Today we’d like to introduce you to Koko Hayashi.
Hi Koko, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
My grandma got bullied!
When I was a child in Japan, I spent a lot of time with my grandmother. One day, my friends refused to visit because they said she smelled bad. It hurt me deeply to see someone I loved judged because of an age-related odor she couldn’t control.
Years later, I learned about nonenal, a type of body odor associated with aging, and the Japanese tradition of using persimmon to neutralize it. I founded Mirai Clinical to bring this little-known Japanese solution to the United States and help older adults feel fresh, confident, and respected. Today, we offer persimmon-based solutions for the body, hair, and home, while continuing our mission to celebrate aging rather than treat it as something to hide, because aging is a privilege that not everyone can experience fully.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
In the early years, I was still living and working in Japan while remotely running an e-commerce business in the United States, long before remote work became common.
In 2017, I left my corporate job in Tokyo and bought a one-way ticket to the U.S., hoping to build the business with my partner at the time. Tragically, my partner suddenly passed away from a stroke, leaving me to start over in a new country with no one to rely on.
I was building the business alone while still learning English and trying to understand American culture. Along the way, I was scammed, stalked, and made countless mistakes. But whenever something difficult happened, I tried to see it as a learning opportunity.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Featured twice on Shark Tank, Mirai Clinical helps mature adults celebrate aging by feeling fresh and confident through our specialized deodorizing solutions. We are a global category leader in aging odor care, combining Japanese science with high-quality ingredients, including our signature Japanese persimmon extract.
What sets us apart is our authenticity. Mirai Clinical was founded by me, a Japanese scientist who brought this well-established Japanese scientific approach to aging-related odor to the U.S. We are proud to have created greater awareness of a sensitive but common issue while offering effective solutions for the body, hair, and home.
We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
One of the biggest risks I took was investing 7 figures in a software platform. I believed our Shark Tank appearance would generate enough growth to justify the cost, but it did not. The software also proved too complicated for our team to manage effectively, and we eventually stopped using it. It was the largest investment I had ever made—and my most expensive mistake.
The experience taught me to estimate potential ROI more carefully and conservatively. Entrepreneurs tend to be optimistic, which is important to grow, but sometimes too much.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://miraiclinical.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/miraiclinical
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MiraiClinical/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mirai-clinical
- Twitter: https://x.com/miraiclinical
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0tkIxPiCxANfpZULZJz-IA
