Directors
Chairman
Soichi Kariyazono
GLOBIS CAPITAL PARTNERS & Co.(Managing Partner)
Having co-founded GLOBIS VC in 1996, Soichi Kariyazono has led internet service and software deals. In 1999, established Apax Globis Japan Fund, a joint venture with Apax Partners. His major track records are Gree, Works Applications and Netage Group. Prior to joining GLOBIS, he worked for the Management Consulting Division of Sanwa Research Institute Corporation.
He received a BA in Law from Keio University in Japan and an MBA from the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Business.
Vice Chairman
Tohru Akaura
Incubate Fund(General Partner & Co-Founder)
August 7, 1968:Born March 1991:Graduated from the School of Engineering(control engineering), Tokai University April 1991:Joined Japan Associated Finance Co., Ltd.(now JAFCO Co., Ltd.) and engaged as investment professional at Tokyo / Hiroshima office for eight and half years October 1999:Established as independent venture capitalist. Since then, he has raised JPY 27.5 billion through 11 VC funds and consistently engaged in the seed-stage focused investment and incubation April 2003:Councilor of Information-technology Promotion Agency (2003-2008) May 2005:Got the 2nd IPA Award(commercialization support dept.) July 2013:Director of JVCA July 2015:Managing Director of JVCA
Vice Chairman
Muneki Handa
Mitsubishi UFJ Capital Co., Ltd(President)
Muneki Handa joined Mitsubishi Bank in 1985 after graduating from Keio University. He had been consistently engaged in sales, planning and credit business in the Corporate Banking Business Unit of MUFG Bank. He served in various important posts, such as Deputy General Manager of Corporate Business Planning Division, General Manager of Corporate Banking Division No.2, General Manager of Toranomon Branch and General Manager of Credit Division as Executive Officer. In 2015, he joined Mitsubishi UFJ Capital. He was appointed Representative Director and President in June 2016 after served as Representative Director and Deputy President in charge of Corporate Center & Corporate Services.
Vice Chairman
Shinzo Nakano
ITOCHU Technology Ventures, Inc(President)
Shinzo Nakano is President & CEO of Itochu Technology Ventures, Inc.(ITV). ITV is a venture capital arm of Itochu Corporation, one of the largest trading conglomerates in Japan. He founded ITV in 2000 as a general partner and raised $83M for its first fund. He was named President and CEO of ITV in 2015 and currently runs its 4th $81M fund. ITV is a subsidiary of IT business department of Itochu Corporation and it invests in IT related startups in Japan and abroad. The LPs of its funds include Itochu Corporation, but the majority of the funds was raised from outside institutional investors. He received BA in Law at Keio University and joined Itochu Corporation in 1989.
Senior Managing Director
Shigeyuki Tsuchida
INCJ, Ltd. (INCJ: Innovation Network Corporation of Japan)(Co-Chief Investment Officer, Member of the Board)
Shigeyuki Tsuchida joined INCJ (Innovation Network Corporation of Japan) in 2009 as Executive Managing Director and has been Senior Executive Managing Director since 2013. He has driven and led many venture investment projects that promote innovation in Japan. He also now puts efforts to promote growth investment in Japan as a Head of Venture Capital & Growth Investment Group.
Previously he was Executive Officer at the Aozora Bank, Ltd., Deputy General Manager at The Norin-Chukin Bank and Deputy General Manager at the Long-Term Credit Bank of Japan (currently known as Shinsei Bank). In these positions, he primarily focused on investments as an institutional investor for approximately 20 years. He received a B.A. in Law from Waseda University.
Senior Managing Director
Makoto Takano
D4V LLC(Founder & CEO)
Mr. Takano is CEO & Editor-in-Chief of Forbes JAPAN (Atomixmedia Inc.), Founder & CEO of D4V (Design for Ventures, a joint venture capital firm with IDEO) and CEO of MT Partners. Prior to joining Forbes JAPAN in 2014, he was Managing Director and President of PIMCO Japan Ltd. Before joining PIMCO in 2001, he was head of marketing at Goldman Sachs Asset Management.
Mr. Takano's prior experience also includes work at Daiwa Securities where he was head of the strategist team at Daiwa Institute of Research. Mr. Takano has published extensively on the capital markets. In 1992, he was awarded Securities Analysts Journal Prize by the Securities Analyst Association of Japan. He holds master’s and undergraduate degrees in engineering from Waseda University.
