Ryan Graves

Founder & CEO, Saltwater

Ryan Graves is the Founder & CEO of Saltwater, his family office, incubation, and investment firm. The Saltwater portfolio holds Restless Energy, owner of @Art on instagram, GPX, a logistics & supply chain SaaS business, Mayven Studios, a world class software design and development firm, along with a growing venture portfolio. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of charity:water, Pachama Inc. Formerly, he served as Board Director and SVP Global Operations for Uber Technologies Inc. from founding to IPO. Graves was the first employee, first CEO, and a member of Uber’s founding team. Ryan's career has been a mix of business and technology roles ranging from startups such as Uber and foursquare to corporations such as General Electric and CNA Insurance. Graves currently resides on Kauai with his wife and 4 sons, and holds a BA in Economics from Miami University (OH).

Kaname Hayashi

GROOVE X CEO

1Born in Aichi Prefecture in 1973, he was involved in aerodynamic development for Formula 1 at Toyota Motor Corporation and participated in the "Pepper" project, an emotion-recognition personal robot, at SoftBank. In 2015, he founded GROOVE X and became its CEO. He develops and sells the family-type robot "LOVOT." He is also the author of the book Warm Technology: Stories of the Future.

Ruriko Tsushima

Medical Corporation Women's Wellness Life Clinic President

Obstetrician and Gynecologist, Doctor of Medicine. Chairperson of Women's Wellness Women's Life Clinic Ginza Shinjuku Medical Corporation. Graduated from Hirosaki University School of Medicine in 1984, and opened Women's Wellness Ginza Clinic (now Women's Life Clinic Ginza) in 2002. Provides comprehensive medical care for women. In 2003, established the NPO Women's Medical Network with a comprehensive view of women's minds, bodies, and society. Provides information on lifelong health support for women, conducts awareness-raising activities, and makes policy recommendations. Established the Japan Women's Foundation in 2020, a system in which supporters work together to help women who are in poverty and have nowhere to go.

Michael Sagara

BAOBAB Inc. President & CEO

Since its founding in 2010, Baobab has provided AI training data construction services to corporate and research institutions in Japan and abroad, including Carnegie Mellon University, NTT, and Google.2022: Co-authored a paper titled “Social Value of Inclusive Employment Environments” published in Stanford Social Innovation Review Japan Edition 03: Science, Technology, and Inclusion.2024: Awarded by Forbes JAPAN as one of the '30 Women Changing the World in Technology.

Dima Gazda

Esper Bionics CEO

Dima Gazda, Co-founder & CEO at Esper Bionics. Dima combines his expertise as a Medical Doctor, serial entrepreneur, and embedded engineer to develop technology that unlocks human potential. In 2024 Dima was listed in Time 100 Health.

Madoka Sawa

Ensow inc. CEO

Former Executive Officer of Microsoft Japan Co., Ltd. Served as the Director of the Microsoft Technology Center until August 2020. Engaged in advisory and consulting activities across a wide range of fields, including digital transformation (DX), productivity improvement for business professionals, cybersecurity, and organizational management. Holds titles as an advisor and evangelist for multiple companies and shares information as a role model for "parallel careers." Additionally, actively collaborates with influencers in fashion, beauty, and automotive industries.

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.

Peter Swain

FUTURIST

Peter is an international speaker, best selling author and advocate for AI enablement in all areas of business. Prior to his newfound career in helping people and companies decode AI, Peter was a digital marketeer with over 25 years at the forefront of technology disruption. With a tech career that started with developing yelp (before internet explorer was launched!) he has owned and managed agencies involved in over 1,400 projects with market leaders such as Jamie Oliver, Microsoft, Apple, Google and more. Peter's current focus is to use the knowledge and experience gained from being at the epicentre of 2 tech paradigm shifts to help individuals and institutions see what they have, what they need to succeed and how to bridge the two.On a personal front, Peter is a grateful husband and proud father of two children that continually remind him of the power of being present, 3 time business mastery winner and a terrible golfer that splits his time between Miami and the UK. Peter's driving force is the power of "why?", a word and thought process he believes is often skipped over in favor of words like "how", "who" and "what".

Yumi Otsuka

As Chief Sustainability Officer at Toyota Motor Corporation,

As Chief Sustainability Officer at Toyota Motor Corporation, Yumi Otsuka is leading Toyota’s corporate mission “Producing Happiness for All” and commitment to helping build a sustainable society. She joined Toyota as one of the first female career-track administrative new recruits. Since then, she has consistently demonstrated leadership in promoting diversity and sustainability at the front line of transformation, including “Diversity Project,” “Mirai (future) Project,” and creation of motorsports business. She graduated from School of Law, Osaka University (Japan), and earned an MBA degree from Dartmouth College (USA).

