Mentors
Dai Hirakawa
After graduating from university, Dai gained experience as a programmer, systems engineer, and sales professional at global IT vendors including Hewlett-Packard Japan. Leveraging his IT expertise, he led businesses at Medical Net, Inc. with an approach to solving social issues emerging in the healthcare sector through technology, and successfully took the company public. He is currently focused on building consumer-oriented healthcare services in Asia, where economic standards are rising, and pursuing further global expansion. In addition to overseeing ten companies within the Medical Net Group, he also serves as an Independent Outside Director of Sirius Vision Co., Ltd., a pioneer in world-unique imaging inspection technologies listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Standard Market.
Medical Net, Inc.
Representative Director, Group CEO
Gen Tsuchikawa
T&T Business Associates
Representative director
Gen is the founder of Sony Ventures. From scratch, he, with his team, built it to a global team of more than 30 members and fund size in excess US$500 million. during the last 10 years he has invested in over 150 startups. He left Sony ventures in 2024 and is now acting as non-executive director for public companies as well as advising the startup community. Gen has a BA from Hitotsubashi Univ and an MBA from Stanford graduate school of business.
Takahiko Ito
N9 PTE LTD
CEO
Takahiko specializes in new business development and strategic PR direction, and is based in Singapore, where he works at the intersection of Japan and Southeast Asia. After relocating to Singapore in 2019, he led the launch of One&Co, a coworking and innovation platform operated by the JR East Group. Since then, he has engaged in dialogue with more than 3,000 entrepreneurs, investors, corporate leaders, and public-sector stakeholders, designing and facilitating a wide range of co-creation programs and cross-border collaborations between Japan, Singapore, and the broader Southeast Asian region. In parallel, he serves as a Global Innovation Advisor to Hyogo Prefecture, Osaka City, and the Kansai Economic Federation, and as a Visiting Researcher at Yokohama City University, Ritsumeikan University, Musashino University’s Faculty of Entrepreneurship (EMC), and the Professional University of Information and Management for Innovation (iU), contributing to the advancement of cross-border innovation from both practical and academic perspectives.
Toshihisa Kiyomiya
Sega Sammy Holdings Inc.
Director of investment
1999: Joined Sega
2000: Assigned to the President’s Office, Corporate Planning Division
2013: Sega Networks (now Sega) was established; appointed General Manager of Corporate Planning, concurrently serving as General Manager of Corporate Governance and Investment Strategy, and initiated CVC activities
2016: Appointed Head of the Executive Office at Sega Games; concurrently served as Director in charge of Asset Management at Sega Sammy Holdings
2017: Appointed to the current role as Corporate Venture Capital (CVC) lead for the Sega Sammy Group
2018: Founded the innovation space “TUNNEL TOKYO”
Shuji Honjo
Tama Graduate School of Business
Visiting Professor
Dr. Honjo advises startups, large companies, and investors in Japan, US and Asia. He is active in entrepreneurial education and community development, as a mentor with Techstars, Endeavor, Shido Next Innovator, Fukuoka Prefecture etc. He is also Chair, Health Ministry's Medical Entrepreneurship Committee, a committee member of IPA's MITOU Advanced Program, and a judge of Japan Startup Award. He has consulting experiences with BCG Tokyo and CSC in California. He was Assistant to Chairman and Group Strategy Manager at CSK/SEGA Group and Represented General Atlantic, a US growth equity firm, in Japan.
Tadafusa Tomitaka
Tomy Venture Partners
President
In Sony, he developed the world-smallest camcorder CCD-TR55. Then as Sony US VP. he was a president of US Lab and venture capitalist. After that, as global hub SVP in Sony Corp., he was in charge of 5B US$ R&D budget and a venture capitalist. Then, as Sony China VP, he was a president of China Lab and venture capitalist. Then, he established Sony Ventures Corporation and involved as senior venture capitalist. Now, he is a president of Tomy Venture Partners and NEDO DTSU advisor.
Taisuke Alex Odajima
EDGEof INNOVATION, LLC
CEO
As a business incubation specialist, Alex has been involved in the launch of numerous startups and the development of new business initiatives. He actively works to connect the Japanese and global innovation ecosystems, supporting a wide range of innovation initiatives in collaboration with embassies and startup support organizations. He also serves as a mentor for multiple startup acceleration and incubation programs.
