After working as a lawyer in a law firm, Mr. Shimodaira joined LINE Corporation (now LINE Yahoo Corporation) as an in-house attorney and engaged in new business development in the AI field.

In 2018, he joined the investment division of Dream Incubator Inc., where he founded the venture capital firm, focusing on investing in and supporting startups, leading to nine successful exits. In 2023, he founded the venture capital firm ON&BOARD. SBIR Program Reviewer (2024). Expert Member, Nagano Prefecture Startup Support Strategy Advisory Council (2025–2026)

Mr. Shimodaira holds a degree in Law from Hitotsubashi University and a Juris Doctor degree from Keio University Law School.

Additional Roles:

• Pro Picker at NewsPicks
• Instructor of "Startup Management Strategy Textbook" on Udemy
• Author of "Risk & Legal Essentials for Entrepreneurs: 26 Stories to Avoid Fatal Mistakes" published by Diamond, Inc.

Mr. Nakayama joined Dream Incubator in 2016, where he engaged in startup investment and support in Japan and India, consulting for large corporations. In 2019, he contributed to the founding of the venture capital firm, achieving exits for five portfolio companies. In 2022, he joined IT platform company, where he was responsible for calculating the Economics of major services and formulating mid-term plans. In 2023, he co-founded the venture capital firm ON&BOARD. Mr. Nakayama holds a degree in Management from Sophia University.

Mr. Hasegawa engaged in a wide range of responsibilities at Mitsubishi Corporation since joining in 2009. He handled trading operations related to defense and automotive sectors, led product planning and sales operations at an automotive distribution company in Indonesia, and managed numerous investment, business revitalization, and divestiture proposals at Investment Committee, Head Office of Mitsubishi Corporation. He also engaged in strategic planning in the Automotive Business Division.

Witnessing the shifts in Japan's industrial competitiveness through his work, he was driven by a desire to directly foster Japanese-origin innovations, leading him to co-found ON&BOARD.
Mr. Hasegawa holds a degree in Law from Hitotsubashi University and studied Politics & International Studies at the University of Warwick in the UK during his undergraduate years.

 Originating from Aichi Prefecture, and a graduate of the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Tokyo. During academic years, diverse professional experiences were acquired, including an intern at a venture capital firm. Post-graduation, served as a consultant before co-founding ON&BOARD.

 An integral member of the Beyond AI Institute, leading key research themes under the guidance of Professor Yuji Ikegaya. Research spans neuroscience and artificial intelligence, with affiliations to the  Society for Neuroscience. 

 Notable achievements include pioneering the identification of the hippocampal CA2 area using machine learning, a task exceedingly challenging for humans (Takeuchi et al., Front. Neuroanat, 2023; 46th Annual Meeting of the Japan Neuroscience Society, Sendai). Additionally, he developed a Brain Machine Interface that adjusts indoor illumination in real-time based on drowsiness levels, marking a world-first achievement, and presented this innovation at the Society for Neuroscience 2023 in Washington, D.C. Extensive research in circadian rhythms is documented in Ogasawara et al., Sci. Rep., 2024. he has also been honored with the Outstanding Student Presentation Award and the Sadako O. Hirai Ban Award for Young Researchers.

Mr. Hirakawa joined a technology company after graduating from university. He is currently working as a content curator at a major tech media outlet.

He manages 'Coffee Break with Startups,' a media platform that introduces the must-know topics about startups

Ms. Hamauchi joined Spire Inc. (now United Inc.) in 2011, where she handled sales in the advertising agency business. She subsequently worked at ZOZO, Mynavi, and DeNA, gaining experience in digital and mass promotions. In 2017, she joined C Channel Inc., managing public relations and influencer management. In April 2020, she founded RooMooN Inc., where she currently serves as CEO. She now focuses on influencer management, PR consulting, YouTube channel production, and community management. She leads the Trend Catch Project, a marketing group for female students, and the Strategic PR Initiative.

During her student years, Ms. Doiyama interned in public relations at C Channel Inc. and ecbo Inc., while also serving as the Vice President and PR Director of the Trend Catch Project, a marketing group for female students. In 2022, she joined ORBIS Inc. as a new graduate, working in corporate PR. In 2023, she transitioned to TENTIAL Inc., where she continues her work in public relations.

Originally from Asahikawa City, Hokkaido, he graduated from Waseda University's School of Commerce and began his career as a certified public accountant at PwC Tax Japan. He later founded Koizumi Accounting Office after working at Dream Incubator Inc. At PwC Tax Japan, he was part of the Financial Services division, providing tax advisory and compliance services to domestic and international financial clients, including funds. At Dream Incubator Inc., he worked in the investment team, handling front-office tasks as well as middle- and back-office duties from fund establishment to liquidation. In 2024, he was appointed as a fund administration advisor at ON&BOARD.