Fumiaki Ikeno

Stanford University Principal Investigator/Physician, Director and Chief Medical Officer of MedVenture Partners

A graduate of Jichi Medical University, he began his research career at the Department of Cardiology,Stanford University, in 2001, where he was involved in research and development, animal testing,and clinical trials for a U.S. medical device venture. He has extensive advisory experience in themedical device field and is familiar with the medical situation in Japan and the United States. He hasalso participated in projects involving Japanese and U.S. regulatory authorities in medical devices andis working to establish a cross-border medical device ecosystem.In addition to his research, he has been teaching at Stanford University since 2002 as a member of the Stanford Biodesign Advisory Faculty, where he is training entrepreneurs in the medical devicefield. He is also deeply involved in the establishment of the Japanese version of Biodesign.In addition,he is actively working to establish a Silicon Valley-style medical device ecosystem in Japan.

Takayuki Fukatsu

CEO of THE GUILD inc.

After working at tha Ltd., he became active in the Flash community.Since becoming independent in 2009, he has shifted his focus to UI design for smartphone apps, and founded Art & Mobile Inc. and the creative firm THE GUILD.Currently, he serves as CXO of note, an AI strategy advisor for Yokosuka City, and provides business advisory services across various fields.His recent publications include "Mastering ChatGPT! The Fukatsu Method Prompt Reader" and "Anticipating IT × Business: Image Generation AI".

Anna Kreshchenko

CEO of Flora

Anna graduated from the Faculty of International Relations, Odessa National University of Ukraine. In 2017, she came to Japan as a MEXT scholar and enrolled in Kyoto University, Faculty of Law. Anna founded Flora in December 2020 to improve women's physical and mental wellbeing with the help of cutting-edge technology.Anna was awarded the Special Award as the EY Entrepreneur of the Year 2023, selected as Forbes Japan “Next 100” and Forbes Asia & Japan 30 under 30 in 2024.

Takehiro Ueda

Author

Born in 1979 in Hyogo Prefecture. After graduating from the Faculty of Law at Waseda University, he participated in the launch of a corporate solutions company and continued writing while serving as an executive. In 2013, he made his debut by winning the 45th Shincho Newcomer Award for "Taiyo" (The Sun). In 2015, he won the 28th Yukio Mishima Prize for "My Lover." In 2016, he was selected as one of GRANTA magazine's Best of Young Japanese Novelists. In 2018, he received the 68th Minister of Education's Newcomer Award for Fine Arts for Towers and Gravity. In 2019, he won the 160th Akutagawa Prize for "Nimrod." In 2022, he received the 46th Kawabata Yasunari Literary Award for "Without Travel." In 2024, he won the 30th Shimase Award for Love Stories for Beloved. His works include The Sun and Planets, My Lover, Friends from a Foreign Land, Towers and Gravity, Nimrod, Cue, Without Travel, Lack of Gravity, Beloved, K+ICO, and The Story of the Multi-Headed Beast.

Takaaki Umada

Director of FoundX, The University of Tokyo

Takaaki Umada is a director at FoundX, the official startup accelerator program at the prestigious University of Tokyo. With over a decade of experience supporting software developers and startup founders, Umada brings deep expertise in startup support, including navigating public affairs and regulatory matters.Prior to his current role, Umada held positions at Microsoft Japan as a product manager and evangelist. In 2016, he transitioned to the University of Tokyo, where he founded and led Hongo Tech Garage before launching FoundX in 2019. He is the author of "Paradoxical Startup Thinking," "Successful Entrepreneurs Choose Where to Stay," "Implementing the Future,” “Raising Your Resolution.”

Lisa Mandemaker

Speculative Designer

Lisa Mandemaker is a speculative designer with a strategic, contextually aware and critical approach to research and design. She considers speculative design as a tool for debate in the public domain. In collaboration with scientists, ethicists and researchers she crafts future narratives through designed prototypes, creating invitations to reflect on possible futures. Making impactful, topical work and creating strong interventions and conversation starters are key elements to her practice. The focus is on the socio-cultural and ethical impact of emerging technologies in the fields of reproduction, health and politics. Through the lens of Reproductive Futures, her projects are a call to action and a pursuit of understanding and shaping the impact of technology on our most fundamental aspects of life. Known for her contribution to the design of the prototype of an artificial womb, she received a spot on the annual BBC 100 Women List, listing the 100 most inspiring women of the world.

