Kyoko Watanabe
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Kyoko is the Managing Director of DEFTA Partners. DEFTA has been making early stage investments in IT and healthcare technology companies in the US, Japan and Israel. With over 20 years of experience in the venture capital industry, she oversees the operation of DEFTA's funds and has worked with over 50 early stage technology companies in DEFTA's portfolio. Bringing valuable work experience with start-up companies in Silicon Valley and Japan, she has helped many portfolios with their strategies to expand into Japan. DEFTA's current portfolios she is currently working with include Orig3n, Graftoworx, Two Pore Guys, Lifeguard, Endogena Therapeuthics and 1 World Online.
Prior to DEFTA, she worked in the Japanese product development group of Go Corporation, a pioneering tablet computer company in Silicon Valley in the 90s. Also she worked at AEON, a Japanese fast growing language school, and contributed tremendously to expand and make it the largest school in Japan with over 300 branches.
She serves on the Board of Directors of the San Francisco-Osaka sister city association and the Alliance Forum Foundation, a 501c3 non-profit organization working to harness new technologies and support innovative initiatives to advance quality of life in the developing countries and contribute to the public interest.
She and her husband owns a historic 70,000 acre ranch in Argentina.