Mr. Nishi most recently served as Administrative Vice Minister of Defense for Japan (2013–2015), playing a central role in strengthening Japan’s defense industrial base and strategic policy frameworks. His work included modernizing defense export principles, overseeing the introduction of the F-35 fighter program, coordinating submarine export discussions with Australia, guiding the enactment of peace and security legislation, revising the Japan–U.S. Defense Cooperation Guidelines, and establishing the Acquisition, Technology & Logistics Agency (ATLA).

Previously, he served as Director-General of the Defense Policy Bureau (2011–2013) and Director-General of the Bureau of Finance and Equipment (2009–2011), where he led defense policy formulation and procurement reform. He also served as Director of the Cabinet Office’s Office for Abandoned Chemical Weapons, introducing a mobile destruction facility approach, and as Deputy Director-General of the Technical Research and Development Institute, contributing to the SM-3 Block IIA missile program. Earlier in his career, he held senior leadership roles across defense procurement, facilities, and international coordination, including defense equipment transfer negotiations and bilateral discussions with the United States on ballistic missile defense.

Mr. Nishi began his career in 1978 with the Japan Defense Agency and served as Secretary to the Director-General in 1991. He holds a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) from the University of Tokyo and a Master of Letters (M.Litt.) in International Relations from the University of Oxford, where he studied under Professor Michael Howard.

Mr. Sugie graduated from the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Tokyo and began his career at Fuji Bank, now known as Mizuho Financial Group. He later moved to Accenture, before joining GE Consumer Finance in 2006. Following the company's acquisition by Shinsei Bank Group and its subsequent renaming to Shinsei Financial in 2009, Mr. Sugie was appointed as the President and CEO in 2012. In 2016, he also served as Managing Director at Shinsei Bank. He took on the role of President and CEO at Paidy in November 2017. Under his leadership, Paidy was acquired by PayPal in October 2021 for 300 billion yen. As of November 2021, he has also been serving as a Vice President at PayPal headquarters. Mr. Sugie holds an MBA and a Master's in Financial Engineering from Columbia University. In 2024, he also took on the role of advisor at ON&BOARD.

After graduating from Waseda University, Mr. Hamada joined SMBC Nikko Securities as a new graduate. In 2017, he founded Monokabu Inc. and was selected for Forbes 30 Under 30. In 2021, he successfully led the M&A sale of Monokabu to SODA Inc. Following the acquisition, he established SODA Singapore and moved to Singapore to lead the global expansion of SNKRDUNK. In 2024, he also took on the role of advisor at ON&BOARD.

 Dr. Matsubara completed his Ph.D. in Information Engineering at the University of Tokyo, focusing on knowledge representation and utilization in intelligent robots. A consistent researcher in robotics and AI, he has received numerous academic awards. As a leading expert in computer shogi, he won the first Computer Shogi Association Award and became a professor at the School of Systems Information Science at Future University Hakodate in 2000. Beyond academia, Dr. Matsubara has significant industry experience, founding Mirai Share, a university-based startup offering AI-driven bus and taxi sharing services. He served as president of the Japanese Society for Artificial Intelligence in 2014 and became a professor at the University of Tokyo's Graduate School of Information Science and Technology in 2020. Currently, he leads the Center for Informatics Education and Research at Kyoto Tachibana University, striving to establish it as a premier information education and research hub in Kansai. At ON&BOARD, Dr. Matsubara advises on innovation development strategies.

Withdrew from the doctoral program in the Graduate School of Science at the University of Tokyo in 2001. In the same year, began working as an assistant at the University of Tokyo. Holds a Ph.D. in Information Science and Technology. After serving as an Associate Professor at the National Institute of Informatics, currently a Professor at the University of Tokyo. Engaged in research on foundational technologies for natural language processing, such as syntactic analysis and semantic analysis, as well as their applications. Recipient of several awards, including the Microsoft Research New Faculty Award, the Young Scientists’ Prize from the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, the Masaru Nagao Special Award from the Information Processing Society of Japan, and the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science Prize.

Completed a doctoral program at Nara Institute of Science and Technology and earned an International MBA from IE Business School with Beta Gamma Sigma honors. Holds a PhD in Engineering and an MBA. Specializes in artificial intelligence, particularly natural language processing, with a focus on natural language generation and automatic summarization. Recipient of numerous awards, including the IPSJ Research Committee's Recommended Doctoral Dissertation and the JSAI Best Paper Award. Has experience at NTT Media Intelligence Laboratories and Tokyo Institute of Technology, and has been involved in startup management, handling everything from fundraising and organizational development to new business development, product development, and R&D. As an advisor at ON&BOARD, provides guidance in the intersection of business and technology, including setting up technical teams and launching products.