core of JUNGLEˣ, rather than as a subcontractor, also contributed to my inclination.
Even as a non-engineer, I felt that I could play an active part in preparing a field that accepts high IQ human resources like T and creating a system that maximizes collaboration at minimal communication cost for those who do not need to communicate with others.
WHO IS JUNGLEˣ #3 -Why we seek Researchers-2022/4/5 6:462022/4/12 0:58
Furthermore, I wanted to take revenge for I could not make an impact that would change Japan through my four-year activities with WARRIORS. Thankfully, as an individual, the team offered me the option to remain with WARRIORS next year and assume the offensive coordinator. I could grow to that level because I was serious about realizing our philosophy of trail braizing the future. During these four years, I could recognize that realizing that philosophy was what I wanted to achieve, even if it meant risking my own life to do so.
Do an ordinal job search, get into a big company, and aim for a "good life". That is the royal road, and it would be most efficient for those who do not master academics at the University of Tokyo to follow that path. I would be a board member of TMR technology, which would narrow down to being a company that would allow a new graduate to work on the side, but I still had the option of getting a general job.
However, that option will not allow me to see the world as I want to see it. In JUNGLEˣ, the tide of the times is coming, and I can do my part to keep JUNGLEˣ moving forward at maximum efficiency. And the world that has realized purpose is in line with the very world I want to see and is a source of motivation. This was enough for me.
 
ALL-IN to JUNGLEˣ.

Conclusion

I have written about the circumstances that led me to join, but I also understand this choice itself has no meaning. It is a cliche, but it is my statement of belief that I will do everything I can to make this choice the right one .
The key is not the will to win... everybody has that. It is the will to prepare to win that is important. -Bob Knight
 
If you are at all interested, we hope you will access our websiteJUNGLEˣ HOME(EN) and be able to understand us more deeply.
 
Thank you for reading till the end. (Written by M MATSUMOTO)