TEAM

Joined Sumitomo Corporation in 1992, then engaged in international business development of crop science business at Life Science Headquarters, and worked in Africa, France and Australia. Since he became CEO of a Japanese corporation of an Israeli life science company in 2005, he has accumulated outstanding network and knowledge through his business experience with Israel. He is an understanding of Israeli innovation and entrepreneurship, and started Corundum Innovation Co., Ltd. in 2014 with the aim of creating value with Japan's industrial base.

Naohiro Takemoto started his career at Sanwa Bank (now MUFG Bank) where he mainly engaged in investment banking business including M&A, underwriting and securitization in Tokyo, New York and Hong Kong.

In 2000, he moved to AIG to manage buyout fund (US$80M). In 2004, he, with his colleagues at AIG, co-founded and managed several buyout funds as a General Partner (US$100M, US$50M and US$200M) and was responsible for fund raising, investment, roll-ups, monitoring, divestment, and investor relations matters. He joined Corundum Innovation Japan in 2016 as a Compliance and Corporate Strategy Officer, and now serves as a CFO.

Naohiro holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from Kyoto University, Japan and an MBA from New York University Stern School of Business, USA

Kazuyuki (Kaz) joined Corundum Innovation in November, 2021. Previously, Kaz served multiple roles at WeWork Japan from 2018 including Chairman, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Chief Financial Officer (CFO), where he led the opening of 37 locations across 7 cities and introduced new services such as “All Access” and “Private Access” to facilitate new work style in Japan. Prior to WeWork, he served as Chief Financial Officer of General Electric (GE) Japan. Kaz started his career at GE in 2003 and held multiple Finance roles at GE HQ, GE Japan, GE Capital and GE Power. Kaz graduated with BSBA from The Ohio State University and holds MBA degrees from Anderson School at University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) and National University of Singapore.

Wakuya (Wak) joined Corundum Innovation in June 2022, after 15 years working at Sony Corporation and its group companies, as a controller for starting-up business units including VAIO PC, on-line music distribution and the global treasury operation setup in its UK subsidiary; thereafter joined in the group’s financial service business unit to manage and lead the challenge for business extension towards Asia-Pacific as well as JV with a European insurance giant Aegon. Wak started his career in Sumitomo Bank (now SMBC) for 5 years including the secondment to Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, after receiving the bachelor’s degree of liberal arts / British studies from The University of Tokyo.

Takashi joined Corundum Innovation as Director of Business Development. Before joining Corundum Innovation, he played several roles at NineSigma Asia Pacific as a Director, where he managed relationships with more than 30 clients, and managed more than 150 projects. The projects varies, such as technology match making, business development consulting, technology research and so forth. Prior to NineSigma, he contributed to four projects of product development as a Mechanical Engineer at Schlumberger, a global oilfield service company. He majors aerospace engineering, and received BE and ME with hons from Tohoku University and PhD from the University of Tokyo.

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CEO from April 2020. Hidehiko started his career at the Tokyo office of Bain & Company, a US management consulting firm, and moved to JWT, WPP Group’s advertising agency, where he oversaw corporate strategy and marketing strategy in fields such as medical device, pharmaceutical, beverage and automotive clients. Subsequently, he became a founder and CEO of two bio-technology start-up companies with St. Marianna University School of Medicine. He joined Kantar Japan in 2011 and led marketing strategy projects for various FMCG companies as CEO. Hidehiko graduated from the University of Tokyo (International Relations) , Harvard Business School (MBA) and the Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences of the University of Tokyo.

Yasunobu Tanaka, Ph.D., R.Ph. is Executive Director at Corundum Systems Biology (CSB) since September 2020. In this capacity, he is responsible for business development across CSB. Before joining CSB, Dr. Tanaka started his carrier at Nitto Denko, where he was in charge of liposomal siRNA drug program for liver and lung fibrosis indication. During this program period, he played main roles of global clinical development at phase1/2 stage, IP portfolio management and due diligence that eventually led to successful license out to mega pharma. Dr. Tanaka received his Bachelor and Ph.D. from School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Osaka University.

Experienced in research and development, product planning, new business planning, CVC, etc. at Hitachi, Ltd., a major Japanese general electronics manufacturer. He was a president's special organization and carried out activities to create new businesses that will be the pillar of the next generation of Hitachi’s business. In 2005, he moved to RIKEN, where he was the first executive director from a private company in RIKEN’s history responsible for creating innovation from science and technology. He was involved in the founding as a director of the Open Innovation Promotion Council, and was in charge of entrepreneurship management lectures as a visiting professor at Waseda University Graduate School for 12 years. He is a visiting professor at the Graduate School of Project Design. He also serves as an outside board member for several companies.
He currently also serves as Director, Japan Israel Friendship Association.

After working as an LA/FA system engineer and technical manager at an image processing technology venture company, he joined Sony Corporation in 1989, and was transferred to the newly established Sony Computer Entertainment (now Sony Interactive Entertainment) in 1993. In 1993, he was transferred to the newly established Sony Computer Entertainment (now Sony Interactive Entertainment), where he participated in the development of PlayStation, PlayStation2, and PlayStation Portable. In 1993, he was transferred to Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. He was also responsible for the buy-side technology DD and post-merger responsibilities.
In 2003, he left the company with the final position of Managing CTO and started his own business as a technology strategy consultant. He provided advisory services to domestic and foreign venture companies and PE investment funds, and provided technology strategy, alliance strategy, and investment advice to large companies.
Four IPOs and six acquisitions of client venture companies (including two Israeli companies).　He has served as an outside director of several NASDAQ and TSE Mothers listed companies (including his current position). He provides investment and business development advice based on his deep knowledge of computer science and business alliances, as well as his extensive practical experience, including leading large-scale product development at a strategic subsidiary of a major electronics manufacturer, managing venture companies, and being involved in both buy and sell-side capital raising and M&A projects.
Born in Tokyo, Japan
Waseda University, Graduate School of Science and Engineering

Keiji Sugimoto, co-founder of Corundum Innovation Co. Ltd. Japan as of April 2014, has come back to Corundum as Chief Investment Officer in October 2019 after three years involvement in IPO advisory service.

Sugimoto has been working in financial services industry for about 40 years based in New York, London and Tokyo financial markets as Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of several subsidiary companies of Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Tokai Tokyo Financial Holdings and other financial firms.

Through his career, Sugimoto has accumulated high expertise and professional capacity in structured finance, project finance, debt-equity origination, securitization, derivative transactions and various types of investment in private equity and real estate related products.

In September 2018, he, as CEO of Tokyo Infrastructure Asset Management Co. Ltd., did lead an investment corporate to a successful Initial Public Offering in Tokyo Stock Exchange, making three years endeavors in renewable energy business, in which he was also acting as an advisor for start-up companies in Japan.

In 1979 Sugimoto received a bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Economics from Kyoto University Japan and has been serving for the University as an advisor of “agriculture and economics committee” which supports researchers to write treatise in its academic area.