The Core Team
Core Team.
The core team is what makes JVA run smoothly every day. We are a team of students from different universities and study backgrounds around Tokyo all united with a common passion for startups.
By the numbers
A global, bilingualcollective buildingJapan's next founders.
01 — Stat
Bilingual
Every core member operates fluently across languages.
02 — Stat
Nationalities
Across past & current members — a truly global cohort.
03 — Stat
Universities
Top campuses in Tokyo and abroad represented.
Leadership
Founder & President.
Kento Akiyama
Founder
Kento started JVA in 2022 and set out with a vision to create an offering to help build greater entrepreneurial skills and self efficacy amongst young people in Japan. He leverages his experience participating in an entrepreneurship programs back in Munich and building a student-run consultancy group as a university student.
Kuei Maesaka
President
Kuei joined JVA in 2025 and serves as president from 2026. He draws on his experience leading multiple student organizations, startup events, fostering student-industry collaboration, and interning at Startup in SF. With a vision for a more inclusive and globally connected startup ecosystem, Kuei is committed to inspiring students to take bold steps in their entrepreneurial journeys.
Department
Marketing.
The Marketing team's goal is to increase JVA's brand awareness in and outside of Japan through creativity, presence, and teamwork. They bring to life the most engaging and impactful content to show you everything JVA can do.
Department
Partnerships.
The Partnerships team's role is to build, strengthen, and manage relationships with external organizations, companies, and communities. Through trust and clear communication, they make sure that JVA members and the partner organizations both gain from a long-term collaboration.
Department
Lab.
The Lab team puts our learnings into action by exploring, testing, and building early-stage startup concepts. Through experimentation, both individually and as a team, they create prototypes for tools, campaigns, and products that could fit into the community driven by JVA.
Want to be part of the core team?
To ensure that applicants satisfy the requirements for our program with regards to motivation and skill, there exists a 3-stage application process consisting of an online application, an interview, and 2-weeks trial.
