Ambassador

Joined Sumitomo Chemical in 2005, where they were engaged in research and development, as well as new business planning for high-performance materials.
After working in venture creation support at the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), they joined Osaka University Venture Capital (OUVC) in 2017. As a capitalist, they primarily focus on “Company Creation” (founding support for university-derived research seeds), investment operations, and hands-on management support for portfolio companies. Their target sectors for support and investment include drug discovery/healthcare, environment/energy, machinery/materials/manufacturing, and information and communication technology (ICT). Alongside their primary role, they also serve as an Entrepreneurship Promotion Ambassador for the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), actively working to promote and popularize entrepreneurship education.

Education
Graduate School of Engineering, Kyushu University (Master’s Degree)
Graduate School of Business Administration, Keio University (MBA)

Ayano comes to CIC with passion to develop a biotech/healthcare startup ecosystem in Japan. She received a Ph.D. in molecular biology from The University of Tokyo before joining Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT). At MEXT, she worked on policy making in the fields of life science and medicine, and was assigned to design the Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development (AMED). In 2017, she started to study at MIT’s System Design and Management program (SDM) where she engaged in the research about the difference of startup ecosystems especially in the life science field between Cambridge/Boston and several cities in the U.S. and Japan. After returning to Japan, she worked on the science, technology and innovation policy at the Cabinet Office and on research and development projects in the nuclear fusion field at MEXT until she joined CIC Japan in 2021.She manages programs which support deeptech startups and their expansion to the global market.

After working in corporate sales at Career Design Center and Google, she founded the general incorporated association at Will Work. She then transitioned into PR and marketing at Money Design and later served as CMO at Plug and Play Japan, overseeing all marketing and public relations efforts. In 2022, she established the Startup Ecosystem Association and became its President. Since November 2024, she has also served as an Associate Specialist Advisor at A.T. Kearney. In 2025, she co-founded FoundersNation, a company that supports startups in their global growth. She currently serves as a Specialist Member of the Cabinet Office’s Regulatory Reform Council Working Group for Startup and Innovation Promotion and as a Startup Strategy Fellow for the Tokyo Metropolitan Government.

Founder and CEO of the MedTech Actuator and Founding Investment Partner at Synthesis Capital. A serial entrepreneur and Professor at the University of Melbourne, he has led MedTech commercialisation, market entry, venture growth and exits globally. A former clinician in orthopaedic regenerative medicine and microsurgery, he combines clinical insight with commercial expertise to advance healthcare.

Born in Kyoto Prefecture in 1992. Graduated from Rakunan High School. Dropped out of Keio University. While still a student of the university, he served as a representative of the NPO AIESEC in Japan. In 2017, he joined DEEPCORE, an AI-focused incubator and VC within the SoftBank Group, where he was responsible for early-stage investments in R&D-oriented startups. In 2021, he established the ZERO Foundation, a foundation that supports next-generation researchers contributing to solving global challenges, and assumed the position of Representative Director. In 2022, he co-founded HERO Impact Capital, a venture capital firm with young researchers, and assumed the position of General Partner. In 2025, he established the “ZERO INSTITUTE” at Tohoku University and assumed the positions of Deputy Director of the Institute and Visiting Professor at Tohoku University.

Hitoshi Tanii (born June 1972 in Osaka) is a Japanese serial entrepreneur and angel investor. After graduating from the Faculty of Business Administration at Kobe University, he joined Nippon Telegraph and Telephone (NTT) in 1996, but left within a year to pursue entrepreneurship. During the early days of the internet era, he founded and grew several ventures, including a free mailing-list service that he reorganized as Infocast Inc. and sold to Rakuten in 2000.

That same year, he established the company that would later become Synergy Marketing Inc., where he served as President and CEO. Under his leadership, the company’s cloud-based CRM service “Synergy!” grew to hold the No.1 share in the Japanese market. In 2007, he took the company public on the Osaka Securities Exchange’s Hercules market, later moving its listing to JASDAQ in 2010. That year, Synergy Marketing also became the first Japanese company to form a capital and business alliance with Salesforce.com of the United States. In 2014, he completed a buyout through a tender offer by Yahoo Japan, and in 2017 he stepped down as President and CEO.

