Speaking & Training
AI, explained by someone who builds it.
Takashi Yamanaka is the founder of FIRST MADE Inc. and the developer of the AI agent service FIRST INTELLIGENCE. He runs his own company with a team of 15 AI agents, and works at the frontier as a member of Anthropic’s Claude Partner Network.
Where is AI heading? And what is actually happening on the ground, in real businesses, today?
He speaks to both, from the builder’s side.
Claude Partner NetworkMember
FIRST MADE is a member of the Claude Partner Network, the official partner program of Anthropic, the company behind the AI model Claude. His talks draw on that direct access to the latest models and information.
- Where
- Worldwide, in person or online
- Formats
- Keynote, workshop, online
- Response time (urgent: call us)
- Within 2 business days
Why this speaker
The future of AI, and the reality on the ground.
A speaker who can talk about both.
AI talks tend to come in two kinds: those that explain where the technology is going, and those that explain how it actually gets implemented. Yamanaka works at the frontier as an Anthropic partner, builds AI agents himself, and runs his own company with them.
So he can ground the future in first-hand experience, and put day-to-day implementation in the context of what comes next.
01 Frontline
At the frontier
A member of the Claude Partner Network, operated by Anthropic, the developer of Claude. He tests new models and features in real work from the day they are announced, and can show, with evidence, what AI will mean for management over the next few years.
02 Build
Builds it
He develops and provides FIRST INTELLIGENCE, an AI agent service. Each client gets a dedicated application designed around their business, with hands-on support until it is running. None of this is a third-party product resold under our name.
03 Operate
Runs on it
His company’s sales, marketing, production and finance are handled by 15 AI agents, each with a title and a role. This is not a demo that ends after deployment. It is what running a business on AI feels like, every day.
15agents
AI team running the company
4departments
Sales, marketing, production, finance
1week
From kick-off to live operation
10years
In business in Shiga, Japan
Profile
About the speaker
Claude Partner NetworkMember
Takashi Yamanaka
CEO, FIRST MADE Inc. / Head of Development, FIRST INTELLIGENCE
Yamanaka runs a web branding company in Nagahama, Shiga Prefecture, Japan, about an hour from Kyoto. Alongside website production, graphic design and advertising, he developed FIRST INTELLIGENCE, an AI agent service for small and mid-sized companies.
He turned his own company into the test bed: from sales to finance, it is now run by 15 AI agents. He shares what he learned with business owners of a similar size, in Japan and abroad.
| Company | FIRST MADE Inc. (Nagahama, Shiga, Japan), CEO |
|---|---|
| Business | Web production, graphic design, advertising, AI agent services |
| Products | FIRST INTELLIGENCE (company-specific AI agents); industry-specific core business packages |
| Membership | Anthropic Claude Partner Network |
| Registration | Registered IT tool provider, Japan SME Digitalisation and AI Adoption Support Program |
| Press | Featured in the Nagahama Chamber of Commerce and Industry newsletter, AI special issue (August 2026) |
| Speaks on | Putting AI agents to work / AI in core business systems / digital transformation in regional SMEs / web branding |
Partnership
As an Anthropic partner,
from the frontier.
FIRST MADE is a member of the Claude Partner Network, the partner program of Anthropic, the company that develops the AI model Claude. That puts Yamanaka in a position to follow what is happening at the research frontier and, in the same talk, show how it plays out in real small and mid-sized businesses.
- New models and features are tested in real work from the day they are announced, before they are discussed on stage
- Talks explicitly cover not only what AI can do, but also what it cannot do yet and what it should not be used for
- Every talk is rebuilt around the state of the technology at the time of the event
Membership of the Claude Partner Network does not mean that Anthropic endorses or guarantees the content of these talks.
Speaking topics
Four topics, covering what’s next and what’s now.
Content and depth are adjusted to the audience.
Tell us who will be in the room and what challenges they face, and the talk is restructured for them.
01The road ahead
Where AI goes from here
From the vantage point of an Anthropic partner who has seen new models and features from the day they were announced. Over the next two or three years AI shifts from a tool that answers questions to a colleague that gets work done. What should leaders decide now, and what can safely wait? The latest developments, organised and grounded in what is actually happening in companies.
02Implementation
Getting AI into real operations in a small company
We tried it, but it didn’t stick. The cause is rarely the technology; it is how the first job was chosen. How to pick the first task to hand over, how to get the team on board, how to show results in two weeks, and how to extend from there into core operations such as orders and inventory. Told step by step, exactly as the deployments happened.
03Inside the company
Running a company with a team of 15 AI agents
FIRST MADE gives its AI agents job titles and responsibilities and runs the company with them. How much can be delegated, and where did it fail? How did the humans’ work change? What does it actually cost? An honest look inside.
04Regional business
How a company far from the capital competes with AI
Hard to hire, no budget, no specialists in-house. Those conditions do not change. What changes is how many businesses a small team can run. Lessons from building a company in Nagahama, a regional city in Japan, on where AI genuinely helps a local business.
The questions organisers ask before booking, answered up front.
Start with just the date and the audience.
We build the structure. Enquiries at an early, undecided stage are welcome.
We reply within two business days.
Voices
The talks are built on what actually happened in real businesses.
