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IVS2025

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IVS2025 SPEAKERS

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DAY 1

7/2

DAY 2

7/3

DAY 3

7/4

Sota Moriyama

YOAKE entertainment Co., Ltd

Chief Business Officer

Haruka Furukawa

ForN

Marketing

Takuya Kato

KYOG Inc.

CEO

Ayaka Doki

SOICO Inc.

Founder / COO

Akimune Kawa

MIKOTO Limited

CEO

Koji Arano

meot

president

Misato Ugaki

Nippon Broadcasting System, Inc.

Podcast Program Host

Jun Imai

Headline Japan Inc.

Alliance Manager

Rui Nagamori

Leaflow inc

CEO

Satoko Suzuki

for Startups, Inc.

Communication Design Officer

Takashi Someda

HACARUS INC.

CEO

Yoshihiko Arai

Plug and Play Japan

Senior Manager

Marie Yoshida

Google Cloud Japan G.K.

Senior Account Executive

Koji Umemoto

PocketSign Inc.

Representative Director & CEO

Ryoji Izumi

Google Cloud Japan G.K.

Director of Sales

Toshihisa Takahashi

Miyagi Prefectural Government

Director-General for Digital Policy Promotion & Deputy Director-General of the Policy Planning Department

Yutaka Matsuura

Miyazaki City

Digital Support Section, Assistant Director,

Shunsuke Nakao

GREE Ventures, Inc.

Partner

Shori Tanaka

Frontier Co., LTD / Ready Crew

Executive Director CMO

Kota Kurihara

SAIRU Inc.

Representative Director & President

Keisuke Iwano

StockSun, Inc.

CEO

Takeshi Hirano

THE BRIDGE,Inc.

CEO / BRIDGE Editor at large

Tamotsu Ito

Mediagene Inc.

Editor-in-Chief, Business Insider Japan

Koji Maruyama

SBI Investment

Executive Officer, General Manager of Investment Dept.

Hideto Fujino

Rheos capital works

CEO

Kunimi Kensuke

CPA Excellent Partners Co., Ltd.

CEO

Shingo Fushimi

Lens, Inc.

Co-Founder & CEO

Hina Iwasaki

FamilyTech, Inc.

CFO

Yuya Fukutomi

Sun Asterisk Inc.

Executive Officer, CFO

Yuta Hashimoto

Mitsubishi Estate Co., Ltd.

BRICKS FUND TOKYO Co-Founder

Masayoshi Kaneko

Seven Bank, Ltd.

Associate

Kosuke Kikuchi

Platform & relationship Director / Vice President

Etsuko Kusuda

LEBEN

CEO

Jingo Kikukawa

Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry

Director-General, Innovation and Environment Policy Bureau

Kenji Yashima

TWIN PLANET Co., Ltd.

President/CEO

Yusuke Nakagawa

ASOBISYSTEM Co., Ltd.

CEO

Noriyoshi Murakami

W TOKYO Inc.

CEO

Aki Okamoto

Headline

Partner

Ryoga Okunishi

IVRy inc

CEO/Founder

Noriyuki Kojima

Kotoba Technologies, Inc.

Co-founder & CEO

Kazuhiro Obara

Catalyst

Shouta Takada

90 English

CEO

John Whaley

Inception Studio

Founder

Tiffine Wang

CEO, Onsen Global & Advisor, Venture Partner at Inception Studio Capital

Bonnie Wang

Heroad Investments

Partner

Mike Xu

Fosun Capital

Fosun Global Partner, Co-Chairman and CEO of Fosun Capital

Sean Song

S-Tron China

Founder & President

Swayne Liang

Robotstorm.ai

Co-founder

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SPEAKERS

  • IVS2025 SPEAKER

IVS2025 SPEAKER

SPEAKER

Robotstorm.ai

Co-founder

Swayne Liang

Guangdong Robot Storm Robotics Co., Ltd. focuses on the research, development, and implementation of a new paradigm for human-robot interaction in embodied intelligent robots. Its technology stack spans from underlying sensor technology to complete robot systems. The company is committed to creating general-purpose intelligent robots that can truly take care of people, enabling robots to understand how to interact safely and comfortably with a wide range of people (human bodies) right out of the box. Within less than a year since its establishment, the company has completed three rounds of financing. Since 2025, it has signed orders worth over 20 million yuan.

