A Bridge Between
Silicon Valley and Japan
A Bridge Between
Silicon Valley
and Japan
Silicon Valley and Japan
Silicon Valley
and Japan
Our Story
In 2015, former U.S. Ambassador to Japan John Roos created Geodesic Capital to leverage the connections between Silicon Valley and Japan. After a career working with disruptive and innovative technology companies in Silicon Valley, followed by his service in Tokyo where he built close relationships with the leaders of corporate Japan, he launched Geodesic, the powerful culmination of both worlds – a bridge between Silicon Valley and Japan.
Geodesic understands that when an entrepreneur has an idea and the passion to pursue it, the goal is to win every market in the world. We invest in future-driven, globally minded founders and help them succeed in the Japanese market.
Why Japan?
As the world’s third largest economy and the second-largest market for enterprise software, Japan has an insatiable desire for emerging technologies. Changing demographics and COVID-19 have dramatically accelerated Japan’s movement toward digital transformation. Geodesic is helping founders capitalize on this moment in time - while at the same time helping Japanese companies embrace new technologies that will bring new efficiency, productivity, and security.
With offices located in Tokyo and Silicon Valley, our team of technology veterans in both locations make us uniquely positioned to search out and support cutting-edge start-ups focused on winning in global markets, particularly Japan. Founders recognize that Japan is an important market, but few have the experience, tools and relationships to do it well - and that’s where Geodesic comes in.
Our Team
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John Roos
Founding Partner Former U.S. Ambassador to Japan
John V . Roos is a Founding Partner at Geodesic Capital. He is also a member of the Board of Directors at Salesforce, Inc., an advisor to the Toyota Research Institute, and a Senior Advisor at Centerview Partners, a preeminent mergers & acquisitions advisory firm. He serves on the Board of Directors of The Maureen and Mike Mansfield Foundation and is an Advisory Board member at the Stanford Center for Asian Health Research and Education. Previously, Ambassador Roos served as Chief Executive Officer and Senior Partner at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, the leading law firm in the United States in the representation of technology, life sciences, and emerging growth companies. Additionally, he served on the Board of Directors at Sony Corporation, the Board of Directors at Rakuten, Group Inc., and the Global Advisory Board of Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group. From 2009-2013 Ambassador Roos served as the United States Ambassador to Japan. On August 6, 2010 he became the first sitting U.S. Ambassador ever to attend the commemoration ceremony of the atomic bombing in Hiroshima. Ambassador Roos’ service in Tokyo coincided with the devastating 9.0 earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear crisis on March 11, 2011. Following this tragedy, Ambassador Roos led the American effort on the ground in support of Japan’s response to the multi-dimensional and unprecedented disaster. After the crisis, Ambassador Roos led the creation of the TOMODACHI initiative, a public-private partnership that has established more than 320 exchange programs. Ambassador Roos was awarded The U.S. State Department Sue M. Cobb Award for Exemplary Diplomatic Service, awarded annually to the individual selected from worldwide nominations as the most outstanding non-career United States Ambassador. In May 2022, he was recognized for his contributions and ongoing commitment to relations with Japan and was awarded the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun, the highest honor to be given to a foreign national. Ambassador Roos is a graduate with honors and distinction from Stanford University and from Stanford Law School where he was Order of the Coif.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-roos-99978a57/
jroos@geodesiccap.com
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Jon Rezneck
Partner & Head of Investment Team COO
