Akiko Shiono

Akiko’s two years living in Finland gave her a positive shock. “Living outside of my home country for more than 7 years, I thought I had a fairly good understanding of the world. But Finland was something that I never saw. Given the widespread fairness, equality, and openness embedded in society, it was the most logical and functional society I have ever experienced.”

After returning to Japan she joined Nordic Innovation House (NIH) Tokyo, a pan-Nordic governmental organization that runs a community platform for Nordic tech startups seeking Japan market entry. My 5 years at NIH were a truly valuable opportunity not only to have a better understanding of the Nordics but to build my network with Japanese corporations seeking collaboration and investment opportunities in the Nordics.

Now at NordicNinja, Akiko feels that all her past experience and expertees, which she used to think it lacked consistancy, are coming together. “I believe you need to be a well-rounded professional to enjoy and be successful at a venture capital firm. From my early years in a career at Toshiba, to joining Rakuten’s joint venture providing video streaming contents when YouTube and Netflix didn’t exist yet, working for a NPO and being involved in community building and fundraising, and even heading the parent-teachers organization at my son’s kindergarten—all these experiences are giving me the strength and skills I need today.”

Whatever you do, it all comes down to building trust. “I hope to help build trust between Japan and Europe, and facilitate more dialogue between the regions to create a future we can be proud of for the generations to come.”