Team Introduction

The company was founded by several PhDs from renowned universities. Their expertise covers AI, robotics, and psychology. They possess strong hands-on capabilities and years of experience in commercial implementation.

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      S-Tron China

      Founder & President

      Sean Song

      Mr. Yuchen (Sean) Song is the Founder and President of S-Tron/S-创 China (formerly Slush China). Head of China's largest technology innovation event ,

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          Fosun Capital

          Fosun Global Partner, Co-Chairman and CEO of Fosun Capital

          Mike Xu

          Mike Xu, Global Partner at Fosun Group and Co-President of Fosun Capital, specializes in TMT investments and leads Fosun’s efforts in IoT, AI, E-commerce, and SaaS. He drove key investments like Espressif Systems and Delhivery, and previously held leadership roles at Microsoft China and Bertelsmann. Mike holds an EE degree from Fudan and an EMBA from Washington University.

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              Heroad Investments

              Partner

              Bonnie Wang

              Bonnie Wang
              Partner of Heroad Investments, an impact investment firm founded in 2020 by experienced VC fund managers, leaders in finance and philanthropy, and Fortune 500 companies executives.
              With a background in brand management from her studies in Waseda University（Japan）and ESSEC（France）, Bonnie brings expertise from her prior roles at LV Japan and Hakuhodo DY One. This deep understanding of the Japanese market is instrumental in developing the social value of Heroad's portfolio companies and facilitating their expansion into Japan. Bonnie was recently honored as China's Best Young Investor of the Year by ChinaVenture 2024.

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                  CEO, Onsen Global & Advisor, Venture Partner at Inception Studio Capital

                  Tiffine Wang

                  CEO, Onsen Global & Advisor, Venture Partner at Inception Studio Capital

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                      Inception Studio

                      Founder

                      John Whaley

                      John Whaley is a serial entrepreneur and General Partner at Inception Studio Capital, a $20M fund investing in AI-native companies. He founded Inception Studio, Silicon Valley's most selective accelerator for experienced AI entrepreneurs, which has launched 38 companies that collectively raised over $140M.

                      A 25-year Silicon Valley veteran, John holds a PhD from Stanford (Best Thesis Award) and BS/MEng from MIT. He has founded three companies including UnifyID (acquired by Prove) and currently teaches CS224G at Stanford. Named to Forbes AI 50, John helps experienced technical founders build venture-scale AI businesses through Inception's community of 200+ founders.

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                          90 English

                          CEO

                          Shouta Takada

                          CEO of 90 English
                          While studying at Hosei University, I studied abroad at Boise State University in the US as a government-sponsored international student, majoring in entrepreneurship and marketing.
                          In 2018, I joined Mizuno Corporation.
                          Later, I founded 90 Inc., which operates the English coaching school “90 English,” and currently serve as its CEO.
                          I have been featured in major media outlets such as Diamond Online and Business Insider.

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                              Catalyst

                              Kazuhiro Obara

                              Kazuhiro Obara was born in 1970. He completed a master's in Artificial Intelligence at the Graduate School of Engineering, Kyoto University. He began his career at McKinsey & Company, followed by positions at Recruit Co., Google Japan, and Rakuten, where he served as an Executive Officer. Obara has also been a member of the Cabinet Office's New AI Strategy Review Committee and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry's Foreign Trade Policy Committee.

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                                  Kotoba Technologies, Inc.

                                  Co-founder & CEO

                                  Noriyuki Kojima

                                  Noriyuki Kojima is the co-founder and CEO of Kotoba Technologies, a Japan-based speech GenAI startup developing AI-powered simultaneous translation to break language barriers. Previously, he co-founded Fugaku-LLM, a Japanese national project focused on training LLMs using Fugaku, once the world's fastest supercomputer. He holds a PhD in Computer Science from Cornell University and received the EMNLP 2022 Best Paper Award during his PhD.

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                                      IVRy inc

                                      CEO/Founder

                                      Ryoga Okunishi

                                      He graduated from Doshisha Graduate School of Science and Engineering and Doshisha Graduate School of Information Engineering. He joined Recruit Holdings in 2015 as a UI/UX Director. He was involved in the launch of insurance-related and e-commerce businesses, and also experienced as a leader and product manager. Founded IVRy Inc. in 2019, and as of 2025, has the No. 1 share of the telephone business efficiency cloud and has raised over 4.95 billion yen in total.

