Yamaha Motor Ventures & Laboratory Silicon Valley (YMVSV) was formed with a mission to identify and pursue game-changing technologies, products, and services that can be delivered as solutions for Yamaha Motor’s global customers, and we will be doing that by partnering with and investing in leading technology companies in the US and abroad.

Led Yamaha Motor's investments in Soft Robotics and served as a Board Observer.

Led Yamaha Motor's investments in Robotics Plus and served as a Board Observer.

Led Yamaha Motor's investment in PrecisionHawk.

Based in Shanghai, China, Darwin Marketing provides China Search Engine Marketing and China Affiliate Marketing solutions targeting China’s rapidly growing online advertising market. Recruited to guide Darwin in expanding its service offerings in China – where it is a leading advocate for interactive, pay-for-performance marketing.Acquired by Dentsu Aegis in 2016.

Early stage tech fund that invested an average of $250K in 12 companies, including Aquicore, Bloompop, Contactually, Craft Coffee, Geekatoo, MightyText, nvite, Power Supply, Riskpulse, Speek, SupplyHog, and talklocal.

Registered Investment Advisor and management company for Crystal Tech Fund. Acquired by 1776.vc in April 2015.

Helping 500 *start* fires and change the way startups get launched, funded, and grown.

Sought after as a strategist/consultant to help new and established companies enter new markets in US and Asia. Recent consulting clients include:* Zynga Japan (Market leading social game company)* SurveyMonkey (Global leader in online surveys)* Yahoo! Japan (Largest online portal in Japan)* San Francisco Based Hedge Fund (name confidential)* Copia Interactive (First social e-reading platform)

Transformed business from direct-to-consumer (D2C) to true multi-channel business model. Grew new retail channel while overseeing sales and marketing functions for online sales, phone sales, and kiosk sales. Built pioneering alliances (Emobile, Yamada Denki) and managed strategic partner relationships (Intel, Microsoft, AMD, McAfee). Held full P&L responsibility for organization with $500M in annual sales and 220+ headcount in Japan and China. Ran one of the most profitable countries within Dell Consumer, providing a generous share of the company’s global operating income.

Founded management consulting company and leveraged extensive international expertise to help high-tech firms grow in the US and internationally. Highlights of consulting engagements, Advisory Board positions, Board of Director roles, and investments include:* Pikum! (Social gaming startup in the UK)* MyETone (Leading Chinese comparison shopping site)* Darwin Marketing (Shanghai-based search engine marketing/SEO company)* Aviso Surfboards (Manufacturer of carbon fiber surfboards in the US) * Academy 123 (Leading provider of educational software in the US)* MTV Japan (Multimedia entertainment company in Japan)* MobileGates (Application developer for mobile devices in the US)* Sports Marketing Japan (Official licensing agent for various sports franchises in Japan)* Livedoor (Internet portal in Japan)

Recruited as an Independent Director to steer company through crisis of major proportions: market valuation plummet from $7B+ to less than $500M, de-listing from Tokyo stock exchange, and $700M+ in shareholder lawsuits. Helped Livedoor divest assets and rebuild corporate cash reserves above $1.5B. Also asked to serve as an Independent Director on the Board of Directors of 4 Livedoor Holdings subsidiaries: (1) Innovation Interactive (New York), (2) ClickDiario (Guatemala), (3) MailCreations (Miami), and (4) the recently spun-off Livedoor media and network businesses (Tokyo).

Created comprehensive market-entry strategy for Asia-Pacific region and built the business from scratch. Served as senior executive for 9 months and developed numerous high-level Asian business relationships.

Transitioned company from niche service provider to consumer-facing local search website and syndication platform. Spearheaded international expansion through acquisition of Inspire Infrastructure (European Internet and wireless search technology firm) and provided vision and leadership for newly public company. Developed processes and controls, cut expenses, streamlined operations, and directed post-acquisition planning.

Generated $170M+ in guaranteed revenue over 3 years by single-handedly negotiating and closing Yahoo! Japan’s paid search agreements with Google and Overture. Accepted newly created executive role with Yahoo! Japan (a Japanese-owned, wholly independent company) and became a driving force in securing new alliances, expanding company’s reach and capabilities, and integrating multiple programs and services enterprise-wide. Member Executive Committee and New Business Committee. Chief liaison with Yahoo! Inc. and global partners. Instrumental in growth of company from $4B to $45B market cap in 3 years.

Negotiated and closed $36M+ in revenue-generating licensing deals, sales promotions, and global alliances, managing several of Yahoo!’s most strategic accounts. Chief negotiator and deal architect for multimillion-dollar global alliances with Sony and Pepsi; catalyst for ambitious co-branded international project with Merck pharmaceutical company; business development leader for Yahoo! Integrated Promotions and Sponsorships (YIPS).

Negotiated high-profile licensing deals (NBA, Puma Technologies, Listen.com) and created standards and protocols that delivered immediate and long-lasting benefits to the company. Shepherded agreements from concept to executed contract.

Recruited to legal/business advisory firm specializing in high-tech start-ups and serving some of the most high-profile companies in Silicon Valley. Performed extensive due diligence and contract review for M&A, IPO, and private debt/equity financing deals involving client companies such as Yahoo!, Oracle, Dazzle Multimedia, and Cohesion Technologies.