Haruna Morikawa

Haruna Morikawa is the CEO of ON GRIT ENGINEERING, Inc., a company that uses artificial intelligence (AI) and robots to conduct surveys, inspections and tests of infrastructure projects (such as bridges and concrete structures), and also to create a simplified system that enables non-engineers to do computer-aided design (CAD).

Leveraging technology, ON GRIT ENGINEERING’s system helps rectify human error and the industry’s labor-shortage issues, improving the efficiency of civil engineers and alleviating their workload. By developing this system, Haruna aims to solve the engineering industry’s labor shortage as well as unemployment issues people with disabilities and housewives face by upskilling them.

Prior to her role at ON GRIT ENGINEERING, Haruna was a homemaker. She learned of the human resource shortage in the engineering industry from her husband who is an engineer. Around the same time, her friend, a single mother, was finding it hard to secure employment. Realizing that she could resolve these issues, she created a system, with her husband’s support, using AI and robots that enabled an inexperienced individual to do CAD; and that is how ON GRIT ENGINEERING began in 2018.

The company has received several achievements — Yunus & You (YY) Social Business Design Contest 2018, challenge IoT award 2018, 4th Japan Entrepreneur Award, Fukuoka City Step-up Grant Program and Estonia Award winner at Latitude59 yellowstage.