Hisashi Iwakuma began playing baseball in the first grade of elementary school.
In the 1999 NPB draft, he was selected in the fifth round by the Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes and joined the team. He began to stand out midway through his second season.
In his third year, 2002, he became part of the starting rotation, pitching in 23 games. In 2003, he recorded a team-high 15 wins and became the team's ace. The following year, in 2004, he was selected as the Opening Day starter for the first time. He once again recorded 15 wins and earned a spot on the Japanese national team for the Athens Olympics.
Due to the NPB's league realignment, he transferred to the newly established Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles.
Beginning in 2005, he led the Eagles as their ace pitcher.
In 2008, he won 21 games and swept major pitching awards, including the prestigious Sawamura Award.
In 2009, he was selected for Japan's national team in the inaugural World Baseball Classic (WBC) and contributed to the championship as one of the team's top three starting pitchers.
Following the 2011 season, he declared his intention to play in Major League Baseball by exercising his international free agent rights.
In 2012, he signed with the Seattle Mariners. Initially used in relief, he joined the starting rotation partway through the season and recorded 8 wins. In 2013, he became a regular starter, achieving double-digit wins and pitching over 200 innings.
In 2013, he was selected for the MLB All-Star Game for the first time, recorded a career-high 14 wins, and finished third in Cy Young Award voting.
In 2014, he recorded a personal best of 15 wins.
In 2015, he became only the second Japanese pitcher to throw a no-hitter in MLB history. In 2016, he achieved a career-high 16 wins in MLB.
He continued to play for the Mariners through the 2017 and 2018 seasons. In 2019, he returned to Japan to play for the Yomiuri Giants. On October 19, 2020, he officially announced his retirement from professional baseball.
In 2021, he joined the Mariners as a special assignment coach.
In 2022, while living in Japan, he signed a contract with the Mariners to serve as an advisory coach.
Since retiring, he has been active as a coach, as well as a commentator for both MLB and NPB. He also coaches young players through Aoyama Tokyo Boys for junior high school students.
He is the father of four children (three daughters and one son), aged 21, 16, and 14, plus a newborn.

Ayumi Fujimoto

Startup Ecosystem Association Japan　President
A.T.Kearney K.K.　Associated Specialist Advisor

After graduating from university, she worked in corporate sales at Career Design Center and Google. Following her roles at at Will Work and Money Design, she served as CMO at Plug and Play Japan. In 2022, she founded the Startup Ecosystem Association and became its President. She actively collaborates with various government agencies and local authorities to support startups.

Akira Kudo

3D Architech Japan, Inc.
R&D Fellow

【Profile】
Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from MIT. He conducted research on 3D printing technologies at Caltech and the Technical University of Denmark (DTU), followed by a position as Assistant Professor at Tohoku University. He is currently an R&D Fellow at 3D Architech.

【Business overview】
3D Architech is a startup that has developed a proprietary high-resolution metal manufacturing technology, enabling features with a 10-micron resolution. The company significantly enhances device performance in energy fields such as AI chip cooling and water electrolysis, contributing to substantial reductions in electricity costs.

Blum Tamir

Kisui Co., Ltd. CEO

Tamir was born in Israel and grew up in USA. He received his Master's degree from UCLA and his PhD from Tohoku University (research topic: AI for lunar rovers). During his graduate school years, he witnessed the high level of agriculture in Japan and the harsh reality of facing a declining population, and founded Kisui in 2021. MIT Innovators under 35, Forbes 30 under 30.

Chris Burry

Co-CEO US Market Access Center Inc,
Co-Founder Global Innovation Dojo,
Global Ambassador, UC Berkeley Sutardja Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology

A serial entrepreneur, technology leader, and investor, he has founded and exited eight companies to date. Currently, he serves as Co-CEO of the US Market Access Center in Silicon Valley, where he provides support and mentorship to startups from around the world. To date, he has supported over 3,000 founding teams from 75 countries.
He also serves as a Global Ambassador for the Sutardja Center at the University of California, Berkeley, and in 2024, he co-founded the "Global Innovation Dojo." In the past, he played a key role in driving the growth of Avanade and gained extensive experience at Andersen Consulting and EDS.

