Together
we go further

Toshi invests in cloud, mobile, infrastructure, and IoT companies with an enterprise focus. He also leads Translink’s activities supporting portfolio companies with their customers and partners, primarily in Japan. Toshi is most excited to be working with founding teams that are aggressive yet humble at the same time. His active current investments include Chartboost, Empowerly, Noom, Omniscience, Pathmind, Rescale, Singular, Top Flight Technologies and Workspot. Noteworthy past investments include CliQr (ACQ: Cisco), CloudOn (ACQ: Dropbox), deCarta (ACQ: Uber), Guavus (ACQ: Thales), and Wildfire (ACQ: Google).

Before co-founding Translink, Toshi was Senior Vice President of Everypath, where he led business development and served as General Manager for Japan. He grew Asian operations to a team of over 20 professionals, which generated over 60% of Everypath’s worldwide business. Prior to Everypath, Toshi was President of Hikari Tsushin’s VC operation, where he managed the U.S. investment team in Palo Alto. Toshi led Hikari Tsushin’s investments in successful companies such as WebEx (ACQ: Cisco) and SiRF (SIRF). Toshi started his career at Mitsubishi Corporation, the world’s largest trade and investment firm, where he spent 10 years in various operating roles.

Toshi holds an MBA from Stanford Business School and a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Keio University. On weekends, Toshi can be found on the field playing soccer with players half his age. He is also an aspiring golfer, accomplished skier, and loves to spend time outdoors.

Sung is a co-founder of the firm. He is interested in mobility, in particular with technology migration of automotive industry. He is also interested in helping Korean entrepreneurs to expand their partnerships with US, Japanese and Chinese markets. Sung is based in Seoul, where he supports portfolio companies interact with their local customers and partners. His active current investments include Airplug, Diamanti, FarmSkin, Market Kurly, Nexton, and Sonatus.

Prior to co-founding TransLink, Sung founded SPK Inc. and Spark and Associates in Korea. Both of these companies have worked closely with US startups expanding into Korea, as well as large Korean enterprises collaborating with Silicon Valley. He also co-founded Soundpipe in the US, worked for 3Com as a router product manager and Mitsubishi Corporation in Japan.

Sung received his MBA from Stanford University and S.B. in Materials Science and Engineering from MIT. He previously served on the board of TJ Park Foundation and the Board of Trustees of The Hill School. Sung enjoys playing squash and golf, is an advisor to Korea Squash Federation, and founded the Korea Junior Squash League.

Jackie brings with him over 15 years of venture investment experience to the team, during which he was one of the most active investors in the semiconductor industry. Jackie focuses on components, hardware, and Greater China-related investment opportunities. His active current investments include Appier, Axonne, Dcard, eJoule, HZO, Immotor, iWeecare, Nuvolta, Pakal Technologies, Peel, Soundhound, Tango, UBiAi, Umbo and Winking Entertainment. Noteworthy past investments include Adwo (ACQ: Hunan TV), Montage (MONT), and SandForce (ACQ: LSI).

Before co-founding Translink, Jackie was the Senior Vice President at UMC Capital and was responsible for UMC’s investment activities in the United States and China. During his tenure at UMC Capital, he was the founding investor in Maxlinear (MXL), Montage Technology Group (MONT), and Parade Technologies (4966.TWO), and served on the board of Praesagus (ACQ: Cadence Design System), WisChip (ACQ: Micronas), Triscend (ACQ: Xilinx), ForteMedia, Aicent (ACQ: Syniverse), and Aurora Systems (ACQ: OmniVision). He was also responsible for the investment in Silicon Wave (ACQ: RF Micro Devices), Spreadtrum Communications (SPRD), and Intellon Corporation (ITLN). Jackie started his venture career at InveStar Capital in 1996, where he specialized in semiconductor and telecommunication companies. He was actively involved in many InveStar U.S. portfolio companies, including AltiGen Communications (ATGN), Centillium Communications (CTLM), Marvell Technology Group (MRVL), Sage (SAGI) and Advanced Analogic Technologies (AATI).