Jon Rezneck is a Partner, the Head of the Investment Team, and the COO at Geodesic Capital, where he covers the Fintech space, among other sectors. He is one of the founding members of Geodesic. Jon was previously an investment banker for over 10 years with both Greenhill & Co. (in Tokyo and New York) and JP Morgan & Co. He has additional investing experience with growth capital and buyout private equity. Jon also served as Director of Business Development and a member of the senior management team of Crowley Technologies, a wireless telecommunications venture development company with interests in Europe, South America and the U.S. Jon holds an M.B.A. with Honors from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania with concentrations in Finance, Entrepreneurial Management, and Accounting and an A.B., Magna Cum Laude, from Harvard College in both Economics and East Asian Studies. He has studied in programs at the Stanford Kyoto Center for Japanese Studies and Keio University. Jon is fluent in Japanese. Although Jon may be a “numbers” and strategy guy, he played in national junior tennis tournaments growing up and was ranked #1 in Washington, D.C. He was also a sprinter on the track team in college.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jon-rezneck-358140a/
jrezneck@geodesiccap.com
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Matt Fuller
Partner
Matthew (Matt) Gardner Fuller is a Partner at Geodesic Capital and leads Investor Relations, fundraising, and International. Previously, Matthew was an American diplomat for eight years, serving his final tour at the White House on the National Security Council where he covered Jordan. Previous postings included Tokyo and Jerusalem. Prior to joining the Foreign Service, Matt served in Baghdad as Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) Administrator L. Paul Bremer’s Special Assistant from 2003 to 2004. Other diplomatic posts in Washington included service as Special Assistant to the Secretary of State’s Iraq Advisor in 2005 and later, head of the Jordan Desk in the Office of Near East Affairs at the State Department. Prior to his diplomatic service, Matthew worked at the United Nations in Geneva where he developed training programs for diplomats and worked as an English teacher in rural Japan (Aichi Prefecture) on the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program for two years. Matt holds a Masters degree from the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin and an undergraduate degree from Pepperdine University. He speaks conversational Spanish, Japanese, and Hebrew. Originally from Austin, Texas, Matt collects sneakers, bourbon, and Willie Nelson records and smokes meats on his offset smoker in his spare time.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-fuller-86142015/
mfuller@geodesiccap.com
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Susie Roos
Partner CAO
Susan (Susie) Roos is a partner and CAO of Geodesic Capital. Prior to Geodesic, Ms. Roos was an employment and labor attorney with substantial experience advising and counseling employers in all areas of employment law and labor relations. During her 34-year legal career, her practice included defending employers in wrongful termination, wage and hour issues, sexual harassment, employment discrimination and trade secret litigation before United States federal and state courts. As wife of the U.S. Ambassador to Japan, Ms. Roos lived in Tokyo, Japan from August 2009 to August 2013. While in Tokyo, Ms. Roos was an active voice supporting efforts to empower women in the workplace in Japan, and played an active role in the U.S. response to March 11, 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake. Ms. Roos is one of the founders of The TOMODACHI Initiative, a public-private partnership, and a member of its Board of Counselors. Ms. Roos is on the Board of Directors for the Asia Society of Northern California. Susie received her A.B. from Stanford University and a J.D. from the University of Southern California. She enjoys snow skiing, golf, gardening, politics, and movies. She is an avid fan of all Stanford athletic teams, as well as the San Francisco Bay Area professional teams….Giants, 49ers and the Golden State Warriors.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/susan-susie-roos-a0ba3586/
sroos@geodesiccap.com
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Marcus Otsuji
Country Manager Geodesic Japan, G.K.
