Masaru (Mas) Sakamoto has been with BGV since 2018 and currently serves as
Operating Partner.

He is a seasoned professional with a diverse background in international
business development, strategic planning, venture capital investment, new
business incubation, and cross-border operations. Mas has had a long-standing
association with NEC Corporation, where he served in various leadership roles,
including Group Vice President of the Solutions Business Group, Vice President
of Corporate Planning & Marketing and Assistant General Manager. Among
others, served on the board of Vidient Systems, Inc. and Niteo Partners, and
during this time at NEC, Mas was involved in The Open Group and The
Enterprise Network, both non-profit organizations.

Mas’ extensive experience includes key advisory roles and affiliations with Bay
Angels, YNext Incubator, Plug & Play and Alchemist Accelerator in collaboration
with the J-Startup program (a Japanese government-initiated incubation
program). Mas is also an angel investor, with startup companies that include
Invia Robotics, Marble Robot, Glydways, Mission Barns, Aikon, OhmniLabs,
Copado, SKUChain, LUUM, Genia, Ekso Bionics, and others.

Mas currently serves as advisor to several Japanese companies and has been a
frequent guest lecturer at Kyoto University, Aoyama Gakuin University, UC
Berkeley, and NYU. Mas also served on the board and Secretary of Harvard
Business School Association of Northern California.

Mas has a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Economics from Keio University in Japan and
holds an MBA from Harvard Business School. Mas is an avid tennis player, and
after 24 years in Silicon Valley, he currently resides in Southern California
covering the region for new startups.