Sozo Ventures

Koichiro "Koh" Nakamura is a Founder and General Partner of Sozo Ventures who appeared on the 2021 Forbes Midas List for investments in Coinbase, Palantir, and Square. Before co-founding Sozo, he spent over 20 years building technology companies, was a member of the founding team of Yahoo Japan, and worked at Mitsubishi Corporation, where he created Japan's first Application Service Provider and founded Datastations (later acquired by ValueCommerce) and the Innovation Kitchen incubator. He holds a degree from Waseda University and an MBA from the University of Chicago, and was a Kauffman Fellow (Class 12).

Phil Wickham is a Founder and General Partner of Sozo Ventures and emeritus Executive Chairman of the Kauffman Fellows in Palo Alto, California. He previously co-founded Reference Media in Tokyo (later sold to the Princeton Review), served as General Partner at JAFCO America Ventures, and ran U.S. operations for the Munich-based venture fund Copan. He lectures at Stanford's Graduate School of Engineering and is a Visiting Professor at Waseda University's School of Commerce.

Rob Freelen is a Managing Director and investing partner at Sozo Ventures, which he joined in September 2022. He co-founded the fintech company Turbine Finance and previously served as Silicon Valley Bank's Head of Venture Capital Relationship Management, where he advised SVB Capital's Fund-of-Funds and managed relationships with top US venture firms. He holds a B.A. in Psychology from Whitman College, is a Kauffman Fellow (Class 29), and has lectured on venture capital and venture lending at UCLA, USC, and Stanford.

Spencer Foust joined Sozo Ventures in June 2016 and leads investments from seed to pre-IPO. He previously worked at Apple and on the B61 Nuclear Weapon program at Sandia National Labs. He holds a Master's in Management Science and Engineering from Stanford University and a BS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Arkansas, and was named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list in 2020.

Lauren MacDonald joined Sozo Ventures in February 2022, where she leads investment operations and works on scaling the firm's deal pipeline. Before Sozo, she interned at Fitbit as a supply and demand manager and spent five years as an Operations Rotation Engineer at Western Digital, working across the flash supply chain and managing inventory for OEM customers. She holds a Master's in Management Science and Engineering from Stanford University and a BS in Mathematics from California Polytechnic University, Pomona.

Tetsu Nomura joined Sozo Ventures in September 2014, where he helps portfolio companies develop business opportunities in the Japanese market. He previously spent over 12 years in international IT roles at Japanese firms including Japan Telecom, Fuji Xerox Information Systems, and IT Frontier, and most recently served for five years as Regional IT Manager for Mitsubishi Corporation's North and South America operations. He studied in England for over four years and completed three years of molecular biology study at Simon Fraser University in Canada.

Yoshihiro Kohara joined Sozo Ventures in February 2017, focusing on startup investment and business development. During his first three years he worked with the business development team in Tokyo, handling market entry and partnerships in Japan for companies including Zoom and Revolut, before relocating to the US in 2020 to join the investment team. He previously worked at Digital Garage on business development for fintech operations and is a graduate of Meiji University.

Yoshitaka Kadoya is a Principal at Sozo Ventures, which he joined in March 2022, where he supports global startups in developing business opportunities in Japan through market research, strategy design, and partner/client introductions. He previously spent 10 years at Hokuriku Bank, where he structured business loans and led development projects including establishing the bank's equity investment arm and building IT consulting and real estate-related businesses. He holds an MBA from Stanford University and a Bachelor of Laws from Tokyo University.

Clay Gary joined Sozo Ventures in June 2024 as a Venture Partner and also serves as a Principal at Market Sense International, a Tokyo-based market entry and distribution consultancy. He has worked in general management, sales, marketing, and business development across Japan and Asia-Pacific since 1988, including a decade at the advertising agency Dentsu and roles as a founding team member of Callaway Japan and Senior Head of Golf Japan & APAC at Cobra Puma Golf. He holds a BA in Literature from Brown University.

Kaori Onguchi joined Sozo Ventures in March 2022, where she supports portfolio companies in developing business opportunities in Japan. She began her career as an equity research analyst at JP Morgan Securities, later worked at organizational development consultancy Human Value, and co-founded an organic vegetable distribution business. Before Sozo, she served as Managing Director in Japan for a Silicon Valley-based digital health startup.

Mitch Underseth joined Sozo Ventures in April 2018, where he handles financial analysis and assessments of investment opportunities and provides financial and operational support to portfolio companies. He has more than 30 years of executive financial management experience across early-stage venture-backed companies and Fortune 500 firms, and has also served in COO and interim CEO roles. He holds an MBA from the University of Washington and a BS in Finance from Lewis and Clark College.

Paul T. Masuda joined Sozo Ventures in June 2022, bringing over 30 years of experience in new business and innovation development across logistics, transportation, and e-commerce. He previously served as Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer and Senior Vice President at Yamato Transport U.S.A. Inc. and earlier worked as a Project Manager for Yamato Holdings and Yamato Transport, leading joint venture projects in India, Vietnam, and South Korea. At Sozo, he helps startups extend their business development between the U.S. and Japan; he holds a B.A. from Rikkyo University and became a Certified Logistics Master in 2000.

Ray Hatoyama joined Sozo Ventures in August 2016 as a Venture Partner, focusing on corporate strategy for globalization and corporate governance. He previously served as Managing Director of Sanrio Co., Ltd., where he led the global expansion of the Hello Kitty brand, and earlier worked in Mitsubishi Corporation's content division and with companies including the Avex Group and Lawson, Inc. He holds a degree from Aoyama Gakuin University, an MBA from Harvard Business School, and a corporate governance certificate from INSEAD, and is a Kauffman Fellow and Visiting Scholar at Stanford University.

