Executive Director
Louis Christian Murayama
Louis is a Plant Biotechnologist by training (M.Sc. University of Freiburg, Germany) He worked as a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Action Fellow Researcher at the Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Poland for three years studying chloroplast movement. In 2017, he joined the Tokyo office of Boston Consulting Group as a management consultant, where he specialized on corporate strategy and finance, advising firms on M&A, PMI and TSR (total shareholder return) maximization. After a stint as BizDev at ACES, in charge of creating new businesses using deep learning, Louis joined Real Tech Holdings as Growth Manager where he is currently providing strategic business development advice to portfolio companies.
Director
Daiki Kumamoto
Daiki Kumamoto engaged in numerous joint research with operating companies and startups as an undergraduate at Keio University, focusing mainly on domestic and overseas startup ecosystems. He joined Real Tech Fund in 2019 as the first new graduate, leveraging the experience of having collaborated with the lower-tier local organizations in 124 countries and managed a 1600-person organization as a senior managing director of AIESEC Japan. Daiki has been leading the creation of global funds that invest aggressively in Southeast Asian deep tech startups since 2020 in an effort to resolve the problems that Southeast Asia faces. At the same time, he is responsible as a growth manager for Japanese startups that are applying innovative technologies to the fields of welfare and nursing care.
In Japan, Daiki takes part as a director in aba Lab, which develops elimination detection sensors for those requiring nursing care in order to reduce the burden on caregivers, and Langualess Inc., which visualizes animals’ emotions in real time using biometric analysis technology. He also promotes overseas market studies and partnerships, mainly in Southeast Asia, for Ory Laboratory, which seeks the social participation of people with disabilities, and CLUE, Inc., which provides drone applications. In Southeast Asia, Daiki is in charge of NDR Medical Technologies, which develops AI-equipped surgical robots, and Austrianova, which develops revolutionary encapsulation technology. Additionally, Daiki provided support for the two companies’ entry into the Japanese market.
Director
Dr. Yukihiro Maru
Yukihiro Maru obtained a doctorate from the Department of Biotechnology, University of Tokyo Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences (Ph.D in Agriculture). He founded Leave a Nest in 2002, while in graduate school, as a member of a group with only undergraduate and graduate students majoring in science and technology. Yukihiro became the first in Japan to commercialize “Cutting-Edge-Science Delivery Lab Classes”. He operates “Knowledge Manufacturing Business” that generates new knowledge by combining the business resources and technologies that lie dormant in universities and local communities. Yukihiro has pushed more than 200 projects forward using the “knowledge platform”. As the innovator behind the largest startup ecosystem in Asia, which is based on collaboration among various entities including small factories and large companies, Yukihiro endeavors to uncover deep techs worldwide and to resolve global social issues. He has been involved in the launch of euglena Co., Ltd. and numerous other startups.
Yukihiro's major publications include “Deep Tech: The ‘Dormant Technology’ that Will Shape the Future of the World” (Nikkei Business Publications) and “World-Changing Business Starts from the “Fervor” of Just One Person” (NIPPON JITSUGYO PUBLISHING)
Director
Akitaka Wilhelm Fujii
After obtaining a master’s degree in International Studies from the University of Tokyo, Akitaka Wilhelm Fujii joined EIT Climate-KIC, a company that operates incubation and accelerator programs to address climate change. Akitaka took part in the establishment of multiple departments and was involved in team design, recruitment, team building, evaluation, and other personnel-related work. He became the person responsible for a company-wide Personnel System Reform Task Force in 2017. While at the company, Akitaka evaluated more than 200 startups and new businesses for grants, managing those awarded the grants as portfolio companies. He was also in charge of evaluating the environmental impact of portfolio companies and was exposed to a variety of innovative measures to address climate change.
Joining Real Tech Fund in March 2019 as a team developer, Akitaka provided a wide range of hands-on HR support, which includes recruitment, team building and personnel system design, in order to accelerate the growth of portfolio startups. He also contributed to the formation of Real Tech Fund’s ecosystem.
Akitaka assumed office as President of Real Tech Holdings in May 2020 and is working to enhance the management of the entire organization.
Growth Manager
Chihiro Murashita
Chihiro Murashita joined Ebara Corporation in 2016 after graduating from Nihon University College of Humanities and Science and has been involved in investor relations and public relations.
Chihiro joined Real Tech Global Fund in 2022 under a program designed to develop human resources capable of undertaking everything from identifying potentials for new business to the actual launch of a business. Chihiro identifies potentials for new business and promotes collaboration between Southeast Asian startups and Ebara Corporation, as well as other Japanese companies, through work and PR support at Real Tech Global Fund.
Associate
Haruka Sakurai
Haruka joined Real Tech Holdings as a fresh graduate in 2022. As an associate, she supports the fund’s investment team, booster division and PR.
Prior to joining Real Tech, she was an R&D intern at a cultivated fish startup in Singapore (Umami Meats) as well as doing a one-year placement at a consumer health brand company (Reckitt Benckiser) in Germany for a year.
Graduated with a MSci Chemistry from Imperial College London (UK) and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (USA).