Following his retirement from Synergy Marketing, Tanii spent two years traveling the world until 2019 — a period of reflection that shaped his next chapter. Upon returning to Japan, he founded PayForward Inc., named after his management philosophy centered on altruism: the idea of paying forward the support one has received to the next generation of entrepreneurs. Through PayForward, he has launched multiple new businesses and currently oversees a group of seven companies spanning marketing, entertainment, PR, and other fields.

Beyond his own ventures, Tanii is deeply engaged in supporting the broader business community. He serves as an outside director at several publicly listed companies, including Mandom Corporation, contributing his governance and management experience. As an angel investor, he has backed early-stage startups for over two decades, with ten of his portfolio companies having achieved IPOs — a track record that places him among Japan’s most accomplished individual investors.

He is also the founder and first chapter president of EO (Entrepreneurs’ Organization) Osaka, through which he has worked to strengthen peer networks among business owners. Rooted in the Kansai region, Tanii continues to dedicate himself to building a startup ecosystem in western Japan, combining his experience as a founder, investor, and mentor to nurture the next generation of entrepreneurs.

Jaeyeong Park is the Founder and CEO of The Garrison, a Korea-based cross-border venture platform. He supports startups, investors, corporates, and public institutions across 4 areas, market entry, pilot partnerships, capital access, and global programs. Through FosterBridge, he connects Korea, Japan, ASEAN, Europe, and Central Asia.

Joe joined Recruit Holdings Co., Ltd. in 2012. After serving as President and Managing Director of the company’s corporate venture capital arm (Recruit Strategic Partners), he founded Counterpart Ventures in 2018. He invests in US startups focused on AI, DX and deep tech. At Recruit Strategic Partners, he led investment activities in the U.S. as a venture capitalist while building investment strategies as the head of the organization. Prior to Recruit, he started career as software engineer, and then shifted to business development and venture investment at Hitachi Solutions, Ltd. He has resided in Silicon Valley since 2007.

Joshua Flannery is the Founder and CEO of Innovation Dojo, a global innovation platform with operations in Japan and Australia that connects startups, universities, corporations, investors and governments through cross-border technology and talent initiatives. Through its work, Innovation Dojo helps global innovators engage with Japan while supporting Japanese organisations and startups to build international partnerships and expand into overseas markets.

Joshua has spent more than 15 years working across entrepreneurship, innovation and international business development. He has played leadership roles in the growth of startup ecosystems spanning academia, government and the private sector, including helping to establish the entrepreneurship program at the University of New South Wales, serving as Director of the Sydney Startup Hub, and leading Rainmaking’s expansion in Japan. Throughout his career, he has worked with founders and innovation organisations across Asia, Europe, North America and Oceania.

Today, Joshua leads a diverse portfolio of cross-border initiatives that connect technology, talent and investment opportunities across global markets. Innovation Dojo designs and delivers startup programs, venture building initiatives, corporate innovation projects and international soft-landing programs in partnership with universities, governments and industry. Its activities span sectors including deep technology, health, advanced manufacturing, sustainability, creative industries and emerging technologies.

Joshua believes that the future of innovation lies not within individual ecosystems, but in building trusted international networks that enable technology, talent and ideas to move across borders. His work focuses on creating practical pathways for startups, researchers and entrepreneurs to access new markets, strategic partners, investment opportunities and global talent networks while fostering long-term international collaboration.

He currently serves as an official Startup Recommender for the Kansai region under Japan’s J-Startup program and holds academic appointments supporting entrepreneurship and innovation education. He regularly mentors founders, advises organisations on cross-border innovation strategy, and contributes to initiatives that strengthen Japan’s connections with leading global startup ecosystems.

Through Innovation Dojo and its partner initiatives, Joshua has supported hundreds of startups and innovators while helping to build lasting bridges between Japan and the world. His vision is to foster a more connected global innovation community where technology, talent and ideas can move across borders to address shared challenges and create new opportunities for economic and social impact.