He received his MBA degree from University of Missouri and B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from National Tsinghua University, Taiwan. In 2012, he was named to the AlwaysOn Venture Capital 100. Jackie loves coffee, and although he is trying hard to cut down these days, he can still sometimes be spotted waiting in line at Starbucks.

Eric invests in companies at the intersection of health and information technology, finance and technology, and consumer services.  He supports Translink’s portfolio companies to engage customers and partners in Asia and manages the firm’s crypto/blockchain investment activities.  Active investments include AiFi, aktiia, Cooler Screens, Epic!, Opsys Sensing, Opsys Technologies, Sensifree, Somnoware and SquareTwo. Noteworthy past Translink investments include Misfit (ACQ: Fossil).

Eric was previously the founding Managing Director of the SoftBank Asia Infrastructure Fund (SAIF), a $404 million venture capital fund launched by SoftBank Corporation in partnership with Cisco Systems in 2000.  Eric has led investments in technology, media, and telecommunications companies in China, India, South Korea, and the United States.

Prior to SAIF, Eric was an associate partner with SoftBank Venture Capital focused on seed and early-stage communications services, e-commerce, and e-finance companies. Prior to joining SoftBank Venture Capital, he was a member of Merrill Lynch’s Technology Investment Banking Group and a consultant with L.E.K. Consulting in Boston.

Eric earned a B.A. in Economics from Harvard College and is a certified acupuncturist, US patent holder, and avid tennis player.

Gwong focuses on the Communication/Networking and IOT sectors, as well as cloud computing and big data segments. He also helps portfolio companies connect with strategic partners in China and Taiwan.

Prior to Translink, Gwong served for eight years as the Chairman and CEO of Cybertan Technology, an affiliated company of Foxconn. During his tenure, Gwong also led some of Foxconn’s corporate venture investments. Before Cybertan, Gwong founded two startups: TransMedia and Digicom Systems. Both companies were successfully acquired by Cisco Systems and Creative Lab respectively. Currently, he also serves as an Independent Non-Executive Director of Creative Technology (C76) and ITRI International, and is an Advisor for Foxconn. Mr Lee has also been granted as an outstanding alumnus from NCTU and a distinguished Engineering award from CIE/USA, the Chinese Institute of Engineers Organization.

Gwong holds a MSEE degree from the State University of New York at Stony Brook and BSEE degree from National Chiao-Tung University, Taiwan. Gwong enjoys outdoor activities such as hiking and golfing, both in Asia and California.

Nobuyuki is based in Japan, where he supports investment and portfolio companies interact with their local customers and partners.

Prior to joining Translink, Nobuyuki worked for NTT and NTT DOCOMO since 1987. While Nobuyuki worked for NTT, he mainly engaged in the businesses of launching overseas projects, such as Indonesia Project (Installation of new telephone lines in Indonesia), Vietnam Project, Sri Lanka Project, Philippine Project, and India Project. He also served as COO of DOCOMO Communications Laboratories USA, Inc. (currently DOCOMO Innovations, Inc.), President & CEO of DOCOMO Capital, Inc., Chairman of DOCOMO Innovations, Inc., responsible for the launch of Silicon Valley R&D office, investment in startups and facilitation of the collaboration between startups and NTT DOCOMO. Most recently, Nobuyuki led NTT DOCOMO Ventures as SVP & COO to facilitate the open innovation of whole NTT Group.

His past investments include Beceem Communications (ACQ: Broadcom), Siimpel (ACQ: Tessera), Invensese (INVN), GestureTek (ACQ: Qualcomm), Cooliris (ACQ: Yahoo), CliQr (ACQ: Cisco), and Evernote. In addition, he served as Director of Japan Venture Capital Association and the chairman of Open Innovation Committee from 2014 to 2016. He has been consistently engaged in accelerating the Open Innovation from a corporate standpoint.