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                                          Headline

                                          Partner

                                          Aki Okamoto

                                          January 2007:
                                          Joined Recruit Holdings as an Executive Officer overseeing R&D. During my time there, I led investments in around 100+ startups across Silicon Valley, Israel, India, and beyond. I was responsible for:
                                          • Launching and managing Recruit Strategic Partners, the company’s CVC
                                          • Founding Megagon Labs (formerly Recruit Institute of Technology), our in-house AI research lab
                                          • RING, an internal program that encouraged all employees to pitch new business ideas

                                          April 2019:
                                          Became EVP and CIO at MUFG Innovation Partners, where I led the group’s global investment strategy.

                                          Since May 2021:
                                          Working as a Partner at Headline Asia, focusing mainly on Fintech and Space Tech, from seed to early-stage.
                                          What sets us apart:
                                          • A data-driven approach to finding and evaluating startups
                                          • Organizing IVS, Japan’s biggest startup conference

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                                            W TOKYO Inc.

                                            CEO

                                            Noriyoshi Murakami

                                            W TOKYO Inc.
                                            W TOKYO is a creative agency based in Japan, best known as the organizer and producer of Tokyo Girls Collection (TGC), one of the largest fashion and culture events in Japan. The company connects fashion, entertainment, and digital media to promote Japanese culture both domestically and internationally. W TOKYO creates unique experiences that blend live events with cutting-edge technology and trend-focused content.

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                                                ASOBISYSTEM Co., Ltd.

                                                CEO

                                                Yusuke Nakagawa

                                                Born in Tokyo in 1981, Nakagawa has hosted various events since his university days. In 2007, he established the production and artist management company ASOBISYSTEM Co., Ltd. He is also widely recognized as the creator of AOMOJI-KEI, one of the distinctive Harajuku fashion subcultures. ASOBISYSTEM disseminates unique Japanese culture and content, including fashion, music, and lifestyle, to audiences worldwide from its headquarters in Harajuku. Nakagawa is also active as a member of the Cabinet Secretariat Cool Japan Public-Private Partnership Platform.

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                                                    TWIN PLANET Co., Ltd.

                                                    President/CEO

                                                    Kenji Yashima

                                                    Born in Kyoto in 1980, he moved to Tokyo at the age of 20 and became CEO of Tsubasa Records in 2004. In 2006, he founded TWIN PLANET Co., Ltd. He was an early pioneer in the “gyaru” market, recognizing the unique individuality of the subculture and creating new value within the industry. Today, he leads the company as an IP production firm, developing a wide range of entertainment businesses centered on intellectual property. His work spans talent management, event and retail planning, product development, and marketing and promotion.

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                                                        Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry

                                                        Director-General, Innovation and Environment Policy Bureau

                                                        Jingo Kikukawa

                                                        Over 25 years devoted to policy making regarding global warming
                                                        issue (GX), trade negotiation (WTO, TPP), SMEs Finance and Tax system, Economic National Security (5G, Semiconductor, AI, DX) at Government of Japan, especially at Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI).

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                                                            LEBEN

                                                            CEO

                                                            Etsuko Kusuda

                                                            Engaged in initiatives aimed at enhancing and diversifying mobility methods and services, as well as addressing environmental issues, to create a more fulfilling life and society. After serving as the founding editor-in-chief of LIGARE, a mobility business magazine published by The Automotive Newspaper Company, he became independent in 2013.

                                                            He has served on various expert panels and government committees, including the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism's “Expert Panel for Promoting Bicycle Utilization,” the “15th Regional Public Transportation Subcommittee of the Transport Policy Council,” the “Data Review Committee on MaaS,” and the Phase 2 SIP Autonomous Driving Peer Review Committee (focused on system and service expansion).

                                                            He was also the former editor-in-chief of DIMENSION NOTE, a knowledge-sharing platform for startups, and holds an MBA in English from GLOBIS University Graduate School of Management.

                                                            Co-author of Latest Illustrated Guide to MaaS: Everything You Need to Know, editor of Escaping the "Mobility Poverty Society": New Mobility Markets Emerging from the Driver’s License Return Issue (Jiji Press), and author of The Textbook of Secondary Transportation (Yamatogokoro Books).