In 1989, he joined current Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation. At the bank, he spent many years engaged in solution-oriented work, utilizing corporate bonds, securitization, and syndication to meet the needs of client companies. He provided fundraising support based on both individual company analysis and macro-analysis of the industry.
From 2006, at current SMBC Venture Capital Co., Ltd., he managed buyout funds as the head of the PE division, and he contributed to value enhancement for portfolio companies as an outside director and full-time advisor.
He gained extensive experience in both debt and equity operations at both the bank and VC firms.
From 2013, he designed a support scheme for university-based startups at Kyoto University, leading the establishment of Kyoto University Innovation Capital Co., Ltd.(iCAP) in 2014, and subsequently leading the establishment of 2 funds which iCAP serves as GP in 2016 and 2021.
After serving as Executive Officer and Head of Investment at iCAP, he became President and CEO in April 2020.

He graduated from the Faculty of Law, Department of Political Science, Keio University in 1989.

Kyohei Fujima has been dedicated to creating and fostering startups in Hokkaido since 2018, aiming to generate regional impact. He has spearheaded numerous startup-related projects in the region, including launching a region-specific accelerator program, implementing startup creation initiatives for local governments, and opening public-private incubation facilities.

In 2022, he founded “DRIVE Incubation” with the goal of building a startup ecosystem in Hokkaido. Since 2023, he has served as the secretary-general for “STARTUP HOKKAIDO,” a public-private organization involving Hokkaido Prefecture, Sapporo City, and the Hokkaido Bureau of Economy, Trade, and Industry.

In 2024, he joined UntroD Capital Japan (formerly Real Tech Holdings), which manages the Real Tech Fund, as Hokkaido Area Manager.

After working as an engineer in software development, she launched an in-house venture (web application development business) at Pasona Group, and then spun off a new business into a separate company.

She became the first female executive at a TECH company and also served as the head of the NEDO Industry-Academia-Government Collaboration Startup Promotion Project.

She founded ExaIntelligence Inc. (now ExaWizards Inc.), an AI venture based in Kansai, and served as its COO, before founding LEO Inc. as her second company.

She also serves as the producer of “Nagono Campus,” the navigator of ZIP-FM’s “Startup [N],”
a professor at Musashino University’s Faculty of Entrepreneurship, a visiting associate professor at Nagoya University’s Industry-Academia-Government Collaboration, an outside director of Toyoda Gosei Co., Ltd., and an outside director of Acompany Inc., among others.

Mariko Nishimura is a cross-border producer who operates at the intersection of technology, art, and business. Under the mission “To create a page in history that captures hearts,” she connects corporations, governments, creators, and international networks to generate new value.
After a career in engineering at IBM and marketing at Adobe, Mariko founded HEART CATCH Inc. in Japan (2014) and HEART CATCH LA Inc. in the US (2020). She spearheads numerous domestic and international projects, including TECH BEAT Shizuoka, Inter BEE, and J-Startup support. She is also widely recognized for her tech trend analysis and reporting at major global exhibitions such as CES and VivaTech.
She serves in multiple prestigious roles, including:
* Juror, CES Innovation Awards
* Visiting Professor, Musashino Art University
* Official Columnist, Forbes JAPAN
* Japan Representative, Art Thinking Improbable
* Fellow, Shizuoka Prefecture and Hamamatsu City
* Co-founder, AI Collective Japan (one of the world’s largest AI communities)

After working in alternative investments at The Norinchukin Bank, he moved to KPMG FAS to work in M&A advisory before joining the Development Bank of Japan (DBJ). At DBJ, he was responsible for bank ALM and alternative investments in overseas PE funds. In 2017, he became Director and Head of the Investment Department at DBJ Capital, where he led domestic startup investments. He subsequently served as a partner at Genesia Ventures before joining the University of Tokyo IPC as a partner in 2024. In addition to investing primarily in deep tech sectors such as the environment and space, he focuses on supporting the ecosystem for university-based startups.
He holds a degree from the Faculty of Economics at the University of Tokyo and an MBA from the UCLA Anderson School of Management.

After earning a Ph.D. in Fusion Engineering, he joined Japan’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), where he worked on deeptech startup policy and entrepreneurship education policy. Following study at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), he joined the launch team of CIC Tokyo, one of Japan’s largest startup hubs. He later founded FoundersNation to support startup scale-up and global growth.

