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Atsushi Taira
Managing Director at Mistletoe Singapore Pte. Ltd.
Atsushi Taira is a Japanese entrepreneur and investor who is the Co-founder and Chairman of The Edgeof, an ecosystem builder and venture capital entity.124 He co-founded The Edgeof with Taizo Son, the younger brother of Masayoshi Son of SoftBank.1
Background and Education::
- Taira was born on April 26, 1963, in present-day Shūnan, Yamaguchi Prefecture.1
- While a student at Waseda University, he started a research-oriented software development company and worked as a programmer.1
Career Highlights::
- Accenture: After graduating, he joined Arthur Andersen (now Accenture) as a consultant.1
- Coca-Cola Japan: He worked as a brand manager.1
- Richemont Japan Limited: He served as the brand CEO.1
- DealTime.com (acquired by eBay): In 2000, he became co-chairman during the launch of its Japanese subsidiary.1
- Yahoo! Japan: In 2003, he became the first general manager for marketing, also appearing on Fuji Television to comment on Yahoo! search rankings.1
- Myspace Japan: He was the chairman of Myspace Japan starting in 2008. During this time, Myspace Japan supported the expansion of the Japanese music market globally.1
- SoftBank: Taira was involved in developing SoftBank's social network and music streaming service in 2010.1 In 2012, he became the Managing Executive Director and Head of the Global Business Strategy Department of SoftBank Mobile, participating in the expansion of its mobile business in the United States and Southeast Asia.1
- Bharti SoftBank Holdings: In 2011, he became a director, and the joint venture invested in Hike Messenger, which became a unicorn startup in India.1
- Mistletoe: Taira joined Mistletoe, an entrepreneurial ecosystem builder, in 2016 and became the managing director of Mistletoe Singapore in 2017.1
- The Edgeof: In 2023, he co-founded The Edgeof with Taizo Son to support startups that aim to solve social problems.1 In April 2023, The Edgeof and SoftBank announced an agreement for The Edgeof to acquire SoftBank Ventures Asia.1
Taira has also held various board and advisory positions, including at Golden Equator5, Craft Health, FTX Japan, Skin Inc, Gastrotope Private Limited, Funderbeam, Hatcher+, ModuleQ, Jobatical, and InnerChef.6 He is proficient in Japanese and English.6 The Edgeof was founded on March 2, 2023, in Singapore.34 The Edgeof aims to create a supportive environment for startups across Asia.4
Highlights
Jun 21 · cbinsights.com
The Edge of Company - CB Insights
Mar 21 · en.wikipedia.org
Atsushi Taira - Wikipedia
Apr 24 · edgein.io
Edge of Company - EdgeIn.io
Apr 12 · group.softbank
The Edgeof to Acquire SoftBank Ventures Asia to Establish Pan ...
Apr 12 · DealStreetAsia
SoftBank sells early-stage VC arm to newly-formed firm The Edgeof - DealStreetAsia

Apr 12 · Inc42 Media
Japan Means Business: Here’s Why Indian Startups Continue To Attract Japan’s Top Investors - Inc42 Media

