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Katsunari Matsui
Co-Founder and President
He participated in the launch of Dream Incubator(DI)’s Financial Advisory service in 2012 and co-founded Private Capital Group (PCG) in 2019. Later, he experienced MBO (Management Buyout) of the PCG and co-founded Finance Produce (FiP).
FiP (formerly DI-PCG) is providing fundraising and M&A advisory services for international entrepreneurs.
He worked for SBI Investment (formerly Softbank Investment), that managed more than USD 1.4B venture capital funds, as investment manager for cross-border growth investment in international
startups.
Prior to that, he gained experience in financial analysis and operational reform of Aflac, the Fortune 500 financial institution, listed on the New York Stock Exchange.
A graduate of Keio University’s Faculty of Law (Department of Law), and a Certified Public Accountant in the United States.
Yoshito Jesson
Co-Founder
At DI, he participated in the launch of DI’s Private Capital Group in 2019 (later FiP).
Before joining FIP, he worked for a leading fintech startup for business development and DeNA for new business development.
Prior to that, he worked for SBI Investment
(formerly Softbank Investment), that managed more than USD 1.4B venture capital funds, as investment manager for growth investment in international startups.
Go Takeuchi
Director
Career Summary: Prior to joining the firm, he held positions at Dream Incubator, PwC Consulting, Yamada Consulting Group, and AXA Life Insurance.
Expertise: At Dream Incubator, he was engaged in domestic and cross-border M&A advisory, managing the process from origination to execution. At PwC Consulting, he specialized in Post-Merger Integration (PMI). He also provides expertise in corporate finance and M&A advisory from his tenure at AXA Life and Yamada Consulting Group. (Graduate of Rowland School of Business, Point Park University)
Expertise: At Dream Incubator, he was engaged in domestic and cross-border M&A advisory, managing the process from origination to execution. At PwC Consulting, he specialized in Post-Merger Integration (PMI). He also provides expertise in corporate finance and M&A advisory from his tenure at AXA Life and Yamada Consulting Group. (Graduate of Rowland School of Business, Point Park University)
Hideaki Nakayama
Director
Career Summary: Joined the firm after experience at Dream Incubator, PwC Advisory, Voicy, and an HR-focused consulting firm.
Expertise: At Dream Incubator, he focused on financial advisory for cross-border M&A and strategic consulting. At Voicy (voice platform startup), he served in the President's Office and BizDev. At PwC Advisory, he was responsible for M&A strategy formulation, business due diligence (BDD), and market entry strategies. (Graduate of Keio University, Faculty of Law; MBA from Nagoya University of Commerce & Business)
Expertise: At Dream Incubator, he focused on financial advisory for cross-border M&A and strategic consulting. At Voicy (voice platform startup), he served in the President's Office and BizDev. At PwC Advisory, he was responsible for M&A strategy formulation, business due diligence (BDD), and market entry strategies. (Graduate of Keio University, Faculty of Law; MBA from Nagoya University of Commerce & Business)
Shu Kokubun
Vice President
Career Summary: Previously worked at Nomura Securities, a startup investment fund, and M&A Cloud.
Expertise: In the Investment Banking Division (IBD) at Nomura, he was involved in M&A advisory and IPO support within the TMT sector, as well as promoting secondary market projects for unlisted shares. At M&A Cloud, he specialized in M&A advisory and fundraising support. (Securities Analyst; Graduate of Miyagi University of Education)
Expertise: In the Investment Banking Division (IBD) at Nomura, he was involved in M&A advisory and IPO support within the TMT sector, as well as promoting secondary market projects for unlisted shares. At M&A Cloud, he specialized in M&A advisory and fundraising support. (Securities Analyst; Graduate of Miyagi University of Education)
Kazuma Asaba
Senior Associate
Career Summary: Joined from SMBC Nikko Securities and Toyota Financial Services.
Expertise: At SMBC Nikko Securities’ Global Capital Markets Division, he focused on product development for mezzanine finance, including subordinated bonds and preferred shares. At Toyota Financial Services, he was involved in the new business planning department. (Graduate of Tokyo University of Science, Master’s Degree)
Expertise: At SMBC Nikko Securities’ Global Capital Markets Division, he focused on product development for mezzanine finance, including subordinated bonds and preferred shares. At Toyota Financial Services, he was involved in the new business planning department. (Graduate of Tokyo University of Science, Master’s Degree)
Koichi Sano
Senior Associate
Career Summary: Previously at Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities and Mizuho Securities.
Expertise: In the Global Investment Banking Division at Mizuho Securities, he provided coverage and IPO support from seed stage to listing. He began his career at Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities, providing wealth management services to corporate clients and business owners. (Graduate of Chuo University)
Expertise: In the Global Investment Banking Division at Mizuho Securities, he provided coverage and IPO support from seed stage to listing. He began his career at Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities, providing wealth management services to corporate clients and business owners. (Graduate of Chuo University)
Takuya Yamamura
Senior Associate
Career Summary: Joined from SMBC Nikko Securities.
Expertise: In the Investment Banking Division, he served as a Relationship Manager (RM) for unlisted companies, focusing on IPO support and M&A origination. Later, he specialized in governance restructuring and capital policy guidance, contributing to the successful IPOs of six companies. (Graduate of Keio University, Faculty of Business and Commerce)
Expertise: In the Investment Banking Division, he served as a Relationship Manager (RM) for unlisted companies, focusing on IPO support and M&A origination. Later, he specialized in governance restructuring and capital policy guidance, contributing to the successful IPOs of six companies. (Graduate of Keio University, Faculty of Business and Commerce)
Kohei Kurihara
Associate
Career Summary: Previously worked at Long Black Partners and JR East (East Japan Railway Company).
