Top Message

I was born and raised in Kobe, Japan. When I moved to the United States for university, I found myself surrounded by students full of entrepreneurial spirit. Their drive and ambition deeply inspired me. "One day, I want to start my own business." That thought took root in my mind and became a guiding force in my life. After returning to Japan, I decided to first build my career in finance. I joined Salomon Brothers Asia, where I rose through the ranks from a programmer to a trader, eventually becoming a Vice President. Over the years, I worked closely with startups and institutional investors around the world, handling numerous investment deals. Deep down, I could never quite let go of the idea of starting my own business. So, before I turned 30, I took the plunge and opened a Greek restaurant. This decision was also encouraged by the fact that my father was Greek, and I wanted to contribute to my Greek roots. I remember those days of building a business from scratch, drawing in customers, and collaborating with my team. During this time, I truly internalized the fundamental principle I had learned in America – “No risk, no return.” However, reality was not so forgiving. While continuing my work in finance alongside my restaurant venture, I gradually found myself returning to the more stable world of finance. My entrepreneurial journey had come to a temporary halt, and I was once again grounded in the familiar terrain of financial markets. As I continued down this path, I found myself saying to my son, "To earn returns, you have to take risks. "In that moment, I felt a sudden, sharp sense of contradiction – as if I had been turning my back on the very principle I was trying to teach him.

Am I really taking risks now?

Have I given up on the thrill of being a creator?

Around this time, I came across a video of a SpaceX rocket successfully landing itself. Witnessing the technological audacity of SpaceX rekindled my entrepreneurial spirit. When I looked into the company, I discovered it was valued at over a trillion yen. I wanted to invest, but as a private company, it was beyond the reach of individual investors. In that moment, the frustration I felt as an investor and my own suppressed desire to take risks collided, creating a spark. It became clear to me that this exclusive market needed to be opened up. That realization became my next great challenge, and thus, HiJoJo Partners was born.

We have redesigned our structure so that access to private equity is no longer limited to institutional investors, but is also open to individuals. What we aim to create is not merely a platform for isolated investment opportunities. Through the "democratization of startup investing," we seek to build a new economic model where challengers and supporters naturally connect. Furthermore, individuals who invest in growth-stage companies gain valuable success experiences, and eventually go on to support the next generation of entrepreneurs – not only with capital, but also with wisdom, networks, and experience. In this way, by building an ecosystem where challenges and support create a continuous chain, we aim to fundamentally change the very nature of startup support. In Japan, this kind of foundation is still not fully established. However, we firmly believe that it can be realized.

With the purpose of "Unlocking Investment, Transforming Markets, Empowering Japan," we aim to become the "infrastructure" that supports the entrepreneurs building the future and the investors who believe in them, laying a new foundation for the Japanese economy. The economy of the future will be built by those who take risks today. We wholeheartedly aspire to be the unwavering support behind these bold pioneers. Because this is a contribution to Japan that only I can make.