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                                                                Platform & relationship Director / Vice President

                                                                Kosuke Kikuchi

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                                                                    Seven Bank, Ltd.

                                                                    Associate

                                                                    Masayoshi Kaneko

                                                                    After joining Seven Bank in 2021, I have been responsible for startup and LP investments as well as new business development. As an investment officer, I oversee the entire process from sourcing to execution, ensuring seamless operations throughout. Additionally, I serve as a project leader, driving initiatives from the planning phase of new businesses to their service launch and subsequent growth. Beyond these responsibilities, I actively engage in a wide range of activities centered on new business development, including managing open innovation programs and fostering collaborative opportunities.

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                                                                        Mitsubishi Estate Co., Ltd.

                                                                        BRICKS FUND TOKYO Co-Founder

                                                                        Yuta Hashimoto

                                                                        After working at a newspaper, consulting firm, and railway company, he joined Mitsubishi Estate in 2021. He launched BRICKS FUND TOKYO, a CVC focused on co-creating growth industries. He leads startup investment, business development, and open innovation initiatives across the Mitsubishi Estate Group. In his previous role, he initiated accelerator programs and incubation offices, leading to multiple capital alliances. With over seven years of experience in open innovation, he is dedicated to transforming traditional industries and fostering emerging ones.

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                                                                          Sun Asterisk Inc.

                                                                          Executive Officer, CFO

                                                                          Yuya Fukutomi

                                                                          Graduated from the University of Manchester. 2005 Joined Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd. Joined Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd., in the Accounting and Finance Department working on accounting, tax, financial management, and M&A roles. 2008 Joined JPMorgan Securities Japan Co., Ltd. In 2018, promoted to Executive Director in the M&A Group. 2020 Joined GA technologies and became Director of the Management Strategy Division and Executive Officer CFO, responsible for financial strategy, financing, IR, investment strategy, business strategy, new business planning and promotion, etc. 2022 Joined Sun Asterisk as General Manager leading the Business Administration Office. In 2024, became Executive Officer CFO.

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                                                                              FamilyTech, Inc.

                                                                              CFO

                                                                              Hina Iwasaki

                                                                              Hina Iwasaki began her career at UBS Securities, advising on M&A, finance, and investor relations. She then joined an impact investment fund, focusing on listed equities, before transitioning into the startup career. As a Corporate Group Director, she has led IPO preparation, fundraising, and corporate planning across HR, legal, and general affairs. In parallel, she provides external CFO services to startups and SMEs. Currently, she serves as Executive Officer and CFO at FamilyTech, Inc. and as an Outside Director and Audit Committee Member at REVOLUTION Co., Ltd.

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                                                                                  Lens, Inc.

                                                                                  Co-Founder & CEO

                                                                                  Shingo Fushimi

                                                                                  Co-Founder & CEO, Lens Inc., providing AI-powered risk management & TPRM SaaS. JPY 844M seed (Feb 2025). Previously led FinTech at Mercari (Merpay/Mercoin) after joining via the acquisition of mobile payment pioneer Origami, where he was a founding member.

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                                                                                      CPA Excellent Partners Co., Ltd.

                                                                                      CEO

                                                                                      Kunimi Kensuke

                                                                                      CPA Excellent Partners supports Accounting & finance pros via its CPA Accounting School (60% of CPA passers).

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                                                                                          Rheos capital works

                                                                                          CEO

                                                                                          Hideto Fujino

                                                                                          Hidetoshi Fujino is a prominent Japanese investor and entrepreneur. After graduating from Waseda University, he worked at major asset management firms before founding Reos Capital Works in 2003. He leads the popular “Hifumi” fund series and is known for promoting long-term investment and social impact through finance. Fujino also serves as a senior visiting professor at Tokyo University of Science and is active in education, writing, and public speaking.

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                                                                                          SBI Investment

                                                                                          Executive Officer, General Manager of Investment Dept.

                                                                                          Koji Maruyama

                                                                                          With over 15 years of venture capital experience at SBI Investment, he has led investments from seed to pre-IPO across diverse sectors. His focus includes FinTech, SaaS, AI, healthcare, deeptech and Web3, covering a wide range of emerging technologies and business models.

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                                                                                              Mediagene Inc.

                                                                                              Editor-in-Chief, Business Insider Japan

                                                                                              Tamotsu Ito

                                                                                              Here are a few options for translating that into English, each with slightly different nuances. Choose the one that best fits the specific context you're using it in.

