Announcement Regarding the Establishment of Strategic Consulting Subsidiary "Value Transformation Institute, Inc."

Growth ExPartners Inc. (Head Office: Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO: Shinichi Watanabe; hereinafter "the Company") is pleased to announce the establishment of "Value Transformation Institute, Inc." (President and CEO: Masahiro Ide; hereinafter "VXI"), a wholly-owned subsidiary responsible for strategic consulting business, effective April 1, 2026, as detailed below.

1. Company Overview

2. Purpose and Background of Establishment

Purpose and Background of Establishment

Our group has primarily focused on enterprise DX business, providing end-to-end support from DX organization management and talent development to planning, UI/UX, agile development, implementation, and operation. To further enhance the value provided by the group and achieve sustainable growth, we determined that strengthening our strategic consulting function, which handles everything from management strategy, business strategy, and business concept to implementation, was essential, leading to the establishment of this specialized subsidiary.

VXI is positioned as a "practical research institute" within the group, serving as a hub for practicing and experimenting with value transformation. It aims to socially implement the results of transformation practices and research to create value, amidst the dramatic changes in social structure due to the super-aging society and the significant impact of AI proliferation on society.

Reasons for Establishing as a Subsidiary and Appointing an External Representative

This business will be developed as an independent subsidiary rather than within the existing organization. The reasons are as follows:

• Since its primary business will be business consulting, including management strategy and business strategy, which have been outside the scope of our existing business, it requires a lean, highly autonomous operation under a different value proposition, customer contact points, and compensation system from existing businesses.

• In a business model that takes responsibility from conception to implementation and adoption, rapid decision-making and flexible compensation/evaluation design are indispensable.

• It allows for the verification of new business models with limited risk while leveraging the group's brand.

For the above reasons, Mr. Masahiro Ide, who has extensive experience and achievements in the consulting industry, has been appointed as the Representative Director of the new company.

Recognition of Social Environmental Challenges

Currently, the structural challenges faced by companies, industries, regions, and society due to the super-aging population are becoming increasingly sophisticated and complex. While the spread of AI and DX initiatives are widely progressing, cases where they do not lead to results or stagnate midway are increasing.

The following structural factors contribute to DX not yielding results:

• Disconnection between Conception and Execution ― Strategy formulation and on-site implementation diverge, leading to plans becoming mere formalities.

• Insufficient Adoption by On-site Teams and Personnel ― The operation and adoption phase after introduction is neglected.

• Support Models Prioritizing Short-term Results ― Vendor-driven proposals undermine the sustainability of transformation.

As a result, DX often fails to lead to the sustainable growth and value creation it originally aimed for, sometimes leaving organizations feeling exhausted.

Significance of VXI's Establishment

VXI was established with the mission to directly address these structural challenges, implement transformations that go beyond mere conception as tangible results, and guide client companies to a state where they can continuously execute transformations themselves.

We will provide "transformation implementation consulting," which consistently handles everything from strategy presentation to implementation, adoption, and self-sustained operation, alongside "talent development," which creates a state where personnel within client organizations can practice it themselves, as two core pillars. The main targets for support are enterprise companies, quasi-public institutions, and local governments facing challenges in business structure reform and DX promotion, premised on the widespread adoption of AI. Priority industries include manufacturing, IT services, public utilities, and public sector.

3. Business Activities

VXI will support the fundamental transformation of companies, industries, regions, and society through the following four business areas:

• Strategy/AX/DX Consulting

Strategic consulting that provides "Strategy × Implementation × Talent Development" in an integrated manner, from the formulation of management and business strategies to the design of AX/DX concepts and roadmaps, and the execution of business reforms.
We take responsibility for accompanying clients until strategies are used on-site and yield results, without separating strategy from implementation.

• DX Organization & Talent Development Business

Support for building organizational capabilities that enable clients to continue transformation themselves, through the design and operational support of DX promotion organizations (e.g., AI-COE) and the planning and implementation of DX talent development programs.

• Value Creation "Accompaniment" Business

Providing leadership and specialized knowledge necessary for promoting transformation to management executives such as CDOs, CIOs, and CTOs.
Supporting management decision-making, complementing transformation driving forces, and assisting in the construction of next-generation consulting models, including performance-based compensation.

