Dive into the minds of these 5 industry stalwarts at Tech in Asia Tokyo 2018

Tech in Asia Tokyo on September 20 & 21 is back for its fifth consecutive year, brimming with industry experts who will impart their experiences and insights on the latest trends in technology.

Here we have five speakers drawing from their vast experience to enlighten you on the past, present and future of the Japanese tech ecosystem. There will also be numerous opportunities to interact with startups, investors, corporates, and the wider tech community apart, assuring you your money’s worth.

n1) Yasufumi Hirai, Group Executive Vice President CIO & CISO, Rakutenn

The session “The State of Developers in Japan (JP)” will take place on Day 2 at 1.30pm – 2.00pm.

Yasufumi Hirai, Group Executive Vice President CIO & CISO, Rakuten

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Yasufumi Hirai is responsible for the evolution of Rakuten ecosystem services as well as managing group-wide IT infrastructure and information security governance.

Previously, Hirai spent 20 years at IBM in Japan and New York, taking on a variety of leadership roles. He also served as the Senior Managing Executive Officer for Microsoft Japan, and was responsible for its enterprise business. Currently, he is also the Advisor of the Japan Association of New Economy and Director of Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra.

n2) Anju Ishiyama, General Manager, Sharing Economy Association of Japann

The session “Sharing the Japanese Economy: Is the Future of Decentralization Already Here? (JP)” will take place on Day 1 at 10:15am – 10:45am.

Anju Ishiyama, General Manager, Sharing Economy Association of Japan

In addition to being the General Manager of Sharing Economy of Association of Japan (SEAJ), Anju Ishiyama is also the secretariat of the SEAJ. Her stellar expertise in the “sharing economy” has earned her the nickname, “sharing girl”. She documents through her blog and offers a glimpse of what the sharing life in Tokyo looks like, with a focus on housing and food.

n3) Natalie Fleming, Representative Director and Co-founder, Fintech Association of Japann

The session “Overview of Japanese Fintech” will take place on Day 1 at 4:45pm – 5:00pm.

Natalie Shiori Fleming on stage at Tech in Asia Tokyo 2016. Photo credit: Tech in Asia / Michael Holmes.

Natalie Fleming has 10 years of experience in building finance and ecommerce businesses in Asia. She also leads the banking and regulatory aspects of Payoneer in Japan.

Her passion for the growth of fintech in Japan led her to launch a Fintech Meetup in 2014 with her classmate, which blossomed into the Fintech Association of Japan. Natalie Fleming was also recognized as one of the top movers and shakers in the industry, and named in the annual Fintech Asia 100 list in 2016.

n4) Shinichiro Kai, CEO, Folion

The session “The Revolution is Now: How to Scale a Fintech Company (JP)” will take place on Day 1 at 1.30pm – 2pm.

Shinichiro Kai, CEO, Folio

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nFolio was founded in December 2015, and the robo-advisor company raised US$16 million funding in its Series A round in 2017. Before starting the company, Shinichiro was the head of algorithm trading and interest rate option trading at Barclays Capital from 2010 to 2015. Prior to that, he worked at Goldman Sachs for five years as a JGB and interest rate derivatives trader.

5) Shoji Miyata, CEO, SmartHRn

The session “Japan’s SaaS Kingdom: Opportunities and Challenges for B2B Startups (JP)” will take place on Day 1 at 11.30am – 12pm.

Shoji Miyata, CEO, SmartHR

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nSmartHR is a cloud-based system that helps businesses manage their HR processes. The startup raised US$13.3 million earlier this year for its Series B funding. Among other things, the platform automates employee benefit and insurance programs, which traditionally requires many tedious man-hours to handle.

nEnterprises sign up for a subscription to use the service. In the two years since its inception, registrations have exceeded 10,000 companies. SmartHR was also selected as a “J-Startup” by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry in 2018 as part of an initiative to develop more unicorn companies in Japan.n

nTech-tock, there’s no time to lose – get your tickets now!n

These five speakers are just a glimpse of the amazing lineup we have in store. In addition, over 120 handpicked startups across Asia will be displaying their products and services at Startup Factory. Over 1,200 startups, corporates, investors, developers, and the wider tech community will be gathered under one roof – you wouldn’t want to miss out.

Be sure to grab your tickets soon, and we’ll see you in Tokyo!