                                                                                              Option 1 (Concise and Professional)
                                                                                              Starting in the early 2000s, I primarily covered B2C technology for a major IT publisher's PC/IT weekly magazine. After launching a web media outlet and serving as Deputy Editor-in-Chief for the weekly, I joined Business Insider Japan as a founding member in 2017. In January 2020, I became Editor-in-Chief of Business Insider Japan and Executive Officer of MediaGene, overseeing its media editorial division.

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                                                                                                  THE BRIDGE,Inc.

                                                                                                  CEO / BRIDGE Editor at large

                                                                                                  Takeshi Hirano

                                                                                                  ブロガー。TechCrunch Japan、CNET JAPANなどでテクノロジー系スタートアップの取材を続け、2010年にBRIDGEを共同創業。2021年にPR TIMES子会社（株）THE BRIDGEを設立し、代表取締役に就任

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                                                                                                      StockSun, Inc.

                                                                                                      CEO

                                                                                                      Keisuke Iwano

                                                                                                      After graduating from Kyoto University with a degree in law, he earned a master’s in security studies at Takushoku University. During his studies, he interned as a political secretary and at a startup before co-founding UTIL Inc., where he led the website development business. In 2018, he joined StockSun Inc. as an independent consultant, driving both business growth and team building. He achieved the company’s top sales for two consecutive years and became CEO in August 2022, increasing gross profit nearly fivefold within three years.

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                                                                                                          SAIRU Inc.

                                                                                                          Representative Director & President

                                                                                                          Kota Kurihara

                                                                                                          University of Tokyo graduate, I joined GaiaX Co., Ltd. in 2011, launching its B2B Marketing Support Division and later serving as Division Director and Executive Committee member. Driven by the vision of creating a “Method Company,” I founded Sairu Inc., where I now serve as CEO, helping enterprises build repeatable, data-driven growth engines. I regularly write and speak on go-to-market strategy, and have authored Case-Based B2B Marketing Strategy & Practice and The PMF Playbook for New Ventures.

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                                                                                                              Frontier Co., LTD / Ready Crew

                                                                                                              Executive Director CMO

                                                                                                              Shori Tanaka

                                                                                                              the CMO of Frontier Inc. and CEO of Frontier Agent Inc. After graduating from Osaka University, held positions in manufacturing and later led marketing at a global fintech firm. Since joining Frontier in 2020, spearheaded the launch and growth of “Ready Crew,” a B2B business matching platform that handles over 1,500 corporate consultations monthly. Deeply involved in supporting companies with business development, vendor sourcing, and practical applications of AI.

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                                                                                                                GREE Ventures, Inc.

                                                                                                                Partner

                                                                                                                Shunsuke Nakao

                                                                                                                Set up the GREE LP Fund JP1 at GREE Ventures, and has made LP investments in Japanese VC firms.

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                                                                                                                    Miyazaki City

                                                                                                                    Digital Support Section, Assistant Director,

                                                                                                                    Yutaka Matsuura

                                                                                                                    After working as a network engineer in a private IT company, designing and building infrastructure and handling security-related projects, he joined the Miyazaki City Government as a working member of society. Currently, he is working on the design of new systems such as network infrastructure, Google Workspac and Google Cloud.

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                                                                                                                        Miyagi Prefectural Government

                                                                                                                        Director-General for Digital Policy Promotion & Deputy Director-General of the Policy Planning Department

                                                                                                                        Toshihisa Takahashi

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                                                                                                                            Google Cloud Japan G.K.

                                                                                                                            Director of Sales

                                                                                                                            Ryoji Izumi

                                                                                                                            Joined Google Cloud Japan, GK in January 2019. Director, Public Sector & Healthcare & Life Sciences Business Unit and General Manager, Google Cloud Corporate Sales Division.

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                                                                                                                                PocketSign Inc.

                                                                                                                                Representative Director & CEO

                                                                                                                                Koji Umemoto

                                                                                                                                Representative Director & CEO, PocketSign Inc.

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                                                                                                                                    Google Cloud Japan G.K.

