Operating capability behind the capital.
Investors compete on what they offer beyond capital. Access to vetted operators who can step into a portfolio company is something founders notice.
What investors ask us for
Funds and corporate investors in Tokyo tend to ask for one of four things:
Diligence needs an operator, not an analyst
Someone who has run this type of business and can say whether the plan is credible.
A portfolio company has an empty seat
The CFO has left, the round is approaching and a search will take a quarter.
A board without outside voices
Listed boards in Japan are expected to seat independent directors, and an investor-backed company often needs a voice that is neither management nor sponsor.
Value creation needs execution, not advice
The plan exists. The person accountable for delivering it is missing.
We search our collective of 800+ for the operator a deal or portfolio company needs, whether for diligence, an empty seat or a board role, and embed them under a services agreement that ends cleanly.
Who this is for, and who it is not
Best for
- Adding operational value to investees without taking on management risk
- Giving founders a vetted operator you can refer with confidence
- Supporting several portfolio companies from one standing relationship
- Professionalising an investee while respecting its existing culture
- Staying in your governance role while the engagement is run for you
Not for
- Installing a controlling manager to run the company for you
- A single one-off introduction with no ongoing oversight
- Investors who want to direct day-to-day operations themselves
- A freelancer directory rather than a managed engagement
What investors get from us
Operators found by search for diligence, a portfolio seat or a board role, with governance kept around each engagement.
Early word on drift
If it begins to drift, we raise it with you early.
One brief, the whole collective
A diligence read and a later operating role can both come from our collective of 800+.
Handover run by us
If your executive must step back, we run the search again from the brief we hold and manage the handover, so the work does not restart from zero.
Fit with the founder
The executive works inside the company, so we match on the founder's style as well as the sponsor's plan.
The partnership model
One relationship. Portfolio-wide coverage.
Establish the standing relationship
We understand your investment thesis, your portfolio, and the types of leadership gaps most common across your investments.
You introduce us when needed
When a portfolio company needs operational leadership, you make the introduction. We handle everything else.
The right operator, fast
Discovery, matching, scoping, engagement management, and ongoing oversight, without you managing or coordinating it.
Visibility without burden
Lightweight reporting to you, not operational detail, but confidence that the engagement is performing. Investor-grade oversight without investor-level involvement.
Support by investor type
Different investors carry different portfolio needs. We match the operator to the need and manage the engagement, so it never lands back on you.
The operators we embed in your portfolio companies
Every operator is matched to the portfolio company's stage, sector and challenge.
Trusted across
