The fastest way to launch your startup in Tokyo

As Co-founder and Managing Partner Asia, Jussi works with a global team dedicated to building the most defining technology companies of tomorrow. Jussi leads Antler’s investments in the APAC region and supports founders in building and scaling their businesses, especially with growth and fundraising. He has over a decade of experience across different industries at Nokia, McKinsey, Deloitte and Morgan Stanley.

Sandeep Casi is a Partner at Antler Japan, where he leverages his extensive experience to support founders in building transformative startups. His diverse career spans industries such as automotive, manufacturing, Media+Entertainment (visual effects, broadcasting, Generative Video, Camera technologies/ Computer vision),  venture capital, and DeepTech R&D.

Sandeep has deep expertise in cutting-edge technologies, including AI, ML, computer vision, Web3, Blockchain, Virtual Reality, Generative Video, In-Camera VFX , and visual effects software with contributions to renowned projects like Star Wars, Jurassic Park, Men in Black, Mars Attack, Small Soldiers, Titanic and in total 29 blockbuster movies.

At General Motors, he developed and deployed virtual reality cave environments for automotive design and car crash analysis, while at Fuji-Xerox Palo Alto Lab and Fujifilm, he led research initiatives that introduced innovative products to markets across Japan and the Asia-Pacific region.

As a venture capitalist, he raised millions from Japanese investors to help Silicon Valley startups establish a presence in Japan and achieve PMF. As a founder, he spun off 30 patents from Fujifilm, raised $7 million for a Video AI Platform from Japanese, Korean, and US investors, and successfully exited via M&A in 2021.

Florian Geier is a Senior Director at Antler Japan, where he works closely with founders to build and scale innovative startups beginning their journey to global greatness in Japan. He brings extensive experience from his roles at the US-Japan Unicorn Playco, where he led Partnerships and Operations, and at Fujifilm’s Innovation and Strategy Planning division, where he led global collaborations with startups and VCs. His strategic investments have led to significant value add for both corporates and startups, including one early-stage startup achieving an IPO with a valuation over $1 billion due to its collaboration with Fujifilm. Florian originally came to Japan as a physics PhD student and has since developed a deep, multi-faceted understanding of both the startup and corporate ecosystem, which he now applies to support new entrepreneurs in Japan and globally.

Yumiko is the Program Manager for Antler’s Japan Office. Prior to joining Antler, she worked in marketing at L’Oreal and Estee Lauder Companies, where she led successful projects in brand marketing and CRM. She was also engaged in multiple marketing projects and campaigns at Rakuten, helping it grow its ecosystem through a diverse portfolio of services. Born in Thailand, Yumiko grew up in Japan, Switzerland and UK and she is now based in Japan since she studied economics at University of Tsukuba.

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Tomoko is the Scout, Marketing & PR Manager of Antler Japan. With nearly 20 years of experience in the entertainment industry, she have contributed to the creation of a wide range of hit content. Prior to joining Antler, she have handled numerous projects and event productions as a PR Manager in collaboration with media partners at Creator's Lab called agehasprings. In recent years, she have led the PR activities for a startup developing a compositional AI service. During her career start at talent agency called Horipro, she laid the foundation for talent management while honing her skills in networking, media relations, and storytelling.

Mamiko started her career in HR and general affairs at AXELMARK INC., an advertisement and web services provider. In 2015, she joined DeNA Travel (now Airtrip Corp., an OTA company) as an HR specialist, and in 2018 she joined BEENOS Inc., a provider of cross-border e-commerce business. After gaining experience in a wide range of HR-related business domains, from planning to operations with a focus on recruitment, she has joined Antler Japan. At Antler, she is in charge of scouting motivated founders and supporting participants during the Cohort Program.

Jordan Fisher is Venture Partner at Antler Japan, supporting ambitious founders to build the future. He is also Co-Founder and Chairman of Zehitomo, Japan’s marketplace for local services. 
From home renovations to karaoke coaches, Zehitomo provides a platform to match with 600+ types of service professionals. Prior to founding Zehitomo, Jordan was Vice President at J.P.Morgan in Tokyo, working in Fixed Income Technology and Equities Sales Trading.

Born and raised in New York, Jordan holds a B.S. Computer Science from the University of Southern California.
Outside of Zehitomo, Jordan is an active mentor to several startups. He is also a loving husband, and a father to two young daughters.