Expertise: At Long Black Partners, he was part of the Business Revitalization Advisory Division, where he conducted business/financial due diligence and supported the formulation of management improvement plans. (Graduate of Hitotsubashi University)
Expertise: At Long Black Partners, he was part of the Business Revitalization Advisory Division, where he conducted business/financial due diligence and supported the formulation of management improvement plans. (Graduate of Hitotsubashi University)
Eriko Nonaka
PR／Contents Director
Career Summary: Started her career at MUFG Bank in the Markets Division (Corporate Sales, ALM, and Fund Portfolio Management). In 2017, she managed the Japan localization of the SoftBank Vision Fund. She served as Executive Director of the Fintech Association of Japan (2019) and Director of Startup Weekend (2021). She founded N.FIELD in 2020. (Graduate of Rikkyo University)
Yuki Yabuchi
CFO of enechain
Former CFO of Paidy (PayPal Group)
Former J.P. Morgan / The Carlyle Group
After engaging in M&A and fundraising advisory at J.P. Morgan Securities, Yuki joined The Carlyle Group, where he was involved in investment evaluation, execution, and value creation initiatives leading up to exits, including IPOs. Subsequently, as CFO of Paidy, he led one of Japan's largest startup M&A deals—the acquisition of Paidy by PayPal for approximately 300 billion JPY. He currently serves as CFO of enechain, Japan's largest energy marketplace.
Koji Kotaka
Former Managing Director at Goldman Sachs
Former Executive Officer at Monex Group
Former Executive Officer at Monex Group
Koji spent 15 years at Goldman Sachs in the Investment Banking Division (IBD) and the Merchant Banking Division (Private Equity). As a Managing Director, he led a wide range of M&A transactions and investments. Subsequently, he served as an Executive Officer at Monex Group, where he was responsible for strategic planning and new business development. He currently serves as a director and advisor for multiple companies, providing high-level strategic guidance. (Graduate of the University of Tokyo, Faculty of Law; LL.M. from the University of Chicago Law School)
Mitsushige Ito
Former Director & CFO at Gunosy Inc. / Mirrativ, Inc.
Vice President
After graduating from the Graduate School of Economics at Waseda University, Mitsushige built his career at Dream Incubator and Fast Retailing before co-founding Gunosy Inc. As Director and CFO, he spearheaded the company’s growth, leading it to an IPO on the TSE Mothers market in just 2 years and 5 months from its founding, and subsequently to the TSE First Section within 5 years.
He later served as Executive Vice President and CFO at Mirrativ, Inc. Currently, in addition to his role as an Advisor for Finance Produce, he serves as an outside director and strategic advisor for several startups.
He was an adjunct lecturer for the MBA program at Globis University Graduate School of Management (until 2016). His primary publications include "Reconsidering Stock Options and Key Points for Issuance" and "The Significance of Early Shareholder Meetings" (Chuokeizai-sha).
Daisuke Sasaki
CEO, freee K.K.
He oversaw marketing teams for small and medium-sized businesses in Japan and the Asia-Pacific region at Google. In July 2012, he established freee K.K. Prior to Google, he worked at Hakuhodo and served as an investment analyst at the investment fund CLSA Capital Partners, followed by a dual role as CFO and developer of a new recommendation engine at ALBERT, a recommendation engine startup. He was selected for Nikkei Business's "30 Innovators in Japan" (2013), "100 Protagonists of Japan" (2014), and Forbes JAPAN’s "Top 10 Entrepreneurs in Japan" (2015). He is a graduate of the Faculty of Commerce and Management at Hitotsubashi University, with a major in Data Science.
Masaru "Sunny" Sunagawa
Serial Entrepreneur CEO
Smartround Co., Ltd.
After joining Mitsubishi Corporation, he earned his MBA from Harvard Business School. Following graduation, he joined Globespan Capital Partners, a U.S. independent venture capital firm, where he gained investment experience as a Director. After serving as the firm's Japan Representative, he founded LocationValue. Following the sale of the company to NTT DOCOMO, he joined Google, where he served as Head of Product Management for Google Maps and Head of Android Partnerships. He left Google in February 2018 and founded smartround Co., Ltd. in May of the same year. He developed "smartround," a platform designed to streamline fundraising operations for startups and portfolio management for investors.
Masashige Obara
Serial Entrepreneur CEO
CEO of StartPass Inc.
He began his career in startups in 1999 following his university graduation. After working at a mobile content consulting firm, he founded App Broad Cast in 2013, providing an app media service used by over 4 million people, which was acquired by mediba (KDDI Group) in April 2016. Currently, as an angel investor, he has invested in 25 companies, achieving two exits, including one IPO. He operates "StartPass," one of Japan's largest platforms for entrepreneurs.
Koichi Maruo
CEO of Major7th Co., Ltd.
Born in 1960 in Osaka Prefecture. He spent 38 years at Daiwa Securities Co. Ltd., serving as an executive officer for 12 years, including the role of Senior Managing Director. He was consistently engaged in investment banking. As a lead underwriter, he facilitated numerous major startup IPOs, including Mercari, Inc. and RAKSUL INC. He was also involved in the re-listing of Japan Airlines Co., Ltd. following its bankruptcy, as well as fundraising for listed companies such as Rakuten Group, Inc. and KDDI CORPORATION. Currently, he serves as President & CEO of Major7th Co., Ltd., which provides support services for entrepreneurs, while also holding several outside director positions for both listed and unlisted companies.
