Shintaro Yamada (businessman)

Yamada founded Mercari in 2013 as a phone-first flea market at a time when Japanese secondhand selling meant auction sites on a computer. Photograph an item, list it in a minute, ship it through convenience stores with anonymous delivery: that ease made casual reselling normal in Japan, where the business has long been profitable. The American arm has been a harder slog, which is a useful caution about exporting a marketplace. He remains chief executive and the largest shareholder.