SUNNY SIDE UP GROUP Inc. (Head Office: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO: Etsuko Tsugihara; hereinafter, “the Company”) is promoting activities toward achieving the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) from both its own business and support for other companies through the “SSU’s Social Action 3.2 for SDGs” project. In addition to the ① marketing and communication services centered on PR that we have provided up to now, we have started ② an initiative to support the growth of SDGs promoting companies through investment.

In addition, as the first SDGs investment project combining PR and investment, WRAY Co., Ltd. (reading: WRAY, Head Office: Minato-ku, Tokyo, Representative Director: Yukiko Taniuchi, hereinafter WRAY), a femtech-related company ^* that develops the self-care brand “WRAY” for women, has been selected.

SUNNY SIDE UP Inc. (Head Office: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO: Etsuko Tsugihara), which is responsible for the core business of our group, will be in charge of providing ① marketing and communication services centered on PR to the company.

② The investment will be made through SUNNY SIDE UP PARTNERS Co., Ltd. (Head Office: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Koichiro Matsumoto), a 100% subsidiary of our company, to support the company’s growth from both PR and investment perspectives.

■“SDGs Investment” combining PR and investment, only possible by our group

Our company launched the aforementioned project “SSU’s Social Action 3.2 for SDGs” in March 2019. In addition to promoting SDGs promotion activities related to our own business, we have been supporting the activities of companies and organizations that are actively working to solve the 17 issues raised by the SDGs, such as gender, poverty, and education, from a PR perspective.

Among these, we have determined that supporting the business growth of SDGs promoting companies from a financial perspective will maximize the social value of the company and lead to the public interest of society as a whole, which is the achievement of the SDGs. We have come to start “SDGs investment” that combines PR and investment, which is only possible by our group, which is skilled in PR and marketing communication know-how.

*Femtech-related companies = Companies that handle products and services that support women’s health and lifestyles through technology

■The first SDGs investment project is the femtech-related company “WRAY Co., Ltd.”

WRAY, which was selected as the first SDGs investment project, is a brand that combines femtech and D2C, and sells products that support women’s unique concerns and lifestyles on its own EC site, as well as providing LINE menstrual cycle tracking services and distributing healthcare-related content.

On the other hand, in July 2015, when the word “femtech” was not yet common, our company introduced the “Dear WOMAN” system, a welfare program in which the company subsidizes a portion of the costs associated with freezing the eggs of female members, as the first attempt by a private company. Since then, in line with social trends at the time, we have been promoting the creation of an environment where “flexible and diverse ways of working and living” tailored to each member can be realized, regardless of frameworks such as gender, position, or environment.

Our company’s desire to position “each individual being able to live their own life” as an important corporate issue resonated with WRAY’s corporate philosophy and passion for its business. We also took into consideration that it is a femtech-related company that is attracting social attention, has remarkable market growth, and can contribute to the achievement of the SDGs, and selected it as the first SDGs investment project with a view to future collaboration possibilities.

In the future, our group will continue to actively play a social role that can only be achieved by our group, which handles PR and marketing communications, by providing “investment with a view to the future” and support in terms of PR to companies that contribute to the achievement of the SDGs.

[WRAY Co., Ltd. Company Profile]

WRAY Co., Ltd. (reading: WRAY)
Location: 6F, 2-14-4 Kita-Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo
Established: April 2020
Capital: 5 million yen
Business description: Operation of self-care brand “WRAY”
URL: https://wray.jp/
LINE@: https://lin.ee/4Yf7i5TTi

[Origin of brand name/company name “WRAY”]

W=women + ray (a ray of light, ray, energy ray, spreading light)

The name “WRAY” adopted for the brand name and company name embodies the desire that “women shine, become someone’s light, and that light spreads.” As a brand that supports the best performance of all women, and as a company, we aim to be a company that supports the success of women with empowerment and mutual aid as keywords.

[Femtech x D2C model]

WRAY Co., Ltd. has a vision of “supporting the best performance of women,” and develops and sells products that support women’s bodies and lifestyles, as well as providing LINE menstrual cycle tracking services and information content distribution.

In addition, all products are Made in Japan, and we reflect our commitment to quality in our product development by reducing intermediate costs through direct transactions with factories.

[WRAY Founder]

Yukiko Taniuchi

Graduated from the School of Commerce at Waseda University. Joined Goldman Sachs Securities in 2007 and was in charge of corporate sales of interest rate products in the Market Finance Department. Joined Merrill Lynch Japan Securities in 2011 and engaged in financial corporate sales. After living abroad for two years from 2012, she joined YCP Holdings after returning to Japan. After being in charge of marketing and product development for a skincare brand and contributing to sales and channel expansion, she was appointed director of N&O Life, a subsidiary.

In 2017, she was appointed Head of Corporate Planning at Steady Study, which consigns PR and marketing for multiple fashion brands.

In her private life, she is a mother of two children. Based on her experience as a full-time worker, she believes that poor physical condition due to PMS and hormonal imbalances is one of the hurdles that hinder women’s career development and family life, and is a social issue, and launched WRAY in 2020.