SPEAKER

Edo de Ronde is a diplomat to the Netherlands with a 20-year business background. As director of NFIA Japan, part of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and based at the Dutch embassy in Tokyo, he currently supports Japanese companies with operating & expanding their business and R&D in the Netherlands and beyond. From 2020-2024 he was posted to Middle East in a similar role. Throughout his career in both the private and public sector, Edo supported European companies to develop their market in Asia and vice versa. In his current role, his team’s client portfolio consists of over 550 Japanese companies with 800 active subsidiaries in the Netherlands. Edo is a strong advocate for collaborative and open innovation to accelerate the transitions. He is actively promoting Dutch ecosystems to Japanese R&D teams and scale-ups to facilitate innovation. The 425-year bilateral relationship between the Netherlands and Japan offers a solid ‘common ground’ to solving global challenges together. His passion is connecting people and developing businesses across cultures. Edo graduated in Business Information Technology from Rotterdam University and has lived in the Netherlands, China, Middle East and currently Japan.

Yusuke Nagao joined JETRO in 2010, serving in New York before returning to the Tokyo Headquarters. One of his key roles at Tokyo HQ was supporting over 300 startups through “J-StarX” acceleration program and Global conference exhibition. Since January 2025, he have been based in London. His current responsibilities are fostering innovation in the UK and the Nordic region by supporting Japanese startups in their European expansion, while also managing the Invest Japan program, assisting UK companies entering the Japanese market, and overseeing the open innovation platform “J-Bridge.”
Certifications: Certified SMEs Consultant, U.S. CPA

Victoire Cachoux joined Iktos in 2022 in order to support the company’s international growth, particularly in Asia and Japan (a country she has been a resident of since early 2023). As a Senior Application Scientist, she contributes her scientific expertise in AI and drug discovery to both Japanese clients’ success and the continuous improvement of Iktos’s cutting-edge technologies. Before joining Iktos, Victoire completed a PhD in bioinformatics at Institut Curie (Paris), where her work earned her the L’Oréal-UNESCO “For Women In Science” Young Talents Award.
Iktos, a French pioneer in AI-driven drug discovery, combines proprietary AI algorithms, robotics, and high-precision biological screening to accelerate the development of novel therapeutics for challenging targets. In 2025, Iktos was awarded the prestigious EIC Accelerator Grant to further advance its fully integrated drug discovery platform – an achievement that Victoire will discuss to the benefit of the panel’s audience.

Arnold Ackerer is a pivotal connector of startup ecosystems between Europe and Japan. As Deputy Head (COO role) of ADVANTAGE AUSTRIA Tokyo, he leads consulting for Austrian companies entering the Japanese market—offering strategic guidance on crisis management, regulatory navigation, and stakeholder engagement, including liaising with Japanese government and industry. He co-authored the office’s five-year Japan engagement strategy, oversees in-depth market research, and spearheads event planning—from major trade fair country pavilions to advising on innovation and semiconductors. Arnold is also a driving force in the Austrian Business Council, a network of 150+ members, fostering partnership and knowledge exchange.
He co-founded TechBIZKON, a Japanese-European startup and investor tech conference, positioning Austria as a gateway for Japanese startups to Europe and Japan as a gateway for Asian expansion.
As a startup festival panelist, Arnold shares concrete examples of how trade promotion agencies can accelerate startup scaling—through access to networks, market intelligence, and cross-border growth support.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/arnoldackerer/

Agnieszka works at the intersection of European business, policy and innovation heading the EIC Business Acceleration Services team of the European Commission. Funding is accompanied with worldclass coaching and acceleration services to engage the whole ecosystem. Agnieszka brings along over 15 years of experience in impact analysis, deep tech innovation funding and investing as well as acceleration services from European Institutions and private sector. She uses this experience to build evidence-based acceleration services and grow unicorns in Europe.

Vitalik Buterin is the creator of Ethereum. After discovering blockchain technology and exploring its potential in 2011, he co-founded Bitcoin Magazine. In 2013, Vitalik wrote the Ethereum whitepaper, outlining a vision of a generalized framework for hosting decentralized applications and contracts. Today, he serves as a board member and continues his work as a researcher with the Ethereum Foundation.

Inspired by her own experience of illness at the age of 14, she aspired to become a midwife and, while working in clinical practice, founded With Midwife Inc. in 2019. She fosters wellness coordinators by drawing on the skills of potential healthcare professionals and develops a healthcare app that implements Personal Health Records (PHR). She also leads “THE CARE,” a hands-on employee support program. The program has been increasingly adopted by major corporations, including Itochu Corporation and Rohto Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. The documentary Kosodate (Solitary Parenting), which follows her work, has attracted over 650,000 views on social media and has also won the TXN Documentary Excellence Award.

Born in Hyogo Prefecture, he graduated from the School of Engineering at Hiroshima University, where he specialized in optimizing manufacturing processes. After graduation, he joined Nitto Denko Corporation and worked in corporate sales in the ICT division. After leaving the company, he developed web services and attempted to start a business in Israel, but was unsuccessful. He then served as group leader of business development at a venture specializing in AI/IoT solutions for factories, and later founded his current company, which develops AI services for the manufacturing industry. He is a member of JAPAN MENSA and an external student in the SoftBank Academia Program.

