The year 2022 is one we looked to with great hope. And around November, things were really going great. And then… omicron. Now we’re in the midst of it, but the end of the year did offer us many chances to welcome in the New Year on a much brighter note than at the end of 2020.

We narrowed some of the spaces, saw more of each other. We also got a lot of work done and we’re speeding into 2022. Here’s a wrap-up and some news on our DSOC research branch.

Shrine Visits in Tokyo and Osaka to Bless Business Cards and the Encounters they Represent

In December, Sansan held its annual Meishi Osame (Year-end Shrine Visit and Business Card Offering).

Last year, under the lockdown conditions and with everyone distancing from just about everything, our PR champ Ryosuke took part in a solemn ritual.

This year, many more could take part, for which we are so grateful. Adding to the attendees was the fact the event took place in both Tokyo and Osaka – Japan’s two biggest business hubs.

Participants visited the shrine with paper business cards no longer needed after being digitized with Sansan, and offered them to the shrine for prayers

In Japan, business cards with an individual’s name written on them are treated with great respect and there is a culture of hesitation to simply throw them away, even if they’re no longer needed. The Meishi Osame is Sansan’s respectful and hopeful recognition of these feelings.

Participants can pray at the shrine to express their gratitude for these encounters.

Moreover, we plant trees in areas of need in proportion to the business cards processed and digitized through Sansan. This contributes to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in a way that people can relate to.

After the prayers, Sansan staff handed out souvenirs and ema, wooden plaques on which participants write their wishes for the next year and hang the at the shrine for good favor. Participants wrote their wishes for new encounters and for business.

More info on the event (in Japanese) is here.

Year End Events at Sansan

We’re now one month into 2022, which marks the Year of the Tiger on the Chinese Zodiac. Every year in the period from Christmas to New Year’s, Sansan holds a variety of events and posts content both in the company and in the community. These are to express gratitude to our customers and employees.

New Year Video

This year, we hope the Year of the Tiger brings strength and determination, as we seek to reestablish in-person contact along with online contact.

A lot has changed over the past couple of years. Our Japan team put together this video to recognize the changes.

Family Christmas Gathering

This year, we hope the Year of the Tiger brings strength and determination, as we seek to reestablish in-person contact We held a Christmas party for our employees who have children, with the family invited. This event is held offline/in-person each year, but this year it was hybrid.

Some of the children taking part online wore Santa and reindeer costumes. Then Santa and his reindeer appeared and did a quiz game with everyone taking part. But in the end, every good little boy and girl got a present… naturally!

First Shrine Visit of 2022 (Hatsumode)

On the first working day of the new year, a representative of our employees paid a visit to a local shrine for the Japanese tradition of hatsumode, or the first shrine visit of the year.

We prayed for the quick return to normal life and a year full of wonderful encounters for everyone.

Sansan Data Scientists Publish on Econometrics

Sansan’s DSOC division is the company’s data-driven nucleus. It’s the scientists, researchers, and tech that make Sansan and all its services powerful and innovative.

Its SocSci Group is made up of members specialized in different areas of the social sciences. Its mission is applying social theory as a tactical weapon for expanding the value of business card exchange, both in real and virtual forms.

The group works to return the knowledge and results obtained through research to businesses, services, and society. It also actively develops joint research with external experts. Its work is an ongoing building process.

In December, a study led by DSOC members Dr.Juan Nelson Martínez Dahbura, Shota Komatsu, and Takanori Nishida was accepted for presentation at the 2021 European Winter Meeting of the Econometric Society.

The Econometric Society is one of the oldest and most prestigious societies in the fields of economics and applied Statistics. With the meeting held online, the authors presented their preliminary findings, and received positive feedback and constructive suggestions for further improving the performance of their algorithms.

Their research employs data from Sansan’s Eight app, and attempts to explain the decision-making process behind business card exchanges in Japan. The researchers developed an open source software library that makes it possible to study very large networks. Their results shed light on the determinants of business card exchanges and make it possible to simulate business networks for the evaluation of new products and services.

Read A Structural Model of Business Card Exchange Networks (PDF download is available), by Juan Nelson Martínez Dahbura et al.

Have a roaring 2022, but stay safe.