George Goda

01Booster, Inc.
Founder & CEO

George GODA holds an MBA and a Master's degree in Science and Engineering. He began his career at Toshiba, overseeing product planning for offshore productions in China, Thailand, and Europe. Later, he joined Murata Manufacturing Co. Ltd., contributing to corporate strategy for their telecommunications division. As Marketing Director at Nobot, he focused on smartphone advertisements and oversaw overseas expansion. He facilitated Nobot's acquisition by the KDDI group, developing expansion plans until March 2012.
Currently, he is CEO of 01Booster.

John Lim

Meet Ventures
Partner

John Lim is a Partner at Meet Ventures, an early-stage venture capital and growth advisory firm. With approximately 10 years of management experience, he previously served as HOD at LongHash Ventures (a $100M fund), Program Manager at SGInnovate (a $200M fund), and Senior Consultant at KPMG Innovate.
John currently serves on the Investment Committees of Angel School and the Startup India Seed Fund Scheme. He is also a Guest Lecturer at the National University of Singapore, an AWS Startup Scout, TEDx speaker, startup judge, and startup mentor.
Over the course of his career, John has supported more than 200 startups through a range of corporate innovation programs (e.g., Cisco, IBM, Nitto) and government programs (e.g., JETRO, KOCCA, Enterprise Singapore). He has also invested in notable startups such as Inknoe.com and Sourcy.ai, which have progressed to Series A and beyond.
As a lifelong learner, John is currently enrolled in the Tsinghua-INSEAD Executive MBA (TIEMBA) dual-degree program, where he was awarded the TIEMBA Achievement Scholarship. He has also completed the Wharton Venture Capital Executive Program and is an alumnus of Singapore Management University, a triple-accredited (EQUIS, AACSB, AMBA) business school.

Hideji Sotani

Eams Robotics Co., Ltd.
President & CEO

【Profile】
After 30 years in financial sales at a Hitachi group SIer, he launched a robotics business in 2015 and entered the drone field. He has formed global alliances, secured bridge inspections, delivered 100+ domestic projects, and given numerous lectures and publications.

【Business overview】
Possesses UAV type certification expertise, providing safe, compliant aircraft. Develops UAV/UGV/USV for land, sea, and air. Advances autonomous tech like multi-drone operations, formation flight, collision avoidance, and AI control. Also conducts national license training as a Civil Aviation Bureau-registered institution.

Hiromitsu Senoo

Bionto, Inc.
CEO

【Profile】
Film producer, managed streaming business at Amazon Prime Video, led business development and growth at IT startup. Founded bionto in 2025 as EIR (Entrepreneur in Residence) at Tohoku University Venture Partners.

【Business overview】
Tohoku University originated biotech startup developing unique iontronics technology that carefully controls ions in the human body. We provide wide-ranging healthcare solutions covering hospital medical settings to home health and medical care. Our goal is to solve longevity issues in our aging society, helping create a world where everyone can live longer, healthier, and better lives.

Junko Iwai

Storyline Co.,Ltd.
CEO／CDO

【Profile】
Junko Iwai worked at international design firms, specializing in new business development, service design, and design thinking. She has also taught at universities and corporate programs. In 2018, she founded Storyline Inc., focusing on decaf technology and challenges in the coffee industry.

【Business overview】
We produce safe, high-quality decaffeinated coffee using proprietary caffeine extraction technology based on supercritical CO₂. We also offer caffeine-controlled products tailored for health-conscious consumers. Our mission is to solve challenges in coffee-producing regions and build a sustainable supply chain benefiting both producers and consumers.

Kodai Kato

amu Inc.
CEO

【Profile】
While in college, worked at Gaiax Inc. and took part in launching TABICA. Later joined CyberAgent Inc. as its youngest hire, producing award-winning programs for AbemaTV. In May 2023, founded amu Inc. to turn discarded fishing nets into sustainable materials with purpose.

【Business overview】
You could clean the ocean by ending fishing but that is not the world we want. People still live, eat, and work by the sea. So instead, we collect discarded fishing gear before it becomes marine waste and breathe new life into it. Through amuca® we turn fishing gear into valuable resources that redefine the future of materials.

