Shosuke Kiba

After joining Toyota Tsusho Corp., seconded temporarily to Toyota Motor Corp., and later worked in the startup of new business in the functional materials field, as well as investments in material related venture companies, and support for global rollout. In 2012, he joined The Innovation Network Corporation of Japan (currently INCJ, Ltd.), where he started up a material/chemicals team, and contributed to the planning of UMI, where he was formally named as a partner in April 2016. He appointed the Program Director of Cross-ministerial Strategic Innovation Promotion Program(SIP) led by the Japanese Council for Science, Technology and Innovation (CSTI) in April 2023. Since April 2025, he has served as a Visiting Professor at the Tokai National Higher Education and Research System (Nagoya University). He completed degrees in the Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Waseda University, and the Graduate School of Bio-Applications and Systems Engineering, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology. He holds a Ph.D. in Engineering.

Yosuke Yamamoto

After joining JSR Corporation, he worked in the Corporate Planning Department, where he was involved in the creation of strategies, including medium-term management plans, as well as the startup of corporate venture capital (CVC) activities and the execution of investments. He served as General Manager of the Management Division at JSR Micro NV (a European subsidiary handling electronics materials), and also served as General Manager of the Strategy Division at Medical & Biological Laboratories Co., Ltd., where he was involved in PMI management and business development activities. He joined UMI in April 2017. He graduated from the Keio University Faculty of Economics, and completed a Graduate degree in International Management from the Aoyama Business School (ABS) at Aoyama Gakuin University.

Juichiro Yamaguchi

Yamaguchi joined Sumitomo Metal Industries, Ltd. (now Nippon Steel Corporation) in 1977. He was assigned development of corrosion-resistant steel materials at Wakayama Steel Works. In 1989, he changed his career to sales and marketing after joining US-based Raychem Corporation. In 1998, he joined RS Components for starting its Japanese operation. In 2004, he joined Cabot Supermetals as President of Asian operation. In 2007, he joined Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics as Head of Japan operation. In 2014, he joined CxS owned by Carlyle as CEO. In 2018, he joined Advanced Material Technologies, Inc as CEO owned by Universal Materials Incubator, Co. Ltd. (UMI). He graduated from University of Tokyo (BE) and Graduate School at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MS). He is qualified as Professional Engineer (Metals).

Hidetoshi Torami

After beginning his career at Deloitte, where he was engaged in audits of global corporations, he went on to oversee the preparation of regulatory reports for the Federal Reserve at the U.S. subsidiary of Mitsui Trust Bank (now Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank). He then joined Honeywell International as a Business Controller, where he led cross-border M&A transactions, post-merger integration (PMI), and business development initiatives. In 2012, he was appointed Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer of Sosei Group (now Nexera Pharma), playing a central role in corporate management, including domestic and international capital raising, investor relations, M&A, and the development of internal control systems. Following this, he provided financial and strategic support to multiple startups and became a founding member of Mirax Therapeutics in 2020. He joined Universal Materials Incubator (UMI) in January 2025. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from the University of Southern California.

Akira Watanabe

Akira Watanabe Joined the Long-Term Credit Bank of Japan, Ltd. (currently Shinsei Bank, Ltd.) in 1983. After serving as Managing Executive Officer and General Manager of the Financial Markets Division as well as Auditor for the Shinsei Bank Group, in June 2016, he was appointed President of APLUS FINANCIAL Co., Ltd., a Shinsei Bank affiliate. He also worked as an Advisor at APLUS FINANCIAL before being appointed to his current position as Chairman of UMI .
During his time with the Shinsei Bank Group, he worked in operations related to markets, governance, and consumer operations. He graduated from the University of Tokyo Faculty of Law.

