Mayumi Beppu is a Partner at JIC Venture Growth Investments who focuses on backing university-based startups and companies in regional Japanese cities outside Tokyo, positioning her as a bridge between Japan's academic research centers and local innovation ecosystems. Her background spans international climate finance at the World Bank's Clean Technology Fund and trade work at JETRO with Latin America, giving her an unusual combination of multilateral development experience and Spanish-language capability that distinguishes her from typical Japanese venture investors who come from consulting or banking backgrounds.