Koichiro Miyazaki

Musignal Inc.
CEO

【Profile】
Born in Sendai and a graduate of Tohoku University's School of Engineering, he has over 25 years of experience in semiconductor and audio equipment development. In 2025, he aims to go global once again with the portable DJ machine “FJ1” and the Wi-Fi audio transmission technology “Mutracks.”

【Business overview】
Musignal Inc., based in Sendai, Japan, combines semiconductor design with digital audio technology. Its Wi-Fi system “Mutracks” enables simultaneous transmission to over 20 devices up to 100 meters away and is used by major companies. The firm is also developing the DJ machine “FJ1,” which raised over 100 million yen via crowdfunding, and is building a focused in-house development team.

Makiko Kato

Phytochem Products Inc.
CEO

【Profile】
After graduation, I gained experience in plant design and project management in the food and chemical industries. In 2015, I became a researcher at Tohoku University, developing this startup’s core technology. I have been in my current role since June 2018. Licensed professional engineer.

【Business overview】
This startup, founded on technology from Tohoku University, promotes health and well-being by upcycling unused resources. Aiming for a circular economy, it is expanding into sectors such as fuel, food, cosmetics, and daily necessities. The company operates two main business models:
Manufacturing functional ingredients from rice bran
Licensing upcycling technologies and engineering services

Bruno Martinaud is a serial entrepreneur who directs Ecole Polytechnique's entrepreneurship program and co-leads the MSc MS X-HEC Entrepreneurs. He's authored three books, including "Objective: Mars!" (2022), focusing on startup growth. Martinaud also publishes MOOCs, coaches entrepreneurs, and advises corporations on innovation, drawing on his expertise in the life cycle of innovative projects and venture structuring. He's been instrumental in creating many deep-tech startups.

Noriyuki Kadoya

AiRato, Inc
Founder

【Profile】
Kadoya works as a hospital lecturer in the Department of Radiation Oncology at Tohoku University Hospital. He completed his doctoral studies at the Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, and served as a researcher at Stanford University and UC Davis before his current position.

【Business overview】
With the mission of "Saving all cancer patients with radiation therapy," AiRato is working to expand the possibilities of radiation therapy with AI medical devices, and to improve the treatment results and workload of cutting-edge radiation therapy. We aim to popularize radiation therapy that does not require surgery, has a low burden on patients, and is highly effective.

Seiya Inoue

NanoFrontier Inc.
CEO

【Profile】
He earned a master’s degree from the University of Tokyo. While still a student, he gained practical experience in AI development, real-estate fund, and venture capital. After starting his career at Microsoft, he founded an IT company and later, in April 2025, co-founded NanoFrontier Inc.

【Business overview】
NanoFrontier Inc. leverages Tohoku University’s 30-plus years of research on the “reprecipitation method” for nanoparticle production to pursue a broad range of initiatives: contaminant detection, cost-reduction of batteries through novel electrolytes, high-thermal-conductivity coolants, low-loss hydrogen carriers, and carrier-free pharmaceuticals with fewer side effects.

Shohei Oba

01Booster, Inc.
Manager, Business Creation Solutions Department

After majoring in Community Business at the School of Project Design, Miyagi University, he gained experience at a startup before joining a major commercial developer in 2021. There, he engaged in new business development and the promotion of open innovation. His work included developing and expanding new logistics businesses, launching a corporate venture capital arm, and planning and managing open innovation programs and ideathons. From the early stages of establishing the innovation department, he contributed to building its operational structure and fostering a culture of innovation. In 2024, he joined 01Booster to support corporate innovation and regional industrial development.

Takeru Kawashima

01Booster, Inc.
Executive Director

After graduating from Waseda University, Kawashima worked in business development for a Japanese Medical Device company in the EMEA region, then transitioned to Product Marketing at a Global Medical Device company. Joining 01Booster, Inc., a Japanese Accelerator, in 2017, he managed several accelerator programs and developed international partnerships with accelerators outside Japan. In 2018, he founded "Across Asia Alliance," a community of Asian VCs/accelerators in collaboration with international partners. He also founded "InnoScouter, Inc.," focusing on enterprise SaaS startups, and later successfully exited to 01Booster.

