Mercari requires diverse viewpoints and new ways of thinking in order to grow on a global scale and achieve the Group mission: “Circulate all forms of value to unleash the potential in all people.”

Since its establishment in 2013, Mercari has had the mission of “create value in a global marketplace where anyone can buy & sell.” To achieve that mission, the company established a US business as early as 2014. Mercari has promoted inclusion and diversity (I&D) both internally and externally as it aims to create globally competitive teams, knowing that individual diverse experiences and perspectives are crucial to success on a global scale.

Mercari recognizes that it is important to create further opportunities for women in STEM fields. We are also aware that Japan is facing a social problem of not having enough women leaders active on the global level. As a program to help develop global leaders, in 2024, we held the Mercari Bold Program for Women: US Edition, which sent participants overseas. This year, the Mercari Bold Program for Women: 2025 Global Edition will expand to five countries—the US, India, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Korea!

In this article, we sat down with five participants of The Mercari Bold Program for Women: US Edition to find out what drew them to the program, and what they experienced and learned as participants.

Why each participant took on the challenge of collaborating with members in different roles

—Hello, everyone! To get things started, could each of you tell us why you participated in last year’s Mercari Bold Program for Women: US Edition (“Bold Program”)?

Ayumi (Engineer): Sure! I had participated in hackathons as an engineer before, but all the participants of those events were other engineers. Many engineers consider whether a concept is technically interesting before exploring ideas and trying to implement them. I wanted to experience working on a project with people working in different fields who have different perspectives.

Also, a part of me simply wanted to go to the US! Most of my work involves trying to solve problems for products that I’m familiar with, so I wanted to step out of my comfort zone and try working on a US product for which I am not the main userbase.

Emily (Designer): Last year, when the Bold Program was held, I was in Japan on a one-year university exchange program. For me, the Bold Program offered a valuable opportunity to improve both my design skills and Japanese skills, which had been my goal. Like Ayumi, I had participated in hackathons in the US aimed at designers, but this would be my first time joining an ideathon that involved collaborating with people in other roles, so I really wanted to try it.

Ramu (PM): Similar to Ayumi and Emily, I have a humanities background and only really interacted with people in the same field. I applied because the Bold Program hired based on specialty, and I was really excited to spend time making things with people I would not normally work with.

Momoko (Marketing): I initially joined because I wanted to visit LA. I have always wanted a career that would take me around the world, and came across the Bold Program as I was researching different companies.

Ayaka (Data analyst): I came across the Bold Program at a time when I was planning to return to Japan after spending time abroad and was in search of a hands-on program I could participate in. I saw that there was a data analyst position and decided to apply. I was also studying entrepreneurship as a minor at university, and was interested in Mercari because it was a unicorn company based in Japan.

Discovering Mercari’s values in the application process

—The Bold Program is unique in that it involves forming a team and developing a project among members with different specialties, such as engineering, product management, design, marketing, analysis, and finance. It’s nice to hear that you were all interested in that aspect of the program. What did you all do to prepare for the Bold Program selection process?

Ayumi (Engineer): I learned Mercari’s three values—Go Bold, All for One, and Be a Pro*—and tried to relate my previous experiences to the values and create stories prior to the interview. It seemed to me that giving an example of a “bold experience” would be particularly important for the Bold Program, so I talked about a project I worked on in university to develop a tethering app.

*Editorial team note: Mercari added a fourth value, Move Fast, to its three values Go Bold, All for One, and Be a Pro at the end of 2024.

Emily (Designer): I also did some research into Mercari’s values and referenced them in my interviews. As I was being considered for a designer position, I figured that the most important thing to talk about was my portfolio, so I reworked my portfolio to link what I had done to the values. I also spent some time before the interview to think about how I could present my portfolio most effectively while relating it to Mercari’s values.

Ramu (PM): I also researched Mercari’s mission and values. I didn’t have any formal experience as a product manager, so I prepared for my interview by thinking in my own way about why Mercari was holding this program and what significance it holds.

Momoko (Marketing): I am not confident in interviews, but I asked the marketer who interviewed me a bunch of questions as I was really interested in what kind of people work at Mercari. Also, I wanted to know what kind of role I could play at Mercari and how I could utilize my past experience. My interview was more like a conversation because I asked so many questions.

Ayaka (Data analyst): In my interview for the analyst position, I was asked how I would analyze a certain case. I think I managed to express my thoughts in response to this question well, and that’s why I was selected to participate in the program. So, I think it’s important to develop a habit of taking an interest in everything and frequently ask yourself how you would analyze or approach certain situations.

*Editorial team note: Different positions had different selection procedures.

Forging a team with fresh perspectives, and findings from the US

—Thank you for all researching Mercari’s values and relating them to your own experiences. Now, let’s talk about your experiences during the Bold Program. What stood out to you all?

Ayaka (Data analyst): Well, the flow of the program was to learn about the program in Japan, create a hypothesis, travel to the US and gather information, and polish our ideas.