Managing Director
Masatoshi Go
TNP Partners Corporation(President)
1982 Joined Nihon Radiator Co., ltd. (Present Calsonic Kansei Corporation)
1985 Joined Watami Shoji Ltd. (Present Watami Co., Ltd. started as Watami Shoji Ltd.)
1987 Joined Watami Food Service Co., Ltd. (Present Watami Co., Ltd.) upon establishment
1998 Resigned Watami Food Service Co., Ltd. (Present Watami Co., Ltd.). The last position was Managing Director.
October 2000 Founded TSUNAMI Network Partners Corporation (Present TNP Partners Corporation), and assumed Representative Director and President
2002 Assumed Director, Japan Venture Capital Association
2007 to present: Assumed Vice Chairman NPO Venture Support Mechanism TSUNAMI (Present NPO Venture Support Mechanism MINERVA)
2008 Assumed Member of the Board, The Kanagawa New Business Conference
July 2009 Assumed Chairman, Japan Venture Capital Association
July 2014 to present: Assumed Managing Director, Japan Venture Capital Association
July 2014 to present: Assumed Vice Chairman The Kanagawa New Business Conference
Managing Director
Tomotaka Goji
Tommy Goji is Managing Partner at UTEC. Since he co-founded UTEC as partner in April 2004, he focused UTEC's investment strategy on seed/early stages, built team, and raised four UTEC funds totaling over JPY 54 billion as of July 2018, based on the Japanese law named "The Limited Partnership Act for Investment" that he originally drafted in 1997-1998 at the then Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) of Japan. He is Managing Director of Japan Venture Capital Association.
Managing Director
Yasuhiko Yurimoto
GLOBAL BRAIN CORPORATION(President)
Yasuhiko founded Global Brain after holding senior positions in Citibank N.A. and Fuji Bank (Mizuho Bank).Leveraging his experience as a founder and overcoming financial crisis in 2000 and 2008, he is a mentor to many entrepreneurs.
Director
Shigeki Saitoh
Strategic Investment Partners, Inc.(Managing Director, CEO)
Graduated from The University of Tokyo. Joined NTT in 1985 when it was privatized. To enter Internet spaces, left NTT in 1994, and Received an MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management in 1997. Joined Netscape Communications Corporation organizing its Japan portal business. Joined Digital Garage Inc., in 1999, provided strategic internet solutions to major companies as Representative Director and COO. Developed a unique method of new business establishment with major companies, called sponsored incubation. Drove IPO of Digital Garage and other incubated companies, Kakaku.com etc. Professor at Graduate School of Digital Hollywood University (2004-2011) Publications “Innovation Ecosystem and New growth strategy”.
Director
Fumiyuki Kashima
DBJ Capital Co., Ltd.(President)
1971Join Japan Development Bank (currently Development Bank of Japan Inc. (DBJ))
1995Head of Treasury Department
1996Head of Information & Telecommunications Department
1999Head of Energy Department
2001Head of Human Resources Management Department
2003Senior Executive Director
2006Resign from DBJ and Join the Japan Atomic Power Company (JAPC), Managing Director
2013Resign from JAPC and Join DBJ Capital, President & CEO
Director
Takashi Yamanaka
Mobile Internet Capital, Inc.(Managing Director)
Prior to joining MIC in September 2003, Takashi worked at Mizuho Financial Group, Inc. formerly The Industrial Bank of Japan, Limited.
Takashi was engaged in financial products sales, foreign exchange, and corporate finance at the headquarters and Osaka branch, mainly in charge of major electronics manufacturers and start-up companies.
Takashi was appointed as a director of MIC in June 2010 and was appointed as a CEO in April 2015.
Director of Japan Venture Capital Association (JVCA)
B.A. in Economics, The University of Tokyo (Tokyo, Japan)
Director
Fujio Yanagihara
Daiwa Corporate Investment Co.,Ltd.(President)
Mr. Fujio Yanagihara joined Daiwa Securities in 1983. He took a position of the Executive Officer in 2010 after engaging in corporate finance at the Corporate Clients Banking Division and serving as the Branch Manager and the Managing Director at the head office. After acting as the Senior Executive Managing Director in charge of the divisions of planning and human resources at Daiwa Securities Business Center, he served as the director positons supervising various divisions including the asset management from 2014 at Daiwa SB Investments which is an asset management firm of Daiwa Securities group. He was appointed as the President at Daiwa Corporate Investment in 2017.
Director
Gen Isayama
WiL, LLC (World Innovation Lab)(CEO and Co-Founder)
Gen is the CEO and Co-Founder of WiL, LLC (World Innovation Lab), an organization dedicated to accelerating and promoting open innovation in large corporations across Japan. Funded by enterprises from various industries, WiL provides investment capital and strategic guidance to Japanese startups entering the global market as well as overseas ventures entering the Japanese market. In addition, WiL incubates new businesses by leveraging unused IP and resources in large corporations, facilitating innovation and entrepreneurship. Born and raised in Tokyo, Gen joined IBJ (now Mizuho Financial Group) after graduating Tokyo University and moved to Silicon Valley in 2001 to attend Stanford Business School. After graduation, Gen joined DCM Ventures, one of the top-tier Silicon Valley venture capital firms, and worked as a partner until the summer of 2013.