He currently serves as a J-Startup Recommendation Committee Member, Tokyo Metropolitan Government Startup Fellow, and Japan Representative of Start2 Group, among other roles.
Takaaki Adachi
Japan Post Capital Co.,Ltd.
President
At Japan Post Capital, he is in charge of corporate management, fund management, and general investment, and is also involved in nurturing startups, companies, students, etc. as a member of Nagoya City's startup incubation program GLOWTECH NAGOYA, the Osaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry's Industrial Technology Promotion and Startup Collaboration Committee, and as a mentor at Xport. In his previous role, he served as an executive officer in charge of CVC, startup M&A, business development, and technology development. From 2004 to 2020, he worked at Panasonic Corporation, and from 2014 to 2018 in Silicon Valley, where he was involved in CVC and new business development. His background is as an engineer, and he has worked in communications and semiconductor research and development, business, and standardization. He is well-versed in analog, digital, and software, with a focus on high-frequency semiconductors. From 1998 to 2004, he was a semiconductor engineer at NTT Electronics Corporation.
Takako Kotake
Cookpad Inc.
General Manager of Public Relations Division
As the first Editor-in-Chief of Cookpad, she led the recipe service’s growth and was awarded Nikkei WOMAN’s "Woman of the Year 2010." Currently, she serves as an Outside Director for Hokuto Corporation, FuRyu Corporation, and asken Inc., and as an expert committee member for the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. Through her book Even with Time, Cooking is Hard and her podcast We Are All Eating, she shares the potential of home cooking and the value of food with a wider audience.
Takanobu Sakamoto
Femto Partners Inc.
Director
Takanobu has extensive experience in M&A advisory, including cross-border deals, at Daiwa Securities SMBC, Deutsche Bank, Greenhill, and Mitsubishi UFJ Research & Consulting. (MURC), where he led the establishment of the Japanese subsidiary of Greenhill and the financial advisory team of MURC. Later, he served as CFO of startups (CloudCredit/Fintech, MediPhone/Healthcare SaaS) and led corporate planning operations including capital policy such as fundraising (total of about 5 billion yen), business management such as establishment of corporate division, and alliances. Graduated from Waseda University, Department of Political Science and Economics.
Takeshi Fuyuno
MIT-VentureForum Japan
Member of the Board
At NTT ,while investing in internet businesses, he launched online banking and information aggregation businesses.
He later served as Director and Head of New Business Promotion at InfoCom Research, Inc.
He has been an auditor at Nihon MEX Co., Ltd. since 2024.
Since 2005, he has supported venture businesses, mainly through mentoring, at MIT Enterprise Forum Japan (now the MIT Venture Forum Japan).as a director.
Yojiro Koshi
KoshiWorks Inc.
CEO
Graduated from the University of Tokyo in 2008. Growing up in New York, he started his career at JMAC as a strategy and overseas business consultant. In 2011, he joined Nobot Inc., which was acquired byt media of KDDI group. He took part in the establishment of the company's Overseas Strategy Department and set up a base in Thailand. He left the company in 2013 to found TalentEx, an HRtech company in Bangkok. Despite experiencing layoff of all-employees under COVID-19 pandemic, he managed to recover and joined Porters Group in Jan 2024 by M&A. Resigning in Dec 2025, he founded KoshiWorks Inc. and continueing to take on challenges centered on local, global, and tech.
Yukiko Kato
SBI Investment Co., Ltd.
Director&Executive Officer, Head of Corporate Venture Capital Dept.
Yukiko Kato is Director and Executive Officer at SBI Investment Co., Ltd., where she leads the Corporate Venture Capital Department. With over 22 years of experience in venture investment, she manages multiple CVC funds and promotes strategic partnerships between startups and corporations.
In 2015, she was ranked No. 1 on Forbes Japan’s Midas List. She also serves as a committee member of the Open Innovation Committee at the Japan Venture Capital Association (JVCA).
Alice Chan
Chan Venture
Founder & Investor
Alice Chan is the Founder of Chan Venture, a cross-border investment and strategic advisory firm bridging Asia and Europe. Through Chan Venture, she supports startups and growth-stage companies in product development, go-to-market execution, fundraising strategy, and cross-border partnerships. With hands-on experience in deep tech and complex technology products, Alice is known for helping founders translate strong technology into market-ready, commercially viable businesses in Europe. She brings an extensive network across Germany, Europe, and Asia, and works closely with founders, investors, and ecosystem partners. Her mentoring style is pragmatic, execution-focused, and centered on real customer and market validation.