Samira Daswani is a Venture Partner at Sozo Ventures, which she joined in October 2021, where she supports the team on healthcare deals including sourcing and diligence. She is also VP of New Ventures at Initiate Studios, a healthcare venture studio, and previously served as VP of Product at Visby Medical, where she launched an infectious disease test. She founded Manta Cares, a community for caregivers and cancer survivors, hosts the podcast Patient from Hell, began her career at McKinsey & Company, and holds degrees from MIT, Stanford, and Wellesley College.

Aantorik Ganguly joined Sozo Ventures in March 2024 as an analyst on the investment team. He graduated Magna Cum Laude in Economics from Middlebury College and studied philosophy, politics and economics at the University of Oxford. Before joining full-time, he worked with Sozo during its third fund evaluating companies from seed to pre-IPO stages, and has go-to-market experience with Novartis and the startup Harmonic.ai.

Alaina N. Watts joined Sozo Ventures in 2021, where she supports accounting and operational functions. She was previously an assistant controller at Shasta Ventures and earlier worked as a tax accountant focused on alternative investments, partnerships, and corporate entities across hedge funds, technology, and real estate. She holds a B.S. in Accounting from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and a B.S. in Marketing from the University of South Alabama, and is an inactive Certified Public Accountant in California.

Bob Roe joined Sozo Ventures in October 2021 as VP of Narrative Development, where he helps the team develop and communicate their stories across formats such as emails, pitch decks, and books. He is a journalist and editor who has worked at major U.S. media companies, starting in magazines, running a news-based website, and editing fiction and non-fiction for several publishers. He holds a B.A. in Philosophy from UC San Diego and spent one semester as a graduate student at USC's journalism school.

Edwin Ong joined Sozo Ventures in January 2025 as an Associate and Chief of Staff to Phil Wickham, supporting his work across investments, education, and operations. He previously interned at JAZZ Venture Partners, worked as a financial analyst at Amazon, and ran a venture microfund focused on Asian-American founders. He holds a bachelor's degree in Economics from Stanford University.

Elena Winefeld joined Sozo Ventures in January 2017. She was previously VP of Finance at Acero Capital and a Controller at Nokia Growth Partners, where she also worked as a Financial Analysis Manager handling portfolio analysis and reporting, and earlier held operational accounting and tax roles at technology companies and a CPA firm. She has a software engineering background and holds a B.S. in Economics and Management from the Technion (Israel Institute of Technology), with a concentration in Accounting, Finance, and Information Systems.

Janhavi Sawant joined Sozo Ventures in September 2021, where she manages operations and accounting for the firm's management company and supports fund reporting and administration alongside the Controller and CFO. She also analyzes and reports financials of portfolio companies for internal review. Earlier in her career she spent nine years in retail banking and customer relationship management at State Bank of India in Mumbai, and later worked as a Commercial Property Accountant at Steelwave LLC. She holds a master's degree in Accounting & Finance from the University of Mumbai and an MBA in Finance from California State University-East Bay.

Jessica Eschen joined Sozo Ventures in March 2022, where she manages daily office operations and coordinates meetings for team members. She holds a bachelor's degree in Business Administration from San Jose State University, and previously worked as a marketing coordinator for a construction and engineering firm and at a beauty retailer.

Kazuhiro "Kazu" Kobayashi joined Sozo Ventures in April 2017 and serves as the firm's Head of Japan, helping portfolio companies develop business opportunities in Japan and other markets. He studied electronic computing and computer science and electronics engineering technology at Devry University, and previously worked at NCR in consulting sales for retail and at IT Frontier, a Mitsubishi Corporation and IBM Japan joint venture, where he built SAP R/3 infrastructure outsourcing services. He also founded a collective of Japanese ramen restaurants in China before returning to Japan to work in IT system design and consulting.

Monica Hauer joined Sozo Ventures in February 2020 and works as Controller/Accounting Manager alongside the Director of Finance, handling day-to-day operations of the management company and related entities. She has about twenty years of experience in venture capital, focused on accounting and tax functions for S-corporations and partnerships. She is a licensed CPA and holds a B.S. in Agricultural and Managerial Economics from U.C. Davis.

Neha Atreya joined Sozo Ventures in November 2018, where she works on fund operations and administration. She previously handled fund management, operations, and reporting at 5AM Ventures, served as Controller at Asset Management Ventures, and was an Accounting Associate at Stanford University. She holds a bachelor's degree in Economics, Finance, and Business Administration from Notre Dame de Namur University.

Nettie Reyes is VP of Operations at Sozo Ventures, which she joined in July 2019, where she supports the investment team's operations and organizes events such as summits, gatherings, workshops and offsites. She previously served as Chief of Staff at Ulu Ventures and spent 10 years as Director of Operations at Kauffman Fellows, where she handled strategic planning and organized venture capital summits across eight countries. She earned both her undergraduate and MBA degrees from Notre Dame de Namur University.

A West Coast native, Noah Jones joined Sozo Ventures in January 2016 in a technical and operational capacity. He provides IT and backend support for the US team, maintains the firm's technological infrastructure, and built Sozo's first website. His responsibilities also include research, preparing presentations and reports, planning local events and meetings, and coordinating communication and vendor dealings between the Japan and US offices.

Yuki Kanematsu joined Sozo Ventures in January 2022, where she supports the business development team, office operations, and operational assistance for global startups expanding into Japan. She previously worked as an IT infrastructure engineer at IT Frontier, a Mitsubishi Corporation and IBM Japan joint venture, and later managed leadership and business skills training programs across Asia at ABeam Consulting. She holds a BA in Literature from Kumamoto University and a Master's in English Language Teaching from the University of Sussex.