Board of Directors
Yoshihito Daimon, J.D., External Director
Dr. Daimon graduated from Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyushu University. Patent Attorney. Doctor of Jurisprudence. Engaged in legal and intellectual property work at Astellas Pharma Inc. and a foreign generic drug company, where in charge of application prosecution to intellectual property litigation and M&A. In recent years, has widely supported drug discovery startups and academia from the perspective of IP strategy. A specially appointed professor at the OI Strategy Organization of Tohoku University.
Atsushi Usami, Ph.D., UTEC - The University of Tokyo Edge Capital Partners
Dr. Usami focuses on seed/early-stage life science investments at UTEC. Dr. Usami led investments of Repertoire Genesis Inc. (Acquired by Eurofins Scientific SE) and OriCiro Genomics, Inc.(Acquired by Moderna, Inc.) and provides support for Life Science Innovation Network Japan (LINK-J). Before joining UTEC, he worked as a strategy consultant at Mitsubishi Research Institute (MRI), serving pharmaceutical, medical device and other manufacturing companies across a range of areas including mid-to-long term management planning and new business development. He currently serves on the boards of EditForce Inc., Bugworks Research inc., bitBiome Inc., Celaid Therapeutics Inc., PURMX Therapeutics Co., Ltd., United Immunity, Co., Ltd., RegCell Co., Ltd. and among others. He received a Ph.D. in pharmaceutical sciences from the University of Tokyo and is a pharmacist.
Hiroshi Gonaikawa, Axil Capital
Mr. Gonaikawa is a Partner of Axil Capital. He heads the domestic investment team, and he is the portfolio manager for Axil’s domestic investments. He has played an integral role in co-founding and expanding Axil Capital from its inception in 2017. Mr. Gonaikawa has nearly 40 years of experience in investment banking, venture capital and consulting, where he started his career as a securities analyst at Nomura Research Institute, one of the most prominent think tanks in Japan. In 2000, he led the launch of a venture capital fund from Nomura Securities, where he left a remarkable track record. Mr. Gonaikawa also held a Joint Researcher position at the University of Tokyo, Academia-Industry Collaboration Headquarters between 2003 and 2016. He also held a Researcher position at JIPDEC under the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry in 2010. He received his B.S. degree in Economics from Tohoku University.
Hikaru Saito, Saisei Ventures
He is responsible for a variety of duties related to Japan strategy for Saisei Ventures. Previous to Saisei, he was a senior investment manager at Astellas Venture Management, the corporate venture capital arm of Astellas Pharma, based in San Francisco Bay Area, CA USA where he was responsible for the end-to-end deal process on opportunities globally in RNA, cell and gene therapy. Additionally, he led strategic partnerships with US and EU-based venture capital funds, accelerators, and institutions. He started his career as a research scientist at Astellas Pharma Pharmaceutical Research and Technology laboratories after completing his Ph.D. work. Prior to joining Astellas, he served as a visiting scientist at The Institute Medical Science, The University of Tokyo, and as a research fellow in Japan Society for the Promotion of Science. Dr. Saito received his B.E. in Biotechnology, his M.E. and Ph.D. in Biomolecular Engineering from Tokyo Institute of Technology.
Satoshi Nozaki, Auditor, New York State Attorney
Mr. Nozaki graduated from Tokyo University with a degree in law. He completed a MCJ and Master of Law (LLM) at New York University Law School and was admitted to the New York State Bar. Mr. Nozaki served as the Head of Legal at Astellas Pharma, Regional Legal Head of Japan, Asia & Oceania, Legal Head of Innovation, Governance, Technology & Data, and Legal Head of Strategic Transactions. He is currently Head of Legal at Kanbara Investment Co., Ltd.
Takashi Miyahara, External Auditor, UTEC - The University of Tokyo Edge Capital Partners
Mr. Nozaki graduated from Tokyo University with a degree in law. He completed a MCJ and Master of Law (LLM) at New York University Law School and was admitted to the New York State Bar. Mr. Nozaki served as the Head of Legal at Astellas Pharma, Regional Legal Head of Japan, Asia & Oceania, Legal Head of Innovation, Governance, Technology & Data, and Legal Head of Strategic Transactions. He is currently Head of Legal at Kanbara Investment Co., Ltd.