Blue & Gold in Tokyo: Berkeley Alumni Shaping the Startup Future
Alumni × Berkeley × Tokyo: Where Global Connection Sparks Community Impact.
Join the Berkeley Club of Japan and Berkeley SkyDeck for an engaging evening featuring a dynamic panel discussion on "Shaping the Next Decade of Innovation: Unlocking the Future of US-Japan Tech Relations." This event brings together alumni, industry experts, VCs, and innovation leaders to explore the unique opportunities and challenges both the United States and Japan face as they lead the way in cutting-edge technological advancements.
Program:
6:00 PM: Doors open, mingling
7:00 - 8:00 PM: Program
Welcome Remarks by Haruki Satomi MBA '12, President & Group CEO, Sega Sammy Holdings Inc.
Campus Updates by Dr. Jay Le Roux Dillon, Chief Alumni Officer, UC Berkeley
"SkyDeck—Supporting Entrepreneurship and Education" presented by Will Burke MBA '89, Founder & CEO, PINK; Ambassador, SkyDeck
Panel Discussion "Shaping the Next Decade of Innovation: Unlocking the Future of US-Japan Tech Relations", moderated by Johnny Yoo, Founder, YOO Godo Kaisha (LLC); former CEO of WeWork Japan, with Gary WB Chan '89, Co-Founder & Managing Partner, Sangyo Sosei Advisory Inc., Mitsuru Igarashi '89, Co-Founder, Simplex Holdings, and Sho Sugiura, Co-Founder & CEO, BlocQ Inc.
8:00 - 9:00 PM: Networking Reception with light food & beverages
This exclusive event is a fantastic opportunity to network with fellow alumni and gain a fresh perspective on the global tech landscape. Whether you're a startup founder, a seasoned professional, or simply curious about what's next, you'll gain unique insights and valuable alumni connections.
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SPECIAL GUESTS for the evening include:
Haruki Satomi MBA '12, President & Group CEO, Sega Sammy Holdings Inc.
Haruki Satomi joined KOKUSAI Securities Co., Ltd. (currently Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities Co., Ltd.), was in charge of IPO consulting. Then he worked for Phoenix Capital Co., Ltd., a private equity firm in Tokyo. From there, he joined Sammy Corporation, which was founded by his father in 1975, then joined SEGA Co. In 2005, he became a Vice President of Digital Business for SEGA of America Inc. where he built up its Digital Distribution Business in San Francisco. After the graduation of UC Berkeley Haas School of Business (MBA) and returning to Tokyo in 2012, he was appointed as CEO of Sammy Networks Co., Ltd., SEGA Networks Co., Ltd.(now SEGA Co.), and SEGA Games Co., Ltd. (now SEGA Co.). He also served as a non-executive board member of Sanrio Co., Ltd. for two years. Currently, Haruki is President & Group CEO of SEGA SAMMY Holdings Inc., Chairman & CEO of SEGA Co., and Chairman & CEO of Sammy Corporation.
UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business MBA (2012) | Member of YPO Japan (2012-) | Auditor of Tokyo Racehorse Owners’ Association (2016-) | Member of Human Rights Watch Tokyo Committee (2017-) | Trustee of Japan Association of Corporate Executives (2021-)
Will Burke MBA '89, Founder & CEO, PINK, Ambassador, SkyDeck
Will Burke is a serial entrepreneur and an avid explorer. For over 30 years, he has developed and executed brand strategies and design systems for innovative startups and global Fortune 50 companies that want to shape their future instead of being shaped by the future. With his current venture — PINK : Partners In New Thinking, Will advises founders of startups on brand design and market strategy to accelerate growth and secure next stage funding. In addition, Will is a lecturer, advisor and ambassador for Berkeley SkyDeck, the global startup accelerator of UC Berkeley.Johnny Yoo '90 (BA Rhetoric & Economics), Founder, YOO Godo Kaisha (LLC), former CEO of WeWork Japan
Johnny brings decades of experience to his new venture,YOO Godo Kaisha (LLC), which he founded in 2025 to provide hands-on financial, organizational, and strategic guidance, including serving as an interim CEO or CFO, to Japanese startups and U.S. tech companies entering the Japan market. He was most recently CEO of WWJ Corp (WeWork Japan), where he doubled occupancy and made it one of the most profitable regions globally. Before that, as a VP and Corporate Officer of Business Development at SoftBank Corp., he led numerous joint venture and investment agreements, launching Japanese subsidiaries for Vision Fund companies. Johnny began his career in finance, spending 22 years as a head of trading and senior trader at major firms like Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, and Citigroup, and two hedge funds. With early-stage investment experience, notably for PayPal, he is now an active angel investor for Japanese startups.Gary WB Chan '89 (BA Sociology), Co-Founder & Managing Partner, Sangyo Sosei Advisory Inc.
Gary is a veteran of the Asian financial markets. Gary began his career as a research analyst responsible for Telecommunications with James Capel (Japan) (later renamed HSBC Securities). After a brief stint at Bankers Trust (Hong Kong) in 1994, he joined UBS Securities (Hong Kong) in 1995, where he was both Head of Asian Telecommunications research and Head of Hong Kong / China research. In 1997 Gary moved to investment banking as Head of Asia Telecom banking team. In 1999, he moved to the Japan office of UBS, where he headed the Japanese Telecom banking team. Gary was most recently the Head of Financial Sponsors group, responsible for private equity clients. Gary graduated from UC Berkeley (BA).Mitsuru Igarashi '89, Co-Founder, Simplex Holdings
Following his graduation from UC Berkeley in 1989, Mitsuru Igarashi began a career in trading at Salomon Brothers, a U.S. investment bank. From 1993 until 1997, he worked with financial technology startups in Berkeley and Mountain View, CA. In 1997, Mitsuru co-founded Simplex Technology (now Simplex Holdings) with five partners. The company has since gone through two IPOs with an MBO in between, and is currently listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Prime Market. Currently Mitsuru serves as Senior Advisor to Simplex, Senior IT Advisor at GPIF, and as an Advisor and Ambassador for Berkeley SkyDeck. He's also a Trustee for the UC Berkeley Foundation and a member of the Chancellor's Asia Council.Sho Sugiura, Co-Founder & CEO, BlocQ Inc.
Sho Sugiura is the co-founder and CEO of BlocQ, a company developing software for quantum computing. A physicist by training, he brings 13 years of research experience to his role. He earned his Ph.D. in physics from the University of Tokyo, where he also completed a postdoctoral fellowship before continuing his research as a fellow at Harvard University. Following academia, he worked as a Senior Research Scientist at NTT Research, Inc., leading collaborative projects with MIT.