Marcus Otsuji has over 20 years of experience in IT sales and business development leadership in Japan. He now leads Geodesic Japan’s operations as Country Manager where he and his team are responsible for ensuring that portfolio companies succeed in Japan and that LPs are successful with their DX initiatives. Prior to Geodesic Japan, Marcus’ roles included: Partner at boutique consulting firm JapanWorks Inc. (1998 – 2004), Japan Country Manager at web analytics start up Omniture Inc. (2004-2011 including 2 years post acquisition by Adobe), Carrier Sales Director, Business Development Director, and Enterprise Sales Director at Apple Japan (2011 – 2016). Marcus is originally from Honolulu, Hawaii. He holds a BA in International Studies from Pepperdine University (Malibu, California), and a Japan-focused MBA from the University of Hawaii/JAIMS (Japan-America Institute of Management Science.) In his free time Marcus enjoys reading, spending time with family, studying Japanese, training Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and mindlessly watching real estate shows.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcus-otsuji-10b8aa/
motsuji@geodesicjapan.jp
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Suzanne Basalla
Partner
Suzanne Basalla is a Partner at Geodesic Capital. Prior to joining Geodesic, she served as President and CEO of the U.S.-Japan Council (USJC), an educational non-profit dedicated to strengthening the U.S.-Japan relationship through people-to-people ties. The Council’s priority initiatives include the public-private TOMODACHI Initiative, established after the Great East Japan Earthquake; the Silicon Valley Japan Platform (SVJP), and a bilateral Climate & Sustainability Initiative. Prior to assuming the leadership of USJC, Suzanne served as Chief of Staff at the Toyota Research Institute (TRI), a Silicon Valley-headquartered subsidiary of Toyota Motor Corporation developing automated driving, robotics, and other human amplification technology for Toyota. Suzanne is a former Naval officer and her assignments included duties in Japan, the Pentagon, and Diego Garcia. Following her naval career, she was the Director for Japan in the Office of the Secretary of Defense in Washington, DC. She subsequently was appointed Senior Advisor to John Roos, U.S. Ambassador to Japan, from 2010-2012. Suzanne graduated from the University of Virginia and received a master’s degree from George Washington University. She spent two years at Keio University as an Olmsted Scholar. She is a recipient of the inaugural Ryozo Kato Award for service to the U.S.-Japan Alliance, the Nakasone Yasuhiro Award of Excellence, and the Eagle on the World from JCCI. Suzanne serves as an advisor to Central Japan Railway Company and volunteers as a Board member of the Japan Society of Northern California and Special Advisor to Career Girls. She also remains an active member of the U.S.-Japan Council. She is passionate about mentoring the next generation. She also enjoys reading and discussing books with others.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/suzanne-basalla-72761984/
sbasalla@geodesiccap.com
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Brent Wu
Partner
Brent Wu is a Partner at Geodesic Capital and manages Investor Relations. Previously Brent was the Director of Business Development at Kespry, a leading commercial drone and data intelligence provider for industrial use cases. There he led channel sales and OEM partnerships to serve the Architecture, Engineering, Construction, and Mining verticals. Prior to Kespry, Brent built and led the Business Development and Account Management teams at Blackhawk Network’s Gift Card Exchange Business. Before private industry, Brent was a Senior Associate at Deloitte Financial Advisory Services, specializing in valuations of business entities, intellectual property, intangible assets, common and preferred stock, partnership interests, private debt instruments, options, and warrants. Brent earned a Masters in Business Administration from MIT’s Sloan School of Management and a Bachelor’s Degree from Berkeley’s Haas School of Business. He is also a CFA Charterholder. Brent enjoys traveling, long-distance running, and watching college football – especially his Cal Bears.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/brent-wu-cfa-03455b1/
bwu@geodesiccap.com
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Arvind Ayyala
Partner
