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Chief of Staff
Aki Ohashi
Aki Ohashi is Chief of Staff at SVJP and a Vice President at Evolution, a Silicon Valley-based venture firm, specializing in connecting Japanese corporations to Bay Area startups. At Evolution, Aki is responsible for fundraising, business development, deal sourcing, and other various activities related to the firm’s fund, software development, and advisory businesses. He has over 20 years of experience working in venture capital, technology R&D, and business development primarily in and between Japan and Silicon Valley.
Prior to Evolution, Aki spent 11 years at Xerox PARC as Director of Business Development for the PARC’s Japanese, Australian, and Southeast Asian markets. As a Partner with the Venture Capital Investment Division of NGI Group, Inc. (formerly Netage, Inc.) in Japan, Aki led investments in, and served on the boards of, Internet-related startups in the U.S., Japan, and Israel.
Aki earned his MBA from the Tepper School of Business at Carnegie Mellon University and a Bachelor of Architecture and Bachelor of Science in Architectural Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin. Aki was born and raised in the United States, spent over 5 years living and working in Japan, and is fluent in both English and Japanese.
In his free time, Aki enjoys spending time with his wife and two daughters, road cycling, running, exploring mindfulness, and mentoring founders.