On weekend, Nobuyuki, a grandpa, enjoys playing with his grandson and granddaughter and playing golf.

Manabu is based in Japan, where he supports investment and portfolio companies interact with their local customers and partners.

Prior to joining Translink, Manabu was Vice President at Saison Ventures, the venture arm for one of the biggest credit card company in Japan. He led some investments and portfolio management. Prior to Saison Ventures, Manabu was Principal at DOCOMO Capital, the venture arm for NTT Docomo, the largest mobile operator in Japan, and was responsible for their investment activities in the United States.

Manabu led some successful investments such as Swype (ACQ: Nuance Communications), Ness Computing (ACQ: OpenTable), and Arteris (ACQ: Qualcomm).

Manabu received a M.A.S from the University of Tokyo.

Jun is based in Japan, where he supports investment and portfolio companies interact with their local customers and partners.

He has more than 20 years of experience within the telecommunication and internet industry, focused on venture capital investment and cross-border M&A transactions.

Prior to joining Translink Capital, he was the Executive Officer of Global Expansion at SORACOM (acquired by KDDI), startup company based in Japan, offering cloud-native connectivity developed specifically for the Internet of Things.

While working at NTT DOCOMO, he conducted strategic planning and execution as Executive Director, encompassing public and private company M&A, financings, due diligence, post-merger integration, business development and operation, served as a board member of acquired companies in Germany, Italy, and Singapore. Prior to that, he served as Director of DOCOMO Capital, based in Silicon Valley, facilitated investment in startups and business collaboration with NTT DOCOMO.

In Silicon Valley, he has also experience in operating startup during the US dot-com boom in the late ’90s. He earned his MBA from San Francisco State University.

He loves to keep and breed tropical fish at home and has experience to work as an aquarium curator at his first career.

Joonsuk is interested in High tech and Automotive industry focusing on Autonomous Driving, Cloud Computing, Big data, and Semiconductor. He is based in Korea and supports China Mobility Fund portfolio companies and investors in Korea.

Prior to joining TransLink, Joonsuk was VP of Big Data Group and Connectivity Group in Hyundai Motor Company. He served as Senior Engagement Manager in McKinsey and Company conducting corporate strategy projects for Global leaders (e.g., Samsung, SK, Hyundai). Prior to McKinsey, Joonsuk was head of R&D center in a semiconductor startup.

Joonsuk received his Ph. D in Mixed Signal processing & Semiconductor and MA and BA in Electrical Engineering from KAIST. He did early graduation in 2 years in Seoul Science High School. He enjoys playing golf.

Tom has more than 20 years of experience within IT industry. He built his career with Hitachi Solutions, Ltd. where he started as an Engineer, built his career in Sales and most recently in Business Development.

Prior to joining TransLink, he was Head of New Business Development Center and lead business creation and ecosystem development activities in areas of Construction Tech and Smart Building.

Tom has also worked in Silicon Valley for almost 5 years where, as Director of Business Development and Alliances, he concluded partnership deals with 20+ startups, in areas of HR Tech, AI, IoT, Cyber Security, and supported startups scale business in Japan by working with Business Units within Hitachi Solutions, Ltd.

He also launched 2 online collaboration products as an intrapreneur and has experience in ideation, team building and understands the challenges of achieving product market fit.

With his deep understanding of both startup culture and corporate culture, he aims to share his experience to support investment and portfolio companies interact with local customers and partners. He is currently based in Japan.

Tom earned a B.A. in Economics from Keio University. He enjoys playing soccer with his son, going to hot springs with his family and finding new favorite restaurants, as a foodie.

Frey is based in Greater China, where he supports investment and post-investment management for local portfolio companies, as well as helping portfolio companies deepen their relationships with local customers and partners.