Keiichiro Hirano

Author

Born in 1975 in Gamagori City, Aichi Prefecture, and raised in Kitakyushu City, Fukuoka Prefecture. Graduated from the Faculty of Law at Kyoto University. While still a student, he won the 120th Akutagawa Prize in 1999 for his novel Nisshoku (Eclipse), submitted to the literary magazine Shincho. Since then, he has published numerous works in a variety of styles that change with each piece and have been translated and introduced in various countries.His major works include novels such as Funeral, Takase River, Collapse, Dawn, Fill in the Blanks, Transparent Labyrinth, At the End of the Matinee, A Man, and True Intentions. His essays include How to Read Books: The Practice of Slow Reading, How to Read Novels, What Am I? From "Individual" to "Dividual", Thinking Reed, What Does It Mean to Be "Cool"?, On the Death Penalty, and On Yukio Mishima. In 2024, he published his latest work, Mount Fuji, marking his first short story collection in ten years.

Dr Adriana Marais

Proudly Human Founder

アドリアーナ・マレは2019年、SAPアフリカのイノベーション部長を辞職し、Proudly Humanを設立。現在、地球やその先での極限環境に備える「Off-World Project」を主導。現在、南アフリカのステレンボッシュ大学および国立理論・計算科学研究所の研究者であり、シンギュラリティ大学の教員としても携わっている。また、アフリカの初の月探査ミッション「Africa2Moonプロジェクト」を準備するFoundation for Space Development Africaの理事を務め、ジュネーブ科学外交予測機構の宇宙資源に関する科学アドバイザー、そして航空宇宙および宇宙科学に関連する研究機関、Tod'Aérsの宇宙科学部門の議長として幅広く活動中。

Marcus Brauchli

Blue Ocean Chairman

マーカス・ブラウクリは、2008年9月から2012年12月までワシントン・ポスト紙のエグゼクティブ・エディターを務め、ウォール・ストリート・ジャーナル紙のトップ・エディターとして24年間、アジア、ヨーロッパ、米国の特派員兼編集者として活躍。その後、2013年に成長市場のデジタルメディアへの投資を専門とするNorth Base Mediaを共同創業し、ベトナム、台湾、アラブ首長国連邦、インドネシア、フィリピンを拠点とする各メディアへの投資実績をもつ。

Kristina Yasuda

SPRIN-D

Graduated at the top of the class from the School of Political Science and Law at Sciences Po, Paris. In 2016, became the Director of the U.S. NGO InternetBar.org, where a new digital identity project was established to develop identification infrastructure in developing countries.Joined Microsoft in 2019 and worked on the international standardization of identification protocols, including decentralized ID. In the same year, was selected for Forbes Japan's 30 Under 30. In 2020, was also chosen for MIT Technology Review's Innovators Under 35 Japan.Since March this year, has been working as an Identity System Architect at Germany's Federal Office for Digital Innovation. The aim is to provide identification means to everyone by building infrastructure for decentralized ID services.

Emori Seita

Professor, Institute for Future Initiatives, The University of Tokyo

Born in 1970 in Kanagawa Prefecture. After obtaining a Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Cultural Studies from the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at the University of Tokyo in 1997, he worked at the National Institute for Environmental Studies. He served as Head of the Climate Risk Assessment Research Section and Deputy Director of the Earth System Division before assuming his current position in 2022. He also supervises students at the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, University of Tokyo. His expertise is in climate science. He was a lead author for both the Fifth and Sixth Assessment Reports of the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change). His publications include Extreme Weather and Human Choices and Is the Prediction of Global Warming 'Correct'?, co-authored works such as How 'Scary' is Global Warming?, and supervised works like Recently, It's Been Too Hot on Earth.

Rina Sakai

CEO, FERMENSTATION Co., Ltd.

After graduating from International Christian University (ICU), she worked at several financial institutions, including Fuji Bank and Deutsche Securities. She developed an interest in fermentation technology and enrolled in the Department of Brewing Science at Tokyo University of Agriculture's Faculty of Applied Biosciences, graduating in March 2009. In the same year, she founded Ferment Station Co., Ltd. and became its CEO, a position she holds to this day.

Mari Ogiso

SDG Impact Japan Co., Ltd. Representative Director and Co-CEO

Engaged extensively in businesses aimed at achieving the SDGs, particularly SDG finance, including impact investment, support for social entrepreneurs, and the promotion of inclusive business. In 2017, established Asia's first gender investment fund, the Asia Women Impact Fund. Has held positions such as Head of Capital Markets at the World Bank, Tokyo Representative for the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) of the World Bank Group, Representative of Dalberg Japan, Diversity Director and Secretary-General of the Human Rights Committee at Fast Retailing Group. Serves as a W20 Japan Delegate, an expert committee member for JICA's Overseas Investment and Loan Committee, and an advisor for WE Empower. Graduated from the University of Tokyo with a degree in Economics and holds a master's degree from the Fletcher School at Tufts

Fumito Matsuda

Co-CEO,HERALBONY Co., Ltd.

After working in a general contractor company on the reconstruction of disaster-affected areas, Fumito established HERALBONY with his twin, Takaya Matsuda. He is the twin's older brother and a recipient of the 'Forbes 30 UNDER 30 JAPAN' award.