Ambassadors
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Ayuko Nakamura,
eiicon Co., Ltd.
Ayuko Nakamura,
President & CEO, eiicon Co., Ltd.
In 2015, founded and launched the service "eiicon" as a new business within the Persol Group. In April 2023, executed an MBO to establish eiicon Co., Ltd. independently. Operates "AUBA," Japan's largest open innovation platform with over 30,000 registered companies. In December 2023, co-founded XSprout Inc. as a joint venture with the Spiral Group and became a director. Author of The Rules for Successful Open Innovation (Cross Media Publishing, 2019).
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Antti Sonninen
Takeoff Tokyo
Antti Sonninen
Takeoff Tokyo Co-founder、CEO
A Finnish entrepreneur and CEO of Takeoff Tokyo. He spent his childhood in Finland and California and graduated from Aalto University with a major in Industrial Engineering. He later expanded the popular game Angry Birds into Japan and became the CEO of its Japan office. He is also known for his experience as COO of Beatrobo and as the founding CEO of Slush Tokyo, Japan's largest startup event. Passionate about fostering global entrepreneurship, he founded Takeoff Tokyo in 2023. The international pitch event Takeoff Tokyo supports startups with a global focus.
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Aya Ozasa
Association for Promotion of Community Marketing＆Colorful LLC
Aya Ozasa
Director, Association for Promotion of Community Marketing CEO, Colorful LLC
Following roles at Recruit and Google, she co-founded EventRegist in 2011. As COO, she built and led sales, marketing, and administration divisions for the event industry SaaS. Following the company's acquisition by Nikkei Inc. in 2019, she founded Colorful LLC and in 2024, established the Association for Promotion of Community Marketing. She currently serves as an independent director for multiple public companies, an adjunct lecturer at Nippon Institute of Technology, and holds a Management of Technology and a Master of Business Administration.
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Ayumi Fujimoto
Startup Ecosystem Association Japan/A.T.Kearney K.K.
Ayumi Fujimoto
Startup Ecosystem Association Japan/A.T.Kearney K.K.
After graduating university, worked in corporate sales at Career Design Center and Google. After working in money design, became CMO at Plug and Play Japan. Founded Startup Ecosystem Association in 2022 and became President. started double work with A.T. Kearney from Nov. 2024. Currently, she is a Startup Strategy Fellow at Tokyo Metropolitan Government and an expert member of the Startup, DX, and GX Working Group of the Cabinet Office's Council for Regulatory Reform.
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Chika Yamamoto
CROSSBIE GmbH,
Chika Yamamoto
CROSSBIE GmbH, CEO
Following her roles as a strategic planner at an advertising agency and UX development and business development for the European market at Nokia, she built a mobile ad platform from scratch. As CPO of an EdTech startup in New York, she achieved a successful exit to a Hong Kong company. After working at Nokia/HERE Technology in Berlin, she founded several companies. In 2020, she established CROSSBIE to promote open innovation between Japan and Europe. She serves as a board member of Asia Berlin Forum e.V., honorable ambassador of Japan to the Berlin Senate, and Global Ambassador for Germany Trade and Invest (GTAI), contributing to the development of the Japanese-German startup ecosystem.
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George Goda
01BoosterHoldings Inc., and 01Booster Inc.
George Goda
Director of 01BoosterHoldings Inc., and CEO of 01Booster Inc.
George GODA obtained his Masters degree in Science and Engineering and MBA. He began his career in the heavy-electrics arm of Toshiba. He was responsible for the product planning of goods of offshore productions in China, Thailand and Europe. He then joined Murata Manufacturing Co. Ltd., which was the leading global device technology business ofMotorola. He was involved in building the corporate strategy for their telecommunications arm as Corporate Marketing. He continued his career path by joining Nobot as the company's Marketing Director, focusing on smartphone advertisements and overseas expansion. During the buyout of Nobot by KDDI group, he assisted with the M&A, and developed an overseas expansion plan of KDDI group and their subsidiaries until March 2012.At present, he is the co-founder of 01Booster, a seed accelerator, which focuses on the Asian market. They collaborate with large to middle-sized Japanese companies with a goal to support Startups. They also support Japanese Rural area and international businesses.
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Go Fujita
MTG Ventures Co., Ltd.
Go Fujita
CEO, MTG Ventures Co., Ltd.