Frey brings to Translink a wealth of experience in the Chinese TMT sector. Before joining Translink, Frey worked as an investment banker at the Hina Group, where he focused on private placement and M&A for local clients including Baidu, Lenovo, SK Telecom, Cheyipai, Hujiang, Wisers, Duomi, and others. Previously, he served as a Project Manager at IBM, leading a team that covered Greater China and managed the largest internal IT consulting project. Prior to joining IBM, he worked in the Financial Services Group of Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC), providing consulting services to top insurance companies.

Frey holds an MBA from Peking University, as well as a Master in Software Engineering and a BA in Mechanical Engineering and Automation from Beijing Institute of Technology. Frey is a PMI-certified Project Manager (PMP). He likes stylish electronic products as well as traveling, singing, and playing sports.

Stephen is a Principal on the investing team focusing on consumer companies. Prior to joining the fund, Stephen worked with founders on accelerating their businesses with Cisco Investments. He also spent time advising executives on strategic transactions and capital raises at Credit Suisse across internet, gaming, and mobile sectors.

A global citizen, Stephen grew up in Los Angeles and Taipei, and spent a lot of time on the plane. He is a former Diablo 2 addict, and now also enjoys going outdoors and watching Lakers basketball.

Stephen earned a MS in Operations Research from Columbia University and a BS in Mechanical Engineering from UCSD.

Kaz invests in companies that are digitizing traditional industries using emerging technologies such as industrial IoT, robotics, AI, and cloud. He is excited to work with teams that are contributing to the sustainable development of industries. He also supports portfolio companies and investors, primarily in Japan.

Prior to joining Translink, Kaz was a General Manager of Mitsui & Co., Ltd., a Japanese industrial conglomerate, where he led investment and business development in Foundry Networks (FDRY, ACQ: Brocade), A10 Networks (ATEN), BOX (BOX), Docusign (DOCU), Team8, CounterTack, Spire Global, OSIsoft, CloudEndure (ACQ: Amazon), Sight Machine, Peloton Technologies. For A10, Kaz established their Japanese office, A10 Networks K.K., where, as the first Country Manager, he hired 15 professionals, built their sales, marketing and customer support team and grew the business from scratch into a double-digit-million-USD company by revenue. Most recently, Kaz was a Principal at G2VP (as a secondee from Mitsui), which invests in companies applying emerging technologies to traditional industries. During his time there, he invested in Arcadia Power, Fictiv, Seegrid and Scandit.

Kaz earned a B.A. in Economics from Keio University. Outside of work, Kaz enjoys playing golf, is an avid supporter of his son’s soccer and daughter’s tennis and enjoys hiking at national parks with his family.

Keira is interested in SaaS, AI-enabled enterprise solutions, cybersecurity and Fintech/Techfin. She is an advocate for new approaches which can discover meaningful insights from data, new ideas which can transform the way business operates or the way corporates interact with consumers, and innovative business ideas emerging from cross pollination of different verticals. She also works closely with portfolio companies and helps with their strategic decisions.

Prior to Translink, she was a member of Bank of America Merrill Lynch Financial Institutions Investment Banking Group and Structured Finance Group at ING Bank. Before her career in banking, Keira worked as a management consultant at Oliver Wyman where she was engaged in strategic projects for major financial institutions in insurance, asset management, banking and payment sectors as well as public agencies.

Keira holds an MBA from The University of Chicago Booth School of Business and a B.S. in Law and Economics from Seoul National University. On weekends, Keira likes to go out for a run and check out modern art galleries. She also enjoys travel, wine, music and hiking.

Brian focuses on Fintech and Insurtech. He is interested in technologies that will improve and add value to current ecosystems. He also supports portfolio companies and investors, primarily in Japan.

Prior to joining Translink, Brian was Vice President of Business Development at TIS R&D Center, where he bridged alliances between startups and TIS. He also worked on some investments and portfolio management. Prior to TIS, Brian has worked in a Product Control ERP startup, a transportation IT dept. and started his only company during university.

Brian studied architecture at Osaka Institution of Technology. On weekends, Brian likes to work on new technology/IoT gadgets and customizing his car. He also enjoys traveling, wine and spending time outdoors.