He was born in Hyogo Prefecture in 1957.
He graduated from Keio University in 1982 and joined Hankyu Corporation (currently Hankyu Hanshin Holdings, Inc.) the same year.
In 2008, he was appointed as a director of the company.
In 2020, he was appointed as the Representative Director and President of Hankyu Hanshin Properties and has served as Chairman since 2025.
He also serves as the Representative Director of Umekita Future Innovation Organization, which was established in 2022.

He joined NTT in 1996.
He was involved in creating new businesses, such as by participating in the launch of NTT SmartConnect Corporation, the first venture within NTT West.
At NTT, Inc., he worked on the integration of overseas companies that the company acquired and promoted NTT’s brand enhancement and marketing initiatives overseas.
He has been Head since 2021 and has been promoting business creation and regional revitalization through co-creation centered on QUINTBRIDGE, an open innovation facility that has grown into one of the largest ecosystems in Japan in just three years since its launch.

He was born in Kagawa Prefecture in 1981. After graduating from the School of Economics, Kwansei Gakuin University, he joined the Osaka Prefectural Government in 2004. He served three terms as a member of the Osaka Prefectural Assembly from 2011 and became the 22nd Mayor of Osaka in April 2023.

James leads global strategy, market expansion, and commercial partnerships across the U.S., Europe, and Asia at Anaut, a Tokyo-based surgical AI startup. Previously a management consultant at the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and engagement lead of Innovation Strategy at Salesforce. Also served in the U.S. Peace Corps in South Africa.

After engaging in the research and development of medical devices at GE Healthcare Japan, gained experience in consulting, startups, and a life insurance company before joining AstraZeneca K.K.. Established the open innovation network “Innovation Infusion Japan (i2.JP)” in 2020 and continues to lead its operations.

Worked at hotels and event management companies in the U.S. After returning to Japan, engaged in healthcare communications consulting at a public relations agency, then drove public relations and patient relations initiatives etc. at a global pharmaceutical company. Since 2022, has been responsible for community management at “i2.JP.”

Kuldip Ahluwalia is a creative disruptor who blends humor and storytelling to inspire innovation and drive meaningful change. Amidst a personal journey with AML Leukemia, he has channeled his resilience and vision into reimagining the future of healthcare. As the founder and CEO of Viitals (www.viitals.us), an AI-powered healthcare platform, Kuldip is leading the charge to integrate advanced technologies like machine learning, large reasoning models (LRMs), and natural language processing to address critical gaps in healthcare delivery.

With a career spanning both multinational corporations and successful startups, Mr. Ahluwalia brings deep expertise in commercializing technology and accelerating growth. He has held strategic roles at industry leaders such as GE, Thales, and Toshiba (Canon), contributing to their rise in competitive global markets. His entrepreneurial portfolio includes pivotal roles at Lumisys (acquired by Kodak), Step Communications (acquired by Dolby), and Gliimpse (acquired by Apple).

Beyond healthcare, Kuldip is leading a global development finance and industrial resource group, advancing high-impact projects in healthcare, energy, renewables, and agriculture across Africa and Latin America.

Mr. Ahluwalia holds a Master’s degree in BioRadiology / Applied Physics from the University of California, Berkeley, and is an alumnus of the prestigious GE Executive Management Program.

Doctor of Engineering. After working as a research fellow at the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science and a researcher in the Kitano Symbiotic Systems Project, ERATO, he joined Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute International (ATR) in 2002. He has served as Director since 2019. He is a principal investigator in the Avatar Symbiotic Society Project, Moonshot R&D Program Goal 1. His research and development includes cybernetic avatars and networked robotics. He also served as a program officer in the Program of Start-up Incubation from Core Research (SCORE), which was part of the Program for Creating Start-ups from Advanced Research and Technology of the Japan Science and Technology Agency to focus on entrepreneur development and the social implementation of cutting-edge technology.

Doctor of Engineering. He graduated from the Faculty of Engineering, Keio University in 1976. He completed a master’s program in the Graduate School of Engineering, Keio University in 1978. After joining the Musashino Electrical Communication Laboratory, Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Public Corporation in 1978, he worked in the Basic Research Laboratories and the Communication Science Laboratories at NTT and served as Director at the Intelligent Robotics and Communication Laboratories, Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute International (ATR). He is Chair and Professor in the Art Science Department, Osaka University of Arts. He is Program Director of the Moonshot R&D Program Goal 1. His research includes pattern recognition, optical character recognition, networked robotics, and cybernetic avatars. He was a member of the Science Council of Japan (Informatics) from 2017 to 2023. He has received various awards, including the Minister of the Environment Award for distinguished service in industry-academia-government collaboration in 2015.

