Masa Ishii

About Masa Ishii

After working at IBM Japan and McKinsey & Company, Masa founded AZCA, Inc. in Silicon Valley in 1985 to promote U.S-Japan collaboration in high-tech business creation.A venture capitalist since 1987, he has advised Logitech (Logicool in Japan) since its founding in 1981, invested during its Japan entry, and served on its board from 1985, contributing to its 1987 IPO in Switzerland. Through AZCA, he has incubated numerous Japan-originated startups, several of which became publicly listed or global companies. From 2006 to 2012, he also served as Senior Executive Advisor to Xerox PARC, a pioneering institution in modern computing and networking.Until 2018, he was a visiting professor at the Graduate School of Engineering at Shizuoka University and the Graduate School of Business at Waseda University. Since 2019, he has served as a visiting professor at Chubu University and as an academic advisor at Toyo University.He served as Chairman of the Japanese Chamber of Commerce of Northern California in 2007 and also served as a board director of the Japan Society of Northern California. He also served on the advisory bodies for Japan’s Ministry of Education (MEXT) and NEDO, supporting university-based innovation and venture development.Until 2016, he was repeatedly invited to White House expert meetings, contributing private-sector perspectives on trade, economic policy, and climate change. He has published widely and lectured at conferences and universities in Japan and the U.S.His books include \"Differentiation Strategies in Maturity Stage\",\"Venture Capital Best Practices\",\"Harnessing Sensitivity\", and \"Can Innovation Save Japan?\"He holds a B.S. in Mathematical Engineering from the University of Tokyo and an M.S. in Computer Science from Stanford University.

Experience

1. Academic Advisor

   Toyo University

   Nov 2018 — Present

Education

• Stanford University

  MS, Computer Science

  1976 — 1978

• The University of Tokyo

  B. Eng., Mathematical Engineering

  1968 — 1972

Skills

• Strategic Consulting
• Management Consulting
• Business Strategy
• Executive Management
• Business Planning
• Emerging Markets
• Product Development
• R&D
• Market Entry
• Commercialization
• Mobile Devices
• Business Modeling
• Strategic Partnerships
• Saas
• International Business
• Cross-Functional Team Leadership
• Product Management
• Global Business Development
• Strategy
• Mergers & Acquisitions
• Angel Investing
• Entrepreneurship
• Due Diligence
• Innovation Management
• Research
• Mergers
• Competitive Analysis
• Start-Ups
• Market Analysis
• Strategic Planning
• Management
• Product Marketing
• Acquisition Integration
• Intellectual Property
• Semiconductors
• Go-to-Market Strategy
• Business Development
• M&a Experience
• Start-Up Ventures
• Venture Capital