Nobuyuki Akimoto has stepped backed from leading Japan-based phone operator NTT Docomo’s American corporate venturing unit to return home to make strategic investments.
Last month, NTT Docomo formed a $125m incubator and corporate venturing fund for smartphone and tablet-related start-ups in Japan to complement its $100m fund in the US.
The launch of the Y10bn ($125m) Docomo Innovation Fund and Docomo Innovation Village incubation programme is expected by March 31.
Akimoto said by email: “I have been back to Docomo headquarters and I have [a] new assignment, which includes R&D [research and development] strategic investment.”
The corporate venturing programme will help upgrade smart-device services and technologies in Docomo’s existing business units as well as develop business models, services and technologies in eight new strategic fields: media and content, finance and payment, commerce, medical and healthcare, machine-to-machine (M2M), aggregation and platforms, environment and ecology, and security and safety.
The fund is expected at least in part to back incubating companies from its Village, which will support start-ups and venture companies with office space and presentations by corporate managers
Docomo’s existing US-based subsidiaries, Docomo Innovations and Docomo Capital, will continue to coordinate similar investments and partnerships in North America.
Eisuke Miki replaced Akimioto aas chairman of Docomo Innovations in the US.
Docomo Capital in the US invests from its $100m fund in mobile and wireless start-ups and has a portfolio of about 24 investments.
Separately, Hiroki Saitho has joined BASF Venture Capital, the corporate venturing unit of the eponymous-Germany-based chemicals company, as an investment manager for east Asia, replacing Oliver Guthmann who moved internally.