A System That Brings Employee Ideas to Life:
What Is Our Internal Crowdfunding Program?

Employee-Driven Ideas That Move the Company Forward

At Nakashima Propeller, we have introduced an Internal Crowdfunding Program as one of our initiatives to spark innovation by encouraging free and creative ideas from our employees.

From Planning to Funding and Execution — All Driven by Employees

“Wouldn’t it be exciting if we could turn this idea into a real business?”
Such sparks of inspiration from employees can become reality through this system.

Anyone can freely propose a new business project they find interesting or worth trying.

And here’s the twist: the people who evaluate the projects aren’t managers — it’s the employees themselves.
Just like public crowdfunding, employees become “supporters,” investing funds in the projects they want to back.

Projects that reach a certain level of support through employee voting receive funding from the company, allowing the project owners to move forward using the allocated budget.

Employees (as supporters) cast their votes to determine which projects receive company funding.
They can also collaborate and submit projects as a team with colleagues who share similar interests.

Unique Projects Born from the Program

As long as a proposal contributes to company profits, visibility, or brand value, the theme is essentially open-ended.

Since the program launched in 2021, employees’ creativity has brought to life a variety of projects—
from a support scheme for obtaining small-vessel licenses, to establishing a fitness gym, to developing indoor climbing equipment.

Captions

1. A project to open a reservation-only training gym. It launched near Okayama Station in 2023 and is currently in trial use for employees.
2. A support program for obtaining small-vessel operator licenses. More than 20 employees have earned their licenses through this project.
3. Development of easily assembled indoor climbing equipment. A model room is installed at the company headquarters.

A Culture of Challenge — The Source of Nakashima’s DNA

Nakashima Propeller began with propeller manufacturing, but today our efforts extend beyond propellers toward improving the performance of entire vessels.
We have also applied our polishing technologies and design-manufacturing expertise to fields far beyond marine engineering—such as artificial joints and IT.
This spirit of continual challenge and exploration has been at the core of our 100-year history.

Now in its fourth year, our Internal Crowdfunding Program continues to inspire new challenges.
And we will keep nurturing an environment where every employee’s “I want to try this” can take shape.