Masa invests in startup companies in such spaces as mobility, climate/sustainability and industrial innovation and automation, which are a key to improving human quality of life and society in a sustainable manner. He also supports in growing the value of innovative technology and business of startups as well as for investors.

Before joining Translink, Masa was a Senior Advisor to Toyota Ventures, Toyota’s first corporate venture capital firm with total asset under management having grown to $500M+ since the inception in 2017. He was instrumental in establishing the firm and raising all the funds including the Climate Fund and the Frontier Fund. He led investment deals for Blackmore Sensors (ACQ: Aurora) and Realtime Robotics among others. Post investment, he leverage his network both internally and externally to have portfolio companies offering adopted by Toyota and Toyota group companies. Concurrently, he was a Senior Advisor to Toyota Research Institute where he gave strategic guidance to AI-accelerated materials discovery and AI-assisted cognition research teams. Prior to those recent assignments in Silicon Valley for 7 years, Masa had broad and deep experiences in automotive business operations at Toyota HQs ranging from engineering, production planning, HR to corporate strategy, where he led the strategic partnerships with BMW. 

He holds an MBA from Kellogg School of Management and Master of Engineering Management from McCormick School of Engineering, Northwestern University. He also earned a Master of Science in Chemistry from Osaka University after acquiring a B. S. in Chemistry from Michigan State University. Masa enjoys playing and watching basketball, hiking, visiting wine countries and reading.

Tyler is an Associate on the investing team and focuses on investments in the Fintech and InsurTech sectors. He is interested in technologies that make financial markets more accessible and companies that drive widespread financial literacy.

Prior to joining Translink, Tyler was a Senior Associate at EY (Ernst & Young), working in the Financial Institutions Group of their Strategy and Transactions practice. Before that, Tyler worked for Bench, a technology startup based in Vancouver, whose goal is to automate accounting tasks and organize the financials of small businesses.

Tyler earned a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of British Columbia. Outside of work, Tyler enjoys surfing in Pacifica, trying new Mission burrito spots, and traveling to new countries.

Andrew focuses on the automotive space and TMT sector. He is interested in discovering new ways to produce values to the world via the lens of technology and innovation. Currently, he is supporting the China team on deal sourcing and researching in the mobility space while looking for potential opportunities in the SEA region.

Andrew previously interned at Translink helping the firm to evaluate and identify investments in early stage startups. Prior to Translink, he was a risk and data analyst in the Hartford Investment Management Company (HIMCO). He was also part of the national squash team of Malaysia and played for a Division 1 national champion team during his college career as a captain.

Andrew graduated Summa Cum Laude, BS in Economics and BA in Political Science, from Trinity College. During free time, he often likes to play squash, travel as well as read books.

Chris is based in Beijing, China. He focuses on investments in mobility sector.

Prior to Translink Capital, Chris worked in Tongda Venture Capital in Shanghai, where he focusing on investment opportunities in TMT areas. Before that, he spent his internship at Legend Holdings, China Securities and JD Capital respectively.

Chris holds Master of Engineering from Peking University in Beijing and Bachelor of Finance from Anhui University.

In his spare time, Chris is passionate about traveling and adventure, and enjoys sports, music and cooking.

Steve is a Venture Partner and Executive-in-Residence. His role is first to assist with Translink’s portfolio companies in the commercial operations and strategies as a consultant to their executive teams. Further, Steve helps identify and evaluate companies for investment in retail technology, robotics and automation and digital media and entertainment.

Prior to joining Translink Capital, Steve held the role of President and Chief Strategy Officer for SoftBank Robotics America. In that role he was responsible for all commercial activity for this emerging service robotics company. Prior to joining SoftBank, Steve worked at Facebook as the Global Head of Strategy – Gaming where he drove the global strategic vision for the company’s US$3B Gaming Business. Before Facebook, he was the Vice President of Marketing and Insights for Ubisoft, the third largest video game publisher in the world and held multiple roles in sales, marketing and strategy for Energizer and Procter & Gamble.

