Taro Sato

Taro earned his Master's degree in public administration from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and a Bachelor's degree in economics from the University of Tokyo. He takes a leadership role in international cooperation activities. Taro is a Karate expert with a sixth-dan black belt; he meditates every day.

Taro is General Partner of TARO Ventures, an independent venture firm that works with entrepreneurs with a big vision. He is also a founder of J HEALTH INCUBATE, a platform to support healthcare startups in Japan. 

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Prior to this, Taro directed the planning and establishment of the Innovation Network Corporation of Japan (INCJ), a private-public funding scheme with $20 billion to invest in areas of cleantech, life science and high-tech. He himself initiated several of early stage investments. 

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Prior to INCJ, Taro worked at the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of the Japanese government, building an extensive network in Japanese industries through coordinating policy. He led a working-level team to provide the blueprint for accelerating the introduction of clean technology and energy conservation technology to formulate Japan's 2020 CO2 emission target. He also consulted with the auto industry to introduce the 'green automobile taxation' that offers auto users incentives to purchase eco-friendly vehicles such as EV/HEV.

Taro is a graduated member of Kauffman Fellows Class 15 and served his fellowship at the Innovation Network Corporation of Japan (INCJ) under the mentorship of Haruyasu Asakura.