Arvind Ayyala is a Partner at Geodesic Capital, focused on investments across enterprise software, fintech, healthcare and sustainable technologies. He was previously co-leading North American growth investments in similar segments, for Singapore-based EDBI. Prior to EDBI, Arvind was with Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB), planning and executing the country’s economic development. He worked across Energy & Chemicals, Engineering Services, Healthcare and Technology sectors and was co-running EDB’s work in India and Sri Lanka, while based in Mumbai. Early in his career, he worked as a Sales Engineer for Philadelphia-based Load Control Technologies. Arvind graduated from NUS’ (National University of Singapore) Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering program. He also graduated on scholarship from NUS Overseas Colleges at University of Pennsylvania in technology ventures. He earned his MBA at Boston University and has CFA Level 1. Outside of work, Arvind enjoys – staying fit (cross-country, tennis); spending time with his wife and two daughters; penning poetry periodically; dabbling in a few languages and being a novice audiophile.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/arvindayyala1/
aayyala@geodesiccap.com
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Divya Sudhakar
Partner
Divya Sudhakar is a Partner at Geodesic Capital, where she focuses on investments in enterprise software companies. She was previously at Intel Capital where she led early and growth-stage investments across enterprise software. Prior to Intel Capital, Divya worked at In-Q-Tel, the VC firm for the U.S. Intelligence Community, investing in enterprise applications and infrastructure. Divya started her career in Investment Banking at Credit Suisse and later worked as an investor at Oaktree Capital. Divya holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BA from UCLA. During her free time, Divya enjoys art, cooking and exploring the Bay Area.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/dsudhakar/
dsudhakar@geodesiccap.com
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Will Horyn
VP
Will Horyn is a VP at Geodesic Capital and a member of the investment team. Will focuses on sourcing and executing investments across enterprise software in addition to supporting portfolio companies. He was previously at Cisco Systems where he helped drive Cisco’s M&A and venture investing efforts, closing two acquisitions and numerous investments across application and infrastructure software. Prior to Cisco, Will began his career as an investment banker in New York City on the Leveraged Finance team at BMO Capital Markets. Will holds a B.A. from Villanova University where he studied Finance and Economics. During his free time, Will enjoys cheering for Chelsea FC, practicing acoustic guitar, volunteering with San Francisco Special Olympics, and exploring new restaurants around SF.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/williamhoryn/
whoryn@geodesiccap.com
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Justin Yue
Associate
Justin Yue is an Associate at Geodesic Capital where he focuses on deal sourcing, execution and portfolio support. Prior to joining Geodesic, Justin was a part of Bank of America’s Technology Investment Banking Group where he worked on IPO and M&A transactions for businesses across the software and semiconductor industries. He also spent time in Corporate Development at SAP and is excited about enterprise software. Justin graduated with a B.S. in Economics with concentrations in Finance and Management from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Outside of work, he enjoys taking care of his indoor plants, swimming, and participating in language exchange.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinyue/
jyue@geodesiccap.com
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Takayuki Otsuka
Director of Business Development Geodesic Japan, G.K.
Taka is responsible for helping Geodesic Capital portfolio companies with their Japan go-to-market strategy and execution. In doing so, he draws on over 30 years of experience and his extensive network from working in Japan in various sales, product marketing, and business development roles at leading technology companies including Apple Japan (2013-2018), Microsoft Japan (2009-2013), Nokia Japan (1999-2009) and JVC (1987-1999). At these companies Taka’s roles have been focused primarily on launching products and services in new categories, such as Consumer Electronics, Digital Services, and Mobile Enterprise Solutions. Taka was born in Tokyo, Japan. He holds a Technology Management focused MBA from the Graduate School of Waseda University and a BE in Electronics from Chiba Institute of Technology. Aside from spending time with his family, Taka loves good food and wine, and most recently has started testing wireless radio equipments and trying to communicate over long distances in weak signal environments.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/takayukiotsuka/
totsuka@geodesicjapan.jp
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Shiro Watanabe
Director LP Digital Strategy Geodesic Japan, G.K.