Tetsuo Endoh

Power Spin Inc.
Representative Director & COO

Born in Tokyo in 1962. Graduated from the Faculty of Science, University of Tokyo in 1987. Joined Toshiba in 1987 and engaged in R&D and commercialization of NAND memory. In 1995, he was appointed as a lecturer at the Institute of Electrical Communications, Tohoku University, he was promoted to professor in 2008. And since 2012, he has also served as Director of the Center for International Integrated Electronics Research and Development at Tohoku University. Since 2012, he has been a Sendai City International Industry-Academia Collaboration Fellow, and since 2017, he has been a Research Professor at Tohoku University. He is engaged in research on 3DNAND memory, High-density non-volatile memory such as STT-MRAM and SOT-MRAM, ultra-low power consumption application processors such as non-volatile logic and high-performance CMOS circuits, and GaN on Si-based power electronics technology. In 2016, he received the Prime Minister’s Award, an award for meritorious contribution to industry-academia-government collaboration, and the 2017 National Invention Award for his invention of 3DNAND memory. 2023 IEEE Fellow.

Yuichi Komai

Alphatech Inc.
CEO

【Profile】
Experienced management of internet service startup at Recruit Co.
As a managing director of Went public of BeMap, Inc. he made the company public to NASDAQ Japan .
As a director of Paraca, he experienced going public to Mothers and change to TSE 1st section.
Founded Alphatech in 2018.

【Business overview】
Realize efficient and sustainable use of bio-materials with innovative gelatinization technology
･Grain gelatinization/ Cellulose Amorphization with grinding and without water
･Maintain Gelatinized state for long-term
･Water-added grain powder gets viscous

Yukako Yokota

One Capital
Healthcare Partner

After graduating from Tohoku University, she worked at Biogen US and obtained a PhD in neuroscience from the University of North Carolina. She then joined McKinsey & Company, where she worked for 15 years as a partner on numerous projects for domestic and international pharmaceutical companies and medical device manufacturers. Since joining One Capital in 2024, she has leveraged her experience to drive the revitalization of companies, including both large corporations and startups.

Yuki Matsuda

Tohoku University
Assistant Professor

【Profile】
After completing a master’s degree at the Graduate School of Engineering at Tohoku University, I worked as an IT consultant. I was subsequently appointed as a project assistant professor at the Fukushima Lab at Tohoku University, promoting the commercialization of its technologies.

【Business overview】
To realize a carbon-neutral society, we aim to generate clean carbon resources from the air around the world as an alternative to petroleum and coal. To achieve this, we have developed “HumiDAC,” a technology that can capture carbon dioxide from the air through an ultra energy-efficient process, and we are working to implement this technology in society.

Yuka Takahashi

NTT EAST, Inc.
Section Manager

Born in Sendai. After graduating from university, joined NTT and was seconded to an advertising agency in Tokyo. Later, engaged in promoting sales of service products and public relations in Sendai. Currently, as the manager of the "Smart Innovation Lab Sendai" operated by NTT East, she collaborates with regional players, including startups, to create new businesses. She also focuses on nurturing talent by hosting business co-creation programs for university students.

Yurika Tanikawa

amu Inc.
Co-Founder

Graduated from Rikkyo University in 2017. While in school, served as Head of People Operations at the global startup conference “Slush Tokyo.”
After graduation, joined EventRegist as the company’s first new graduate hire and spent six years in B2B sales.
In 2023, joined amu Inc., a startup that transforms discarded fishing nets into fabrics and products. Currently manages both back-office operations and product manufacturing.

Stephane yu Matsushita

Tohoku University
Associate Professor

Stephane received his Ph.D. from the Graduate School of Science at Tohoku University. After that, he conducted fundamental research on thermoelectric materials in the Department of Physics. Since 2022, he have fully shifted his focus to the practice and research of entrepreneurship education. Stephane's work spans across a wide age range—from elementary school students to graduate students—promoting entrepreneurial mindsets and fostering deep-tech entrepreneurs through research-based education.