About

nae is a design-led innovation firm that bridges tangible products and intangible services.

We don’t limit ourselves to any single design discipline. For each project, we build the most suitable team across expertise and industry — supporting clients in fields ranging from manufacturing and healthcare to urban development and space exploration.

We don’t just design — we journey with you.

This mindset drives how we form project teams, how we dive into research, and how we deliver everything from tangible products to transformative services.

Our Core Focus Areas

We design to improve the well-being of people and the planet.

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Women's Health and Social Equity

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Preventive Healthcare and Wellbeing

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Environmental Sustainability and Climate Action

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Japanese Craftsmanship and Cultural Sustainability

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Innovative Education and Lifelong Learning

Founder Profile

Founder & CEO, nae Inc.

YUKI SHINOHARA / Product Designer

Born in 1989 in Ehime, Japan, he is the founder and CEO of nae Inc.
Motivated by a desire to contribute to the society his daughters will inherit, he focuses on themes such as women’s well-being and the sustainability of the environment and society. He partners closely with manufacturers to drive social transformation as a unified team.

He has led cross-industry projects in fields such as home appliances, mobility, pharmaceuticals, hospitality, materials, urban planning, aviation, and space.
His strength lies in ethnographic design research, enabling him to translate user insights into actionable concepts and deliver end-to-end solutions — from service design and product development to UX design.

After graduating from Niihama National College of Technology with a major in Electronic Control Engineering, he studied industrial and service design in Japan (Chiba University), France (Strate School of Design), and the United States (University of Cincinnati).
He holds a Master of Design and an MBA, combining creative thinking with strategic business execution.

He began his career at the design innovation firm Takram, where he refined his practical approach to solving complex societal challenges through design.

He also practices Japanese tea ceremony (Tea name: Senju), drawing inspiration from its mindfulness and aesthetic philosophy.

In addition to his core work, he serves as a visiting lecturer in User Research at Tohoku Institute of Technology, teaches prototyping at Venture Café Tokyo’s entrepreneurship program, and facilitates psychological safety through improvisational techniques.
He is also a mentor for the APT Women program (Tokyo Metropolitan Government) and the SMBC Nikko Securities National Innovation Challenge for Technical Colleges.