Shiro works with Geodesic’s Limited Partners to identify critical business partners among existing Geodesic portfolio companies as well as other technology ventures. He brings to Geodesic Japan 30 years of experience with technology venture investments and cross-border M&A at Macnica Inc. In addition to the technology investments at Macnica, Shiro led post merger integration (PMI) projects implementing CRM systems to monitor worldwide business activities. Shiro has also managed engineering teams that included developers in the US, Japan, and Asian countries and has extensive experience managing multi-cultural and dispersed teams. He actively practices Kendo (a Japanese martial art) to keep him on top of his game.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/shiro-watanabe-2b0a43186/
swatanabe@geodesicjapan.jp
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Alvin Asper
VP of Finance
Alvin Asper serves as the VP of Finance at Geodesic Capital and in charge of managing the firm’s day to day finance functions, periodic reporting and audit. He brings over 17 years of experience in venture capital, finance and accounting to the firm. Prior to joining Geodesic, he was a Controller at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, and was responsible for accounting and financial reporting of the firm’s carried interest vehicles and management companies. He has also served as a Fund Accounting Manager at Mayfield Fund and Thomas Weisel Venture Partners (Stifel). Alvin holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Santo Tomas. Outside of work, he enjoys travelling and hanging out with his wife and twin daughters, experimenting in the kitchen, playing and watching basketball and rooting for his Golden State Warriors.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/alvinasper/
aasper@geodesiccap.com
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Etsuko Aoyama
Manager of Events Marketing
Etsuko Aoyama is the Manager of Events Marketing at Geodesic Capital. One of her primary responsibilities is the logistics, execution, and data management of our annual signature event, Geodesic Forum. Prior to joining Geodesic, Etsuko was the Director of Meetings, Incentives, and Events at JTB USA, a global travel and event management company, where she led multiple cross-functioning teams in delivering over 500 events a year. She also worked at JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles, a public diplomacy project of the government of Japan, as the Sr. Event & Hospitality Manager and was responsible for building a brand-new event team from the ground up. Etsuko is fluent in both English and Japanese. She received her B.A. with Honors from Mount Mary University after transferring from Nanzan University in Nagoya, Japan. She also holds a Certified Meeting Professional accreditation. When not working, she enjoys spending time with her three dogs and honing her skills in crafting natural soap and skincare products.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/etsuko-aoyama-cmp-433a4a29/
eaoyama@geodesicjapan.jp
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Stavroula Cannon
Administrative Assistant
Stavroula Cannon is the Administrative Assistant and Office Manager for the Geodesic office in the United States. Before joining Geodesic in 2020, Stavroula worked as the Executive Assistant to the owners of Wilbur Properties, a full-service real estate and property management company based in Silicon Valley. Prior to that, Stavroula worked in the biotech industry, managing daily facilities operations for multiple buildings and locations for two companies in the Bay Area. In her free time, this San Francisco native loves traveling with her husband and two young children. Her favorite destinations include Greece, Pebble Beach, and Tahoe.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/stavroula-c-47a810112/
scannon@geodesiccap.com
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Jessica Lazos
Executive Assistant
Jessica Lazos is the Executive Assistant to John Roos, Founding Partner of Geodesic Capital, and is the lead administrator supporting the Geodesic office in the United States. Previously, Jessica was the Administrative and Marketing Assistant at Carr McClellan, a Bay Area law firm, where she performed administrative, human resource, and marketing functions. In this role she supported the Executive Director, coordinated and oversaw office operations, managed projects, created marketing materials, maintained the firm website, organized and orchestrated both client and firm events, managed onsite and offsite records, and served as the point person for all facility and building management tasks. Prior to that, she was a Legal Secretary, providing administrative and clerical support to attorneys and paralegals. Jessica received her B.A. in Liberal Arts and Sciences from San Francisco State University.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessica-l-8a3a41158/
jlazos@geodesiccap.com
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Chick Runkel
Project Manager
Chick Runkel is the Project Manager at Geodesic Capital. Prior to Geodesic she held various sales, marketing and management positions at IBM Corporation. During her 21 years with IBM, she received numerous awards for sales achievement, including multiple selections to the IBM Golden Circle (top ½ of 1% of the IBM sales force), and designation as national President of the IBM 100% Club (awarded to the top sales person in the United States). She then segued to project management, where she designed, coordinated and managed many of the Company’s key West Coast client marketing events and product announcements. After entering IBM management, she was selected for and earned a certificate from the Harvard Executive Development Program. Prior to working at IBM, Chick earned a B.A. with honors from UCLA. During her spare time, she loves tilling the soil in her prolific garden, working on projects for various community organizations, and traveling (she achieved fame in the Runkel family for inducing her husband and sons to join her in a bungee jump off the Auckland Bay Bridge in New Zealand).
https://www.linkedin.com/in/chickrunkel/
crunkel@geodesiccap.com
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Hyesu Sai
Manager of Events & Marketing Geodesic Japan, G.K.