Expertise
Growth Strategy & Scaling, Fundraising & pitch support, Venture Capital / Investment, Market entry (Europe / Global), Product–Market Fit validation, Technology / DeepTech
Bettina Scheibe
United Founders
Managing Partner
Passionate Deep Tech Enthusiast & Early-Stage Investor with a 15-year track record in B2B / industrial tech & enterprise software. Sourced & led investments in 20+ deep tech startups. As COO and Global Director BD, built up a British startup's distributor network in 30 countries (B2B+B2C). 7 yrs intl. work across China, the US & Sweden. Proven track record in crafting high-performing investment portfolios, and unearthing the key drivers that unleash a team's maximum potential.
Expertise
Venture Capital / Investment, Market entry (Europe / Global), Product–Market Fit validation
Bjoern Eichstaedt
Storymaker GmbH
Managing Partner / Co-Owner
Bjoern Eichstaedt is a professional communicator and co-owner of Storymaker, a Germany-based communications agency specializing in story development and storytelling for technology. For more than 20 years, Storymaker has helped companies, organizations, and leaders shape their narratives and bring them to life. Across media, digital platforms, stakeholder groups, and cultures. I have built our agency’s Japan business since 2012 and have worked for over 50 Japanese companies in the past 13 years.
Emilie Dellecker
HackGroup
CEO & Co-Founder
Emilie Dellecker is a Swiss innovation leader and community builder who serves as Director of Hack, where she leads teams and initiatives that connect founders, investors, and innovators across food-tech, climate-tech and hard-tech ecosystems. She also co-founder FoodHack and ClimateHack. Prior to her current roles, she partnered in the design and marketing agency OneRoof and has experience in sustainability, behavioural ecology and stakeholder engagement from roles including work with WWF and the Luc Hoffmann Institute.She holds a Bachelor of Science and has a background in environmental and ecological studies, which inform her commitment to positive change through entrepreneurship and innovation.
Expertise
Fundraising & pitch support, Market entry (Europe / Global), Technology/DeepTech
Mali M Baum
WLOUNGE / MAGDA Group
Founder and CEO
Mali is a serial entrepreneur, impact investor, and a driving force behind Europe’s innovation ecosystem. She is the CEO and Founder of WLOUNGE and MAGDA Group, and a Board Member of the European Innovation Council (EIC) at the European Commission.
Mali built WLOUNGE as a leading women-focused support ecosystem, empowering female founders, investors, and diverse teams through community, capital, and access to decision-makers. With over 20 years of global experience across Europe, the US, and Asia, she bridges public and private sectors to scale impact-driven and deep-tech ventures. Her work has enabled many startup success stories and significant investments across the European innovation landscape.
Expertise
Growth Strategy & Scaling, Fundraising & pitch support, Venture Capital / Investment, Market entry (Europe / Global), Product–Market Fit validation, Technology / DeepTech, ESG & Impact
Jonas Schorr
Urban Impact
CEO & Founder
Jonas Schorr is a Barcelona-based entrepreneur and innovation expert, and founder of Urban Impact Agency. With extensive experience supporting startups, corporates, and public institutions across Europe, he specializes in sustainable urban innovation, ecosystem building, and market expansion strategies. Jonas has worked internationally, including from Berlin and Barcelona, helping ventures scale and build meaningful partnerships. Through WOTR, he looks forward to supporting ambitious female Japanese entrepreneurs and female-led startups in expanding into Europe. He is particularly excited to provide hands-on guidance, strategic connections, and local insights for founders entering the Berlin and Barcelona innovation ecosystems.
