Asia Innovation Summit 2025
🧭 About the Summit
As global innovation accelerates, Asia’s tech and startup forces are rising rapidly. Innovators from diverse cultures are reshaping business, technology, and social impact.
Tokyo, as a multicultural innovation hub, offers the perfect setting for cross-border collaboration.
This summit brings together researchers, youth entrepreneurs, women leaders, and innovation hubs to explore the future of co-creating innovation in Asia — across education, deep tech, capital, incubation, and culture.
14:10 – 14:40 The Asia Institute
Topic: Insights into Asia’s Innovation Landscape and Emerging Trends
Emanuel Pastreich
Dr. Emanuel Pastreich is the Chairman and Senior Research Fellow of the Asia Institute. He also serves as a Senior Fellow at the Center for China & Globalization (CCG), Visiting Research Fellow at Yale’s Council on East Asian Studies, President of the Earth Management Institute, and Vice President of the University of Brain Education. He formerly taught at Kyung Hee University, the University of Illinois, George Washington University, UC Berkeley, the University of Tokyo, and Korea University.
His research covers globalization, digital governance, U.S.–China relations, East Asian politics, and cultural studies. His articles have appeared in Observer, Global Times, JoongAng Daily, Japan Focus, Foreign Policy In Focus, and other major international outlets.
Dr. Pastreich is the author of multiple books on Asian politics, culture, and literature, and he is known for his cross-cultural insights into China, Japan, and Korea. He is fluent in Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and French, and is recognized globally as a leading expert on Asian affairs.
14:40 – 15:10 Asia Innovation Hub
Asia CEO & Executive Director, AIH (Asia Innovation Hub)
Topic: Empowering Asian Founders: Building a Neutral, Impact-Driven Innovation Platform Inspired by Nasdaq
David Chen
David Chen
Asia CEO and Executive Board Director of Asia Innovation Hub, leading its partnership with the Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center. With 30+ years in capital markets and a strong background in fintech, green finance, AI, and semiconductors, he served as Head of Nasdaq Fintech in Greater China (2011–2024). David is a key connector between startups, corporations, and regulators, with a trusted network across Greater China’s tech and finance sectors.
15:10 – 15:40 TANAKA Toshikazu
Toshi is the Founder & CEO of Takumi Innovators, an accelerator building innovation bridges between Japan and China. He founded the company in Shanghai in 2015 and expanded to Shenzhen and Tokyo in 2018.
Before starting Takumi Innovators, he spent 12 years at Deloitte Tohmatsu, specializing in M&A advisory, investment consulting, IPO support, and audits for listed companies. From 2005 to 2009, he worked at Deloitte Shanghai, leading cross-border IPO projects. Earlier, he was a system engineer at Hewlett-Packard.
Toshi received the Shanghai Magnolia Award in 2019.
He holds a B.A. in Aerospace & Rocket Engineering from the University of Tokyo, is a U.S. CPA, and has passed both accounting and tax exams of the Chinese CPA, as well as China’s fund practitioner qualification.
15:40 - 16:10 Round Table
Topic：Co-Creating Asia’s Innovation Future 1: Academia, Capital, and DeepTech in Synergy
By：Wilson/Emanuel Pastreich/David Chen
16:15 - 16:30 Diego Rojas Asia Innovation Stories
Startup War: A Manifesto in 5 Battles is a frontline guide for founders navigating the chaos of early startup life. Packed with actionable insights, it helps founders avoid common traps, stay focused under pressure, and significantly increase their odds of success.
16:30 - 16:45 Becoming the Woman They Don’t Have a Name For Yet: Innovation Through Global Reinvention By
Maprang
The founder of The Female Untouchable shares a global innovation journey shaped across seven countries.
From Thailand and Germany to Canada, France, Denmark, Mexico, and Japan — each culture has contributed a distinct layer to her philosophy: discipline, structure, ambition, emotional depth, aesthetic intelligence, creative chaos, and precision.
This is the story of what it means to innovate as a global, solo female entrepreneur — beyond labels and borders.