He graduated from the Faculty of Science, Kyoto University and received a Ph.D. from Utrecht University in the Netherlands. After working as a researcher at the California Institute of Technology in the U.S., at University College London in the U.K. and in PRESTO, Japan Science and Technology Agency, and serving as an associate professor of cognitive neuroscience at the University of Sussex in the U.K., he founded Araya Inc. in 2013. Since 2020, he has been working on the practical application of brain-machine interface technology as a Project Manager in the Moonshot R&D Program of the Japanese Cabinet Office. He has received numerous awards, including the Young Scientists’ Award by the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology; ET/IoT Technology Award (2019); and JEITA Venture Award (2020).

Roboticist. He is a Professor in the Graduate School of Engineering Science, the University of Osaka (Osaka University Distinguished Professor); Visiting Director of the ATR Hiroshi Ishiguro Laboratories (ATR Fellow); Project Manager of the Moonshot R&D Program Goal 1; Thematic Project Producer for Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan; and Representative Director and CEO of AVITA, Inc. He is involved in research and development of remote-controlled robots (avatars) and intelligent robots, and is a leading researcher in humanoid robots (androids). He received the Osaka Culture Prize in 2011 and a Commendation for Science and Technology by the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology and the Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Award in 2015. He also received the Tateisi Prize in 2020 and the Ichimura Prize in Science for Excellent Achievement in 2023.

CEO of Leaflow Inc. After earning her degree in Philosophy from Keio University, Rui began her career at Maersk Line in international logistics. She later founded and successfully exited Carry On Inc., a resale platform for children’s clothing, before launching Leaflow in 2021. As a pioneer in Japan’s emerging CBD market, she works across e-commerce, retail, sustainability, and PR/marketing. In addition to running events and supporting entrepreneurs, she is also active in women’s leadership development and public speaking. Rui serves as a planner at Venture Café Tokyo and community manager at Tokyo Innovation Base (TIB).

In 2019, she founded Waffle to address the gender gap in the IT field. She has been promoting programming education for teachers in collaboration with boards of education across Japan. Appointed as a delegate of “W20 JAPAN,” an official G20 engagement group, she was also selected as one of the World Economic Forum’s Young Global Leaders (YGLs) in 2024. She continues to be active across various fields.

As Chief of Commercial Innovation at NTT, she drives innovation in commercial and sustainability applications using photonic networks and space and satellite technologies. Recognized on Forbes’ Innovation 50>50 list and a consecutive recipient of the Women of the Channel “Power 70/80” awards, she is trilingual in English, German, and Japanese, and has worked globally with major companies and startups across Europe, the US, and Asia. She is also the bestselling author of Dear Chairwoman.

Louis Murayama is Executive Director and Partner of Antares Ventures, a Singapore-based venture capital firm investing in transformative deep tech startups. He leads the firm’s operational and strategy, enabling industrial and sustainability innovation across Asia’s growth markets.

Hidemi began her career in investment banking, specializing in M&A and equity markets. She then gained experience at a U.S. unicorn startup and in VC before founding Apprecia Capital. Based in Switzerland, Apprecia Capital is a VC fund focused on deep tech across Europe. Hidemi actively fosters collaboration and co-creation between cutting-edge European technologies and Japanese companies.

After graduating from Keio University with a degree in Economics, Tomosaku established a renewable energy fund in Mexico and led venture investments for Europe at a government-affiliated financial institution before founding NordicNinja VC in 2019.
Based in Finland and the UK, he will make venture investments in the European region with a focus on the Nordic region.
Focus area is DeepTech including Climatetech, and supports business development, including participation in the Japanese market, as a board of director of the portfolio company.
He is also a board member of the Nordic Asian Venture Alliance, an accelerator between the Nordic region and Asia, including Japan, based in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Tiffany has 25+ years’ experience in Services and Technology businesses with international roles across the Americas, Europe and Asia. She is currently the General Manager responsible for the AWS Startup ecosystem across Asia Pacific and Japan. She leads the sales, development, partner and technology teams focused on helping founders prove that their world-changing ideas are possible, regardless of stage in growth or level of funding. She and her team support founders, VCs and developers to drive the next generation of disruptive ideas and growth, to help every Startup achieve their full potential. Her teams work hand-in-hand with AWS partners to provide deep expertise in the architecture, design, development and implementation of cloud computing initiatives that result in real business outcomes.

Born on October 29, 1972 in Fukuoka Prefecture. Entrepreneur. Founder of SNS media & consulting Inc.

He plays an active role in a variety of fields, including rocket development, app production, and, as a board member of the Japan Preventive Medicine Association (JPMA), preventive medicine.

At the members-only online salon “Takafumi Horie Innovation University (HIU),” he is developing a wide range of projects with nearly 500 members. http://salon.horiemon.com/ His books include Jakusha no Heihō (The Strategy of the Weak), Itsu made Eigo kara Nigeteru no? (How Long Are You Going to Shy Away from English?), and Nippon Shakai no Honto no Shōtai: Tōshi to Okane to Mirai (The Real Face of Japanese Society: Investment, Money, and the Future). (All titles unofficial translations)

For more details, please visit https://snsmandc.jp/

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