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  Saemin Ahn

  Managing Partner
  International Invesmtent
  Saemin Ahn

  Managing Partner, International Investment
  Executive Officer of Rakuten Group, Inc.

  
  Saemin is the Founding and Managing Partner of Rakuten Ventures circa 2013 and now in charge of Rakuten Capital international investment. Based in Singapore, Saemin drives the international investment direction of the group, taking positions in various verticals such as Machine Learning / AI, New Energy, Robotics, and Aerospace.
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  Seiichiro Sonoda

  President of Rakuten Capital
  Seiichiro Sonoda

  President of Rakuten Capital
  Group Managing Executive Officer of Rakuten Group, Inc.
  FinTech Group Company President
  Director of Corporate Development Supervisory Department & Investment Department
  Director of Corporate Strategy Supervisory Department
  Director of Financial Business Supervisory Department

  
  Seiichiro leads various investments as President of Rakuten Capital which is a Corporate Venture Capital of Rakuten Group. He also leads Corporate Development Department (M&A and alliance) and is responsible for Corporate Strategy Development and Financial Business Supervisory. He is also in charge of FinTech Group Company President since April 1, 2025.
  Seiichiro joined Rakuten in 2010 and has held various executive positions, including Vice President of Rakuten USA, CFO of Ebates, CFO of Rakuten Card USA, and Senior Executive Officer of Rakuten Card. He has led post-merger integration of acquired overseas businesses, spending six and a half years in the US and two years in Canada.
  Before joining Rakuten, Seiichiro worked at Industrial Bank of Japan (now Mizuho Bank). He earned his MBA at International University of Japan and his LL.B. at Waseda University.
  
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  Shoichiro Suzuki

  Senior Partner
  Japan Investment
  Shoichiro Suzuki

  Senior Partner, Japan Investment
  General Manager of Rakuten Group, Inc.

  
  Shoichiro is a Senior Partner and head of Rakuten Capital Japan Investment. He drives investments in Japanese startups and fosters synergy with Rakuten ecosystem. As a founding member of Rakuten Capital since 2016, he led e-commerce related global investments while based in Singapore for eight years until 2024.
  Prior to joining Rakuten Capital, Shoichiro co-founded a technology startup, managed open innovation initiatives, and led corporate venture investments.
  Shoichiro earned his MBA with Honors at The University of Chicago and BA in Economics at The University of Tokyo.

Members

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  Hiromichi Aoki

  Senior Partner
  Hiromichi Aoki

  Senior Partner

  
  Hiromichi has led strategic investments and planning initiatives since joining Rakuten in 2017.
  Prior to joining Rakuten, Hiromichi had extensive experience in investment banking, private equity and asset management at Nomura in New York, Tokyo, London and Hong Kong. Hiromichi earned BA in Commercial Science at Hitotsubashi University in Tokyo, Japan.
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  Alec Fujii

  Associate
  International Investment
  Alec Fujii

  Associate, International Investment

  
  As an Asscociate, Alec not only provides analytical and business support to Rakuten Capital's portfolio companies, but also in responsible for sourcing and the due diligence for new opportunities.
  Alec earned his BA degree at Brown University, double concentrating in Applied Mathematics-Economics and Engineering.
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  Mark Heeney

  Senior Associate
  International Investment
  Mark Heeney

  Senior Associate, International Investment

  
  Mark is a Senior Associate with Rakuten Capital. He is responsible for sourcing and due diligence of new investment opportunities and providing support to the Fund's portfolio companies. Prior to joining Rakuten, Mark spent over half a decade working in management consulting and venture capital at firms in North America and Europe including Inovia Capital and Boston Consulting Group (BCG).
  Mark earned his Honours Business Administration (HBA) with distinction from the Ivey School of Business at Western University.
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  Regina Ho

  Senior Associate
  International Investment
  Regina Ho

  Senior Associate, International Investment

  
  Regina is a Senior Associate with Rakuten Capital and a 2024 Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia honoree in Finance and Venture Capital. She drives value across the entire investment cycle, identifying and evaluating promising startups to leading due diligence, executing deals, and guiding portfolio companies to success. After more than half a decade with Rakuten Capital in Singapore, she is now based in the San Francisco Bay Area.
  Regina holds a bachelor's degree in Business Administration from the National University of Singapore and is passionate about supporting innovative founders building the future.
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  Kazuaki Ichihashi

  Senior Investment Manager
  Japan Investment
  Kazuaki Ichihashi

  Senior Investment Manager, Japan Investment

  
  Kazuaki is responsible for strategic investments and planning with Rakuten Capital. He joined the company after gaining extensive experience at NTT DOCOMO, Aozora Corporate Investment, and Ignition Point Venture Partners. During his time at NTT DOCOMO, he was seconded to NTT DOCOMO Ventures, where he was involved in investment activities and business development in the US. Since then, he has focused primarily on domestic investments and fostering collaboration for corporate venture capital.
  Kazuaki earned his Master’s degree from the Graduate School of Information Science and Technology at Hokkaido University.
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  Susumu Ishikura

  Head of Investment Management
  Susumu Ishikura

  Head of Investment Management

  
  Susumu is a Head of Investment Management, responsible for overseeing all of Rakuten Capital's investments in Luxembourg. Prior to his engagement with Rakuten Capital, Susumu gained experience at US and European financial institutions in money market trading, including liquidity management through REPO and securities lending, FX hedging strategy and execution, Fixed Income and Securitized product portfolio management, and post-merger integration within an international financial institution.
  Susumu holds his MBA from Aoyama Gakuin University.
  