Nathalie Colin
Maison Minuit / BYKARBON
Co-founder Maison Minuit, Partner BYKARBON, Creative Director
Board Member | Creative Director | Entrepreneur Fine Jewelry & Sustainable Luxury Expert French native Nathalie Colin is a globally recognized creative and business leader in fine jewelry and sustainable luxury, with 30+ years of experience across Europe, Asia (including Japan since 1990), and the United States. Former International Creative Director and Management Board Member at Swarovski, she played a key role in the group’s global expansion, brand transformation, and cultural evolution. An entrepreneur and advisor, she co-founded with Anhly, her daughter, Maison Minuit a cross-generational creative agency. She is also Partner & Creative Director at BYKARBON, pioneering upcycled luxury through carbon fiber innovation coming from elite sports such as offshore sailing. With deep expertise in product design, brand strategy, and international growth, Nathalie offers mentoring on solid long term strategic vision and pragmatic decision-making for quick wins. She believes in talent and advocates cultural intelligence, impact-driven leadership, generosity, and inspiration.
Expertise
Product–Market Fit validation, ESG & Impact
Oliver Hasse
INAM - the Innovation Network for Advanced Materials and Humboldt-Innovation
Managing Director
With a background in business and economics, Oliver currently is Managing Director of INAM - the Innovation Network for Advanced Materials and Humboldt-Innovation. More than 20 years ago, he started his career in political consulting and international collaboration in London, Maastricht, Brussels and Berlin to then take on various leadership roles in management consulting, focusing on clients from high-tech indsutries. His passion for innovation and entrepreneurship led him to work in various constellations with founders and growth companies over recent years, including as a mentor for EBN, AdMaCom, FasterCapital, Vali Berlin and various individual projects. Since 2019, he has been working with various countries in Asia on high-tech collaboration. Oliver holds a BSc in Economics from the London School of Economics, an MA in Anthropology from the School of African and Oriental Studies, London and an MBA from ESMT, Berlin.
Expertise
Growth Strategy & Scaling, Fundraising & pitch support, Venture Capital / Investment, Market entry (Europe / Global), Product–Market Fit validation, Technology/DeepTech
Roland Fassauer
CODE University of Applied Sciences
Smart Infrastructure Ventures
Investor
Entrepreneur, technologist, and early-stage investor with 30 years of experience building, scaling, and backing future-oriented companies. After starting out as a developer in the 1990s and becoming an accidental co-founder, I have since backed 65+ ventures. My mission is to help founders succeed and to drive innovations with meaningful positive impact—particularly in B2B SaaS, AI, infrastructure, education, and research.
Expertise
Growth Strategy & Scaling, Fundraising & pitch support, Venture Capital / Investment, Market entry (Europe / Global), Product–Market Fit validation
Sandrine Guétin
Villa Eugénie
Deputy General Manager
+20 years successful experience in Business development and transformation across tech, retail, luxury and hospitality value chains, in multicultural environments. Involved in strategy development, turnaround, growth acceleration and instrumental supporting new ways of working, organization design digital transformations, HR capabilities shifts. Enjoy contributing to business, HR and cultural shifts where my international exposure, business acumen and HR expertize support leaders' and teams' enablement and engagement.
Expertise
Growth Strategy & Scaling, Fundraising & pitch support, Market entry (Europe / Global), Product–Market Fit validation, Development & Transformation
Melissa Koenigsberg
Atlantic
Head of Finance
Melissa is Head of Finance at Atlantic, a Berlin-based venture capital firm that invests in early-stage startups across AI, Energy, Robotics, Space, and Resilience Tech. She leads financial and ESG strategy, oversees reporting, finance operations, and HR, and supports fundraising. Melissa brings over a decade of global experience across high-growth startups and public markets in Germany and the U.S. Previously, she was Global Head of Accounting at Razor Group and spent nine years at EY, advising on complex financial instruments and major transactions. She holds a dual Executive MBA from Kellogg School of Management and WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management.
Expertise
Fundraising & pitch support, Venture Capital / Investment, Market entry (Europe / Global), Technology / DeepTech, ESG & Impact
Nana Bit-Avragim
Senior Manager Life Sciences & Healthcare at DHL
Healthcare and Life Sciences (HCLS) ecosystem leader with 15+ years of hands-on experience of designing and executing startup and venture engagement programs and platforms at scale, working with top EU and global HCLS accelerators and incubators, venture capital firms, corporate partners, and public–private institutions. Deep and expertise in HCLS innovation, AI-enabled healthcare, digital health platforms, drug discoveries programs, and translational life sciences. Trusted subject-matter expert and regional interface for founders, investors, and enterprise stakeholders across Germany, France, UK, Israel, and Nordic Europe ecosystems.