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Yuji Akaba

Managing Director at Breakthrough Partners, Expert in Blockchain and Corporate Strategy

Yuji Akaba is a prominent business leader and entrepreneur based in Tokyo, Japan. He is currently the Managing Director of Breakthrough Partners, a company he co-founded in January 2002.1 With over 22 years of experience in this role, Akaba has dedicated his career to helping entrepreneurs build successful startups and assisting large corporations with management innovation, leadership development, and succession management.1

Background and Education

Akaba holds impressive academic credentials:

  • Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Tokyo
  • Master of Science and Degree of Engineer in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University1

Professional Experience

Before co-founding Breakthrough Partners, Akaba's career included:

  • Six years as a design engineer at Komatsu, where he worked on developing ultra-large dump trucks1
  • 14 years as a partner at McKinsey & Company, where he spearheaded the company's practice in Korea, growing it to over 120 staff in less than a decade1

Current Roles and Initiatives

In addition to his position at Breakthrough Partners, Akaba is involved in several other ventures:

  • Director at Infinity Blockchain Holdings, based in Singapore1
  • Core member of blockchain startups in Japan, including BINARYSTAR, the largest blockchain business hub in the country1

Authorship and Thought Leadership

Akaba is a prolific author, having published:

  • 21 books in Japan
  • 20 books in China, Taiwan, Korea, and Thailand
  • His works focus on skill and perspective development, with over 900,000 copies sold1

Approach and Philosophy

Akaba's unique approach involves:

  • Working closely with CEOs to accelerate leader and manager development
  • Executing various strategy development, profit improvement, and organization effectiveness projects
  • Providing hands-on coaching to energize leaders and create momentum for management innovation1

Through his work at Breakthrough Partners, Akaba aims to create "world-class venture companies originating in Japan" and contribute to the development of innovative businesses and leaders.2

Highlights

Jan 21 · rgsbm.uz
MASTER CLASS BY YUJI AKABA IN GRADUATE SCHOOL OF ...
MASTER CLASS BY YUJI AKABA IN GRADUATE SCHOOL OF ...
May 20 · tedxutokyo.com
Yuji Akaba | TEDxUTokyo
Yuji Akaba | TEDxUTokyo

Related Questions

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Yuji Akaba
Yuji Akaba, photo 1
Yuji Akaba, photo 2
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Experience

Managing Director at Breakthrough Partners
Director at Infinity Blockchain Holdings, Partner at McKinsey & Company (1986 - 2000)

Education

MS and Degree of Engineer in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University (1983 - 1985), BA in Mechanical Engineering from The University of Tokyo (1974 - 1978)

Location

Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan