Team members
Co-Founder
Yutaka Imaizumi（今泉 大）
Mr. Imaizumi majored in marine science at Coastal Carolina University in South Carolina, USA. After he returned to Japan, he graduated from Hosei University. He has over 20 years of professional experience in the financial and information technology sectors and has leveraged his extensive professional network in Japan and Asia to provide management in fundraising, fund management, business development, sales and negotiations. He gained experience in sales and business development as a manager at the New York subsidiary of a Japanese IT consulting company, and later he served as Chief of Staff at a Japan-U.S. advanced energy technology joint venture where he was especially responsible for global supply-chain development and business planning. He has a strong interest in business development that connects Japan and the world and environmental conservation, and has also contributed to the establishment of a global advisory firm and global fund.
Co-Founder
and CTO
Joerg Alexander Weisshaar
After graduating from Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, he worked in the IT consulting industry for more than four years, experiencing a wide range of work from proposal to implementation. Subsequently, he joined a Japanese IT startup as COO and was responsible for the conceptualizing and realization of a new service. He was strongly involved in most company functions including design, development, and marketing, leading to the successful expansion of the service throughout Japan. With these experiences as a background, he is currently active in the web marketing and human resources education industry as a professional with a wide range of international business and IT knowledge. His native language is German, and he is also fluent in English and Japanese.
Co-Founder
and CSO
Dr. Jason Nye
Dr. Jason Nye holds a PhD from the University of St Andrews (UK) and has held teaching positions at the University of Dundee (UK), the University of St Andrews (UK) and the Johannes Gutenberg Universität Mainz (Germany). After departing academia in 2001, he joined the U.S. Department of State where he was responsible for advising the Secretary of State, the National Security Council, and the White House on global trade matters, including sensitive goods. During his government experience he contributed to the negotiation of the U.S. free trade agreement with the Republic of Korea. He also frequently served as the U.S. Department of State’s representative to the National Intelligence Council and numerous interagency groups. Dr. Nye also represented the United States Government as its lead delegate to NATO committees and to the Wassenaar Arrangement, an international export controls body. Since leaving U.S. Government service in 2008, Dr. Nye has been involved in international trade and finance, with many high-profile activities in strategic sales, regulatory compliance, fundraising, and export credit finance while expanding global economic relationships. His business activities have contributed heavily to Asia-Pacific security through defense trade between the U.S. and East Asian Allies, and to energy security by assisting investments into energy production and infrastructure in East Asia and North America. Dr. Nye also contributed to the establishment of two international consulting-advisory firms, a global fund, and also served as CEO of a Japan-U.S. advanced energy technology joint venture. In his early career, Dr. Nye was enlisted as a reconnaissance infantryman in the United States Marine Corps.
CMO
Koki Sato
After living in Canada from his mid-teens and obtaining a Business Management degree from Dalhousie University, his extensive experience equipped him with valuable knowledge in launching and managing businesses, developing executing operations, and securing equity financing. He then honed his skills in business operations, finance, and management at a Chinese asset management company through roles in the management planning and marketing planning departments. Upon returning to Japan, he leveraged his experience by founding Axe Global Co., Ltd., a company offering business consulting, marketing services, and private equity funds. With a proven track record of success, he has handled clients like Rizap Group, a major fitness business in Japan, providing business planning expertise, launching new services, and contributing to strategic planning and development. Additionally, he co-founded a career coaching company that successfully went through an acquisition process.
CFO
Rikiya Masuda（増田 力哉）
After graduating from Waseda University's School of Political Science and Economics, he worked in corporate sales and international operations at Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation. After completing his MBA course on a scholarship at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), he joined bitFlyer, Japan's largest cryptocurrency/blockchain company. He led the launch of the European business, obtained a Payment Institutions license from the Luxembourg Ministry of Finance, and was appointed CFO of the European subsidiary after receiving approval from the Luxembourg financial regulator CSSF. Since then, he has served as executive officer, head of the president's office, and head of overseas business, and has experience in overseeing all aspects of business management, including not only finance, but also marketing, compliance, human resources, and general affairs. After leaving bitFlyer, he joined Takumido, which makes private equity investments in small and medium-sized manufacturing companies in Japan, as a director and oversees the sales and marketing of all group companies. He furthermore serves as a representative director of a company that he invests in.
Brand Director
Toshiro Konuma（小沼 敏郎）
As a multi-creator, business producer, entrepreneur, and writer, he is active in a wide range of activities. His books include “How to Cultivate Ideas” and he has been published in a wide variety of different medias. While serving as CEO of Konuma & Co., Ltd., he has held executive and advisory roles at major domestic and international companies such as HIS Co., Ltd., DENTSU INC., POLA R&M, EY Japan, and WIRED. He is engaged in a wide range of creative activities such as the general direction of the opening act for the AWS Summit 2019, and the corporate logo design and purpose development for HIS. He also serves as an advisor for the Future Creation Project and the New Business Ideathon Program of Oriental Land Co., Ltd, which is the management company of Tokyo Disney Resort, Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea. Utilizing the know-how he has gained in his creative career, he will be in charge of UPCX’s brand direction.
Advisor
Yoshiaki Mishima（三嶋 義明）
At UBS Group, he was engaged in spot and derivative transactions for a wide range of financial products including foreign exchange, interest rates, and bonds. After that, he gained experience in underwriting and securitization of convertible bonds and repackaged bonds at HVB Capital Securities. At Zertech Technology Co., Ltd., he oversaw financing and IPO preparations. He joined the Sawada Holdings Group and worked as a project leader for numerous overseas investment projects. He served as a non-executive director at Mongol Khan Bank and Russian Solid Bank, where he was involved in formulating business and financial strategies. Afterwards, he founded NORI Corporation and became its CEO. He runs a consulting business, providing services centered on collaboration with overseas companies and financial support. He will leverage his deep knowledge and extensive network in the financial industry to help expand the UPCX ecosystem.
Advisor
Tadachiyo Osada (長田 忠千代)
After graduating from Waseda University's School of Political Science and Economics, he completed his MBA at Keio Business School. He has held various prestigious positions including Executive Director of Mitsubishi UFJ Bank, Standing Auditor of Tokyo Express Railway, and Chairman of the Board of Directors at Bankers Holding. Among many other advisory roles, he currently serves as an advisor to Bankers Co,Ltd., is a visiting professor at Fujita Health University, an auditor of the General Incorporated Association Metaverse Promotion Council, a director of the General Incorporated Association for the Promotion of Generative AI, a director of the Public Interest Incorporated Foundation Japan Performing Arts Promotion Association, and an external director of Shinwa Wise HD. He will leverage his deep knowledge and extensive network in the financial industry to help expand the UPCX ecosystem.
Advisor
Hajime Tabata (田畑 端)
After joining Tecmo Co., Ltd., he worked on hit titles such as "Gallop Racer" and "Monster Rancher 2." Later, he transferred to Square Enix Co., Ltd. and released blockbuster games like "Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII" and "Final Fantasy Type-0." In 2016, he achieved global success with over 10 million copies sold worldwide as the director and producer of "Final Fantasy XV." The following year, he produced a joint project with Tokyo University of the Arts titled "Tokyo University of the Arts Game Department Exhibition." In 2018, he became the COO and Studio Head of Luminous Productions Co., Ltd., and was responsible for the CG animation segment of the NHK Special "Out of the Cradle," which recorded about 300 million views on YouTube. In 2018, he established JP GAMES Co., Ltd. and began its operations. In 2021, he launched the world's first official Paralympic app "THE PEGASUS DREAM TOUR" and released the metaverse construction middleware "PEGASUS WORLD KIT." In 2022, he served as a member of the Keidanren Web3 Task Force and as an external expert for the Digital Agency's Web3.0 Research Group. That same year, he established the group companies JP UNIVERSE Co., Ltd., LOGSYS Co., Ltd., TBT Lab Co., Ltd., and in February 2023, announced the Japan Metaverse Economic Zone. UPCX and JP GAMES Inc. have entered a strategic partnership that will result in UPCX’s technology being adopted in JP GAMES’s metaverse space.
Advisor
Keisuke Yasuda (安田 慶祐)
Aspiring to become and entrepreneur already in high school, he went to the United States of America to quickly acquire entrepreneurial know-how and made them his home base. After gaining experience in multiple startups, he continues to have an impact on Japan by serving as the representative director of Yasuda Group., Ltd., which operates in the three fields of marketing, academia and entertainment. As some of his recent accomplishments, he entered in a business partnership with Spain’s Real Sociedad in October 2023 as well as became a main sponsor, conducting business under the concept of “Creating an unprecedented sports industry through the combination of Education and Art”. With deep knowledge in education, art, and sports, he aims to create an ecosystem for people involved in these fields to carry out lasting activities and therefore resonates with UPCX’s desire to build a progressive and open payment ecosystem for everyone. Building on and maximizing these synergies, he decided to participate in UPCX as an advisor.