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Akira Kurabayashi

Investor

Managing Partner / Head of Japan at Dnx Ventures

Tokyo

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About

Kurabayashi leads DNX Ventures' Japan investments, focusing on B2B/SaaS startups where he invests as a lead investor from the early stage and serves as an outside director. Before joining DNX in 2015, he was Japan head at Salesforce Ventures and Globespan Capital Partners, and earlier worked at Mitsui & Co. and Fujitsu. He holds an MBA from Wharton and a doctorate from Doshisha University.

Contact· self-published, not guessed

Invests in

Enterprise SoftwareSaaS

Experience

  1. HERP, Inc.Board Observercurrent2026 — present
  2. HERP, Inc.Board Member2022 — 2026Tokyo, Japan
  3. HERP, Inc.Board Observer2019 — 2022Greater Tokyo Area
  4. ROMS, IncBoard Observercurrent2026 — present
  5. ROMS, IncBoard Member2020 — 2026Tokyo, Japan
  6. AdacotechBoard Observercurrent2026 — present
  7. AdacotechBoard Member2019 — 2026Greater Tokyo Area
  8. EmiumBoard Membercurrent2026 — presentTokyo, Japan
  9. EmiumInvestor2022 — 2025Tokyo, Japan
  10. CommuneBoard Membercurrent2025 — present
  11. CommuneBoard Observer2020 — 2024Tokyo, Japan
  12. 株式会社NOVARCABoard Observercurrent2025 — present
  13. 株式会社NOVARCABoard Member2017 — 2025Tokyo, Japan
  14. TableCheckInvestorcurrent2024 — present
  15. TableCheckBoard Member2020 — 2024Tokyo, Japan
  16. TableCheckInvestor2019 — 2020
  17. TableCheckBoard Member2019
  18. ZeroboardBoard Membercurrent2023 — present
  19. ZeroboardBoard Observer2021 — 2023Tokyo, Japan
  20. アルファス株式会社Board Membercurrent2023 — present
  21. アルファス株式会社Board Observer2017 — 2023Tokyo, Japan
  22. ShippioBoard Membercurrent2022 — presentTokyo, Japan
  23. Alp, Inc.Board Membercurrent2022 — presentTokyo, Japan
  24. KKR & Co. Inc.Industry Advisorcurrent2021 — present
  25. MagicMomentInvestorcurrent2021 — presentTokyo, Japan
  26. Techtouch, IncBoard Membercurrent2021 — presentTokyo, Japan
  27. Techtouch, IncBoard Observer2019 — 2021Tokyo, Japan
  28. FLUX Inc.Board Membercurrent2020 — presentTokyo, Japan
  29. FLUX Inc.Board Observer2019 — 2020Greater Tokyo Area
  30. 株式会社ナレッジワークBoard Membercurrent2020 — presentTokyo, Japan
  31. YESOD Inc.Investorcurrent2020 — present
  32. Studist CorporationInvestorcurrent2019 — presentTokyo
  33. Spacely, Inc.Board Observercurrent2018 — presentTokyo

Skills & more

Venture Capital25Mergers & Acquisitions8Corporate Development22Start-ups15Strategic Partnerships15Entrepreneurship6Due Diligence11Business Strategy13Mobile Devices4Private Equity4Competitive Analysis3Go-to-market Strategy3
+5 moreBusiness DevelopmentProduct ManagementSaaSSoftware as a Service (SaaS)Strategy
  • General Management Program (GMP36) — Harvard Business School Executive Education
  • FinTech — Harvard University
  • Pricing: Using Data to Improve Pricing Performance — MIT Sloan School of Management
  • Business and Climate Change: Towards Net Zero Emissions — Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL)
  • Corporate Governance: Maximize Your Effectiveness in the Boardroom — The Wharton School

From Akira's professional profile.

Investments

Board seats

FLUXROMSScalebaseShippioUPWARDデータX

Investor

1st HoldingsBeceem CommunicationsSansanSmart SignaltoBeマーケティングUPSIDER

Per the firm's website.

Colleagues at Dnx Ventures

Hiro Rio Maeda
Managing Partner at Dnx Ventures
Kris Harms
Principal at Dnx Ventures
Mitch Kitamura
Managing Partner / COO at Dnx Ventures
Q Motiwala
Investor at Dnx Ventures
Rick Miller
Investor at Rogue Venture Partners
Rickie Koo
Partner at Dnx Ventures
Shuhei Nitta
Investment Vice President at Dnx Ventures
Yoshimi Nomura
Partner, Growth at Dnx Ventures

Frequently asked questions

Who is Akira Kurabayashi?
Kurabayashi leads DNX Ventures' Japan investments, focusing on B2B/SaaS startups where he invests as a lead investor from the early stage and serves as an outside director. Before joining DNX in 2015, he was Japan head at Salesforce Ventures and Globespan Capital Partners, and earlier worked at Mitsui & Co. and Fujitsu. He holds an MBA from Wharton and a doctorate from Doshisha University.
Where does Akira Kurabayashi work?
Akira Kurabayashi is Managing Partner / Head of Japan at Dnx Ventures.
What does Akira Kurabayashi invest in?
Akira Kurabayashi invests in Enterprise Software, SaaS.
What boards does Akira Kurabayashi sit on?
Akira Kurabayashi holds tracked board seats at FLUX, ROMS, Scalebase, Shippio, UPWARD, データX.
What companies has Akira Kurabayashi invested in?
Investments tracked here include 1st Holdings, Beceem Communications, Sansan, Smart Signal, toBeマーケティング, UPSIDER.
Where did Akira Kurabayashi go to school?
Akira Kurabayashi studied at Harvard Business School (General Management Program); Hitotsubashi University (Master of law, Corporate Governance); The University of Tokyo (Executive Management Program).

Same school

Shared employers

Also worked at Techtouch, Inc1

Naka ImutaFounder at TechTouch