These are not reviews of the talks. They are what clients wrote to us during AI deployments, translated from the original Japanese emails without changing the meaning (company names withheld). Audience feedback will be added as events take place.
Wrong-number calls have completely stopped. Actually, there are none. The count is zero.
Head of a real estate appraisal firmFixing misdirected calls caused by AI search results. Ordered the morning it was proposed, implemented in two days; from the report four weeks later
Having seen the results, our expectations are high. Thank you for the quick turnaround.
Head of information systems, wholesale companyFrom emails during a three-week trial across five departments of AI reading handwritten purchase orders
We can’t yet see what the AI is capable of. But we want to move forward and see a prototype. If we can see an AI actually working, personally I am very much looking forward to it.
CEO, building services consultancyFrom emails immediately after the proposal, before the prototype was shown
Figures are based on our own measurements or the client’s records. Results vary with the work and the environment.
Formats
What we offer
- Keynote60 / 90 min
- In-house training / workshopHalf day / full day
- Panel discussion / fireside chatOn request
- Online talk60 min
- Talk with live demoOption
- LanguageJapanese, with interpretation
Talks are delivered in Japanese with consecutive or simultaneous interpretation; slides and handouts are prepared in your language. Interpretation can be arranged by the host, or by us on request (quoted separately). For the live demo, the AI agents build documents on screen in real time; we check the venue’s connectivity in advance.
For
Who books us
Available worldwide. No prior knowledge of AI is required of the audience. The talk avoids technical terms and is built so that people can map it onto their own work.
Fee
About the fee
Fees depend on the content, length and preparation involved, and are quoted after a short briefing call.
If you have a fixed budget, tell us and we will propose what can be done within it.
Estimate
Quoted after a briefing
A 30-minute online call covers the audience, length, whether a live demo is needed and how much material to prepare. The quote follows in writing.
Expenses
Travel and accommodation at cost
Travel and accommodation from Shiga, Japan, are billed at cost. For overseas events, please allow for the travel days.
Public & education
Public bodies and schools: let’s talk
For chambers, government bodies, schools and non-profits, we adjust to your regulations.
Our stance
AI drafts. People decide.
We draw this line clearly in every talk.
What is handed to AI, and where people stay.
Sending, approving and publishing remain human decisions. Data stays on the client’s own computers. Everything can be stopped.
These are the principles we keep in every deployment, and we pass them on as they are.
How to book
From enquiry to the day
Because the content is tailored and materials are prepared, we recommend getting in touch at least one month ahead; two to three months for events outside Japan.
01
Enquiry
Send the date, venue, audience, expected numbers and budget through the form. We reply within two business days.
02
Briefing call
About 30 minutes online. We learn what challenges your audience faces and decide the structure.
03
Quote and agreement
Content and terms are set out in writing. Once confirmed, the booking is final.
04
On the day
We arrive at the venue an hour before the start. If there is a live demo, connectivity and projection are checked beforehand.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
What topics can you speak on?
Four main topics: where AI is heading, getting AI agents into real operations in small and mid-sized companies, running a company with an AI team, and digital transformation in regional businesses. All are based on systems we build and run ourselves. If none of them fits, tell us what your audience is dealing with and we will structure a talk for it.
How much does it cost?
Fees depend on the content, length and preparation involved, so we quote after a short call to understand your audience and goals. If you have a fixed budget, tell us and we will propose what can be done within it. Travel and accommodation are billed at cost. For public bodies, schools and non-profits, we adjust to your regulations.
Where do you travel to?
Anywhere. We are based in Nagahama, Shiga, Japan, about an hour from Kyoto, and travel throughout Japan and abroad. For overseas events, please allow two to three months’ lead time. Online talks are available regardless of location.
Can the talk be delivered online?
Yes. Zoom, Microsoft Teams and Google Meet are all fine. In online sessions we can share the screen while the AI agents actually work, which some audiences find even clearer than a stage demo. We ask for one connection test in advance.
Does the audience need any knowledge of AI?
No. Audiences who are only starting to think about AI are our strength. The talk avoids technical terms and is framed as what changes in daily work. If you tell us the industries and roles in the room, the examples are swapped to match.
Will there be a live demonstration?
Yes, on request. The AI agents produce documents and text on screen, live. We check the venue’s connectivity and projection in advance, and where conditions are uncertain we propose recorded screens as a fallback.
How far in advance should we book?
We recommend at least one month in Japan and two to three months for events abroad, to allow for structuring the talk and preparing materials in your language. Shorter notice can sometimes be accommodated if the date is free and the content is within the existing topics.
Can the talk be recorded, and can materials be distributed?
Yes, if agreed in advance. Some parts that show other clients’ cases or our internal systems may be restricted in how widely they can be shared. Terms are set out in the written agreement.
What language is the talk in?
Talks are delivered in Japanese with consecutive or simultaneous interpretation. Slides and handouts are prepared in your language, and written questions can be handled in English. Interpretation can be arranged by the host, or by us on request and quoted separately.
Speaking inquiry
Book a talk or ask a question
Enquiries at an early, undecided stage are welcome.
We reply within two business days (Japan time).
Your details are used only to respond to this enquiry. Please do not use this form for sales approaches.