Venture Mentoring Service Mentors

Atsushi Usami holds a Ph.D. in pharmaceutical sciences from the University of Tokyo. Prior to joining UTEC in October 2013, he worked as a consultant at the Mitsubishi Research Institute. He provided consulting services across a wide range of areas, including mid- to long-term business planning and new business development for pharmaceutical companies, medical device manufacturers, and other manufacturing firms. Currently serving as a Partner and Board Director, he oversees venture investments and provides management support primarily in the life sciences sector for seed- and early-stage startups. He was involved in the co-founding of companies such as OriCiro Genomics, Inc. (acquired by Moderna, Inc.) and Repertoire Genesis, Inc. (acquired by Eurofins Scientific SE), and in addition to investment activities, he also provided management support. He currently serves as a board member for approximately 10 startups in Japan and the U.S. In 2023, in recognition of his contributions, he was named one of the most influential venture capitalists in Japan by Forbes Japan and received the Venture Capitalist Encouragement Award at the 23rd Japan Venture Awards. He serves as a project evaluation committee member for the Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development (AMED) and provides support for Life Science Innovation Network Japan (LINK-J).

John Carlson is a bilingual (English-Japanese) healthcare leader with over 10 years of experience in the global biopharmaceutical industry, specializing in product management. His career spans roles in corporate strategy, marketing, government affairs, and market access and policy. Having worked in Japan since 2014, John has held key leadership positions at Amicus Therapeutics, Novartis, AbbVie and Merck KGaA, where he has played a central role in the development and launch of new medicines. He has guided products from early-stage development to commercialization, helping manage regulatory pathways and lifecycle strategies. He currently leads the Japan operations of Amicus Therapeutics, where he serves as Representative Director and General Manager.

John holds an MS in Regulatory Science, a BS in Biochemistry, and a BA in East Asian Languages & Cultures from the University of Southern California.

As a mentor to healthcare ventures, John is passionate about helping emerging companies develop strong product strategies, navigate regulatory challenges, and succeed in global markets.

Jeff is endlessly fascinated by how we interact with the systems and technologies that connect us with each other and to the products and services we need to thrive in our everyday lives. He strongly believes that the world would be much more just and fun if everyone had the say they deserve in how those systems and technologies work, and has spent years on the ground in communities around the world to learn from people about their own lives, challenges, and desires. Jeff has spent nearly 20 years growing primarily impact-oriented seed to series B startups in the U.S., Africa, and Asia. During this time, he has supported multiple raises ranging from USD 500K to USD 20M, closed client contracts worth over USD 10M in aggregate, and built and managed internal teams of up to 12 people and several technology and distribution partnerships. Jeff has earned a Master's in Public Policy and Nonprofit Management from the University of Washington, and an Executive Master's in Innovation and Entrepreneurship from HEC Paris.

Dr Victor Nian is recognised as a go-to-person on nuclear energy, hydrogen and other strategic energy option development, net-zero carbon strategy, and sustainability governance in Southeast Asia. He is the Founding Co-Chairman of the Centre for Strategic Energy and Resources (CSER), an independent think-and-do tank established in the spirit of “knowledge and innovation without borders" in Asia. Dr Nian advises public and private organisations on energy strategy, industrial and sustainability policy, technology and supply chain management, digital transformation, geopolitics-related issues, and private-public collaboration to accelerate energy transition in Asia. Dr Nian serves on the board of technology start-up companies and international incubation centres, and advises on technology go-to-market, innovation programmes, and fund raising. Dr Nian is a Founding Member and elected Council Member of the International Society for Energy Transition Studies, and his other affiliations include(d) Visiting Fellow of the Hughes Hall, University of Cambridge, Adjunct Professor of Tianjin University of Commerce, Associate Faculty of Singapore University of Social Sciences, Associate Trainer of Civil Service College (Singapore), EXCO (observer) member of the Energy Technology Systems Analysis Programme under the International Energy Agency, member of the New Power System Committee and affiliated expert of Global Energy Interconnection Development and Cooperation Organisation, consultant to the Centre for International Law of the National University of Singapore and ASEAN Centre for Energy, and advisor for carbon and sustainability consulting businesses.

Atsushi Udagawa joined in 3M Japan in 1987, starting his career as Analytical Chemist. He progressed through Japan local roles such as Tech Manager and Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt, to leading 3M Asia Pacific team as Lab Manager and Business Development Manager for Commercial Graphics and Construction Material divisions for 10 years from 2007. In 2017, Udagawa-san moved to Japan Leader position of 3M Corporate Research Laboratory, then additionally took the current role as Japan Leader of 3M Corporate R&D Operations newly established in 2020.

Besides 3M, he is currently a part-time lecturer at Institute of Science Tokyo for Career development and teaching at Waseda Business School for Innovation, in addition to being an OIST VMS mentor and a POC program reviewer.

His education background includes Ph. D in Polymer Physics from Tokyo Institute of Technology and Master & Bachelor Degrees in Analytical Chemistry from University of Tokyo.

Udagawa-san was born and grew up in Tokyo. Outside of work, he races in triathlons and marathons: he is an Ironman as well as a Boston qualified runner.

Born in Kagawa, Japan, in 1953, M.S. in Information Science, Graduate School of Information Science and Technology, Kyoto University.

His career began at System Dept. in Toyo Engineering Corp., studied project management and participated in the establishment of a research institute (ASTEM) at Kyoto Research Park. Then, he joined the launch of Tokyo office of a US software company, served as CEO and COO of three companies at Softbank group, and worked in the web marketing department at NRI Group, where he was responsible for developing a conferencing system on iPad.

In 2014, he founded Okinawa Protein Tomography, Ltd. (OKPT), the first startup company from OIST, and spent 9 years as CEO. OKPT has provided macromolecular imaging service that includes proteins in various states at the single molecule-level by using cryo-electron microscopy and specifically designed 3D reconstruction tomography analysis software to major Japanese pharmaceutical companies. OKPT completed its mission in 2023 and was peacefully dissolved.

He has experienced many new projects but has always considered it important to work in a team. Now he is leaving the field and hopes to be able to help startups. Startups require the different skills of many people. He hopes his experience can help and reduce unnecessary worries of entrepreneurs.

For over 10 years, Katsuya Hashizume has been actively involved in investing in academic startups, particularly those bridging academia with impactful innovations. Since joining Beyond Next Ventures (BNV) in 2020, he has focused on investments in the medical device and digital health sectors. He was appointed Executive Officer in August 2021, where he now leads the investment department and manages the community of our portfolio companies. Prior to BNV, he served as the leader of the industry-academic investment group at JAFCO and as the chief promoter of the JST START program. Throughout his career, he has supported the founding and growth of multiple academic startups, including Microwave Chemical (IPO), Biomedical Solutions (M&A), and Bly Medical (M&A). He holds a graduate degree from the Keio University Graduate School of Media and Governance.