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  Nicole Jang

  Partner
  International Investment
  Nicole Jang

  Partner, International Investment

  
  Nicole is a Partner with Rakuten Capital joined in 2018 and invested across SaaS, eCommerce, and Electric Mobility. She collaborates with visionary entrepreneurs to drive innovation and meaningful impact.
  Committed to diversity and inclusion, Nicole mentors female VCs, founders, and underrepresented groups, supporting their growth and visibility.
  Before Rakuten Capital, she built expertise in finance and strategy at EY-Parthenon, Deutsche Bank, HSBC, and Bank of America across Seoul, Hong Kong, and Los Angeles. She holds a bachelor's degree in Global Business from USC.
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  Kendrick Loh

  Principal
  Internatioanl Investment
  Kendrick Loh

  Principal, Internatioanl Investment

  
  Kendrick is a Principal with Rakuten Capital. With a proven track record in the startup and venture capital ecosystems, Kendrick brings a unique blend of operational expertise, investment acumen, and entrepreneurial spirit to his role.
  Prior to Rakuten Ventures, Kendrick was part of the leadership team at Stemly, a corporate-backed B2B SaaS startup. He was also a founding member and investor at elev8.vc, a deep-tech venture capital fund.
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  Takeshi Munemasa

  Senior Investment Manager
  Japan Investment
  Takeshi Munemasa

  Senior Investment Manager, Japan Investment

  
  Takeshi is a Senior Investment Manager with Rakuten Capital, responsible for investments in domestic and international startups and creating synergies with Rakuten ecosystem.
  Prior to joining Rakuten Group, Takeshi worked at The Norinchukin Bank in areas such as business strategy, wholesale, and digital transformation (DX). As a founding member of a CVC fund, gained over five years of experience in startup investments and open innovation.
  Takeshi earned his BA in Finance at Hitotsubashi University.
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  Michael Piechalak

  Partner
  International Investment
  Michael Piechalak

  Partner, International Investment

  
  Michael is a Partner with Rakuten Capital, based in the U.S. He leads investments in startups in North America and Europe. He joined Rakuten in 2014 and previously worked in the Corporate Development Department. He has completed over 15 deals since joining the company. Prior to joining Rakuten, Michael spent over 10 years in private equity and investment banking positions with firms in the U.S. including H.I.G. Capital and Lehman Brothers.
  Michael earned his MBA at Duke University and his undergrad degree at Northwestern University.
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  Hajime Sako

  Investment Manager
  Japan Investment
  Hajime Sako

  Investment Manager, Japan Investment

  
  Hajime is an Investment Manager with Rakuten Capital joined in 2016 and in charge of due diligence processes of new investment opportunities in EC (including Rakuten Ichiba merchants), Healthcare, and Sustainability as well as providing support to portfolio companies.
  Prior to joining Rakuten Capital, Hajime worked in the Marketplace business as an EC Consultant.
  Hajime earned BA at Waseda University, in Tokyo, Japan.
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  Taiga Sekine

  Investment Analyst
  Japan Investment
  Taiga Sekine

  Investment Analyst, Japan Investment

  
  Taiga joined Rakuten Group in 2020.After working with Rakuten Mobile and Rakuten Payment, he joined the Rakuten Capital in January 2025. Engaged in investment evaluation activities, including sourcing new investment opportunities, corporate research,and due diligence etc.Taiga earned B.A. in Economics at Meiji Gakuin University in Tokyo, Japan.
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  Toshiyuki Tagaya

  Operating Partner
  Toshiyuki Tagaya

  Operating Partner

  
  Toshiyuki joined Rakuten Capital as a founding member in 2016, leading overall investment operations and business execution planning and operations as an Operating Partner. Prior to joining Rakuten Capital, he was involved in Rakuten Group's venture investment business from 2011 as the Head of Business Development at Rakuten Securities.
  Before joining the Rakuten Group, he engaged in strategic consulting and investment business at A.T. Kearney and Merrill Lynch. Including his investment banking experience at Daiwa Securities, he possesses strengths in both business and investment.
  He earned his BS in Engineering at Keio University and obtained his MBA from the University of Chicago.
  
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  Yuji Takeuchi

  Operating Manager
  Yuji Takeuchi

  Operating Manager

  
  Yuji is an Operating Manager joined Rakuten Capital in 2017. He is responsible for middle and back-office operations. Prior to joining Rakuten Capital, he was involved in finance, hotel acquisition, and property development at a general contractor. Subsequently, he engaged in special situation investment and commercial mortgage lending at U.S. and European financial institutions.
  Yuji earned his LL.M. at University of London and graduated from School of Business at Aoyama Gakuin University. He holds his CPA designation from the State of Washington, USA.
  
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  Tomoyuki Watanabe

  Finance Manager
  Tomoyuki Watanabe

  Finance Manager

  
  Tomoyuki is a Finance Manager joined Rakuten Capital in 2023, responsible for Finance and Accounting. Prior to joining Rakuten Capital, he was at major Japanese financial institutions as a finance and accounting specialist, engaging in overseas subsidiary management and M&A-related operations. During a secondment in the United States, participated in business operations as the FP&A lead in the CEO Office of the America's regional headquarter.
  Tomoyuki earned his BA in Econimics at Hitotsubashi University in Tokyo, Japan.
  

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