Who we are

Atsushi Furukawa has nearly 10 years of experience in private wealth management at Bank of Kyoto, as well as in the alternative investment area at Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank and Alternative Investment Capital Limited.

Previously, he provided general partners and institutional investors with investment advisory services based on our experience and knowledge by investment managing of fund of funds and discretionary investment management business.

He earned a BA in Business Administration from Ritsumeikan University in 2013.

Atsushi has 22 years of Kendo experience and is a Japanese Samurai.

Yuji Matsumoto is Managing Partner and a member of the Board of Directors for POD Corporation, POD Wealth Management, Inc., and POD Capital, Inc.

He serves as a member on the Board of Directors of Smart Energy Co., Ltd., a portfolio company of POD Capital, Inc. He also serves as an advisor to Nojima Sagamihara Rise, a professional American football team in Japan.

Previously, he was a Managing Director in the Merchant Banking Division at Goldman Sachs, responsible for growth and buyout investments in Japan.

He served as a member on the Board of Directors of Japan Renewable Energy Co., Ltd., Smart Energy Co., Ltd (current), ILS Inc., and K.K.B4F.
Prior to Goldman Sachs, he worked in the Energy and Infrastructure Group at Sumitomo Corporation for six years in Japan and the U.S.

He earned a BA in Economics from Keio University in 1999 and an MBA from the University of Chicago in 2007.

Yuji is an avid fan of the Los Angeles Dodgers, a struggling golf addict, and a self-proclaimed concert pianist.

Masahiro Murase studied under stylist Tomoki Sukezane, and became independent in 2004. While working as a freelance stylist, he acted as the fashion editor for magazines including "POPEYE", "GQ JAPAN" and most recently, as creative director for "Forbes JAPAN".

His publications include collection critique and columns on several fashion media outlets. He is still active as a stylist for celebrities and executives. He regularly tours overseas fashion collections and has been frequently targeted by world class bloggers and media.

Under the concept of Fashion and Hero, he produced "Kamen Rider 40th Collection" and "Ultraman 45th Collection" via mook style publication and handled public relations consulting for Kita-Ibaraki local municipality.

Masahiro is an avid fan of Baseball and sports in general and loves writing.

Born in Los Angeles, Saya Nomura comes from a prominent baseball family, and after interning at an athlete management company in Japan, she worked for the Los Angeles Angels of the MLB. Her main responsibilities include client service and interpreter support, and she was awarded "Employee of the Year" in 2018. At POD, she is mainly in charge of SNS analysis and account management.

Previously, Teppei Shiokawa was a Director of New York office at Yomiuri Giants (Japanese professional baseball) for 5 seasons since 2015, responsible for scouting MLB players and negotiating player contracts. Prior to this position, he worked as a team interpreter and handled international duties for 6 seasons. He joined the Yomiuri Giants in 2009.

He initially began his career with Sumitomo Corporation, working in the retail business department where he engaged in business development. Later, joined the Los Angeles Dodgers and went on to work for the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks.

He earned a BA in International Business Management from Aoyama Gakuin University in 1999.

Teppei is a passionate fan of Ultimate Fighting Championships (UFC) and loves to play recreational baseball for the New York Jokers

Kumiko Tomochika has over 13 years of experience in corporate philanthropy at Goldman Sachs, where she was responsible for planning and executing all philanthropic endeavors in Japan, overseeing employees’ volunteer programs for 15 offices in Asia Pacific, working closely with important stakeholders including government, non-profit organizations, universities, etc.

She earned a Master of Business Administration in Social Design Studies from Rikkyo University in 2015, while working at Goldman Sachs.

Previously, she has worked for financial firms, such as Lehman Brothers, Citi Group, Mizuho Bank.

As a mother of two kids, Kumiko takes great pleasure in learning ways to raise children’s self-esteem and improve their communication, not only because it benefits her two children, but also because it helps any child be their own best friend and become a self-confident person.

Most recently, Kaz Yamanouchi served as Vice President at B-Global Agency, a sports agency based in LA, where he engaged in advising Japanese companies about overseas business strategy related to the sports business in the US market, planning and execution of sports events in Japan and overseas, marketing of professional athletes, and sponsorship sales. He also served as Co-Founder and Director of a non-profit organization, B-Adaptive Foundation, where he supported disabled athletes through wheelchair tennis events in California.

Previously, he worked in the corporate sales division at Sompo Japan.

He earned a B.A in General Law from Waseda University in 2005, a M.S. in Sports Business from New York University in 2013 and a LL.M from Fordham University School of Law in 2014.

Kaz loves to travel and exercise (running and biking).