A story men respect. A journey women feel.
16:45 - 16:50 Global Community Building
Victoria
Victoria Jiang has nearly a decade of experience in cross-cultural communication and international market development across Southeast Asia. She is the Co-founder of SmallWOD, a global community for professionals, where she leads strategy and international community architecture.Her work focuses on building structured information flows, cross-cultural dialogue, and high-quality connection mechanisms across global cities.
SmallWOD
SmallWOD is a global community brand powered by an app that connects world-class professionals across borders.
Our core members are based in major global hubs—Bay Area, Tokyo, Singapore, New York, London, and Paris—spanning industries such as technology, finance, entrepreneurship, academia, and the creative arts. Together, they form a dynamic network of innovators, builders, and thinkers shaping the future across continents.
16:50 - 17:20 Roud Table
Yuanjing Liu｜Artist・Designer・Curator
Yuanjing Liu is an artist, designer, and curator trained from childhood in ink painting and calligraphy. Based in Japan since 1998 and holding an MA in Art from the University of Tsukuba, she works across traditional culture, design, and cross-cultural creative projects.
She has collaborated with leading Japanese and international agencies, curating major Sino-Japanese exhibitions and cultural programs. She later founded Tokyo Art Place in Ginza, promoting the idea that “art should be part of everyday life” and supporting emerging artists and international artistic exchange.
Start up Pitch ~
18:00 - 18:10 Nick
Nick Hafner - CEO Refined Robotics株式会社
Refined Robotics is building the world's first wheeled-biped for parcel delivery. With the potential to reduce package delivery time up to 60%, this innovation in modern robotics will solve growing labour crises in many leading countries.
18:10 - 18:20 Yang ， Ph.D
Pin-Chu “Koma” Yang is a robotics researcher and entrepreneur specializing in humanoid motion, AI control, and expressive character robotics. With a Ph.D. from Waseda University and engineering experience at Panasonic, he founded HatsuMuv to develop the Cutieroid Project, which brings anime-style characters to life as interactive humanoid robots—including the life-size Cutieroid FA Girl Gourai created with Kotobukiya. His work aims to redefine character entertainment and merge robotics with Japan’s anime culture.
18:40 - 18:50 Tetiana Bakaltseva
Tetiana Bakaltseva is the CCO of Simulation Intellect, a next-generation governance and intelligence framework designed to help families, founders, and organizations navigate increasing global complexity with clarity and continuity. Her work integrates identity capital, decision architecture, emotional governance, and AI-driven systems into a unified operating structure.
Simulation Intellect
Simulation Intellect is a multi-layered intelligence architecture designed for a world where identity, governance, and intelligent systems converge.
SI provides a continuity layer for families, founders, and organizations by integrating identity capital, values-based decision design, emotional governance, and AI-assisted intelligence into one coherent operating model.
Rather than functioning as a platform or app, SI operates through structured frameworks and guided pilots, enabling leaders to make clearer, more aligned decisions in complex, cross-border environments.
18:50 - 19:00 Alex
Alex Chen – Personal Profile
Alex Chen is an experienced banker, venture investor, and Web3 specialist with a strong background in commercial banking, private equity, and emerging blockchain technologies. He has been involved in entrepreneurial ventures and investments spanning upscale dining, fitness chains, beauty salon franchises, boutique accommodations, and Web3-enabled insurance businesses.
Combining traditional finance expertise with deep insight into innovative technologies, Alex brings both strategic vision and practical operational experience. He is dedicated to leveraging technology to improve daily life and building scalable, sustainable business models that connect the offline and online worlds.
OLLA is a trusted overseas lifestyle service platform designed to support individuals and families living abroad. It provides reliable and high-quality services such as home maintenance, cleaning, appliance installation, and personal support.
By integrating traditional service professionalism with modern digital tools, OLLA strives to be the go-to platform for expatriates seeking seamless and worry-free lifestyle support.
19:00 ~ end Round Table
Co-Creating Asia’s Innovation Future 3: Robotics, AI, Web3