                                                                                                                                    Senior Account Executive

                                                                                                                                    Marie Yoshida

                                                                                                                                    She has built her career in the technology industry, starting at Salesforce Japan, where she was involved in sales and business strategy to support digital transformation through SaaS implementation. She then led the Japan market entry for a startup offering collaboration tools. Currently, she serves as an Account Executive at Google Cloud Japan, where she supports digital transformation in the public sector by driving AI adoption and enhancing collaboration across local governments.

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                                                                                                                                        Plug and Play Japan

                                                                                                                                        Senior Manager

                                                                                                                                        Yoshihiko Arai

                                                                                                                                        Joined Plug and Play in 2021. He is in charge of Fintech program where he supports the collaboration between startups and large companies in Japan. He also leads projects to foster open-innovation ecosystem in Kansai region in collaboration with government bodies. In his previous position at SMBC, he led many cross-border finance and asset-securitization projects with international institutional investors. MBA from Babson College in 2021.

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                                                                                                                                            HACARUS INC.

                                                                                                                                            CEO

                                                                                                                                            Takashi Someda

                                                                                                                                            Graduating from Kyoto University with a focus on statistics and informatics, he began his career as a System Engineer at Sun Microsystems. He then transitioned to software development through the Mitou Software Project. After co-founding a startup, he established and managed the Kyoto branch for a Fukuoka-based venture, handling service development and marketing. In 2016, he joined HACARUS Inc., serving as Director CTO and COO before being appointed Representative Director and CEO in January 2024.

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                                                                                                                                                for Startups, Inc.

                                                                                                                                                Communication Design Officer

                                                                                                                                                Satoko Suzuki

                                                                                                                                                I have worked as a sales and public relations manager for Recruit, Sumitomo Realty & Development, KaizenPlatform, Metaps, and Time Bank. Currently, I am a professional officer of Four Startups, Inc. I lead communication design.
                                                                                                                                                Visiting Professor at iU Information Management Innovation Professional University / Executive Director of New Norm Consortium / Mentor for Tokyo Startup Support./ fgn. Vice President of Communication

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                                                                                                                                                    Leaflow inc

                                                                                                                                                    CEO

                                                                                                                                                    Rui Nagamori

                                                                                                                                                    CEO of Leaflow Inc. After earning her degree in Philosophy from Keio University, Rui began her career at Maersk Line in international logistics. She later founded and successfully exited Carry On Inc., a resale platform for children’s clothing, before launching Leaflow in 2021. As a pioneer in Japan’s emerging CBD market, she works across e-commerce, retail, sustainability, and PR/marketing. In addition to running events and supporting entrepreneurs, she is also active in women’s leadership development and public speaking. Rui serves as a planner at Venture Café Tokyo and community manager at Tokyo Innovation Base (TIB).

                                                                                                                                                    ★ SESSION ★

                                                                                                                                                        • IVS2025 SPEAKER

                                                                                                                                                        IVS2025 SPEAKER

                                                                                                                                                        SPEAKER

                                                                                                                                                        Headline Japan Inc.

                                                                                                                                                        Alliance Manager

                                                                                                                                                        Jun Imai

                                                                                                                                                        After graduating from university, Jun worked at two venture companies before joining the founding team of 17LIVE, a leading live-streaming app. He later helped launch new digital business initiatives at the entertainment agency Amuse Inc.
                                                                                                                                                        In 2011, he founded IMAJUN, a company he had been involved with as an MC since his student days. He went on to join Headline Asia, a venture capital firm focused on global investments. Jun also played a key role in managing staff for IVS, Japan’s largest startup conference, and LAUNCHPAD SEED, further establishing his presence in the startup ecosystem.

                                                                                                                                                        ★ SESSION ★

                                                                                                                                                            • IVS2025 SPEAKER

                                                                                                                                                            IVS2025 SPEAKER

                                                                                                                                                            SPEAKER

                                                                                                                                                            Nippon Broadcasting System, Inc.

                                                                                                                                                            Podcast Program Host

                                                                                                                                                            Misato Ugaki

                                                                                                                                                            “Misato Ugaki's Startup Nippon powered by All Night Nippon”.
                                                                                                                                                            In this program, startup entrepreneurs are invited as guests and will ask questions from various angles, ranging from business-related matters, how they started their businesses, to their visions for the future, and will get into the challenges and innovative ideas of startup companies. She also digs deep into each of their "dreams.

