After my first job in investment banking, I spent a year volunteering at the Grameen Foundation, investing in social entrepreneurs in Southeast Asia. Grameen was one of the pioneers in microfinance, which allowed people in developing countries to grow their businesses and become more financially stable. Grameen’s delivery model relied heavily on mobile networks and regional payment technology. I saw how the combination of capital with a reliable and efficient technology infrastructure can lead to a generational shift. That experience eventually brought me to Google and then to the Japanese “super app” LINE. As an investor, I now have the chance to partner with the next group of generation-defining companies.

LINE started out as a messaging app and grew into a massively popular super app. When I joined in 2015, I was tasked with building out LINE’s mobile payments service. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity because each decision had the ability to impact millions of users. From this experience, I learned that attracting the best talent is the most important factor in building a successful business, thus I invested heavily in networking, recruiting, and building high-performing teams. Whether you're investing in your team or a company, it's about more than just picking winners. Surround yourself with the best people, forging relationships through shared vision and goals.

Every founder comes with a unique set of characteristics—there’s no such thing as a perfect match. For me, it’s more about the kind of relationship I can build with them as well as the talents they can surround themselves with. I want to know how we’ll gel together as a team, and how I’ll work with the people they hire. There are certain traits I look for, like conviction in their vision and the ability to keep their ego in check. But I’m only looking for those characteristics because they are the foundation of a collaborative relationship

I firmly believe that AI is poised to spark a profound transformation, potentially surpassing the impact of the internet and mobile technology. Its influence will fundamentally reshape how we tackle intricate challenges and enhance quality of life. In Japan, AI holds the promise of alleviating the issue of a shrinking population by boosting productivity and addressing labor shortages across various sectors. Companies like LegalOn, which are pioneering the development of AI-powered legal assistants, stand poised to fulfill this pressing need. By empowering professionals to concentrate on more intricate and strategic matters, such innovations have the potential to significantly enhance efficiency and effectiveness.