Tomoya Ogawa has been a partner at the Akatsuki Entertainment Technology Fund (AET Fund), the venture investment vehicle set up by Japanese mobile gaming company Akatsuki, since 2017.
The AET Fund targets investment in all forms of entertainment, from streaming services, voice assist, and the gamification of existing industries: its focus is on engagement with businesses that “deliver emotional experiences”.
In terms of geographies, the fund aims to invest not just in Japan but in the United States as well as other Asian markets. It currently has more than 30 portfolio companies.
Among the AET Fund’s recent investments are involvement in the $4m series A round for Indian schoolwork app Questt as well as a role in the $10m series A raise for Stream Captain, a San Francisco-based video-game streaming service. The fund played a lead role in the $2.5m seed round for Akudo, a financial education service aimed at teenagers and headquartered in India.
Ogawa was originally hired by Akatsuki in 2014 as chief financial officer and a member of the company’s board. As well as his duties at the AET Fund, he spent a period during 2020 and 2021 as the parent company’s head of global game expansion.
Prior to joining Akatsuki, Ogawa worked at internet publishing company Dena as a corporate planning manager. Previously he had been an attorney at law at a Tokyo-based legal practice.
Ogawa has a bachelor’s degree in business and commerce from the University of Tokyo as well as a doctor of law qualification from Hitotsubashi University, which is also in Tokyo.
