Masaru (Mas) Sakamoto has been with BGV since 2018 and currently serves as a 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. Mas is also an angel investor, with startup companies that include Bedrock Robotics, Invia Robotics, Marble Robot, Glydways, Mission Barns, 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.