Born in 1974 in Akita Prefecture. Graduated from Meiji University with a degree in Business Administration. Joined Japan Joint Finance Co., Ltd. (now JAFCO Group Co., Ltd.) in 1997, where he engaged in investments from seed to later stages, served as a director at various portfolio companies, and managed fund raising, focusing on fields such as autonomous driving and AI.In 2018, he became the CEO of MTG Ventures Co., Ltd. As the corporate venture capital arm of the MTG Group, he invests in startups that aim to realize "VITAL LIFE," leveraging insights gained from interactions with over 6,000 entrepreneurs. In 2022, he established the "Central Japan Seed Fund," a seed-focused fund aimed at solving regional issues.
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Jun Imai
Headline Japan Inc.・IMAJUN Inc
Jun Imai
Headline Japan Inc.・IVS Office Alliance Manager IMAJUN Inc CEO
After graduating from university, Jun worked at two venture companies before joining the founding team of 17LIVE, a leading live-streaming app. He later helped launch new digital business initiatives at the entertainment agency Amuse Inc.In 2021, he founded IMAJUN, a company he had been involved with as an MC since his student days. He went on to join Headline Asia, a venture capital firm focused on global investments. Jun also played a key role in managing staff for IVS, Japan’s largest startup conference, and LAUNCHPAD SEED, further establishing his presence in the startup ecosystem.
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Kunimoto Chisato
Cynthialy, Inc.
Kunimoto Chisato
Cynthialy, Inc. CEO
After engaging in business development at SAP and an AI startup, she founded an AI-focused agency. Subsequently, she established Cynthialy to accelerate the social implementation of generative AI. She is developing a generative AI talent development program called "AI Performer" and an AI Transformation (AIX) business for companies. She also founded the "Women AI Initiative," a community for female AI leaders, and she serves as a council member of the Generative AI Promotion Association, working towards the dissemination of generative AI.
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Makoto Ao
CEO, LEO Co., Ltd.
Makoto Ao
CEO, LEO Co., Ltd. | Planning and Operations Producer, Nagono Campus | Professor, School of Entrepreneurship, Musashino University
After working as a software development engineer, she became the first female executive at a tech company in 2012, where she established an internal venture and engaged in business spin-offs and startup support through industry-government-academia collaboration. In 2016, she co-founded ExaIntelligence (now ExaWizards Inc.), an AI venture originating from Kansai, and served as Director and COO before founding LEO Co., Ltd. as her second entrepreneurial venture. She is the producer of "Nagono Campus," an incubation facility in a former elementary school near Nagoya Station designed to create the next 100 years. Alongside being the navigator for ZIP-FM's "Startup [N]," she serves as a professor at the School of Entrepreneurship at Musashino University, a visiting associate professor for industry-academia-government collaboration at Nagoya University, and a member of the Nagoya City Board of Education. Since 2022, she has also been a mentor for the Central Japan Seed Fund.
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Naotaka Nishiyama
Tech Japan Co., Ltd.
Naotaka Nishiyama
CEO, Tech Japan Co., Ltd.
After obtaining his U.S. Certified Public Accountant qualification, he worked at Deloitte Tohmatsu Group, supporting the growth of venture companies. As the General Producer of Morning Pitch, he planned and managed numerous startup events both domestically and internationally. Subsequently, as the Asia Regional Director, he established an Indian team and facilitated many Japan-India business collaborations. In 2019, he founded Tech Japan and independently partnered with the Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT), India's premier science and technology educational institutions, to develop and operate the only recruiting platform used within the campus. He promotes human resource exchange between Japan and India, serving as the chair of the "Working Group on Hiring Indian Talent in Japan," operated with the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and the Indian Embassy.
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Marcus Brauchli
Blue Ocean
Marcus Brauchli
Blue Ocean Chairman
Marcus Brauchli served as the Executive Editor of The Washington Post from September 2008 to December 2012 and worked for 24 years as the top editor at The Wall Street Journal, where he was a correspondent and editor in Asia, Europe, and the United States.
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Masaru Nagura
CIC Institute
Masaru Nagura
CIC Institute Director
After earning his Ph.D. in nuclear engineering from the University of Tokyo, Masaru joined the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology in 2011, where he was responsible for policies related to university-launched startups. He later conducted research on the innovation ecosystem at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the U.S. Upon returning to Japan, he worked in venture capital and other fields before joining CIC in 2020 as a founding member. In 2022, Masaru co-founded the Startup Ecosystem Association Japan to foster the country's innovation landscape. He currently serves as the Director of CIC Institute, leading a team dedicated to building innovation ecosystems and supporting the growth of startups. He is also a specially appointed professor at the Institute of Science Tokyo.
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Motoko Imada
Mediagene Inc.
