Early Life
Yasuhide Uno was born in Osaka Prefecture in 1963. He initially had no interest in joining the family business, Osaka Yūsen Hōsōsha, which provided background music through cables. Instead, he aspired to start his own company. After studying law at Meiji Gakuin University, he worked in real estate before co-founding Intelligence, a recruitment services firm, in 1989.
Rise to Success
In 1998, following his father's illness, Uno took over Osaka Yūsen Hōsōsha. Under his leadership, the company evolved and expanded. However, he faced challenges, including dealing with significant debt and regulatory issues regarding the use of telephone poles for their cables. Uno's early career saw him navigating the turbulence of the early 2000s, including the Lehman Shock. In 2010, he had to step down and sell some of his businesses. He learned many lessons that helped him navigate the business world.
Key Business Strategies
Uno's strategic vision led to the transformation of the family business. He rebranded it to USEN and later U-Next, focusing on the growing market of online content distribution. He launched GyaO, a free streaming service and GyaO Next, a paid subscription service. He saw the potential of the internet and video distribution early on. Uno has continually adapted to the changing market, including the launch of U-Next, which quickly became a major competitor to Netflix in Japan.
Philanthropy
Specific details about Yasuhide Uno's philanthropic efforts could not be found.