After traveling to the US, I felt that visiting local stores to do field work and directly talking to members of Mercari US allowed us to gather more concrete opinions, which increased the accuracy of our hypothesis.

One member of my team was a frequent user of Mercari and we expanded on our ideas referencing their perspective as a user. However, since the quality of secondhand items and the surrounding culture differ between Japan and the US, there were moments when we felt that some ideas wouldn’t translate one-to-one. But, it was exciting to get lots of local input.

Ayumi (Engineer): As I mentioned earlier when talking about why I applied, being able to experience first-hand the skills and traits of non-engineer members left an impression on me. Everyone had such amazing knowledge and experience, and when ideas came up during the brainstorming stage, they immediately brought up past examples or similar projects at Mercari.

Having said that, our difference in specialties did cause us to struggle at times. For example, we thought about creating an app for children, and as an engineer, I wanted to create some interesting features in addition to simply creating a UI that children would like. Sometimes it was hard to come to an agreement on certain aspects as we all had different approaches based on our expertise. Ultimately, I think that being able to exchange ideas from different perspectives led to a more multifaceted result.

Emily (Designer): Before participating in the program, I was worried about my language ability and wasn’t sure if I would be able to express myself well enough in Japanese. However, all my teammates were so kind and we all felt comfortable stating our opinions. Also, having a mentor and being able to communicate with them provided a sense of reassurance; they gave us advice when we needed it and helped the project proceed smoothly. Until the Bold Program, I thought that designers only got involved in product development once the requirements of the project had been somewhat finalized, so being able to get involved as a designer from the very early planning stages was really exciting for me. Also, since I wasn’t very familiar with the business side of things, it was my first time experiencing a process of using business data to translate an idea into design, which provided many learning opportunities.

Ramu (PM): For me as well, forming connections within my group and with my mentor was one of the best things about participating in the program. What left an impression on me was hearing opinions about Mercari from an inside perspective when I had discussions with my mentor. Of course our mentor provided support while we were in Japan, but they didn’t skip a beat after we traveled to the US and continued to give us guidance through Slack, despite the time difference. I feel that communicating in this way also helped me understand Mercari.

After we came back to Japan, we changed our initial hypothesis, and I was worried that the new project we were developing wouldn’t work in the US. However, as I had the role of product manager, I couldn’t suggest remaking the entire product. I was unsure of what to do, but with the cooperation of the engineering team members, we were able to implement and propose something completely different from our initial idea in the final presentation.

Momoko (Marketing): All the participants were so talented, and I was happy to meet so many people from my generation who were achieving success in Japan and abroad. Some people had established their own companies or done internships in all sorts of places. I feel lucky to have made so many friends who are highly motivated and have such vast experiences.

I also received feedback from Shintaro Yamada (Representative Director and CEO), which was incredibly helpful. His feedback was harsh but fair considering that we were dealing with initiatives for both the Japanese and US markets. At first, I was disappointed in myself to receive such feedback, but in talking with my teammates, I realized where I could have performed better.

Also, there were times during the program that I worried about how to contribute to the team from a marketing perspective. On the other hand, I was the only member on my team who spoke English, so I was able to use this strength of mine to contribute to the team. I think that being encouraged to think about my personal strengths and how they could contribute to the team, and then acting in a way to make that happen, was a beneficial experience.

What makes a team?

—Thank you for sharing your experiences! Is there anything else you learned or came to realize during the program?

Emily (Designer): The way Mercari members embody the Go Bold value really taught me a lot. I’m the type of person to come up with one idea and focus on refining that idea. Meanwhile, the other members of my team took a “scrap and build” approach of thinking of new ideas at a rapid pace and discarding or building upon ideas based on viability. Seeing that first-hand was eye-opening for me. I drafted designs for each idea we came up with in the brainstorming stage, and it was fun to discuss the ideas and work on all sorts of different designs. In my design club at university, I usually only interact with other designers, so this was my first time creating a service with people from different professions. I gave it my all!

Ramu (PM): A lot of members took a “Go Bold” approach. I got the impression that many participants were students who had a vision similar to that of Mercari’s.

For me, being able to create something on such a large scale over the course of two weeks with members from other professions gave me a tangible understanding of how to operate as a PM to achieve my goals in the future.

Momoko (Marketing): Personally, my biggest takeaway was thinking about what makes a team. I learned that it’s important to clarify each person’s role, while also combining everyone’s strengths and building upon each other’s perspectives as you progress with the project.

Ayaka (Data analyst): I also had a great experience meeting my team members and working on our project together. In college we mainly learn through input, so having the opportunity to talk with others and refine ideas, like providing explanations and suggestions on how to make improvements, was really valuable. As an analyst, I was able to learn from observing situations where other members used formats such as presentations to reinforce their ideas. This was especially helpful at times when I would tend to rely too heavily on numbers and data.

