Mamoru Taniya

Mamoru Taniya has nearly 40 years of experience in finance and over three decades of experience as an angel investor, supporting the founding and growth of numerous startups while actively engaging with NGOs and NPOs. His work spans finance, entrepreneurship, education, and social impact. He has also been actively involved in initiatives that seek to foster innovation and create positive social change.

At Solomon Brothers, he became one of the youngest Managing Directors in Asia, leading investment operations across Japan and the broader region. He later founded Asuka Asset Management, one of Japan’s pioneering independent alternative asset management firms, and co-founded Mercuria Investment with the Development Bank of Japan, focusing on private equity investments.

With a “co-creation” approach to building ventures from the concept stage, he has helped launch several innovative businesses, including Lifenet Insurance, Japan’s first online life insurer; Money Design, Japan’s first robo-advisory platform; Recika, a blockchain business; and SDG Impact Japan. He currently serves as Chairperson of MNES, R Project, and Discover Japan.

He was the founding representative of UWC ISAK Japan, Japan’s first international boarding school, and serves as Vice Chair of the Tokyo Committee of Human Rights Watch and as a Trustee of the International House of Japan. He holds an LL.B. from the University of Tokyo.