Graduated from the School of Political Science and Economics, Department of Economics, Waseda University, and completed the Business Administration program (MOT / MBA) at the Graduate School of Commerce, Waseda University. After working at companies such as Daiwa Corporate Investment Co., Ltd. and WERU Investment Co., Ltd., he established NV Ventures Co., Ltd. in 2019 and assumed the position of President and CEO. For many years, he has focused on supporting research and development-oriented startups, primarily those originating from universities. He also serves as a technology management advisor for the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO), a specially appointed professor at the Shinshu University-Innovative Research and Liaison Organization, and a venture partner at ision Incubate Co., Ltd.

Graduated from Kyushu Institute of Technology Graduate School of Engineering, Department of Materials Science and Engineering in 2004. Worked at a consulting firm, supporting companies in developing new businesses and products. Founded S-factory in 2009, providing support to companies, local governments, NPOs, and startups, while also serving as an advisor to government agencies. Provides support tailored to the specific challenges of each company, regardless of industry, business type, or stage of development. Also serves as Vice Representative Director of TX Entrepreneur Partners, NEDO Supervisor, and Visiting Professor at the International Industry-Academia Collaboration Headquarters of the University of Tsukuba.

Mas is a partner at Benhamou Global Ventures, a cross-border venture capital firm in the heart of Silicon Valley, California.

He is a seasoned professional with a diverse background in international business development, strategic planning, venture capital investment, new business incubation, and cross-border operations. Mas has had a long-standing association with NEC Corporation, where he served in various leadership roles. Among others, he also served on the board of Vidient Systems, Inc. and Niteo Partners, and during this time at NEC, Mas was involved in The Open Group and The Enterprise Network, both non-profit organizations.

Mas’ extensive experience includes key advisory roles and affiliations with Bay Angels, Plug & Play and Alchemist Accelerator in collaboration with the J-Startup program. Mas is also an angel investor, with startup companies that include Bedrock Robotics, Glydways, LUUM, Fort Robotics, Invia Robotics, Marble Robot, Copado, Mission Barns, SKUChain, Genia, Ekso Bionics, and others.

Mas currently serves as advisor to several Japanese companies and has been a frequent guest lecturer at Kyoto University, Aoyama Gakuin University, UC
Berkeley, and NYU. Mas also served on the board and Secretary of Harvard
Business School Association of Northern California.

Mas has a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Economics from Keio University in Japan and holds an MBA from Harvard Business School. Mas is an avid tennis player, and after 24 years in Silicon Valley, he currently resides in Southern California covering the region for new startups.

After working at the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), etc., he became Director General of Fukuoka Directive Council (FDC) in April 2015.
He has served as the chairman of the Avispa Fukuoka Advisory Board (Management Advisory Committee), a visiting professor at the Kyushu University Center for Science, Technology and Innovation Policy Education and Research (CSTIPS), a director of the Kyushu University School of Regional Policy Design, a director of the Future Center Alliance Japan (FCAJ), and Chief the Regulatory Reform Promotion Department of the Kyushu Economic Federation. He also holds many public positions such as committee members of central ministries and local governments.
He is the author of books such as “The Secret of the Super-Growth City of Fukuoka: The Mechanism of Innovation Attracting the World’s Attention (Nihon Keizai Shimbun Publishing)” and “Let’s Go on a Journey to Change Society: A New Future Created by Regional Policy Design (Azusa Shoin)”.
In October 2021, he was named one of the “The World’s 50 Most Influential People Navigating Disruption” by the World Economic Forum and the International Public-Private Network as one of the Agile 50 (leaders driving innovation in the public sector and transforming governance from the world).

At Cambridge Innovation Center (CIC), Umezawa has led the launch and growth of CIC Tokyo, CIC Fukuoka, and O-Nexus in Osaka. Collectively, these three startup centers host more than 600 companies and serve as major innovation hubs across life sciences, climate tech, and other emerging sectors.

Umezawa is a member of the Intellectual Property Strategy Headquarters of the Cabinet Office. He holds a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Tokyo and an MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management. He also serves as a non-executive director on the board of forStartups, Inc.

Joined Sanyo Electric in 2003. In 2013, transferred to Xacti Corporation, a spin-out from Sanyo Electric’s digital camera division. Worked across a broad range of functions, from product-development engineer to corporate planning and new business development. In new business development in particular, was based in Silicon Valley as a Visiting Scholar at Stanford University. After returning to Japan, joined Osaka University Venture Capital in 2016, serving as Head of Investment and engaging in venture investing and fund management. Holds a graduate degree from the Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University.