Takehiro Kamigama

Joined Tokyo Denki Kagaku Kogyo K.K. (currently TDK Corp.) in 1981. Worked in the HDD Head Business. Seconded to Hong Kong in 1988, and over the next 18 years, secured the global top share in HDD Heads. He was appointed Corporate Officer in 2002, President in 2006, and Chairman in 2016. Through M&As, he contributed to strengthening business profitability and expanding TDK’s business fields. He currently serves as Outside Director for OMRON Corp., Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd., and SoftBank Corp. Graduated from the Nagasaki University School of Engineering.

Tsutomu Handa

Joined the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI; currently the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI)) in 1978. Served as Director of Iron and Steel Division, Counselor of Japanese Embassy in Berlin, Director General of the Consumer Economy Bureau. In 2005, appointed Director in charge of General Affairs and Planning at the Organization for Small & Medium Enterprises and Regional Innovation; in 2007, appointed Representative Director at the Japan Electronics and Information Technology Industries Association; and at 2015, served as Managing Director at Sharp Corporation. Presently appointed Special Advisor to TDK Corp. in 2016, Advisor to Sankyu Inc. in 2017, and Representative Director of Japan Space Systems in 2020. He is well acknowledged at industry policy both in Japan and overseas.

Yoshiyuki Wada

He served as Senior Partner in charge of Business Development at Chuo Audit Corporation, as well as President and CEO at ChuoAoyama Financial Service, Director at ChuoAoyama Consulting, and Senior Partner at Grant Thornton Taiyo LLC. He graduated from the Chuo University Faculty of Commerce with a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting, and is qualified as a Certified Public Accountant (CPA).

Satoshi Uenoyama

Joined Sekisui Chemical Co., Ltd. in 1980. After being assigned to the Minase Research Laboratory, he worked mainly in R&D in the startup of new business. He handled the medical and functional material fields in particular. For five years starting in 1990, he was in charge of R&D/engineering policies in the Integrated Development Office. He has been a driving force behind Sekisui Chemical’s R&D activities, serving as Director of the Minase Research Laboratory from 1999, Executive Director from 2009, and Managing Director and Head of the R&D Center from 2014. Completed a master’s course in Industrial Chemistry at the University of Tokyo, School of Engineering.

Ryuichi Hayashi

After joining DuPont Japan, worked in R&D and marketing management, and established a Technology Development HQ while serving as Executive Officer. Served as Managing Director in charge of the Industry Bioscience Business Division. Currently Director and Managing Executive Officer at Tomoegawa Co., Ltd., Professor and Director of the Digital Monozukuri (Manufacturing) Education and Research Center at Hiroshima University (concurrent position), provisional member of the Council for Science and Technology (concurrent position) of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), and Visiting Professor at the Shibaura Institute of Technology. Graduated from the Tokyo Institute of Technology with a Ph.D. in Engineering.

Naonori Kurokawa

He has 15+ year experience on seed and early stage investments in the physical science and life science fields at ARCH Venture Partners, University of Tokyo Edge Capital Partners, and Vertex Ventures Japan. Major investments include Microwave Chemical (TYO: 9227), 908 devices (NASDAQ: MASS), and FLOSFIA. He is a member of the Startup Ecosystem Formation Support Committee of the Japan Science and Technology Agency. Visiting professor at Kanazawa Institute of Technology. PhD. in Engineering from Osaka University, MBA from University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

Mamoru Ito

Joined Kohkoku Chemical Industry (currently Achilles Corporation) in 1979. Worked in the development of conductive polymers and other materials in the R&D Division. The technologies developed were adopted in materials for hard disk drives and semiconductor processes; also developed an electroless deposition method. He was appointed Executive Officer in 2002, Director and General Manager of the R&D Division in 2004, and after holding a position as Senior Managing Director, he was appointed President in 2012. He graduated from the Yamagata University Faculty of Engineering. He completed a Master’s in the Tokyo Institute of Technology Interdisciplinary Graduate School of Science and Engineering. Completed the PhD Program at Gunma University Graduate School in the field of Molecular Science and Technology, earning a PhD in Engineering. Currently a visiting professor at Yamagata University.