Ryoji Kaneko is always looking for work. It's been six years since the 25-year-old aspiring actor moved to Tokyo from his home in Hyogo Prefecture, and he's still waiting for his big break. He can't get a regular side job because the auditions and the occasional gig require him to have a flexible schedule. To pay for food, transportation and the occasional fishing trip, Kaneko relies on Otetsudai Networks.
Otetsudai Networks is a mobile staffing service that connects employers and workers for random, short-term temping tasks using text message and GPS.
Founder Masaru "Sunny" Sunagawa, 36, came up with the idea while getting his MBA at Harvard Business School. Investing in his belief that the concept of real-time online resale could be applied to human resources, he launched Otetsudai Networks on all three of Japan's mobile- phone carriers in the spring of 2006.