TSUYOSHI ITO CEO / Managing Partner

Has over 15 years of investment experience and Has raised and manages two funds for startups with committed capital totaling a little under $200M. Invests in various fields such as medical device, robotics, digital health, healthcare services, Agri tech, food and new materials.

Currently, he serves as a visiting associate professor at Nagoya University, and has served as a member of the Startup committee of the Cabinet Office and various ministries and agencies.

Portfolio: CYBERDYNE (IPO), W-Scope (IPO), Morpho (IPO), TKP (IPO), Spiber, astamuse, Microwave Chemical, CureApp, River Field, Lily MedTech, Aillis, POL, IntegriCulture, OPEｘPARK, NOVENINE, Regional fish

YUICHIRO SANO Manager, Venture
Capitalist

Over 15 years of experience working in emerging markets, including 3 years of residence in India, at Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). Experienced a variety of financial instruments including equity investment, corporate finance, and project finance.

Joined Beyond Next Ventures in April 2021. Leads investment operations in India. Passionate about impact investment with a particular focus on health-tech. Graduate from Harvard Kennedy School. Loves Bhindi Masala and Masala Dosa.

SHAH MAYUR Head, Business
Development Group India

An expert in India-Japan business relations with an overall experience of 25 years in Finance and IT R&D services.

Alongside incubating many new initiatives for growth in India, he led the think-tank division at Japanese Mega bank for over 12 years and helped more than 450 Japanese companies in their entry and expansion strategy for their India investments.

At BNV, he is looking for increased cooperation among Japanese Corporates, Government agencies, Academia with Indian Open Innovation Ventures ecosystem.

Masters in International Economics from the Yokohama City University, Japan

KARTHIK VARADA Venture Capitalist

Karthik is engaged in new investments in Indian startups and support growth and impact visibility of portfolio companies. Prior to joining BNV, he was a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Tokyo and researched ESG / climate-tech investments. Karthik was a founding member of the Sasakawa Peace Foundation’s Asia Women Impact Fund, one of the region’s first and largest impact investment funds committed to advancing gender equality. He advised venture capital firms and startups across Asia on investment analysis and social impact assessment. Karthik holds a PhD from the University of Tokyo, focused on ESG investing. He holds a masters degree from the University of Tokyo, where he studied impact investing. He received an undergraduate degree in engineering from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Hyderabad.