Motoko Imada
CEO and Co-Founder of
After working in editing, publishing, and overseas copyright negotiations for books and magazines in the publishing industry, Motoko helped launch the Japanese edition of WIRED in 1994 and served as its business manager. She then established her own business and founded the online media company Mediagene Inc. (formerly INFOBAHN Group Inc.) in 1998 and founded the digital agency INFOBAHN Inc. in 2015 through an incorporation-type company split. She has been a facilitator at the Keizai Doyukai's (Japan Association of Corporate Executives) social gatherings since 2022. In 2023, she co-founded TNL Mediagene and became COO and president. In 2024, she was appointed as an external director of NOK Corporation.
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NIKO WOISCHNIK
Tech Open Air
NIKO WOISCHNIK
Tech Open Air CEO
Dedicated to developing Berlin's technology and startup ecosystem and connecting it with the world. Niko founded TechBerlin, the city's first English-language blog on technology and startups, as a side project while working in venture capital, sparking his interest in serving the tech ecosystem and enhancing entrepreneurship. He later founded Ahoy! Berlin, which was recently acquired by Knotel. Additionally, he founded Tech Open Air (TOA), a technology festival, and Openers, a communications agency for technology companies.
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Sennao Shigemori
株式会社アクアリング
Sennao Shigemori
株式会社アクアリング 代表取締役社長
Originally from Nagahama City, Shiga Prefecture, and currently residing in Nagoya City, I have been engaged in digital-centric communication design strategy planning since 2000. My work has been recognized with various domestic and international awards, including the Webby Awards and the Good Design Award. On the organizational front, I received the Gold Award at the 2022 Psychological Safety Awards.Driven by a passion for contributing to the development of both Nagahama and Nagoya, I actively participate in urban development initiatives. These include serving as a coach for Nagoya City’s manufacturing industry development projects and young entrepreneur training programs, as well as acting as a committee member for the Minami Nagahama Urban Planning Committee. Since 2014, I have been a coach and judge for Startup Weekend events in Shiga, Aichi, and Gifu prefectures.
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Taihei Onishi
stmn, inc.
Taihei Onishi
stmn, inc. CEO
Taihei Onishi is the CEO of stmn, inc., taking the role in January 2023. After graduating from the University of Tsukuba, his career encompasses experience at a major advertising agency and a position as Country Manager for Monstarlab, Inc. in Vietnam, where he helped grow the overseas subsidiary to 200 employees over two years. In 2016, he returned to Japan and founded stmn, inc., initially serving as COO. In this role, he oversaw the company’s flagship business TUNAG and contributed to various strategic initiatives across sales, marketing, design, development, and finance. As CEO, Onishi continues to guide stmn, inc.’s growth while drawing on his international business experience.
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Takahiro Makino
Miraiproject Corporation
Takahiro Makino
CEO,Miraiproject Corporation
Born and raised in Nagoya, and a graduate of Nagoya University. After working at Dentsu International Information Services and Microsoft, he gained experience in managing investment funds and business consulting at Inspire. As a director at Ateam, he witnessed several startups grow into companies listed on the First Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange. Currently, through Mirai Project, he contributes to his local community by engaging in nursing and caregiving businesses and supporting startups. He also serves as a director of Eye Crystal, a startup from Nagoya University, and as a visiting professor at Nagoya University.
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Yoichi Ito
Musashino University
Yoichi Ito
Dean, Faculty of Entrepreneurship, Musashino UniversityDean, Faculty of Entrepreneurship, Musashino University
Dean of Entrepreneurship dept. Musashino univ.(EMC）Yoichi Ito is a distinguished business leader and educator in Japan, renowned for his work in nurturing next-generation leaders who embrace entrepreneurship and strive to make the world a better place. In 2021, he founded the Department of Entrepreneurship at Musashino University (Musashino EMC) and became its dean. Continuing his commitment to innovation, he opened the startup studio “Musashino Valley” in June 2023 to support individuals ready to take their next step. An accomplished author, Ito’s prominent work “Speak in One Minute” is a bestseller with over 650,000 copies sold.
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Yuki Aoyama
Splink Co., Ltd
Yuki Aoyama
CEO of Splink Co., Ltd
CEO of Splink Co., Ltd. He joined Keyence Corporation as a new graduate, becoming the youngest and most awarded top salesperson in the company's history. He was involved in business development in North America and the establishment of local subsidiaries in Latin America. Inspired by his family's battle with a neurological disease, he decided to start his own company. After moving to Silicon Valley and serving as an Entrepreneur in Residence (EiR) at a venture capital firm, he founded Splink, a medical AI startup focusing on the neuro-neurological field, in 2017. He holds an MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College. He also serves as a director of the Japan Intellectual Property Association and the AI Medical Device Council.
