Anchored in empathy and an unwavering sense of ownership, our seasoned and tightly knit team drives system change with wholehearted commitment.

Kazuhiro “Kazu” Umeda
Co-Founder & Representative Partner, SIIF Impact Capital (SIIFIC)

Kazu Umeda is a serial entrepreneur and seasoned venture investor who has founded and scaled multiple healthcare startups and healthcare-focused venture capital firms across Japan and Southeast Asia.

His path to impact investing was forged in the field. In 2016, Kazu co-founded a medical device startup that went on to secure Class IV regulatory approval for two products — one of the highest bars in Japan’s medical device regulatory landscape. That hands-on experience of building a company from zero, navigating stringent approvals, and witnessing firsthand how capital decisions shape patient outcomes became the founding conviction behind SIIFIC.

At SIIFIC, Kazu integrates internationally recognized impact measurement and management (IMM) frameworks into the venture investment methodology he has developed and refined over more than two decades across Japan, Silicon Valley, Singapore, and broader Southeast Asia.

Prior to founding SIIFIC, Kazu served as Founder and President of M3i, the corporate venture capital arm of M3, Inc. — Japan’s largest digital healthcare company. Under his leadership, M3i’s seed-stage fund delivered cash distributions of 5x the invested capital to its LPs by 2022, with additional returns distributed in the form of listed equity — a strong validation of his investment thesis and execution capability.

Earlier in his career, Kazu served as Vice President at INCJ (formerly the Innovation Network Corporation of Japan), the nation’s flagship public-private innovation fund. He also held a series of senior international leadership roles at Japan Asia Investment Co., including postings in Silicon Valley and serving as President & Managing Director of its Singapore, Indonesia, and Thailand offices.

It was during the wind-down of M3i’s fund — and through the hard-won experience of guiding portfolio companies through M&A processes, IPOs, and high-stakes negotiations with major corporations — that Kazu arrived at a pivotal insight: startups, often undervalued by markets in volatile conditions, stand to gain the most from rigorous impact measurement. By making the value and societal impact of a startup visible and verifiable, he believed, investors could unlock greater returns while creating lasting social good.

With that conviction in hand, and at precisely the right moment, he reconnected with Reiri Miura — a longtime colleague from their Silicon Valley days who had been independently pursuing a career in impact investing — through the Japan Social Innovation and Investment Foundation (SIIF). Together, they co-founded SIIFIC in September 2022.

Kazu holds a Master’s degree from the Tokyo University of Pharmacy and Life Sciences. Outside of work, he is an avid surfer — a passion spanning 30 years — and writes science fiction.

Reiri is the Founding Partner of SIIFIC, where she co-manages the SIIFIC Wellness Fund with Kazu. She studied Biological Sciences at Durham University, followed by graduate work in Zoology at the University of Tokyo and Healthcare Policy at the Institute of Science Tokyo.
She began her career at Mitsubishi Corporation in the Pharmaceuticals Group, working across China, Europe and the United States before moving into venture investments and new business creation in biotech and pharmaceuticals. She later held senior roles at Taiho Pharmaceutical, SoftBank and TRYT, leading initiatives across corporate planning, digital transformation, CVC formation, M&A and organisational renewal. During this time, she refined her expertise in CSV and impact investing through executive study at Harvard Business School and Saïd Business School, University of Oxford.
While preparing an IPO at a private-equity-backed venture, Reiri began to recognise that the future of capital would require not only financial performance but also a clear articulation of the social value created — an insight that gradually drew her toward impact investing.
She reconnected with Kazu in early 2022 — a long-time friend she had first met during their postings in Silicon Valley — and the two began exploring the concept of a new fund together. She then contributed to the Healthcare Vision Paper at the Japan Social Innovation and Investment Foundation (SIIF), a process that further crystallised her thinking around impact and “wellness” as an emerging social value.
Later that year, she and Kazu co-founded SIIFIC, driven by a shared conviction that economic and social returns can grow in tandem.
Reiri is frequently invited to speak on impact investing and system mapping. Outside work, she is passionate about art and photography, always looking for the “beautiful connections” that weave people and society together. She also holds a Diploma in Basic Design from Kuwasawa Design School and is a graduate of the Tokyo School of Photography.

Ryusuke Watanabe is a data scientist and entrepreneur specialising in machine learning and data-driven business solutions. He has extensive experience applying advanced analytics and artificial intelligence across a broad range of industries.

After completing his graduate studies, he began his career at Business Consultants, Inc., before moving into data science roles at M3, Inc. and Adastria Co., Ltd., where he worked on the development and application of machine learning models and data analytics for business operations.

In 2019, he founded ANDEVER LLC., an AI and data science company. Through ANDEVER, he supports organisations across sectors including retail, gaming, entertainment, fitness and healthcare, assisting them in developing machine learning models and building robust data analytics infrastructures. In parallel, he is also engaged in the development of proprietary AI products.

He holds a Master’s degree from the University of Tsukuba, where he specialised in theoretical particle physics.

Yumiko Terada is a lawyer specialising in corporate legal affairs, compliance and corporate governance. She has extensive experience advising companies across a wide range of industries, from manufacturing to e-commerce and international business, as well as supporting entrepreneurs.

After graduating from the School of Law, Hokkaido University, she was admitted to the bar in 2005. She began her career at a public interest law office in an urban setting, and later served as the head of a remote island branch office of a law firm, gaining broad experience across diverse legal environments. In 2013, she established her independent practice in Osaka and is now a partner at ARCUS PARTNERS.

Since 2017, she has served as an outside officer for multiple companies, including IT firms and businesses addressing social challenges, where she has been involved in the development and enhancement of compliance frameworks and corporate governance.

She has also held academic and advisory roles, serving as a Visiting Professor at Kobe University since 2020 and as an Advisor to the Hokkaido University Tech Garage since 2023.

Tomoaki Sato is a tax advisor specialising in corporate taxation, tax advisory and financial due diligence. He has over a decade of experience supporting companies with complex tax matters and transaction-related advisory. He began his career at a small and medium-sized accounting firm, and subsequently worked at PwC Tax Japan and within the tax department of a large operating company, where he was engaged in corporate tax advisory and tax due diligence for a wide range of clients. In January 2023, he established his independent practice, Tomoaki Sato Tax Accountant Office. Through his practice, he has supported more than 100 companies across Japan, providing tax advisory services and fundraising support, particularly for start-ups and organisations in the healthcare sector.

He holds a Master’s degree in Business Law from Aoyama Gakuin University.

Takeshi Nakae is a lawyer specialising in venture capital, private equity and corporate transactions. Since his admission to the Japanese bar in 2000, he has advised on a wide range of matters relating to the formation and operation of venture capital funds, private equity funds and turnaround funds, as well as legal affairs for start-up companies and M&A transactions.

He began his legal career at Mitsui, Yasuda, Wani & Maeda and later practised at Nishimura & Asahi, where he developed extensive experience advising investment funds and growth companies on fund structuring, investment transactions and corporate governance matters.

He currently serves as a Director of Renaissance Capital Group Inc. and as a Outside Audit & Supervisory Board Member of geechs inc.

He holds an LL.M. from the Graduate Schools for Law and Politics, The University of Tokyo, and an LL.B. from the Faculty of Law, The University of Tokyo. He completed his training at the Legal Training and Research Institute of the Supreme Court of Japan and is a member of the Daini Tokyo Bar Association.