MC Global Innovation

Kengo Morimoto

CEO

Kengo spent 20+ years at Mitsubishi Corporation engaging in new business development and business management, primarily in the food and seafood sectors. While working in the Marine Products Department, he planned supply-chain businesses for tuna and other marine products, upcycling initiatives, and aquaculture-related projects. He later established a breeding and aquaculture joint venture in Thailand and got involved in managing frontline business operations as President/COO. He subsequently served as president and representative director, etc. at several affiliates and business investments. In the Food Industry Group CEO Office, he led investments in food-tech such as cultured meat and spearheaded decarbonization initiatives. He helped establish MCGI in 2025 and serves in his current role. Drawing on decades of experience working at the crossroads of people, nature, and technology in the food sector, he now aims to bridge Mitsubishi Corporation’s broad industry platforms with startups to address various societal and global challenges.

Ryotaro Nakamura

Managing Director

After joining Mitsubishi Corporation, Ryotaro worked on logistics and supply chain projects, where he was able to gain experience in investing in Chinese logistics companies and managing business operations across the Middle East and Central Asia. He later moved to Silicon Valley where he was in charge of startup investments and business development, working to create new businesses that combine logistics and technology. In 2022, he launched the warehouse robot service “Roboware” and the warehouse-sharing service “WareX,” then carved them out to establish Gaussy, Inc., where he served as President & CEO. He joined MCGI in 2025 and is currently in charge of investments in the field of AI. He works with entrepreneurs who share the same vision as they push into the unknown, and aims to accelerate startup growth by leveraging Mitsubishi Corporation’s deep connections across industry and society.

Wataru Hatakeyama

Vice President

Wataru joined Mitsubishi Corporation as a new graduate in 2013 and worked in the trading of pharmaceutical raw materials. He later moved into startup investment and business development related to food tech and AgTech. In 2023, he was seconded to Kyoto University’s Office of Institutional Advancement and Communications, supporting the launch of startups originating from Kyoto University. He served as an early, hands-on partner to researchers engaged in basic research when they moved to establish a company, providing seed-stage startup support in deep tech sectors such as life sciences, energy, food, and quantum computing. He joined MCGI in 2025 and is in charge of the bio and healthcare sectors. He aims to help founders and researchers taking on new challenges in uncharted territory to unlock the potential of their technology and bring it into the real world. He holds an Amateur Fourth-Class Radio Operator license.

Kohei Usuki

CFO

Kohei joined Mitsubishi Corporation in 2016 and started his career in finance in the natural gas and metal resources sectors. He worked on areas such as FID (final investment decision) for LNG projects and business restructurings, then was placed in charge of CVC in the resources sector. He saw firsthand the immense impact that can come from pairing the cutting-edge technologies of startups with real-world industries. After working in the CFO Office of a subsidiary in Singapore, he most recently has been engaged in group-wide business portfolio management, investment valuations, and strategy development for Mitsubishi Corporation. These experiences reinforced his belief that leveraging Mitsubishi Corporation’s resources can unlock growth opportunities for startups and drive industrial transformations. He joined MCGI as part of the founding team to accelerate societal transformations through collaborations between startups and Mitsubishi Corporation.

Mihiro Nomura

Vice President

Mihiro joined Mitsubishi Corporation in 2019 and began her career in the retail business, where she helped develop next-generation convenience store models by introducing U.S. startup technologies into store development operations. She was later seconded to MC Digital, a Mitsubishi-affiliated tech company, as a project manager, where she led machine learning-based predictive and optimization projects for overseas clients. In 2022, she joined Eneco Energy Trade,
part of the Netherlands-based integrated energy company known as the Eneco Group, handling intraday power trading. Leveraging her experience working across the entire supply chain – from upstream to downstream operations – she strives to integrate Mitsubishi Corporation’s diverse industrial assets with technology to create lasting value through innovation. Since 2025, she has been a member of MCGI, where she is responsible for investments in the AI sector.

Shun Ohama

Vice President

Shun began his career at Asahi Kasei in the sales of high-performance materials such as pharmaceutical excipients, then from 2016, he engaged in investment activities in Silicon Valley at the company’s CVC Division. From 2020, he led the establishment and operation of the CVC office in Shanghai, promoting investments and partnerships across a wide range of industries, including materials, mobility, and healthcare. Through that process, he came to realize that even with passionate founders and great technology, it is difficult to promote such products and solutions in society unless the right conditions are in place. He later joined Mitsubishi Corporation where he worked on developing business ventures in carbon materials, and in 2025 he joined MCGI, where he was placed in charge of the bio and healthcare sectors. He strives to harness the diversified platforms that a conglomerate company like Mitsubishi Corporation possesses, and the freedom that comes from not being locked into a fixed supply-chain position to accelerate the growth of startups and to achieve repeatable innovation. He has lived in the Bay Area in the U.S., China, and Japan.

Kodai Yamagishi

Vice President

Kodai joined Mitsubishi Corporation in 2016 and worked on an LNG business in Malaysia. From 2019, he promoted startup investments and business development in decarbonization technologies for concrete and experienced firsthand how a single technology can reshape an industry. Later on, he handled corporate planning at Mitsubishi Corporation’s LNG marketing subsidiary in Singapore. He joined MCGI in 2025 and is currently in charge of investments in the deep tech sector. He strives to be a sincere partner who helps founders turn their conviction into reality, bridging tech startups with real-world industrial networks. He set a Guinness World Record in 2013 for most tennis balls caught in one minute with a boxing glove. He completed the master’s program in Applied Chemistry at Waseda University’s School of Advanced Science and Engineering.

Hironori Nakajima

Vice President

Hiro joined Mitsubishi Corporation in 2019 and promoted the establishment of an urban development platform in various ASEAN countries. In 2021, he was seconded to a joint venture in Singapore with a government-affiliated design firm where he engaged in urban development from an investor’s perspective. From 2023, he changed roles and served as a Business Development Manager at an urban development company in Jakarta, advancing a development project spanning over 100 hectares (approx. 250 acres). He leveraged the greenfield site to co-create with startups and run pilots in areas such as decarbonization and generative AI. He joined MCGI in 2025, aiming to spark innovation by pairing rapidly evolving technologies with Mitsubishi Corporation’s resources. He holds an Indonesian Language Proficiency Examination gradeD and E, and enjoys programming as his hobby.

Toshihiro Ura

Vice President

After joining Mitsubishi Corporation in 2015, Toshi began his career in food ingredients trading. He subsequently gained broad experience in the sector through sales and marketing during a secondment to a Thai food ingredients manufacturer, business investment management and project development at Mitsubishi Corporation’s head office, and business development at a domestic food ingredients manufacturer. In 2024, he moved to California to pursue an MBA. While there, he participated in a university startup program and interned at a local deep-tech startup, which deepened his conviction that large corporations should engage proactively with global VC and startup ecosystems. After completing his MBA, he joined MCGI, where he primarily focuses on venture investments in AI. He holds an MBA from UC Berkeley Haas School of Business and passed Grade 3 of the Practical Thai Proficiency Test.

Hiroto Takeuchi

Venture Partner, Silicon Valley

Hiro joined Mitsubishi Corporation in 2013. After working in synthetic resin trading, he engaged in new business development in the materials sector, gaining a broad range of experience that included everything from new venture to project management. He earned an MBA in the U.S. in 2021, and after graduating, he was assigned to Mitsubishi Corporation’s Silicon Valley Branch to engage in business development with startups, primarily in the fields of AI and robotics. He contributed to the launch of MCGI from Silicon Valley and, since its establishment, has been active across North America in VC investments, with a focus on deep tech including AI and robotics. He seeks to leverage Mitsubishi Corporation’s and Japan’s assets to help founders realize the world they envision. He holds an MBA from the Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management.

Takuya Odagiri

Venture Partner, Silicon Valley

Tak joined Mitsubishi Corporation in 2016 and engaged in investment management operations for infrastructure funds. He was later put in charge of transportation infrastructure operations in India, as well as domestic data center investment and operation, after which he studied abroad in the U.S. to earn an MBA. After witnessing the rapid rise of generative AI, he built machine-learning prototypes, and pursued several startup ideas that ultimately did not proceed to commercialization—an experience that underscored the importance of supporting entrepreneurs. He subsequently joined Mitsubishi Corporation’s Silicon Valley Branch where he engaged in startup investments. Inspired by the potential to use technology to transform real-world industries cultivated by a conglomerate company, he joined MCGI in 2025. He is now based in Silicon Valley and is in charge of investments in the field of AI. He graduated from the University of Tokyo’s School of Engineering, and holds an MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management in the U.S.

Shotaro Wakasa

Venture Partner, Silicon Valley

At MCGI, Sho focuses on venture investments in healthcare, biotech, and AI. He spent over 15 years at Mitsubishi Corporation, working across healthcare and consumer sectors in business development and investment. He worked at healthcare companies in Japan and served as an Administrative Fellow at Memorial Hermann Health System in Houston. After relocating to Silicon Valley in 2020, he headed Mitsubishi Corporation's healthcare sector in North America and launched an accelerator supporting Japanese startups entering the U.S. He believes in Japan–U.S. cross-border innovation and is driven by a mission to translate it into real-world impact. He holds a Master of Science in Management from the Stanford Graduate School of Business and a master's in biomedical engineering from Waseda University. Outside work, he is a certified wine expert who enjoys home-brewing and hiking with his family.

Satoe Takashima

Assistant