Steve is a graduate of Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, where he holds a BA in Geology, and of Goizueta Business School at Emory University in Atlanta, where he holds an MBA (Honors) in Marketing and International Business. He is a sought-after global thought leader with speaking engagements on four continents and has been quoted regularly in Business and Technology publications.

Darren is based in Greater China, and has been interacting with the team for a long time. He not only personally invested in our first three funds, but also has participated in several fund portfolios, such as Montage, Parade Technology, and eJoule.

Mr. Huang has over 20 years of experience in the finance and investment industry, and is now Chairman of GCS, Inc (4991.tw). He also holds board directors of Egis Tech. (6462.tw), Parade Tech. (4966.tw), Ali Tech.(3041.tw), Mikobeaute (6574.tw), and Amulair Thermal Tech. (2241.tw). He has been a partner of Asiavest Partner from 2002 to 2014, where he was in charge of the investment for the four Taiwan public companies of which he still sits on the board of. He was also a Board Member and Lead Investor of WISChip, acquired by Micronas in 2005 at US$78M; Investor of ICMedia, acquired by Magnachip in 2006; Board Member and Lead Investor of Infrant, acquired by Netgear in 2007 at US$80M; Investor of Entropic, IPO in 2007; Chairman and Lead Investor of Opulan, acquired by Atheros in 2010 at US$100M; and Chairman of WeiJing Industrial Corp., acquired by Chi-Cheng Enterprise (3095.tw) at US$65M in 2007.

Prior to Asiavest Capital, Mr. Huang was Principal of Crimson Venture from 2001 to 2002. From 2000 to 2001, he joined a startup called iCareAsia and served as VP of Business Development. From 1997 to 2000, he was Senior Investment Officier in InveStar where he met Jackie Yang. Prior to his venture capital career, Darren was Manager in Corporate Finance in W.I Carr and Grand Cathay Securities.

Mr. Huang received his MBA and MS from University of Michigan and B.S. from National Chiao-Tung University. Mr. Huang enjoys travel to remote places, marathon, and biking.

Hiroshi is based in Japan, where he supports prospective and existing portfolio companies interact with their local customers and partners.

Prior to joining Translink, Hiroshi was Country Manager of Japan and Korea at Druva Inc., a Data Protection SaaS startup based in Sunnyvale for three and and half years, developing a Japan office where he attracted over 80 new customers. Prior to Druva Inc, Hiroshi was Manager at Net One Systems, one of the largest system integrators in Japan. There, Hiroshi was responsible for planning business strategy and new cloud services, product planning/marketing, with a successful track record of incubating and launching over 10 overseas startup vendors.

Hiroshi received a B.A. from the Shinshu University.

Shirley serves as the Chief Financial Officer for Translink Capital and is responsible for its financial operations.

Prior to Translink, Shirley held Director of Finance/Controller positions at a Bay Area venture capital firm and several technology startup companies. She was with Ernst & Young as an auditor for nine years earlier in her career. Shirley is a CPA and holds a master’s degree in Professional Accountancy from the University of Texas in Austin and a B.S. in Business Administration from National Taiwan University.

Grace serves as the Accounting Manager for Translink Capital and is responsible for the financial accounting and reporting of the firm.

Prior to Translink Capital, Grace held senior accountant position at XEROX Palo Alto Research Center, and accounting manager positions at Acorn Campus Funds and ITRI.

May serves as the Accounting Manager for Translink Capital and is responsible for the financial accounting and reporting of the firm.

Prior to joining Translink, May worked at Standish Management where she specialized in fund administration and accounting for venture capital and private equity clients. She holds a CPA license and a Master of Professional Accountancy degree from UC Irvine.

May loves to read and spend time with family and friends.

Vesanna Fan serves as the Controller at Translink and is responsible for the financial accounting and reporting, investor relations, and regulatory compliance for the funds.

