B.A.E. Scholarship Foundation, established in 2019, supports organizations for people with disabilities and environmental protection groups, working around the themes of building friendship, assisting one another, and empathizing with others. As part of Nakano Ward's community vitalization initiative, it opened "Picture Book Lounge LOOP Nakano" in 2024 to contribute to the healthy, vibrant growth of children.

Partnership overview

For this membership-based picture book lounge, B.A.E. Scholarship Foundation partnered with VNEXT to build an entry and exit management system, after finding existing services either excessive or lacking. As the foundation's first-ever system development, the project succeeded on the strength of careful, patient communication: Japanese-speaking engineers and a dedicated bridge held weekly meetings, answered questions instantly over Slack, and advised on details from marketing data collection to real-world edge cases. Built as a simple foundation designed to grow, the system now sits at the center of a steadily expanding membership, with new features planned ahead.

Testimonial details 

Q: Please tell us how you came to entrust the entry and exit system to VNEXT.

Ms. Ue: Because the picture book lounge is membership-based, we were considering introducing a system to manage entry and exit. At first we looked into existing entry and exit management services, including electronic lock systems, but they came with limits on the number of registrants, or required linking to a door-type gate, and so on. The existing options were either excessive for what we needed or missing something, so none of them fit. We then started to consider building one from scratch, visited an exhibition where system development companies gather, and spoke with a number of them. In the end, VNEXT's explanation was the clearest, so we decided to go with them.

Q: What was the deciding factor?

Ms. Ue: It was our first time ever commissioning system development, so we didn't even know what to explain or what to ask. Yet the person in charge listened attentively to my rough "this is what we want to do" and gave clear, concise answers, which was one of the big deciding factors.

As we went around the booths of several system development companies, many gave vague responses to our requests, like "we have this kind of service" or "that'll be fine." Not being well-versed in system development, I couldn't tell whether that would actually achieve what we wanted, or how much the budget would be. VNEXT, on the other hand, was clear: in that case, you'll need at minimum a system with this kind of content, and here's a rough estimate for it; if you go so far as to do this, it will cost more, but here's what you'll be able to achieve.

Mr. Uchibori: My impression was that they listened very earnestly. They came to our headquarters in Nihonbashi many times, and each time explained things kindly and in detail, which was also a deciding factor. Above all, we felt their enthusiasm.

Ms. Ue: This is a non-profit endeavor, and we have a genuine wish to run it for the children and for society. We hoped to work with a company that understood this effort and shared the desire to take an active part in it. Feeling that we could move forward with VNEXT sharing that same sentiment was a big part of it too.

B.A.E. Scholarship Foundation: Ms. Ue

Q: Did you have any concerns about offshore development?

Ms. Ue: I first learned about offshore development itself at the exhibition. But even though the person who explained it to us there was Vietnamese, they were fluent in Japanese, so there were no communication worries from the start. This was our first system development altogether, and I feel it was completed without our ever sensing any downsides of offshore development.

Mr. Uchibori: This time they set up a bridge to connect us with the local system development staff, but I was surprised that not only that person but the local engineers too were skilled in Japanese. We had a weekly web meeting where we could check progress and unclear points in Japanese anytime, and it was no inconvenience at all that the development staff were overseas. Even after meetings, if anything was unclear we'd ask via the communication tool Slack, and we always got quick answers, which was reassuring. In particular, they'd immediately explain technical terms that came up during meetings, which was a great help.

Q: How was VNEXT's development quality?

Ms. Ue: We're very satisfied. The entry and exit management system handles member registration and management, and at the same time we wanted to use that data for marketing too. During the development meetings, they advised us on that as well, on what kind of data to collect for marketing, and that including not just Nakano Ward but other wards would yield more effective data.

Mr. Uchibori: Even when deciding up to what age it would be free, they offered opinions that took in the fine details, like what to do in the case of a student spending a year retaking exams.

Ms. Ue: The person in charge has lived in Japan a long time, so they really understand Japan's circumstances, culture, and sensibilities.

Mr. Uchibori: When it came to actually running the system, the person in charge came over and prepared it using the computer we'd be working on. It hadn't connected properly at first, so that was a help. Up to now there have been no major troubles, which is reassuring. We'd been told there's always some kind of trouble at first, so in a sense we were almost taken aback (laughs).

Q: Was there anything you kept in mind to make offshore development run smoothly?

Ms. Ue: Since we basically proceed via web meetings, I was mindful not to leave any doubts that came up there unresolved. We'd also ask questions on Slack outside of that, so I made sure to review the answers we'd received beforehand, so as not to forget or confuse them.

Mr. Uchibori: Before each meeting we'd receive the agenda of what would be discussed that day, so I'd go over it together with the minutes that arrived after the previous meeting, preparing and reviewing. Perhaps thanks to that, the meetings themselves ran smoothly.

Q: What do you hope for from VNEXT going forward?

Ms. Ue: Since it was our first time, we made it a very simple system. As a result, the members actually operating it have gradually started raising requests for features they'd like to add. For example, users register as members themselves online via smartphone, but staff enter that into the system manually. We'd like to improve points like this, making a system that's easy to use not only for staff but for users too.

Mr. Uchibori: The weekly meetings we had during development of the entry and exit management system have now ended. Even so, it's a great help that we can still ask questions on Slack. We'd told them from the start that we wanted to start small and grow it gradually, so they built the foundational system on the premise that features might be added. While weighing things like the pace of user growth and costs, we'd like to add to the system so it can handle the challenges likely to arise ahead.

Since opening in May 2024, "Picture Book Lounge LOOP Nakano" has seen its number of users and members grow steadily. It became a project involving a new kind of client, a non-profit organization for children, and one that connects to social contribution.

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About VNEXT HOLDINGS

Evolving from VNEXT SOFTWARE, founded in 2008, VNEXT HOLDINGS is a trusted AI-augmented software development and digital transformation (DX) partner. Headquartered in Vietnam with representative offices in Japan, our team of over 550 specialists has delivered more than 800 projects for over 400 clients across the Asian market, with expertise spanning custom web and app development, AI and ML, blockchain, enterprise system solutions, SAP ERP, legacy modernization, and offshore development.

Drawing on deep experience across manufacturing, retail, healthcare, finance and fintech, logistics, and education, we apply globally recognized standards to help enterprises modernize, scale, and compete with confidence. Committed to supporting businesses at every stage of their DX journey, VNEXT HOLDINGS combines AI-powered services and solutions with an AI-augmented workforce to deliver greater speed, scalability, and quality.