Hyesu Sai is Geodesic Japan’s Events and Marketing Manager. She assists in the planning and execution of Geodesic events including Geodesic Forum. She also spearheads the publication of the Geodesic Japan Newsletter. In addition, she supports Geodesic portfolio companies with their activities like launch events, seminars, and conferences in Japan, and collaborates with portfolio company PR/Marketing teams. Hyesu accumulated significant experience organizing events during her tenure with JTB Communication Design from 2016-2019. Of Korean decent but having lived in Japan for twenty-two years, Hyesu speaks fluent Japanese, Korean, and English. She majored in French and holds a bachelor’s degree in Linguistics from Meiji Gakuin University located in Tokyo, Japan.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/hyesu-sai-3a9851107/
hsai@geodesicjapan.jp
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James Kondo
Senior Advisor
James Kondo is Senior Advisor at Geodesic Capital with technology, management, and policy expertise. James is currently Chairman of International House of Japan. He is also Co-Chair of Silicon Valley Japan Platform, Co-Chair of World Economic Forum Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution Japan, Co-Chair of Asia Society Japan Center, and Visiting Professor at Keio Medical School. James was previously Chairman of Twitter Japan and Vice President of Twitter Inc., Special Advisor to the Cabinet Office of the Japanese Government, and a consultant with McKinsey. He has been recognized as Young Global Leader by World Economic Forum, Asia 21 Fellow by Asia Society, Weizsacker Fellow by Bosch Foundation, Japan Leadership Fellow by US-Japan Foundation and Inamori Fellow by Inamori Foundation. James was a visiting student at Brown University, received his B.A. from Keio University and his M.B.A. from Harvard Business School, and was a Yale World Fellow at Yale University and Visiting Scientist at MIT Media Lab. James doesn’t spend all his time in leadership or intellectual pursuits and between his busy travel schedule he carves out time for Zen, cooking, jazz, and photography.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-kondo-9413a6b/?originalSubdomain=jp
jkondo@geodesiccap.com
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Kurt Tong
Senior Advisor
Ambassador Kurt Tong is Managing Partner at The Asia Group, where he has led the firm’s work in Japan and Greater China for four years. Before joining The Asia Group, Tong was an American diplomat for 30 years. He was Consul General and Chief of Mission in Hong Kong and Macau in 2016-19, and Deputy Chief of Mission and Chargé d’Affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo in 2011-14. Tong also served as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Economic and Business Affairs, the most senior career role handling economic diplomacy, and he was Ambassador for Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) in 2009-11, including when the United States chaired the organization in 2011. In addition to Hong Kong and Tokyo, Tong’s overseas postings included Beijing, Seoul, and Manila. Tong speaks and reads Japanese and Mandarin Chinese. Tong holds a B.A. from The Princeton School of Public and International Affairs, studied economics at Tokyo University and the U.S. Foreign Service Institute, and studied language in Taipei, Beijing, and at International Christian University in Tokyo. He is Chairman of the National Association of Japan-America Societies, as well as the non-profit International Student Conferences Inc. He is an Adjunct Professor at Georgetown University and a member of the American Academy of Diplomacy, and enjoys tennis, golf, and other sports.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/kurt-tong-09b099b/
tong@theasiagroup.com
Insights & Perspectives
Insights &
Perspectives
Key Learnings for Open Source Companies Pursuing Japan
Divya explores how U.S. tech companies can capitalize on the momentum of their open source solutions in Japan.
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The Sun Rises Again: The New Opportunities for Founders and Investors Entering Japan
Japan is poised to become a bright spot as a market for DX and in its own right as a dynamic venture capital and entrepreneurial ecosystem. Jon Rezneck explores how innovations forced by Covid, the Kishida government’s investments in their Startup Development Five-year Plan, and developments in GenAI have propelled this transition opening opportunities for founders and investors alike.
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Succeeding in Japan: Japan Entry GTM
In this installment of the “Succeeding in Japan” series, Marcus finally dives into the details of building a Japan entry GTM strategy. While this is by no means a comprehensive document, it’s meant to function as a useful guide for companies embarking on their Japan journey.
japan market entry