Director
David Milstein
Eight Roads Ventures Japan(Managing Partner, Head of Japan)
David Milstein is the head of Eight Roads Ventures Japan, the venture capital and principle investment business for Fidelity in Japan. Early in his career, David worked for Asahi Glass and then was a founder of Japan Transaction Partners. He then joined the Walt Disney Company Japan where as VP of the Interactive Media Group, he was responsible for building and launching the Disney Mobile MVNO service. This business drove the division to its largest revenue and profit ever. He earned an MBA from the Harvard Business School and a BS in Economics from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
Director
Soichi Tajima
Genesia Ventures, Inc.(President)
"Soichi Tajima founded Genesia Ventures in 2016.
Prior to Genesia Ventures, Soichi joined CyberAgent Ventures, which is the CVC of CyberAgent in 2005 and was appointed CEO in 2010.
He led the effort on expansion of investment area and developed the investment strategy.
Previously he spent 8 years at Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC) and experienced financial businesses such as consumer and business loans,
syndicated loan, liquidation of credit receivable, etc. He graduated from Osaka University in Engineering."
Auditors
Auditor
Yoshihide Todoroki
KPMG AZSA LLC(Partner, CPA)
Since joining our audit firm, I have experienced a wide range of work including statutory audit, IPO related services, and advisory services for public interests and governments.
Currently I’m interested in supporting startup companies and new industries such as ICT and life science. Aside from audit and advisory services, I’m also in charge of several initiatives such as implementation of eco-systems and promotion of open innovation events.
Auditor
Shinichiro Suzuki
Ernst & Young ShinNihon LLC(Partner, CPA, Growing Enterprise Support Leader & Japan IPO leader)
Joined EY Japan in 1985 and belong to International department to audit the pre-SEC listing companies.
Transferred to EY New York office in order to handle auditing Japanese companies in the US from 1991 to 1995.
After the repatriation, engaged in multi-international listing companies simultaneously IPO. Also appointed to the committee of JICPA to prepare the accounting standards generally accepted in Japan such as ‘Collectability of Deferred Assets’ and ‘the Extent of Consolidation’.
Engaged in auditing the listing companies as well as the pre-IPO engagements and appointed to the director of EY ShinNihon Integrity Assurance after the promotion to partner in 2000.
In addition, involved in Asia listing audit as Asia market listing support office deputy leader in 2010 and Cross-border listing office leader in 2012.
As of 2012, appointed to Growing Enterprise Support Leader as IPO responsibility leader for Japan and Japan IPO leader for EY Global.
Auditor
Kyoji Takino
Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu LLC(Partner, CPA, Tokyo Region Audit & Assurance)
Takino Kyoji joined Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Tokyo Office (Now: Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu LLC) in 1998 and mainly engaged in providing consulting and audit for companies preparing for IPO. He also involved in the Companies Act audit and the Financial Instruments and Exchange Law audit for listed companies.
Takino Kyoji specializes in services related IPO such as extensive IPO consulting, internal control introduction and IPO audit. He has successfully supported many companies to go public in Japan.
Involved IPO projects in the past
CyberAgent,Inc., ALLIED TELESIS HOLDINGS K.K., SEMI-TECH, INC., Relia, Inc., Tokyo Individualized Educational Institute, INC., Infomart Corporation.,CROOZ, Inc., Kenko.Com.Inc., Startia,Inc., Trenders,Inc., and many others.
From 2010 to 2014, he was appointed as the coordinator of Deloitte Touch Tohmatsu Certified Public Accountants LLP Guangzhou Brach and responsible for coordination of audit and tax service related with Japanese-fund enterprises.
Planning Department
Advisers
Advisor
Katsunari Goto
AZX Professionals Group(Partner, CEO)
1993 passed the bar examination
1994 graduated from The University of Tokyo. entered Andersen Consulting (currently, Accenture) (Strategic Services Group)
1996 entered Legal Training and Research Institute of the Supreme Court of Japan
1998 entered Nagashima Ohno (currently, Nagashima Ohno & Tsunematsu)
2001 established AZX Professionals Group
2001- assumed office as Partner and CEO of AZX Professionals Group
Advisor
Masakazu Masujima
Mori Hamada & Matsumoto(Partner)
Masakazu (Masa) Masujima is a partner at Mori Hamada & Matsumoto.
Masa represents various financial institutions through fund creation, private equity financing and acquisition financing as well as variety of M&A transactions involving financial institutions. In addition, Masa represents venture capital firms and help them form partnership funds and undertake venture financing. He also worked at Financial Services Agency of Japan from 2010 to 2012 as legal and compliance group head of Insurance Business Division and deputy director at Banks Division I.
Before joining FSA, Masa worked at Silicon Valley law firm of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati in 2006 and 2007.
He is a member of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry’s Blockchain Study Group and a member of the Sharing Economy Study Group of the Cabinet Office’s Comprehensive IT Strategy Investigation Office.
Masa is admitted to the Bar in Japan and State Bar of New York. He holds LL.M in Columbia Law School and LL.B in University of Tokyo.