ABOUT GAIAX

Representative Director & President

After graduating from Doshisha University’s Faculty of Economics in 1997, Yuji aspired to start his own business and joined a company focused on supporting startups. After a year and a half, he left the company and in 1999, at the age of 24, he founded Gaiax Co. Ltd. He took the company public at the age of 30. Yuji also serves as the Representative Director of the Sharing Economy Association of Japan.

Executive officer & director

After joining a consulting firm in 1995, Naohito transitioned to the media industry, where he served as the editor-in-chief of a business magazine, interviewing numerous venture entrepreneurs. He then worked at a startup focused on overseas education, handling public relations, human resources, and launching new businesses. In 2010, Naohito founded Venture PR Co., Ltd., a PR firm specializing in small and medium-sized ventures. He became an executive officer of Gaiax in 2014. He graduated from Meiji University’s School of Political Science and Economics.

External director

After working as a student entrepreneur, Takahisa passed the Small and Medium Enterprise Consultant exam while still in graduate school. Following a stint at a management consulting firm, he became independent and founded Expert Link Co., Ltd. He primarily engages in business development support and management consulting for the service industry. In addition to his consulting work, Takahisa is involved in supporting entrepreneurship and venture creation for the national and local governments, as well as economic organizations. He also contributes to practical human resource development at universities and graduate schools. Furthermore, he serves as an outside director and advisor for financial institutions and business companies. Takahisa holds an MBA from the Graduate School of Business Administration at Yokohama National University.

External director

Morio started his career at Intel Japan, then worked at Daisy Systems Japan and Western Digital Japan before founding Aisys Corporation in 1988. As CEO, he facilitated the entry of Silicon Valley IT startups into Japan, handling everything from strategic partnerships and business development to recruiting management teams and setting up offices. He also served as a committee member for programs by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, and held roles as a Pacific Advisor for ARM and as an executive for publicly listed companies. He is known for his extensive network within Japan’s IT sector and Silicon Valley. He graduated from Meiji University.

External director

Graduated from the University of Tokyo’s Faculty of Medicine, Department of Health Sciences, and earned a doctorate in medicine from Jichi Medical University after completing a program at Harvard University’s School of Public Health. Specializing in preventive medicine, behavioral science, and computational creativity, he conducts interdisciplinary research with companies and universities on the theme of well-being.

External director

While at Keio University in 2012, she launched Hapikira FACTORY, focusing on creatively promoting local products. After graduating, she worked at Hakuhodo and gained product planning experience at Sony. Now, she plans new ventures at Persol Career while managing her own business as a “parallel career woman.” She also serves as an expert for the Cabinet Secretariat’s “Regional Revitalization Conference” and as a special assistant professor at Keio University Graduate School.