Prior to joining Translink, Vesanna was the Assistant Controller at Sanderling Ventures, where she managed financial reporting for the life science-focused venture funds and management company. Vesanna formerly served as Assurance Manager in Ernst & Young's wealth and asset management practice, performing financial audit services for hedge funds, venture capital and private equity firms.

Vesanna is a Certified Public Accountant, and received her B.A. in Economics from University of California, Berkeley. She enjoys spending quality time with family and friends, and reading thriller novels.

Tina serves as the Office Manager for Translink Capital and manages the office operations, including scheduling and event planning.

Prior to Translink Capital, Tina served as an Administration Director for ViChip Corporation and was responsible for the company administration and accounting. Prior to joining ViChip, Tina was an Office Manager for InveStar Capital.

Nami is responsible for the day to day operations including scheduling, event planning, HR, legal and accounting to ensure all compliance and regulatory matters.

Nami worked for leading edge technology companies headquartered in Japan, USA and UK that required representation in the Japanese market to procure technology alliances, brand recognition and business development of products and services. Nami has a deep appreciation for a variety of cultures and has been working in roles that would streamline relationships across borders. 

Nami enjoys playing golf and practicing yoga during her free time.

Helen joined Translink as a Director of Human Resources. She brings over 15 years of HR experience with her. At Translink, Helen manages Employee Lifecycle, as well as ensuring Translink stays compliant with various policies, regulations, and labor laws. Helen is committed to ensuring Translink employees have competitive compensation, benefits, and a positive work environment.

Helen has been an HR Consultant helping small- to mid-size companies in tech and life science industries since 2012. She helps companies build HR infrastructure and grow their organizations. She continues to consult while working at Translink. Prior to becoming a consultant, Helen served in various HR Operations roles primarily in the tech industry in Silicon Valley. Most recent role was an HR Operations Manager at Jive Software, where she helped to build the organization from startup to IPO.

Helen graduated from California State University, East Bay with a B.S. degree in Marketing Management. She holds Certificate in Human Resource Management and ADP Certified Payroll Specialist. During her spare time, Helen enjoys her family, golden retrievers, cooking and throwing pottery on a wheel.

It started in the summer of 2006, when the founding partners of Translink met Ozaki-san for dinner at an Italian restaurant in Palo Alto. He listened calmly, with his trademark grin on his face, as the team shared with him a vision of building a truly international firm that would bring together Silicon Valley and Asian markets. Six months later, on January 1 2007, anchored by funding from Kazunori Ozaki’s firm, Ant Capital, TransLink started its Fund I out of a modest office in downtown Palo Alto.

Ozaki-san was an integral part of the team from that moment on, providing influential insight at each important juncture. Thanks in part to his guidance, Translink has continued to expand its operations and now has offices in Silicon Valley, Beijing, Seoul, Taipei, and Tokyo. As Ozaki-san would say: “Change is good. With change comes opportunity. Embrace the change and capitalize on it.”

Kazunori Ozaki was Chairman & CEO of Ant Capital Partners, one of the fastest growing private equity firms in Japan. He was also the Chairman of the Japan Venture Capital Association. Before Ant Capital, he served as Senior Vice President of GE Capital Japan, where he led private equity investments in nine companies with a total value of 4 billion yen. Kazunori acted as an outside director for four of these companies, and led a joint business initiative with Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, establishing a 20-billion yen fund for Management Buy-Outs (MBO).

Kazunori joined JAFCO Co., Ltd. in 1984 and worked as a representative of the London Office, Director of Overseas Investments, and Director of the MBO Team, leading investments of approximately 11 billion yen in 61 companies. In 1998, he completed two of the first MBO deals in Japan. Kazunori started his career at Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries (IHI) in 1972, where he worked as a representative at the U.A.E. office with the Machinery Export Planning Division.

Kazunori held a B.S. degree from Sophia University in Tokyo, Japan.