About
Narimasa Makino is a venture investor serving as CEO at Monozukuri Ventures, a Kyoto-based venture capital firm focused on hardware startups, small-lot manufacturing and seed-stage investment. Before starting Monozukuri Ventures, he worked in venture capital in Kyoto and Tokyo, including manager roles at Future Venture Capital and SunBridge Global Ventures. He also served as Director for Kansai at the Founder Institute and as a coordinator at ASTEM Kyoto, and holds a PhD from Doshisha University in technology and innovative management. Narimasa brings an investor's perspective on hardware and IoT startups, design for manufacturing, the move from prototype to mass production, and seed-stage funding. The role provides direct exposure to how early hardware and deep-tech teams are assessed and what it takes to bring a physical product to market. Narimasa is particularly relevant to conversations around hardware startup fundraising, manufacturing readiness, robotics and semiconductor ventures, and building startups from the Kyoto and Kansai region.