• Value Creation & Intellectual Creation Business (Think Tank Function)

Systematization of practical knowledge and dissemination to society through research and study activities related to AX/DX, organizational transformation, regional revitalization, etc.
Building a knowledge base that connects the theory and practice of transformation through collaboration with universities and other research/learning institutions.

4. Group Synergy

VXI is expected to bring the following value to the entire group, not just as an independent revenue-generating business:

• Recipient of Strategic/Business Consulting Projects:
  Acquiring high-value-added projects for the entire group and contributing to the enhancement of the group brand.

• Upselling to Existing Customers:
  Creating opportunities to propose strategic/business consulting to existing customers of each group company.

• Referral of New Customers to Group Companies:
  Connecting VXI-initiated projects with the implementation capabilities of each group company, contributing to the overall sales expansion of the group.

• Group Talent Development & Circulation Hub:
  Fostering talent with strategic thinking and transformation promotion capabilities, and promoting talent circulation within the group.

5. Comments from Representatives

Masahiro Ide, President and CEO, Value Transformation Institute, Inc.

The DX challenges faced by companies can no longer be solved by technology introduction alone. What is truly needed is to embed management concepts into the field and create a state where organizations can continuously transform themselves.

I have previously been involved in research and development at a major printing company, served as a senior partner at a major strategic consulting firm, headed the consulting division at a major IT company, and then worked as a specially appointed professor at a university, engaging in regional industry-academia-government collaboration. From my experience spanning three domains—consulting, management, and education—I had a strong sense of urgency that a company was needed that "doesn't just think, but practices and embeds transformation."

VXI pursues transformations where results and human well-being coexist. We will take professional responsibility for transformations that do not end in short-term results but continue to create value for companies, industries, regions, and society 10 years from now.

◇Profile

Ph.D. (Mathematical Informatics). Served as a specially appointed university professor, CDXO advisor for local governments, and a committee member for DX-related study groups at the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. Specializes in DX, DX talent development, and requirements engineering.

Shinichi Watanabe, President and CEO, Group CEO, Growth ExPartners Inc.

Since its establishment in 2008, our group has walked alongside our clients as a DX partner, providing end-to-end support from organizational transformation to system implementation in the enterprise DX domain.

In recent corporate management, the importance of not only introducing technology but also integrally promoting management strategy and on-site implementation, and embedding transformation within the organization, is increasingly growing. To address these challenges, we have established VXI as a specialized organization capable of consistently handling everything from strategic conception to adoption, leveraging our group's implementation capabilities.

With the establishment of VXI, our group has established a system capable of providing one-stop support for all phases of DX transformation, from strategic consulting to implementation and operation. We will connect strategic and business consulting projects originating from VXI with the expertise of each group company, and as a united group, support our clients in a state where they can continuously drive transformation themselves. Furthermore, VXI is expected to function as a hub for group talent development and circulation, contributing to the enhancement of the group's overall transformation capabilities and brand value.

〇Growth ExPartners Inc.

Listed Exchange: Tokyo Stock Exchange Growth Market (Securities Code: 244A)

Head Office: Shinjuku Nomura Building 48F, 1-26-2 Nishi-Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 163-0548

Established: July 4, 2008

Representative: Shinichi Watanabe, President and CEO

Business Activities: Enterprise DX Business

Growth ExPartners is a holding company of the Growth ExPartners Group, which engages in enterprise DX business primarily through GxP Inc. By combining the expertise of each group company, we provide end-to-end support as a DX partner accompanying client companies in their organizational/IT transformation, from DX organization management and talent development to planning, UI/UX, agile development, implementation, and operation.

Corporate Website: www.gxp-group.co.jp

〇Value Transformation Institute, Inc. / 株式会社 社会価値変革研究所

(Commonly known as: VXI, Kachiken)

Head Office: Shinjuku Nomura Building 48F, 1-26-2 Nishi-Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 163-0548

Established: April 1, 2026

Representative: Masahiro Ide, President and CEO

Business Activities: Strategy/AX/DX Consulting, DX Organization & Talent Development, Value Creation "Accompaniment" Business, Value Creation Think Tank

Value Transformation Institute, Inc. (VXI) was established in April 2026 as a strategic consulting subsidiary of the Growth ExPartners Group.

We aim to realize a society where results and human well-being coexist, by providing integrated transformation that goes beyond mere conception, through "Strategy × Implementation × Talent Development."

Corporate Website: https://