Born in Osaka Prefecture in 1970, he graduated from the Faculty of Agriculture at Kyoto University in 1993, including time spent studying in the United Kingdom as a Rotary Foundation Scholar. After leaving Kyoto University’s graduate school in 1994, he joined Japan’s Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI), now the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI).

Throughout his career, he has been engaged in a wide range of policy areas, including trade policy, environmental policy, SME policy, and economic security. His previous appointments include Director of Industrial Policy at the Ishikawa Prefectural Government, Counsellor at the Permanent Mission of Japan in Geneva, where he served as Chair of the WTO Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee in 2013, and several senior positions within the Small and Medium Enterprise Agency, including Director of the Finance Division and Director of the Financial Affairs Division.

He has also served as Executive Secretary to the Minister for Economic Revitalization and Minister in Charge of the TPP, Director of the Information Industry Division, Director-General of the General Affairs Division of the Manufacturing Industries Bureau, Cabinet Counsellor at the Cabinet Secretariat and the Digital Agency, and Deputy Director-General for Policy Coordination.

He holds a Master of Public Administration (MPA) from Columbia University, serves as a Visiting Professor of International Relations at Aoyama Gakuin University, and is a Senior Fellow at the International Environment and Economy Institute (IEEI). He is also a U.S. Certified Public Accountant (USCPA).

Appointed Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of the Acquisition, Technology & Logistics Agency (ATLA), Ministry of Defense, in August 2026. Joined the former Japan Defense Agency in 1991, beginning a career as a naval ship design engineer.

After graduating from the Faculty of Law at the University of Tokyo in 2001, Obata joined Goldman Sachs. After working at Symphony Financial Partners, founded Xebral. in July 2008, leveraging experience in intelligence and data-utilization business. In November 2023, founded Oceanic Constellations, Inc. Currently serves as Co-Representative Director & CEO together with Takuma Honda, who has led in creating space-related businesses at Mitsui & Co.

Joined Sakana AI after working at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, Clifford Chance, Anderson Mori & Tomotsune, and Sumitomo Corporation Global Research. Currently manages defense and intelligence projects and conducts research and analysis on AI and national security. Holds a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Tokyo, a Master’s degree from Stanford University, and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. at the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS).

Paul joined Recruit Co., Ltd. in 1997 and co-led digital business building and corporate venture capital investing efforts. While at Recruit, Paul was also a founding member of Golfport (an online golf reservation site) – subsequently sold to Rakuten in 2002.
He joined McKinsey & Company’s Tokyo Office in 2002, was elected Partner in 2007 and Senior Partner in 2014. He supported clients in the retail, consumer products, media, telecommunications, finance, and pharmaceutical industries with growth strategy, digital and AI, branding, marketing, and M&A.
He has served as head of the Asia Pacific Marketing & Sales Group, head of the Asia Pacific Analytics Group, head of the Asia Pacific Consumer Goods & Small Business Group, and Managing Partner of QuantumBlack Japan
Paul joined Incubate Fund as a General Partner in March 2021.
Paul has authored articles in the Harvard Business Review, Nikkei Business, Toyo Keizai and speaks regularly at industry events. Paul grew up in Australia and has been a resident of Japan for the past 30 years. He is a co-founder of UWC ISAK Japan.

Mark Edwards is the Chief Investment Officer at Alumni Ventures, a leading venture capital firm that has raised over $1.8 billion of investor capital. Included in this capital base is the recently announced Japan + U.S. Bridge Fund, in partnership with KDDI and The University of Tokyo IPC. In his capacity as CIO, Mr. Edwards directs all investment, portfolio management and capital allocation activity and oversees a team of approximately 40 investment professionals.

Prior to joining Alumni Ventures in 2021, Mr. Edwards worked for more than two decades in the private equity industry for firms including DLJ Merchant Banking Partners and JLL Partners. Previously, he was investment banker at Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette. Over the course of his career, Mr. Edwards has served on the boards of numerous private companies and is currently a Director at Alumni Ventures and Verantum Inc. Mr. Edwards holds a B.A. with Honors from Stanford University and an MBA with Distinction from Dartmouth College, where he graduated as an Edward Tuck Scholar.

Serdar Turac is a program and business development leader focused on accelerating the commercialization of advanced technologies and strengthening connections across government, industry, and startup ecosystems.
At BMNT Ventures in San Francisco, Serdar serves as a Program Manager for the NAVY Launch program, helping SBIR Phase II awardees accelerate commercialization. He also supports programs such as NASA Ignite, Hacking for Defense (H4D), and H4Allies.
Serdar is also the founder of DeepTech Connections, an initiative that brings together founders, investors, corporate leaders, and government stakeholders to strengthen collaboration in advanced technologies.

Dennis Y. Teranishi is a distinguished leader whose career uniquely blends expertise in business management, international relations, agriculture and high technology innovation, with a proven track record of fostering cross-sector collaboration and driving transformative growth.

Since December 1, 2011, Mr. Teranishi has served as Chairman of the Pacific International Center for High Technology Research (PICHTR). Before joining PICHTR, he led Hawaiian Host, Inc. as President and CEO for 14 years, overseeing its growth as a globally recognized brand.

Prior to his tenure at Hawaiian Host, Mr. Teranishi was the Owner and President of North Shore Associates, Inc., a business consulting firm specializing in operational planning, international sales and marketing, personnel development, agricultural diversification, and new product innovation. Earlier in his career, he spent 19 years with AMFAC, Inc., where he advanced from research agronomist specializing in sugarcane to President of AMFAC Agribusiness, Inc., managing diversified agricultural operations.

Mr. Teranishi holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Crop Science from California State Polytechnic University and a Master of Science degree in Soil Chemistry and Plant Nutrition from the University of Hawaii. He has also completed executive training programs at the University of Southern California, Stanford University, and the University of Hawaii. A recognized leader in his field, he was honored as an outstanding alumnus of the University of Hawaii’s College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources in 1993. He also served as a Captain in the U.S. Army, from which he was honorably discharged.

His contributions to strengthening U.S.-Japan relations have been recognized with the Japanese Foreign Minister’s Commendation (2010) and the prestigious Order of the Rising Sun (2014), awarded by the Emperor of Japan on behalf of the Japanese government.