Ryo Umezawa spent 10 formative years in the Philippines before university and later served as Japan country manager for global consumer platforms like Tinder and HomeAway, giving him hands-on experience with how to adapt international products for the Japanese market that most VCs lack. He combines his venture investing role at Antler with active corporate leadership positions, including VP roles at both Vector (leading M&A) and Mercari India, plus maintains a "day zero and global from Japan" philosophy that encourages founders to design for international expansion from the start.

• An interest in cross border startup ecosystems across Asia and bridging international markets. Connects Japanese startups with global opportunities and vice versa, frequently engaging with international stakeholders. For example, hosted a networking night bringing promising South Korean startups to Japan and recently invested in an Indonesian artificial intelligence startup.
• A focus on rapid execution and taking decisive action as the most critical traits for founders. Often mentors early stage entrepreneurs and emphasizes moving quickly. For example, during a mentoring session at a Deloitte Tohmatsu Venture Support meetup, stressed to the founders that execution is everything and encouraged them to push their business plans forward ahead of schedule.
• Dedication to early stage cohort programs and creating flat networking opportunities for new founders. Regularly organizes and speaks at pitch events that connect emerging entrepreneurs with venture capital and corporate partners. For example, organized a startup growth night with Techstars that featured reverse pitches from investors and banks to help founders with fundraising and growth strategies.
• A strong preference for backing serial entrepreneurs and leveraging long term personal networks for deal flow. Values history and trust when making investment decisions. For example, recently directed an investment into a startup specifically because it was led by a thirteen year friend who is taking on their third venture as a continuous entrepreneur.
• Involvement in leveraging public relations and corporate alliances for startup growth. Recently transitioned to a leadership role at a major public relations firm while continuing to invest and forge strategic business alliances. For example, represented his new firm at a global summit in India to discuss mergers and acquisitions and growth strategies within the public relations industry.