Sometimes we got stuck on topics during brainstorming sessions, but my teammates thought of ways around this, such as by preparing thought frameworks when we couldn’t come up with an idea. They were often able to save the day by shifting their perspective, and I’m glad I got to experience that.

Ayumi (Engineer): I was struck by how important it is to have members in product management, marketing, design, and data analyst roles. Designers improve functionality by making a product easy to use, and also contribute greatly to a user’s first impression of a service. If the design is lacking, it can be difficult to get users interested in the product. Also, I realized the importance of marketing and product management roles in providing explanations and context—for example, clarifying why Mercari takes certain actions—which goes beyond just numerical data when working on a project. I learned a great deal from my interactions with my team members and mentor.

Challenges beyond the marketplace app

—Has your impression of Mercari changed since participating in the Bold Program?

Ramu (PM): Yes, definitely. To be honest, before I applied, I didn’t know that the Bold Program was held by Mercari. I was also a beginner Mercari user, so I just thought of Mercari as a company that makes a marketplace app. After applying, however, I learned that Mercari actually offers a wide variety of services both in Japan and internationally, and I gained a deeper understanding of Mercari’s various services as well as the people who work there.

Ayumi (Engineer): I got the impression that working at Mercari is a fun challenge, and the company operates a lot more like a startup than I expected. Through the Bold Program, I discovered that Mercari is proactive in creating new businesses. After the Bold Program ended, I participated in an employment-based internship at Mercari as an engineer. During this experience, I learned that Mercari’s engineering organization is extremely thorough when it comes to product development.

My internship allowed me to take on challenges and experience what it’s like to work on features and systems that enable large-scale development. I was interested in both these aspects, so it was a great experience. I was also impressed that there were new grad-led initiatives such as the Migen Meeting!

Emily (Designer): Because I don’t live in Japan, I didn’t know much about Mercari before joining the program; I only knew that they were a C2C service. I assumed that working at Mercari would involve thinking up designs for their marketplace app, but in reality I had the chance to work on a much wider range of designs than I had imagined, including those for Mercari’s fintech business and new business ventures. I found that really impressive.

Ayaka (Data analyst): I also became more familiar with Mercari through the program. I was able to learn what Mercari members think about when trying to grow a business, and used what I’d learned as a use case during discussions in my entrepreneurship major.

Momoko (Marketing): For me as well, my impression of Mercari completely changed. I want to be active on the global stage, so I wasn’t actually considering many Japanese companies when looking for a job—Mercari wasn’t on my radar at all. However, through this experience, my perception of Mercari shifted from a typical Japanese company to a dynamic organization that consistently pursues global challenges.

—Thank you all for sharing. Do you have any advice for this year’s participants?

Emily (Designer): This year, participants have the chance to visit not just the US but other countries as well, which will give them the rare opportunity to learn the business practices of other nations. As a designer, collaborating with engineers and professionals from other fields was a valuable experience for me. I would recommend the Bold Program to anyone, as it offers opportunities and experiences you are unlikely to encounter in a typical university environment.

Ramu (PM): I thought I had no standout skills, but I was still able to participate. The Bold Program is ideal for anyone with the desire to discover what they’re good at and contribute to a team. You might feel discouraged looking at information about past participants as everyone seems so accomplished. However, having the determination to pursue what you truly want is far more important than your past experiences—so don’t hesitate, just go for it!

Ayumi (Engineer): I think any engineer would have a great time on the Bold Program, so please apply! It’s a great chance to gain perspective, regardless of your engineering experience. Both engineers who mainly do top-down development and those who create products as a hobby are likely to meet people they can connect with.

Momoko (Marketing): I originally applied because I wanted to go to LA, so you can really apply for any reason. You will learn so much by participating. I have one piece of advice: use Mercari’s services before the project starts so you and your teammates can use the same lingo!

Ayaka (Data analyst): I would really recommend this program for those who want to build on their skills. You will gain a broader perspective by working with people from other fields, and you will learn how to work as part of a team. Going overseas and experiencing life there can also teach you a lot. If you feel anxious about applying, rest assured that the mentors and other Mercari employees will provide full support, so take the plunge and go for it!

It’s an invaluable experience that continues even after the program ends—after coming back to Japan, I have built friendships with people in other fields and we can share our expertise with each other.

And with that, our conversation comes to a close.

Everyone who participated in last year’s program spoke with so much passion and sincerity about how they learned from each other despite having different expertise and backgrounds, and sometimes struggled but ultimately produced results. Keywords such as “collaboration with different perspectives” and “expanding our global outlook” reminded us of how profound the experiences gained through this program were, and it makes us truly happy as well.

In 2025, the scope of the program will be much larger, with new challenges awaiting in diverse countries and cultures. To all of you reading this article, we hope that you will apply to make new friends, gain different perspectives, and learn just what you are capable of.

See the following article for details on how to apply!