Get All Access for $5/mo

This Japanese Billionaire is SpaceX's First Moon Traveller Yusaku Maezawa, founder of ZOZOTown is the first paying consumer of SpaceX

By Komal Nathani

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

You're reading Entrepreneur Asia Pacific, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media.

Twitter/Yusaku Maezawa

The global transportation company, SpaceX signs up the world's first private passenger, who is the Japanese fashion guru and entrepreneur Yusaku Maezawa, for a trip to moon. The 42-year-old billionaire is the founder and chief operating officer of online fashion store Zozo Digital.

Maezawa's identity was first introduced by Elon Musk in the press conference on Monday, held in the office of rocket-company in Los Angeles suburb of Hawthorne, California.

Maezawa's flight to moon is tentatively planned for 2023 for now as the Big Falcon Rocket (BFR) rocket is currently under construction. A drummer-turned-entrepreneur, Maezawa said that he will invite six to eight selected world-renowned artists to accompany him on lunar orbit mission, which fly them around earth and moon for one week.

The electric car marker Tesla Inc. has already set the benchmarks in the global space industry with its Falcon projects. The company has completed more than 50 successful Falcon launches and snagged billions of dollars' worth of contracts, including deals with NASA and the US Department of Defence.

The chief executive officer of SpaceX, Musk has also announced that the company will shuttle passengers to the moon and eventually fly humans and cargo to Mars.

Here's a quick brief about the first ever passenger of lunar orbit mission.

Who is Yusaku Maezawa?

Passionate about art and music, Maezawa is the Japanese businessman, who owns one of the largest fashion e-retailer Zozotown. Before embarking on entrepreneurship, Maezawa was working as a drummer in a punk band. It was 1998 when he founded Start Today Business after moving from US to Japan. Two years later, he took his business online. Maezawa was following his passion for music alongside entrepreneurship, but while touring with the band and managing Start Today's operations he realized after some time that he couldn't do both. He decided to quit his band and move forward with the online business.

In 2004, he launched Zozotown, the online fashion portal. With the growth in business, Maezawa has launched other verticals too like Zozosuit, which is a bodysuit service of the ZOZO brand. The current net worth of Maezawa is $2.9 billion, according to Forbes.

As his love for moon has no end, he is also the host curator of #dearmoon project. The art project staged in space, purposed to have these artists create work of art inspired from space and moon. He wants to include painters, sculptors, film directors, fashion designers, musicians, and other artists into this project.

The amount Maezawa is paying for the trip was not disclosed, however, Musk said the businessman outlaid a significant deposit and will have a material impact on the cost of developing the Big Falcon Rocket, states a report by AFP.

Komal Nathani

Former Correspondent, Entrepreneur Asia Pacific

A firm believer of hard work and patience. Love to cover stories that hold a potential to change the momentum of business world. Currently, a part of all-women web team of Entrepreneur’s Asia Pacific edition to jig the wheel of business journalism!

Business Ideas

63 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2024

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2024.

Lifestyle

4 Ways To Use ChatGPT To Increase Your Productivity

While AI and ChatGPT are still developing technologies, there is still much to learn and explore. However, companies are already starting to see significant benefits from judicious use of these tools across departments and functions.

Entrepreneurs

Key Traits of Successful Entrepreneurs

Amidst the stressful and challenging world of business, entrepreneurial skill sets acts as the catalyst for progress

Business News

Want to Start a Business? Skip the MBA, Says Bestselling Author

Entrepreneur Josh Kaufman says that the average person with an idea can go from working a job to earning $10,000 a month running their own business — no MBA required.

Growing a Business

You Need an Advisory Team More Than Ever. Here's Why — and How to Run One Effectively.

The right advice, particularly in a company's early stages, can be an existential matter: how to surround yourself with the right minds.

Starting a Business

How to Connect With Buyers and Get Your Products on Store Shelves, According to the Founder of Daring and Cadence

Ross MacKay, founder and original CEO of the plant-based food company Daring Foods and co-founder of performance beverage brand Cadence, shares the strategies that have landed his products in over 40,000 stores nationwide.