                                                                                                                                                            ★ SESSION ★

                                                                                                                                                                • IVS2025 SPEAKER

                                                                                                                                                                IVS2025 SPEAKER

                                                                                                                                                                SPEAKER

                                                                                                                                                                meot

                                                                                                                                                                president

                                                                                                                                                                Koji Arano

                                                                                                                                                                As a dating advice YouTuber, I made a name for myself by bluntly and unapologetically calling out singles. That naturally led to the launch of my own matchmaking agency, which—somehow—skyrocketed in popularity, bringing me to where I am today.

                                                                                                                                                                ★ SESSION ★

                                                                                                                                                                    • IVS2025 SPEAKER

                                                                                                                                                                    IVS2025 SPEAKER

                                                                                                                                                                    SPEAKER

                                                                                                                                                                    MIKOTO Limited

                                                                                                                                                                    CEO

                                                                                                                                                                    Akimune Kawa

                                                                                                                                                                    I'm doing business in Nigeria! Nice to meet you!

                                                                                                                                                                    ★ SESSION ★

                                                                                                                                                                        • IVS2025 SPEAKER

                                                                                                                                                                        IVS2025 SPEAKER

                                                                                                                                                                        SPEAKER

                                                                                                                                                                        SOICO Inc.

                                                                                                                                                                        Founder / COO

                                                                                                                                                                        Ayaka Doki

                                                                                                                                                                        While studying at Keio University, she founded her first startup at 19 and later studied at UC Berkeley. After graduation, she joined Goldman Sachs’ investment banking division, focusing on fundraising advisory. In 2018, she co-founded SOICO Inc. and became COO, advising around 1,000 companies annually on capital strategy and equity compensation. She also launched a talent business specializing in CFOs and outside directors. In September 2022, she was appointed as an outside director of Apre Inc.

                                                                                                                                                                        ★ SESSION ★

                                                                                                                                                                            • IVS2025 SPEAKER

                                                                                                                                                                            IVS2025 SPEAKER

                                                                                                                                                                            SPEAKER

                                                                                                                                                                            KYOG Inc.

                                                                                                                                                                            CEO

                                                                                                                                                                            Takuya Kato

                                                                                                                                                                            Born in 1991, age 33. A graduate of Meiji University’s School of Information and Communication. Joined Capcom straight out of university, working on PC game and VR projects. Founded VARK Inc. in August 2017 and served as its CEO. Launched the virtual live platform “VARK” in 2018, and its 2019 event “V-Summer!” hit No. 1 on Japan’s Twitter trends. Named to Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia 2021. Raised a cumulative ¥2 billion through Series C funding and exited via M&A in 2025. Currently runs “Living-Dead Liquidation-kun,” a resignation support service for startup CEOs.

                                                                                                                                                                            ★ SESSION ★

                                                                                                                                                                              • IVS2025 SPEAKER

                                                                                                                                                                              IVS2025 SPEAKER

                                                                                                                                                                              SPEAKER

                                                                                                                                                                              ForN

                                                                                                                                                                              Marketing

                                                                                                                                                                              Haruka Furukawa

                                                                                                                                                                              After serving as CEO of one of Japan's largest event management companies, joined as a founding member of a global Web3 game utilizing IP. Engaged in global promotion and community marketing.
                                                                                                                                                                              In 2025, joined ForN aiming to grow as a marketer.
                                                                                                                                                                              For marketing operations of live titles, handles promotion, SNS planning, as well as operational efficiency improvements and design creation leveraging AI.

                                                                                                                                                                              ★ SESSION ★

                                                                                                                                                                                  • IVS2025 SPEAKER

                                                                                                                                                                                  IVS2025 SPEAKER

                                                                                                                                                                                  SPEAKER

                                                                                                                                                                                  YOAKE entertainment Co., Ltd

                                                                                                                                                                                  Chief Business Officer

                                                                                                                                                                                  Sota Moriyama

                                                                                                                                                                                  Served as a core member of Astar Network, overseeing the development and execution of strategies for Asian market expansion, community engagement, and exchange listings. Subsequently joined Startale Group as a Business Manager, contributing to the launch and growth of global Web3 businesses across diverse sectors such as finance and entertainment. YOAKE leverages blockchain technology to expand Japanese entertainment and intellectual property worldwide, and builds a next-generation platform for “oshi-katsu” (supporting favorites).

                                                                                                                                                                                  ★ SESSION ★